Jewish Dialogue with Min. Farrakhan: A Jewish View, by Stanley Halpern
This letter was sent in September, 1996 by Mr. Stanley Halpern, a Jewish man from Boca Raton Florida, to the principals of many of the major Jewish organizations, Jewish newspaper publishers and reporters, and rabbis. Our presentation of this letter is not an endorsement of the positions taken by Mr. Halpern—there is much in his letter that we disagree with. It does however, provide an opportunity to open dialogue on this crucial matter. In his letter Mr. Halpern gives his views on:
- Why this letter?
- My nightmare
- A Jewish fanatic might kill Farrakhan
- The role of Progressive Jews
- Can Farrakhan change?
- Farrakhan reaching out to the Jewish community
- What Farrakhan said at the Million Man March
- Farrakhan is not insignificant
- The four outstanding problems with Farrakhan:
- 1. The “Hitler is great” remark
- 2. Judaism is a “dirty religion”
- 3. Rich store owning Jews in Harlem are “bloodsuckers”
- 4. Why The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews?
- The anti-Semitic tone of the book
- The Big Lie about the book The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews
- What The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews does say
- The Jewish excuse for being involved with the slave trade
- Why would intelligent Jews refuse to read the book?
- Who did the research for this book?
- An assessment of the book by Ralph Austen
- Why did Morris Schappes change?
- What holds communities together?
- The best spin on the situation
- Putting myself in another’s shoes
- Jews invented Hollywood-So what?
- Is this the real reason Jews won’t dialogue with Farrakhan?
- Racism vs. Anti-Semitism
- The good that Farrakhan does
- Henry Louis Gate’s article May 26th in The New Yorker
- Only a few voices have been heard in support of dialogue with Farrakhan
- My Hopes
Mr. Halpern has been a tireless proponent of mutual and respectful dialogue between the Jewish community and the Nation of Islam.
An open letter to my personal Jewish friends and acquaintances:
WHY THE JEWS SHOULD DIALOGUE WITH FARRAKHAN
Why this letter?
I am sending this printing to the above. My hope is that it will stimulate some discussion even if it only remains behind the scenes. I have not seen any real discussion of this topic in Jewish circles and this frightens me. I realize I am very much in the minority in my opinion that the Jews should dialogue with Farrakhan. But I believe this is so crucial an issue that I have taken this method of getting my views out in the hope of at least stirring up some dialogue amongst Jews about why we should take up Farrakhan’s offer to dialogue with us.
My nightmare
Martin Luther King had a dream. I have a nightmare. My nightmare is that a Jewish fanatic will kill Farrakhan.
A Jewish fanatic might kill Farrakhan
In the world we live in today it seems to me that it is a distinct possibility. There are Jews who have called Farrakhan “a modern Hitler.” Killing a “Hitler” is within the scope of a Meir Kahane type. We all remember the assassination of Rabin followed his being called a traitor to the Jewish people. If Malcolm X’s daughter had succeeded in her plot to kill Farrakhan, implicated in that plot would have been Mr. Fitizgerald, a Jew.
Can this be avoided? Maybe not. It might be that my nightmare will come true no matter what we do but it seems to me that we should try our utmost to quiet the antagonism between Farrakhan and the Jews. The best way to do this is to take up Farrakhan’s offer to dialogue.
Sometimes in my paranoid nightmares I see myself as the prophet of old beseeching the Jews to change their ways before destruction is rained down upon them. I remember the adage that all it takes for evil things to happen is that good people take no action. The following is a quote from Magida’s book Prophet of Rage, p. 158: “But what if the bickering and name calling between Jews and Farrakhan continued? What if chants of the Jewish Defense League (JDL) for Farrakhan’s death bore fruitand the fatal shot was fired by a Jew? That, said Farrakhan, would mean the fire, not next time, but this time: `My God would destroy America….If you lay your hands on me, you won’t have any future….It would be wise to make sure nothing happens to me. Because that would be an act of self-preservation on the part of America.'” On one hand Farrakhan excuses his anti-Semitic remarks and calls for dialogue and on the other hand he makes such threatening statements. The situation is real scary and is the cause of my nightmares. Does that statement scare you too? I’m sure it does but continue that thought. What is the best way of preventing that situation from happening? I hope to convince you with this letter that the best way is through dialoguing with Farrakhan before it is too late. My nightmare seems so real to me that I felt compelled to send this letter, even though my wife assures me that everyone will think I am crazy in doing this and she completely disassociates herself from my opinions.
The role of Progressive Jews
What is the role of progressive Jews who have spent so much of their time and energy in working in Black/Jewish relations over these many years? Every time I read of progressive Jews trying to outdo the Anti-Defamation League’s denunciations of Farrakhan it boggles my mind. We progressive Jews should be working to calm the waters.
What have the Jews got to lose by dialoguing with Farrakhan? Nothing at all. Does anyone really believe that Farrakhan will use this dialogue to reinforce his anti-Semitism? Dialogue can only lead to quieting the dangerous rhetoric that is occurring now.
Are we afraid that by dialoguing with him he will become more mainstream? I guess that will happen, but isn’t that just the result we want? The more mainstream he becomes the less anti-Semitic he will become and the less dangerous to the Jewish community. I do not think most people will argue with his anti-drug, anti-crime, self-help programs.
Can Farrakhan change?
