Wednesday, March 27, 2013

A Little Perspective Please

An interesting thing about The Jewish Tribune's story about the death of Doug Christie, lawyer to Canada's far right, is that it isn't really about the death of Doug Christie.  Rather, it is about the reaction to Doug Christie's death by ex-CJC head Bernie Farber.  Anyone that knows Bernie knows that he likes to play things clean, keep it classy, and so forth, so it isn't surprising, and hardly a big deal, that he would have sent the dying barrister a conciliatory email.   Nevertheless Tribune correspondent Joanne Hill spends  300 or so words trying to make something of the issue, finally tracking down Frank Dimant, CEO of B'nai Brith Canada, for a negative quote.  Frank thunders stentoriously:

Well, I'm not sure I would be able to point to  redeeming trait in Doug Christie either, though I generally think its best to keep things civil around the time of a man's funeral.  But its worth noting that other commentators, indeed other Jewish commentators, have been far more complimentary towards Mr. Christie than Bernie was.  Ezra Levant, for example.  His whole eulogy can be found here,  but highlights among the flowery BS include Ezra denying, against all the evidence, that Christie was personally anti-Semitic, and calling him "a passionate scholar of history", which is I suppose true at least insofar as Christie passionately believed that Hitler was "demonized" in the wake of that whole WWII thing.  So perhaps Ms. Hill and Mr. Dimant can throw a little outrage in Levant's direction.  




16 comments:

rightprog said...

I am not sure how I missed this (perhaps using the Tribune in my bathroom for other purposes will explain it)but I did see the Globe and Mail Obit on Christie.

Ya Farber sent him an email, but he also made no bones about the fact that Christie as an anti-Semite and racist.

Levant wrote a love letter about Christie! Yet Bnai Birth is so Farber-focused it rags on him for nothing and ignores Levant for praising a Hitler loving bigot. It truly is Alice in Wonderland

Maxamillion said...

BCL what you need to understand is that the Jewish Tribune is the house newsletter for B'nai Brith Canada. It has an agenda and represents only its very Tory positive point of view.

Also it's chief Executive Frank Dimant has always been Wiley Coyote to Farber's Road Runner, the obvious animosity he holds towards Farber has not abated to this day.

This is all too obvious in this article. Arguably today Levant has a much higher profile than Farber as a Jewish pundit. It is shameful that Dimantvallows Levant to honour and praise Doug Christie, a man he hates even more than Farber

Meir Weinstein said...

Bernie's email and Ezra's bit were out of order.

BMF said...
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Harry Abrams said...

excellent warts and all obit for Christie in several parts here: http://anti-racistcanada.blogspot.ca/2013/03/doug-christie-truth-will-out-part-iii.html

There is no doubt whatsoever that Christie was a vicious character. Period.

I'm past being interested in his new problems. The fellow has his own bigotry issues, he represents no meaningful point of view in the larger Cdn. Jewish community. Bernie backtracked as quickly as he could on that one. Only Frank called the spade a shovel. I'm proud to ride with B'nai Brith.

Harry Abrams said...

Sorry, need to add this phrase to the above : ....I'm past being interested in Ezra Levant's new problems....

bigcitylib said...

Trib always gives him tons of space, Harry.

Meir Weinstein said...

I think it would be a good idea for Ezra to explain his position to a group of Holocaust survivors. Zundel did write a book called "the hitler we loved and why". it is one thing to argue against the law that Zundel was charged with and another to be his platform to spread nazi ideology. Christie willingly provided that platform and for that reason Alan Borovoy and Edward Greenspan refused to join the defence. Ezra is turning a blind eye to the facts.

bigcitylib said...

Looks like Meir and I agree on one thing. Had to happen eventually.

Maxamillion said...

Wow Meir is sounding more and more like a person with a social conscience. Good for him on calling Ezra out.

Maxamillion said...

And Harry, B'nai Brith unnecessarily attacked Farber and was silent on Levant's homage to Christie.
They do our community a grave disservice by hooking their wagon to one political party and excluding all others. The worm will turn one day and the Jewish community will find itself holding an empty bag. That is nothing to be proud of.

Harry Abrams said...

I'm pretty much aligned shoulder to shoulder with Meir Weinstein when it comes down to Jew haters, deniers and the like. We may disagree on ways and means, but the basics stay the same. Ezra's lionizing of Christie was just plain sickening. I can't speak for BBC or the Trb concerning him, but those are my own feelings.

Meir Weinstein said...

Christie supported Zundel, Keegstra , George Galloway, Omar Khadr and many other sicknesses .

Maxamillion said...

But Harry if you are so proud to ride with B'nai Brith surely your proud of their head honcho who writes a front page story about his nemesis who did nothing while he ignores Levant who who so beautifully eulogized what you yourself call a Jew hater.

Come on Harry show some balls.

Maxamillion said...
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Harry Abrams said...

http://www.as-found.net/exhibitions/balls/