[Elder of Ziyon] "Jewish Voice for Peace" suddenly cares about free speech

A hilariously ironic press release from the so-called "Jewish Voice for Peace:"

The national organization Jewish Voice for Peace is profoundly disappointed by the sudden cancellation of the upcoming Berkeley talk on "the Crisis of Zionism" by Daily Beast political writer Peter Beinart. Beinart withdrew yesterday following the Friday announcement by the East Bay Jewish Community Center (see statement below) that they were withdrawing sponsorship, they said, after realizing that Dr. Penny Rosenwasser, the agreed-upon moderator of the talk, was a founding board member of Jewish Voice for Peace.

...[W]ithdrawing sponsorship at this late date is likely one more result of an increasingly McCarthyite atmosphere in the Jewish institutional world. In the Bay Area especially, more and more, Jewish institutions are required to police speakers and events based on the narrow requirements of a handful of influential funders.

...This dynamic of policing by funders, especially acute during times of economic difficulty, has already had a destructive impact on Jewish institutions that would otherwise be committed to open dialogue.

...It is disheartening to see an increasing number of Jewish institutions, including those serving Jewish young people, like Hillel, and the Jewish Federations of North America, implement polices that explicitly cut off honest conversation and critical thinking.

Wow, a pro-boycott group is whining about being boycotted?

A group that promotes economic sanctions against Israel is upset when Jewish donors choose not to fund their hate?

A group that happily tramples on the free speech rights of Zionists, not allowing them to talk publicly, is complaining about the lack of "honest conversation"?

You can't make this up.

(h/t Lenny and AB)

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Posted By Elder of Ziyon to Elder of Ziyon at 3/28/2012 09:45:00 AM