Malcolm X was an unknown until his anti-white and anti-Semitic remarks received national attention by his exposure on Mike Wallace’s The Hate that Hate Produced TV documentary. At the point where Malcolm felt his anti-Semitism was no longer in his best interests he changed. After his death he is now considered one of the great leaders of the Afro-American community. I believe that Farrakhan is in the same position that Malcolm X was in. Farrakhan also used his anti-white, anti-Semitic sentiments to gain his notoriety. I believe he now realizes he is a major player on the American scene and that he has the potential [to] become the most influential Afro-American leader of our times, but first he must rid himself of his anti-Semitic image.
Farrakhan reaching out to the Jewish community
What were his attempts to reconcile with the Jews?
1. His constant denial that he is anti-Semitic.
2. His playing Mendelssohn at his concert, stressing the fact that his violin teacher was Jewish and some critics took that as an attempt on his part to reach out nonverbally to the Jewish community.
3. His granting interviews with Arthur J. Magida, a Jewish journalist who wrote The Prophet of Rage. Even though this book ends with a harsh denunciation of Farrakhan, because it is one of the only writings that makes at least an attempt to treat Farrakhan even handedly, it could be a book that could be a starting point for a discussion amongst Jews to start a dialogue with Farrakhan.
4. A meeting Farrakhan initiated in 1988 with two Chicago Rabbis, Robert Marx and Herman Schaalman. The Rabbis found Farrakhan to be “friendly,” “charming,” and “receptive.” Even though later on these two Rabbis denounced Farrakhan for not disclaiming the book The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews.
5. His remarks before Afro-Americans that Jews should be emulated.
6. His recent remark that he believes he has Jewish blood. A most remarkable statement when you think of it.
7. His claim that he got the idea for the Million Man March to be a Day of Atonement from the Jewish Holiday Yom Kippur.
8. His speech at the Million Man March where he called for dialogue. After three hours of talking at the Million Man March with the whole world waiting for him to finally talk about the Jewish situation he probably could have received his loudest applause of the day by saying, “See the so-called Jews have taken out full page ads in the New York Times to try to kill this march but, in spite of them, there are a million people here now. You so-called Jews should shake in your shoes in the face of the power we have.” However he did not say that.
What Farrakhan said at the Million Man March
Farrakhan did say “I don’t like this squabble with the members of the Jewish community. I don’t like it. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said that he believed that we will work out some kind of an accord. Maybe so. Reverend Jackson has talked to the 12 presidents of Jewish organizations and perhaps in the light of what we see today, maybe it is time to sit down and talk. Not with any preconditions. You got pain, but we got pain too. You hurt, we hurt too The question isIf the dialogue is proper then we might be able to end the pain. And ending the pain may be good for both and ultimately good for the nation.
“We’re not opposed to sitting down and I guess if you can sit down with Arafat, where there are rivers of blood between you, why can’t you sit down with us, and there’s no blood between us.
“You don’t make sense not to dialogue. It doesn’t make sense.”
Farrakhan is not insignificant
Farrakhan is not an insignificant figure. Time Magazine cited him as one of the 25 most influential Americans in this country. It is of little value to say that the million Blacks who turned out for that March did not agree with him. Only Farrakhan could have done it. We progressives who have always complained that every time we called an action we could not get the African-American community to join us. It boggles my mind to think that Farrakhan could call for a march on a Monday limited only to men and hope to bring out more than a few thousand people. 1,000,000 men. Wow. The largest march in the history of our country. How many people will Farrakhan bring to his next march where he includes women? How will the Anti-Defamation League react to the next march? Take out weekly full-page ads against Farrakhan?
If the Jews do dialogue with Farrakhan, I can not imagine Farrakhan issuing new anti-Semitic remarks during those dialogues. I do not know what Jews fear from such a dialogue. Do they think Farrakhan will again say “Hitler was great” or that we Jews have a “dirty religion?” I hardly believe so. The worst he could say is that Jews should apologize for the role they played in slavery. More about that issue later. We progressive Jews have always believed in dialogue, I can not for the life of me understand why we are so obstinate on this vital issue. Not dialoguing is what fuels my nightmares.
The four outstanding problems with Farrakhan
The four main issues that the Jewish community holds against Farrakhan are his “Hitler is great” remark, his “Judaism is a dirty religion,” his “Jews are bloodsuckers” and his publishing of The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews. Let us examine these issues.
1. The “Hitler is great“ remark
Farrakhan first came to notoriety with the Jesse Jackson incident. After Jackson made that infamous Hymie-town remark his credibility was destroyed. Even after Jackson apologized there was talk by the fanatical Jewish Defense League that he deserved to die. Farrakhan then, with the assassination of Martin Luther King in mind, said if anyone harmed Jackson they would die. (Farrakhan later clarified these statements by saying he meant die not by NOI assassins but by the wrath of God). It was then that many Jewish sources started comparing Farrakhan to Hitler. Farrakhan in his anger said Hitler was great. He says he meant Hitler was great meaning it in a historical sense of being influential or “wickedly great.” He did not say Hitler was great because he killed the Jews but that Hitler was great because he rebuilt the German economy.
