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ADL — Apology and Denial League?

Friday, January 16, 2009

By Lawrence Swaim, Columnist

Pvt. Michael Handman, 20, thought it would be no big deal to wear a small head covering worn by many Jews, called a yarmulke (or kippah), during Army basic training at Fort Benning, Ga. — it is, after all, permitted by army regulations. But nobody could have predicted the violent reaction to that simple act, or the uproar that followed, which included an attempted cover-up, racist outbursts, appeals to the Secretary of Defense and the shocking duplicity of the Anti-Defamation League.

No sooner had Pvt. Handman put on his yarmulke than two Drill Instructors began to yell anti-Semitic insults, prominent among which were “kike” and “f------g Jew.” By doing this in front of other recruits, the Drill Instructors were clearly inciting them to act. Handman wrote to his mother that he feared a physical attack — and not long afterward, he was lured into a laundry room, knocked unconscious and beaten while lying on the ground.

Afterward, he was taken by ambulance to a base hospital with a concussion — but then, inexplicably, sent back to the same platoon. Michael’s father, Jonathan Handman, sought help from Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R), who asked the Pentagon to investigate.

Handman also contacted Michael (Mikey) Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, who called up the company commander. Weinstein says this commander claimed to have “100 sworn affidavits” attesting that Pvt. Handman had never been subjected to anti-Semitism.

But the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff wrote to Sen. Chambliss admitting that Pvt. Handman had, indeed, been subjected to officers’ anti-Semitic insults. The Sept. 26 letter also acknowledged that army regulations permit yarmulkes, and that the two NCOs responsible were being reprimanded. But if that were true, why had Pvt. Handman been sent back to the same unit? The letter carefully avoided any reference to the brutal attack.

Then, on October 16th, came the publication of an interview with Mr. Neil Block, a Jewish lay leader at Fort Benning, in “The Public Record,” a website for investigatory journalism. Block accused Handman of “playing the Jew card” and acting like a victim, adding: “I mean everybody uses the ‘n’ word every now and then to refer to African-Americans.” Mikey Weinstein fired off a seething letter to Robert M. Gates, US Secretary of Defense, denouncing in very strong terms Block’s outrageous statements. Then Weinstein and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation retained one of the most prominent law firms in the country, Atlanta-based King and Spaulding, to press its case on behalf of Pvt. Handman against the Army and Block at Fort Benning.

The issue had progressed from a simple kippah kerfuffle to something much more explosive. It now involved serious charges of racism and cover-up — and Pvt. Handman’s parents were concerned about the continuing safety of their son. Into this volatile stew of charges and counter-charges came the Anti-Defamation League, apparently invited in to “close the case” before the investigation could go any further.

"The ADL came in like they were knights in shining armor," Pvt. Handman's father Jonathan told InFocus disgustedly, "but they really didn't do anything. The brass called them in because they knew they [the ADL] would just follow the path of least resistance."

The ADL entered negotiations without once discussing it with Pvt. Handman, his parents, or the MRFF, in effect usurping Weinstein's role as advocate. The ADL and the army cobbled together a hasty "resolution" of the problem, without once determining whether there was a criminal attack. Nor did they deal with the racist statement by Neil Block, or guarantee the future safety of Pvt. Handman.

This behavior should surprise nobody. The ADL is today less of a civil rights organization than the main U.S. lobby for rightwing politicians in Israel. It has absorbed much of the neoconservative ethos, increasingly aligning itself with establishment forces rather than individual Jews, abandoning the struggle for social justice inherent to the Abrahamic tradition. One can only be grateful that the MRFF is still on Pvt. Handman’s case, despite the interference by the Anti-Defamation League.

“Sadly,” Weinstein told InFocus, “It seems that where hate crimes in the military are concerned, the acronym ‘ADL’ now stands for “Apology and Denial League.’”

Lawrence Swaim is the Executive Director of the Interfaith Freedom Foundation. He taught for eight years at Pacific Union College, and his academic specialities are American Studies and American literature. His column addresses current affairs from an American Christian and Interfaith perspective.


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