Monday, January 14, 2019

Anti-semitism, again

Further to the comments on my post on Taki's column in the Christmas edition of the Catholic Herald, I had the following comment which I think is worthy of its own post. The author has a unique perspective, being Jewish and moving in traditional Catholic circles for a number of years while in the UK in the 1990s.

His point about 'dinner party anti-semitism' reminds me of stories of casual racism focused on Africans which one hears featuring impeccably liberal Catholic churchmen.

Writing as one who would be considered an 'ultra-orthodox' Jew, I find the entire charge to be without merit. I was close with quite a few LMS folks while at University and have maintained contact with many since then. With one foolish exception, I did not encounter even the slightest hint of antisemitism. Perhaps I am simply able to understand that disagreement does not equal condemnation or hatred; I don't know. As per the Chairman's implication above, the exception I mention had spent his formative years in France. In fact, I have encountered far more 'dinner party' antisemitism from the more post-conciliar crew. Are there *some* Traditionalist Catholics who are antisemites? I dunno. Probably somewhere. But I would find it difficult to believe that it had anything to do with them being a Traditionalist Catholic, which itself is more of a barrier to antisemitism than modernity is. 

Re. the NY Times. Most of its Jewish readership is secular-liberal or Modern Orthodox. Neither of whom will, generally, shed tears over haredi-slamming articles. Even my fellow haredim would not, generally, consider the stories to be an attack. My suspicion is that the NY Times is simply losing out to the NY Post on these stories. Additionally, these are different times: when the big wave of abuse stories came out of the Church, print media was still the norm. If a newspaper did not cover all the news fit for print, then it was an impediment of sorts to its readership. Most of the orthodox abuse stories (still, thankfully, very few in number) emerged when online news is the norm. One will not cancel a newspaper subscription if they miss one-or-two stories that can be accessed easily elsewhere.
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2 comments:

  1. Dear Dr Shaw
    In my limited experience I ' ve met in the lms, isolated but not neglidgable in number , more partially unbalanced in opinion nutjobs,not only as per the Lefebrist Bishop but in a number of different ways instead or as well,
    , otherwise and principally intent on being good catholics, than this gentleman seems to indic ate.
    I have seen exactly the same in other orthodox individuals elswhere than the lms , treading water in the" church of nice "as Voris calls it.
    One should expext no less.Persecution refines and The Lord permits it.But to an extent it works and so Satan promotes it.Persecution from within is harder...naturally there are sicological effects in any weak sinner...speaking as one such.The do natist schism is there as a reminder.Remember the donatists WERE RIGHT. It Was a scandal that a man who had folded under persecution should be made bishop.(As I understand it the case was not that he had denied Christ to worship an emperor, rather, Diocletian being primarily interested in burning every last Christan writing , the future bishop having been entrusted with this knowledge, he revealed every last hiding place of buried and walledup biblical and patristic works - for which the custodians and owners of the sites concerned doubtless got short shrift.)
    But in dissonance and separation from the universal church more and more do natist leaders went bonkers on one matter or another.L M S has been hounded but not left the church.... even so , some people are scarred.

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    1. As for your ad hominem "nutjob" insults,

      Pope St. Pius X:


      "We are unable to favor this [Zionist] movement. We cannot prevent the Jews from going to Jerusalem, but we could never sanction it. The ground of Jerusalem, if it were not always sacred, has been sanctified by the life of Jesus Christ. As the head of the Church, I cannot answer you otherwise. The Jews have not recognized Our Lord; therefore, we cannot recognize the Jewish people.... If you come to Palestine and settle your people there, we will be ready with priests and churches to baptize all of you".

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