2. Judaism is a dirty religion
The second most telling anti-Semitic statements of Farrakhan was that Judaism was a dirty religion. Farrakhan soon after explained to a Chicago radio host, Irv Kupcinet, that he was misinterpreted. This is cited on page 150 in Arthur Magida’s book Prophet of Rage. Magida goes on to say that nine years later Farrakhan apologized to him, a reporter, for “using the phrase dirty religion” it was “not appropriate….It was my mistake,” said Farrakhan. His “dirty religion” had referred not to Jews’ religion but to specific actions of the Israeli government against Palestinian children.”
The Jewish community says that they will not dialogue with Farrakhan until he apologizes for his previous anti-Semitic remarks. Should not progressive Jews take the position that Farrakhan has already apologized by his now claiming that his remarks were taken out of context?
Arthur J. Magida in his book Prophet of Rage seems to me to give credence to Farrakhan’s assertions on the above two incidents.
3. Rich store owning Jews in Harlem are bloodsuckers
Farrakhan’s use of the word “bloodsuckers” is offensive to any Jew. In keeping with my premise of putting the best spin on a bad situation in order to ease the tension between Jews and Farrakhan I hereby give the following interpretation of that remark. Farrahkan often speaks in the tongue of the Bible. His use of the term was not exclusively for Jews. He also accuses Koreans now that they are in the Afro-American community as being bloodsuckers.
4. Why The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews?
How let down most Jews felt with Farrakhan’s anti-Semitic remarks. Weren’t the Jews always on the side of Afro-Americans? Who can forget that the Jews were in the forefront of the civil rights movement. Farrakhan says he was tired of always hearing how the Jews were always helping the Blacks. It was at this point that the book The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews was published. Its main contention was that it was not true that Jews always helped the Blacks. In fact during slavery the Jews were proportionately more involved than any other group The key word here is “proportionately” and not “dominate.” That the Jews dominated the slave trade would on the face of it be ridiculous, but that the Jews were percentage-wise more involved than any other group is a creditable argument.
I venture to say that most Jews have not read this book. It is not in any mainstream book stores. Even if that book was available I do not think most Jews would read it even though it is so crucial to Farrakhan/Jewish relations. After much research on the Internet I found a way of buying that book. I bought an extra copy and have offered it to many of my progressive friends to read and they all refuse to read it. These are intelligent people who for the most part have spent their lives working for improving Black-Jewish relations but they refuse to read this book. This is a terrible mistake. Many Afro-Americans have read this book (It is available to the Black community because of its distribution by the Nation of Islam). These progressive Jews who continue to work in the field of Black-Jewish relations should at least be able to say I have read the book and….
I may be a self-hating Jew but I must admit I was devastated when I read this book. I remember somewhere in my youth after reading Morris Schappes’s book that some Jews were involved with the slave trade. But nowhere was I prepared to read to what extent Jews played in the slave trade until I read this book.
The anti-Semitic tone of the book
Admittedly, this book has an anti-Semitic tone to it. But disregarding that tone you cannot read that book without being ashamed of those of Jewish ancestry who played a role in slavery. I would also have liked to believe that Jews just because they were Jewish would not be a part in this trade that killed 10 to 20 million Blacks. Dr. Brackman, in his book which supposedly exposes the lies of The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews gives the figure of 10 to 20 million as his best estimate although he quotes “Is there any basis in reality for The Nation of Islam’s favorite figure of 100 million or even 200 million deaths? One possible source is political. In 1978 after a UNESCO Conference held in Haiti on the slave trade, Director-General Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow issued a controversial reportnot endorsed by leading scholarsthat 210 million people had perished as a consequence of the trade.” How my mind was boggled by reading these figures. Before this issue arose I knew that slavery killed many blacks. But at least 10 to 20 millions which is undisputed and possibly 210 million deaths. Even if, as Brackman asserts, the figure of 210 million is not endorsed by leading scholars, can anyone blame The Nation of Islam for quoting those figures to strengthen their case of the horrors of slavery. Somehow the above controversy makes me feel uneasy. In discussing this issue with Blacks I would feel uneasy in denying a greater figure than 10 million. In view of Jewish history I would not want to be accused of down-playing the toll that slavery took over the many years. One of the great outcries from Jews comes when someone says less than 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust. We Jews should think twice before we claim that less than 100 million slaves died during the slave trade.
Of course no one can blame the Jews for all these deaths and no one does. (Read the book The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews and see for yourself if that book says that the Jews dominated the whole of the slave trade). But certainly the Jews did play a part far beyond their numbers. Jews were not the dominant force in the killing of so many Blacks. But most certainly Jews, who were less than a fraction of a percent of the world’s population played more than 1, 2, 3, or 5% of a role. One percent of 10 million is 100,000 deaths that, at the very least, some of my ancestors were responsible for killing. I cannot even write down the figure if I take the higher estimates of five or more percent of 210 million. It devastates me to think of it. Is this not enough for us Jews to apologize for? If the Lutherans can apologize for Martin Luther’s anti-Semitic writings, the Japanese apologized for their role in the WWII, the Catholics apologized for their Pope and the role the church played in anti-Semitism, many Americans apologized for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Baptists apologized for their ancestors role in slavery, why can’t we Jews apologize for the role played by some of our forefathers? But when I suggest to my progressive friends that Jews should apologize for the role our ancestors played in slavery they immediately get their backs up. “Why should I apologize for something that happened so long ago. Forget it.”
