January 6, 2024 | College student Jamal Mohamad talks about his viral interaction with zionist, Israel-defending, hate-mongering Rabbi Shmuley.
Shmuley—”Schmuck”—Boteach may be dubbed the “Rabbi of Hate” since he authored a book titled Kosher Hate, which is all about the righteous, orthodox way of being hateful, intolerant, and racist—like the Zionist settlers who recite the prayer: “Thank you, God, for creating me a racist” (see The Settlers documentary). Judging by this paradoxical perspective, hate is good—in fact it’s divine—and it’s possible to hate in good faith, to support Apartheid and genocide in good conscience. After all, “God hates a coward”—but loves a Zionist hater.
The (Kosher) Hate You Give
Any honest and sane person would acknowledge that Hate = Hate—no matter how sophisticatedly it’s branded or conceptualized—just as A = A. You don’t fight hate with hate. You just create more of it. You perpetuate hate. And conflict. And war. Hate-mongers love all that.
You fight hatred with intelligence, severity, austerity, not by giving in to hate and becoming intoxicated with it. When you fight hate with hate, you’re not fighting hate at all, only rejoicing in it.
All in all, Rabbi Shmuley teaches us one of the reasons why Christianity represents a civilizational advancement with regards to its predecesor (see René Girard). And the reason why Buddhism is, arguably, superior to both of them (and Islam1).
1 All three Western Abrahamic monotheistic religions display a troublesome dependence on intense feelings and strong emotions whatsoever, a need for suffering, grievance, matyrdom; theophanies, epiphanies, “religious experiences” and whatnot.
In Praise of Hate. Such a hateful stance is quite revealing of the genealogy of Zionism from the 19th to the 20th century, particularly of the alliances and elective affinities of its founders in the European context of that time.
Modern Zionist ideology feeds on and profits from the age-old problem of hatred toward Jews, namely antisemitism. The most important European “allies” of the Zionist movement were not tolerant, liberal, democratic societies and statesmen, but those rulers, governments, and populations most fiercely antisemitic (Russia, Germany, many Eastern European countries such as Romania), thus being more likely to approve of and contribute to the fulfillment of the Zionist project: the establishment of the state of Israel and the compulsory migration of all Jews (or as many as possible) to their new home in Palestine.
The Zionist movement relied on the antisemitic hate toward Jews to force them to leave Europe and migrate to Palestine to pioneer the foundation of Eretz Yisrael. Which brings us back to the “Rabbi of Hate”. If asked “why can’t we be friends?” (as in War‘s song), he would reply, as a true Zionist: “You’re not doing us Jews any favor by not hating us.”
Brazilian Zionists love Bolsonaro
Such critical perspective on Zionism, as advanced by anti-Zionist Jews, Rabbis included, seems to explain why—very few exceptions made—the overwhelming majority of Zionist Jews in Brazil are extreme right-wing who support Bolsonaro and voted for him—not despite but exactly because he represents the 21st century Brazilian strain of nazifascism.
Michel Gherman, a left-wing Zionist Jewish historian and History professor at Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), wrote about Bolsonaro’s 2017 speeches at the Hebraica Social Club both in Sao Paulo and Rio, promoted by hardline Zionist Jews. While Bolsonaro gave his hate speech,1 many progressist and left-wing Jews protested outside the Hebraica club—a political divide within the Brazilian Jewish community that took place in Sao Paulo and Rio (Gherman was one of the protesters outside the Hebraica club in Rio).
“The Jewish Non-Jew” (a title inspired by Isaac Deutscher): Gherman’s book about the colonisation attempt of Judaism by the extreme right-wing Bolsonarist movement in Brazil.
1 “African-Brazilians aren’t useful even to procreate,” said Bolsonaro at the Hebraica club in Rio in 2017.
In his interaction with college student Jamal Mohamad at an ice-skating rink in New York, the “Rabbi of Hate” is left disoriented when confronted peacefully, with no existential threat, no intention of harm, not even in a verbally offensive way, but politely. The young Palestinian student only wanted to declare his opposition of ideas to those of Rabbi Schmuley’s, after all, the latter is famous for his unconditional pro-Israel stance (Jamal even gives him a friendly “fist bump”).
Shmuley even tried to forge some kind of “harassment” or “threat”, to accuse the Palestinian student of “hate crime”, but it wasn’t very convincing based on his footage. “Free Palestine” means just what it means, propositionally speaking: there is a people whose land is being further and further occupied in an unlawful way, and at the same time there are the occupying forces; the phrase is a wish for the liberation of the occupied land and the oppressed people (Jamal Mohamad speaks as a second-generation Palestinian-American born).
Now, what if a Muslim came up with the idea of writing a book titled “Halal Hate”? Would it deserve the praise of specialized critics and public opinion? In this case, the author would most likely be accused of Islamic extremism and/or terrorism.
The Rabbi of Hate’s hashtag is “Never again“, period. So typically self-centered, egotistic, and racist. The correct phrasing is: “Never again for anyone,” schmuck. 🇵🇸
Jamal Mohamad is a second-generation Palestinian-American born and raised in North Carolina. He is the current president of the Arab Student Organization at North Carolina State University and has first-hand witnessed the brutal Israeli occupation and apartheid system during his time in Palestine.
Katie Halper is an American comedian, writer, filmmaker, podcaster, and political commentator. She is the host of the podcast The Katie Halper Show and co-host of the podcast Useful Idiots with Matt Taibbi. Halper was born in New York City. She grew up on Riverside Drive in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Katie Halper graduated from the Dalton School, and from Wesleyan University in 2003. She is of Jewish Eastern European ancestry and has described herself as a secular Jew. Her father is a psychiatrist and her mother is an English professor and novelist.
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[…] do Holocausto é quem defende “Never again” (Nunca de novo), como o Rabino do Ódio (Rabbi of Hate) por antomásia, Shmuley (“Schmuck”) Boteach, em vez de defender “Never again for […]
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