The Big Lie about the book The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews
The big lie now circulating is that The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews says that the Jews “dominated” the slave trade. That simply is not true. I have read that book 3 times now and nowhere in that book does it say that the Jews “dominated” the slave trade. It does say that Jews played a role in all aspects of the slave trade which is true.
But it does not state that Jews were the major or dominant force behind the whole of the slave trade. That statement would, of course, on the face of it be ridiculous. It does say that “Deep within the recesses of the Jewish historical record is the irrefutable evidence that the most prominent of the Jewish pilgrim fathers used kidnapped Black Africans disproportionately more than any other ethnic or religious group in New World History and participated in every aspect of the international slave trade.”
On reflection and study it seems that this statement that the Jews played a disproportionate role is true. Jews throughout history have played a disproportionate role in many leading activities of many aspects of history. I must admit until I read this book my image of the Jew was always from Fiddler on the Roof. After some readings in trying to verify some of the facts in this book on my own I reread the book Jews, God and History by Max I. Dimont. On this reading I concentrated on where Dimont states (p. 257) “We should not dismiss too lightly the idea that the Jews did originate capitalism” or on (p. 260) where Dimont states: “W. E. H. Lecky makes the point that for many centuries the Jews were, if not the only, then the most important segment in keeping international trade moving, because of their organized systems of monetary exchange, their knowledge of the needs and products of countries, their willingness to risk their capital in long-term investments.” Just think of it: The Jews might have invented capitalism, the Jews were for many centuries if not the only then the most important segment in keeping international trade moving.
The anti-Semitism throughout the ages placed Jews into the unique position of being able to play that role. That in itself is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact it is a matter of pride that such a small minority of the world’s population are so prominent. But along with that pride must come the responsibility and realization that much of the international trade dealt with slavery. In his book The Jews Howard Fast states that (p. 166) “The one indispensable service the Jews performed was to keep open the routes of trade….The position of the Jews in Babylon made them a pivot in the trade between the Near East and India and China.” It is also undeniable that the Jews played a disproportional role in the Dutch East Indies Company. Why else did that Company invalidate Peter Stuyvesant’s anti-Semitic decrees in the new world. Now that I looked for this information I found many other sources which confirm the disproportionate role Jews played in the early shipping industry when much of the slave shipments were made. Many of the millions of slaves who died during the history of slavery died in the ships on passage from one country to another.
What The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews does say
The Secret Relationship does not say the Jews dominated the slave trade. On page 9, it does say the following:
Throughout the history of the practice, Jews have been involved in the purchase and sale of human beings. This fact is confirmed by their own scholarly historical literature. In his book, A History of the Jews, Solomon Grayzel states that “Jews were among the most important slave dealers” in European society. Lady Magnus writes that in the Middle Ages, “The principal purchasers of slaves were found among the Jews. Jews were so widely scattered by this time that they seemed to be always and everywhere at hand to buy, and to have the means equally ready to pay.” Henry L. Feingold stated that “Jews who were frequently found at the heart of commerce could not have failed to contribute a proportionate share to the [slave] trade directly or indirectly. In 1460, when Jews were the masters of the nautical sciences in Portugal, that nation was importing 700-800 slaves yearly.”
The success of these medieval merchants was enhanced by their supreme linguistic abilities. They spoke Arabic, Persian, Roman, Frankish, Spanish and Slavonic and “displayed a business acumen far in advance of the times, making use of both credit instruments and partnership agreements.”
Although Morris Schappes claims that these quotes are taken out of context and that they are misinterpreted, still the facts remain and there are 1,275 quotes. With 1,275 quotes of course some or many can be taken out of context but remember these quotes are coming from Jewish sources. An Afro-American whose antenna is tuned into the horrors of slavery could easily have a different interpretation of the facts. Would Mr. Schappes deny that Jews played a disproportionate role in the slave trade? I believe he would not.
Jewish excuse for being involved with the slave trade
Morris Schappes, to illustrate the distortions of the facts in The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews, goes on to quote Feingold’s excuse for the Jewish involvement in the slave trade. He says Feingold had written “Jewish involvement in the slave trade should not embarrass today….The application of 20th century standards of morality to 18th century behavior can lead to twisted results.” Schappes’ argument is that because The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews does not include the above statement of Feingold that it distorts and misinterprets Feingold’s original statement that “Jews were frequently found at the heart of commerce [and] could not have failed to contribute a proportionate share to the [slave] trade.” Does Mr. Schappes really think that by the omission of Feingold’s excuse for the fact that Jews did indeed play a disproportionate share, does that invalidate the fact? What kind of an excuse is that anyway. We cannot blame our Jewish forefathers who were involved in the slave trade because everyone was doing it. Everyone was killing millions of slaves so you can hardly blame the Jews for doing the same? Can you picture Germans saying in the future they should not be embarrassed for the Nazi Holocaust because back in the 1930’s everyone hated the Jews and people were killing Jews for centuries so don’t feel guilty for your Nazi forefathers.
A fair reading of the book must deal with what the book says, not what the book does not say. The book is obviously not impartial, it is trying to make a point. The point is the crucial thing here. Did or did not Jews play a disproportionate role in slavery? When Farrakhan was asked why he does not talk about the roles others played in slavery he answered that everyone is aware of that role but not everyone knows the role the Jews had and that is the reason for this particular book.
Indeed it was Morris Schappes himself who quotes in his book The Early History of Jews in America from an Abolitionists Report in 1853, complaining that “The Jews of the United States have never taken any steps whatever with regard to the Slavery question….The object of so much mean prejudice and unrighteous oppression as the Jews have been for ages, surely they, it would seem, more than any other denomination, ought to be the enemies of caste (slavery)…and the friends of Universal Freedom.” And what of Schappes pointing out that it was the speech of Rabbi Raphall’s sermon which laid the foundation for the Southern slaveholders to use the Old Testament to give credence to their moral appropriateness for owning slaves. It seems that the Old Testament was a stronger support for slavery than the New Testament. Rabbi Raphall claimed it is in the Old Testament where Noah lays the foundation for Black slavery by cursing Ham and his descendants as being the servant of servants (Slaves). And he goes on to say that it was in the 10 commandments that the Bible says “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, or his field, or his male slave, or his female slave” and how dare anyone denounce slavery as a sin since it has a place in the 10 Commandments?
Thank goodness for me in reading Schappes’ book I found that the only Jew who opposed Rabbi Raphall’s sermon in print was a Rabbi Michael Heilprin. Since Heilprin might easily have been a relative of mine (my name being Halpern) I am a bit less guilt-ridden over this issue. (Perhaps Rabbi Heilprin’s blood is running through my veins so that is why I am writing this piece.)
The simple truth is that Jews were involved disproportionately in one of the most horrible crimes of all time, the African slave trade. Equalled only by the other most horrible crime, the Holocaust. There is no excuse for anyone who played any part in the Holocaust, nor any excuse for anyone having a role in slavery which killed so many millions of Blacks whether it was in the year 1650, 1750, 1850 or the 1900’s.
The Historical Research Department’s newsletter Blacks and Jews News points out that when the ADL honored 13 pioneers of the American Jewish community, 10 of them have been definitively linked to the Black slave trade. Aaron Lopez, Moses Lindo and the Franks family are cited in The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews as deriving portions of their fortunes from dealing in slaves. Is it therefore true that some of our wealth as Jews today stems in whatever small part from these early heroes of ours? How could I not apologize for this when speaking to my Afro-American friends?
Why would intelligent Jews refuse to read the book
The book does say Jews did “dominate” the slave trade in certain places like Brazil at certain times in history. I personally confirmed this by reading in the Encyclopedia Judaica, p. 1662 the following: “Jews appear to have been among the major retailers of slaves in Dutch Brazil (1630-54), because Jews possessed ready money and were willing to trade slaves for sugar.”
The Response to The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews
I read the “definitive” answer to the The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews. This is the book The Truth behind The Secret Relationship between Blacks and Jewsby Dr. Harold Brackman (A Simon Wiesenthal Center Report). But it seems to me that he just answers a straw man of statements that are made in this book.
If you will note, Brackman in citing the “big lies” of the The Secret Relationship starts by citing what he claims is the #1 lie of the book.
“1. Did Jews `Dominate’ the Slave Trade in Medieval Europe?”
This opening question of Brackman’s implies that The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews claims that the Jews did “dominate” the slave trade in Medieval Europe. You would think that now Brackman will quote where The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews makes such a statement. But he does not quote that statement because nowhere in the book does it say the Jews dominated the slave trade in Medieval Europe. Instead Brackman quotes what the book does say: “Throughout the history of the practice, Jews have been involved in the purchase and sale of human beings….The Jews’ participation in the slave trade…incited the moral indignation of Europe’s Gentile population.” The dishonesty of Mr. Brackman is evident by his use of “…” The different portions of this quote are as much as 80 pages aparta fact that Mr. Brackman does not reveal.
I don’t know about you, the reader, but those footnotes certainly look impressive to me. Remember there are 1,275 of them.
The same pattern holds true for the “big lie #2 Did Jews `Dominate’ the Slave Trade within Africa?” Brackman’s truth does not answer the charge and it is all put under a false title which implies that the book uses the words “dominated.” Nowhere is the word “dominated” used.
The same pattern goes on for statements 3,4,5,6,7,8, and 9. Nowhere in Brackman’s book does he give evidence of direct misquotes of any of the 1,275 quotes from Jewish sources. So the main thrust of the book that the Jews played a disproportionate role in slavery is never refuted. There are 1,275 footnotes all taken from Jewish authors, and only in a few not more than 3 or 4 cases have I seen anyone disputing the quotes and then only in the spin of the quote. I, of course, do not have the ability to check out these 1,275 quotes but I feel certain that if they were full of discrepancies and false quotes that some Jewish organization would have produced a more serious book than Brackman has done.
The pity in all this is now almost unanimously Jews think that The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews is a gross lie because it says that the Jews dominated the slave tradewhen in actuality it does not say that. It does say that the Jews played a role in all aspects of slaverythe extent of which to me came as a great shock.
Who did the research for this book?
The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews does not have an author. Instead it says the book was prepared by The Historical Research Department of The Nation of Islam. All the sources quoted in the book come from Jewish sources. Of course, who else but Jews would have written so extensively about this subject. That leads me to believe that it was a Jew or Jews who where instrumental in researching this project for the Nation of Islam. I cannot imagine an Afro-American having access to the libraries of Jewish museums and Jewish libraries to research this mass of material.
An assessment of the book by Ralph Austen
Any unbiased reading of this book will lead you to the position of Ralph A. Austen, a Jewish professor of African History, in his article in Tikkun magazine. In this article Austen states “The Anti-Semitic character of The Secret Relationship emerges not from its substantive contentwhich seems fairly accurateor even the aura of conspiracy conveyed by its title. It comes out rather in the tone of the narrative…” (My emphasize reiterating that the book is fairly accurate.)
I agree the tone of the book is anti-Semitic but that certainly does not absolve me from feeling guilty for the role my ancestors played in nefarious slaughter of 10’s of millions of Black Afro-Americans. I for one have no compunction about apologizing for that role. Most Jews that I have spoken to say “why should I apologize for something that happened so long ago?” Well, the Lutherans apologized for Martin Luther’s anti-Semitic statements made so long ago. So did the Baptist for their role in slavery and the Catholics for their role in anti-Semitism—all events that happened so long ago.
This book, The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews, is the key to reconciliation between the Jews and Farrakhan. I feel we can dialogue with Farrahkan on the basis of us Jews apologizing for the role our ancestors played in the slave trade and that Farrakhan should apologize for the anti-Semitic tone of the book, and his previous anti-Semitic statements. This would be the logical results of the dialogue which we Jews seem to be so afraid of.
Why did Morris Schappes change?
Morris Schappes, the editor of Jewish Currents, threw caution to the wind, knowing he would incur the wrath of his readers, and still he came out and suggested that maybe Jews should dialogue with Farrakhan.
In the January, 1994 issue of Jewish Currents Schappes wrote, “Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam is a-changin.” One evidence is this book issued in June, 1993 A Torchlight for America. Mr. Schappes concludes by stating, “The Jewish community cannot afford to disregard such recommendations for a hearing for Louis Farrakhan.” At that time I remarked how brave it was for Mr. Schappes at his advanced age to take on the rest of the Jewish community in calling for a hearing or dialogues with Louis Farrakhan. Remember this was after the alleged “Hitler is great” and the “Judaism is a dirty religion” remarks.
But then came that vile speech by Khallid Muhammad at Kean College. What would Farrakhan do? His whole macho image up to that point was not bowing down to anyone, especially the Jews. Would he renounce and demote his spokesperson? Farrakhan made what must have been a difficult decision for him. He relieved Muhammad of his duties and forbad him to speak in the name of the Nation of Islam. He went on to say, “I found the speech…repugnant, malicious, mean-spirited and spoken in mockery of individuals and people which is against the spirit of Islam.”
If he stopped there things may have been smoothed over. However, he went on to say “But the truths that Muhammad said I believe in.” When he was pressed for what these truths were he certainly did not say it was true that he wished for the deaths of African whites and those other outlandish statements that Muhammad said but he said “the truth that he spoke from the Bible and the Holy Qur’an I am in agreement with, the truth that he spoke of the divine teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad concerning the nature of the two peoples, Black and White, I agree with. The truth of this book (The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews) which was the subject of the speech, I agree with…”
That added statement about the truths negated the other actions Farrakhan made in demoting Muhammad, because the press picked up on just the statement that he believed in the truths implying that Farrakhan agreed with his outrageous statements.
The statement of the Bible and the Qur’an most people would not take offense to. So you see how crucial the book The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews is? That is why I think it imperative that all progressive Jews read this book and realize that it is not nearly in the same class as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. It’s tone is anti-Semitic but its major facts and conclusion that the Jews played an inordinate role in slavery is true and we should apologize for it.
It was only after this fiasco that Morris Schappes turned against dialoguing with Farrakhan. How unfortunate.
What holds communities together?
One of the glues that holds the Jewish people together is our memory of the Holocaust. Might not slavery be the glue that holds the African-American people together? Certainly this book plus the furor it has caused has revitalized the interest in learning about slavery.
Forget about the fact that the Jewish community with its undeniable influence (note: I did not say control) in the mass media played a great role in killing the opportunity of Jesse Jackson possibly becoming a vice-president candidate and maybe changing the course of history. I am not saying the Jewish community should sit back and permit Afro-Americans from making anti-Semitic remarks without reacting. What I am saying is that progressive Jews should try to put the best spin on these incidents so as to not add fuel to the fire, thereby heating up the fight between Jews and Afro-Americans. Many times by overreacting to anti-Semitic remarks it can bring about the opposite effect we Jews are trying to produce. Instead of reducing anti-Semitism, too much overkill can increase anti-Semitism. (A specific example is the unforgiving reaction many Jews still have to Jesse Jackson’s “hymie-town” remark.)
The best spin on the situation
That is what I have tried to do in this letter; I have put the best spin on Farrakhan. I know there are many more things that Farrakhan has said and done but I am sure you have heard of them all. This letter left them out intentionally. I am presenting those arguments which hopefully will lead some of my readers to become more agreeable to dialoguing with Farrakhan.
Putting myself in another’s shoes
How do you think the average Afro-American feels when he sees that Jews have used their influence to attack Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X, Andrew Young, Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Spike Lee, Lenora Fulani, Alton Maddox, Leonard Jeffries, Arsenio Hall, and those Afro-Americans who refuse to condemn these people. Look what happened to the Rev. Ben Chavis and the NAACP when they talked about an alliance with Farrakhan and to Kweisi Mfume when he said the Black Congressional Caucus had a covenant with Farrakhan. What will happen if Oprah comes out in support of Farrakhan?
Jews invented HollywoodSo what?
What about the fallout when (not if) Farrakhan comes out with his book on the role that the Jews played in denigrating Afro-Americans in the movie industry that they invented? By saying that the Jewish movie moguls were just reflecting the prevailing culture does not excuse the fact. Farrakhan himself told of the devastating effect on black children’s image of themselves seeing Blacks portrayed in such a demeaning manner whenever they went to the movies. I again feel ashamed of my forefathers’ role in that disgraceful endeavor. Also, read the August issue of Moment Magazine. Its front page headline reads “Jews Run HollywoodSo What?” What arrogance. I’ll tell you what. We Jews should apologize for the disgraceful role we played in the treatment of Blacks throughout our invention.
Is this the real reason Jews won’t dialogue with Farrakhan?
Perhaps this Jewish arrogance is the real reason Jews refuse to dialogue with Farrakhan. I have read many times that the Jews do not want to dialogue because Farrakhan will ask them to atone for the role Jews played in the slave trade and the movies. Am I a self-hating Jew if I say I indeed atone for the role my forefathers played in these disgraceful episodes? Was it not the arrogance of the Jews which brought on the destruction of the second temple? Perhaps we Jews should contribute some money in building a holocaust-type museum for the depiction of the devastation that slavery caused.
Racism vs. Anti-Semitism
Racism is the greatest problem that faces Americans. Anti-Semitism, according to National Jewish Community Relations Council position paper, is not a major problem in this country today. I quote from their position paper: “data from recent in-depth studies of a broad spectrum of Americans confirm the judgment that anti-Semitism does not constitute a major problem for the American Jewish community.” (See also Jerome Chanes’ book Anti-Semitism in America Today or read A Certain People by Charles E. Silberman)
Jews of my generation have come through a terrible time. The Holocaust has burned into our souls the horrors of anti-Semitism. It should be fought whenever it rears its ugly head. We Jews have a finely-tuned antenna where we can spot an anti-Semitic remark a thousand miles away. Not every one has our antenna, so we do not let up on the “Hymie-town” remark from Jesse Jackson, who is by no means an anti-Semite. I do not think that forgiveness should be a strictly Catholic concept. There does come a point where that battle against anti-Semitic statements becomes counter-productive. When Meir Kahane used the fear of anti-Semitism to say all Jews should leave the US and go to Israel to live because at the next oil crisis they will be building furnaces for the Jews here, he was using anti-Semitism for his own reactionary purposes. When the ADL takes out full-page ads in the New York Times before its latest fund raising drive they are sure to mention the anti-Semitic statements of the Nation of Islam. When Jews say scratch any non-Jew and you will find an anti-Semite. That is why Israel has to go it alone, isolated and not caring what the rest of the world feels about her hard-nosed policies against the Palestinians.
I guess what I am trying to say is that we Jews should relax a bit. Racism is devastating the Black community; anti-Semitism is not a major problem anymore in the United States. We should relax our war of words with Farrakhan, dialogue with him, lest our stubbornness leads to far worse things.
J.J. Goldberg writing in the Jerusalem Report states that “For years, the organized Jewish community has taken the position that you can’t be too vigilant against anti-Semitism. Nowadays there’s a danger that too much vigilance will lead to isolation. Overused, it can breed the resentment it is meant to expose.”
The good that Farrakhan does
Farrakhan reaches out to the most depressed part of Afro-Americans. Progressive Jews may not agree with his separatist policies but we cannot disagree with his call for Blacks to do for themselves. His fight is against drugs, crime, respect for women, no cussing, voter registration, hard work, and generally clean living. He reaches out to inmates in jail to remake their lives. Certainly these positive aspects have to be taken into consideration when considering if we Jews should talk with him.
If we are to defeat the rightist drift of the United States we must harness the power of the Black vote. Farrakhan has now reversed his long held position of being non-political. He is now calling for all Blacks to register to vote and has offered to work with the Democratic Party in this endeavor. Will the Democrats take him up on this or will their fear of the Jewish reaction to this proposal further distance any chance for a meaningful alliance? The newest element to this situation is that on August 21st the New York Times ran the story that the New Alliance Party run by Fred Newman and Lenora B. Fulani has decided to join in an alliance with Ross Perot. Now Farrakhan has a new place to go to. He can say to the Democrats if they refuse his help he will advise his 1,000,000 Black marchers to ally themselves to Ross Perot’s party. In my opinion the Democratic Party can not afford to alienate Farrakhan. This will greatly enhance Farrakhan’s movement to respectability. The Jewish community can ill-afford to be his only enemy. Before the march certain Afro-Americans could distance themselves from him. Now, more and more Blacks, even those who depend on Jewish contributions to fund their political campaigns, are closing ranks with Farrakhan. Another example is the shock that went through the Jewish community when Hugh Price of the Urban League who was once among the strongest Blacks opposing Farrakhan now supports him. Also, see the almost sympathetic article in the New Yorker magazine by Gates, a previously anti-Farrakhan writer.
Gate’s article May 26th in The New Yorker
I quote some of the positive things Gates says in this article (I am sure you already know the negative things). Gates says “It is true that the two things nearly everybody knows about Farrakhanthat he extolled Hitler as a great man and deplored Judaism as a `gutter religion’are strictly speaking, false. That point may not speak well of the accuracy of some of our leading media, but…Louis Farrakhan will say, up and down, that he reveres the Jewish people. Listen to him: `Personally, I don’t know what this argument has served…The Jews are some of the greatest scientists, the greatest thinkers, the greatest writers, the greatest theologians, the greatest in music, the greatest in business. And people hate them sometimes because of envy and because the Jews succeed in spite of the hatred of their Gentile brethren, or anybody else’s hatred. I admire that, as God is my witness.’ Then he (Farrakhan) said of his parents `I’m going to tell you something. You really want to know what I think? I think they were members of the Jewish community.’ This sounds like a fantastic joke, but it is highly probable, given what we know about migration to the West Indies. `I believe that (it is) in my blood, and not in a bad way because when I was a little boy I used to love listening to the Jewish cantors in Boston. I was struck by the cantor, and I’ve always loved the way they sing or recite the Torah.’ He gave me (Gates) a level look `You have a relationship with Jews of scholarship and brilliance, whom you can admire and have a lovely friendship with,’ he said. `I know there are Jews like that and I could have a wonderful friendship with them. I’m hoping and I believe that in the future it will develop. Sometimes, Dr. Gates, when you are new in the neighborhood, you get in a fight and you bloody the guy’s nose, and he bloodies your nose, and before you know it you end up being the best of friends. But you’re not friends without mutual respect.'”
Only a few voices have been heard in support of dialogue with Farrakhan
I am not completely alone in calling for a dialogue with Farrakhan. Although I have not spoken to anyone I know personally who agrees with my point of view and I am in contact with many progressive Jews, I am aware of three incidents of people who advocate dialoguing.
The Jewish Times in an editorial dated October 20, 1995 said after calling Farrakhan an anti-Semite “But Mr. Farrakhan, through the brilliantly staged Million Man March, has ensured that he will play a commanding role in the Black community in the years to come. Jews, with more to lose than most groups as the nation faces an unprecedented racial crisis, simply can’t afford not to talk to him.”
From a November 17, 1995 listing in the JTA stated: “Allen Rothenberg believes that it is `ridiculous’ for Jews not to sit down with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.” Rothenberg is the president of the Commission on Law and Public Affairs (COLPA) a national organization that represents the interests of observant Jews in courts and legislatures.
And finally J.J. Goldberg, a Jewish author and journalist, made a case for dialogue. “Talking with the enemy is not surrender. Farrakhan can do a great deal of damage to Jewsand he is doing it. It is time to sit down with him and find out what it will take to make him stop.”
But these above three pleas have been in vain. We Jews do seem to be a stiff-necked people.
But after Hugh Price, head of Urban League who was always looked upon as an ally to the Jews in opposition to Farrakhan, shocked Jewish big wigs and came out in support of him now, indeed the times are a-changing.
Magida’s book and the piece in the New Yorker by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., also a former critic of Farrakhan, may make now the time for a reevaluation of Jewish opposition to dialoguing. Better to dialogue now then after my nightmare becomes a reality.
My Hopes
I hope my letter will propel those who receive it to discuss it with their friends.
I hope that they who are on the boards of Jewish organizations discuss it with their boards.
I hope they call other heads of Jewish organizations to talk about my letter.
I hope Jewish newspaper publishers will in their treatment of Farrakhan tone down the rhetoric.
I hope some of you will buy the book The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews. I hope some of you will write me telling me your reaction to my letter. I hope someone asks me to join in a discussion of my letter before their group.*
All it takes for evil (my nightmare) to happen is for good men and women to do nothing. Silence is deadly. The Jewish community is sitting on a time bomb. We must defuse it. The best way is to start dialoguing. Lets talk about it so that we may keep my nightmare from becoming a reality.
For more on this topic see the Nation of Islam book series The Secret Relationship Between Blacks & Jews. Download the free guide by clicking here.
To purchase the series click here.
Stan Halpern, Dialogue and the Jews, Update
Date: Sat, 08 Feb 1997
I just received a letter from a rabbi who is also interested in dialogue with the Nation of Islam. It seems that my “Letter to my Jewish Friends” that I mailed to him never got to him. When I wrote to him a second time asking about my letter he responded saying he is looking forward to my sending him another copy. He sent me a copy of his article that was printed and it certainly was a wonderful article. I am sure that we will have an ongoing relationship from now on. It is really wonderful for me to have a fellow Jew who thinks along the same line that I do. It’s awfully lonely out there.
I believe I told you I was invited to a Black/Jewish meeting here in Boca Raton. It was limited to 20 people. Two Afro-Americans out of the 10 invited showed up. In the question and answer period I brought up the subject of Minister Farrakhan but as expected the moderator of the program (an American Jewish Committee official) told me it was best not to speak about Minister Farrakhan as it was too disruptive a topic. After the meeting I approached him and asked how does his organization intended to deal with Minister Farrakhan and his response repulsed me. He said Farrakhan is a 70 year old man who has cancer and that he would not live forever. How disgusting can you get?
I am now in the middle of taking a senior course in “Jews in Colonial America” with the promised outline of dealing with Jews and the slave trade. It is a six week course. During the first two weeks the instructor talked about the prominence of Jews in Spain, the Marranos, and their part in advancing shipping in those days. During the first two weeks when I asked him about slavery he kept me off my saying he would fully discuss it in the third session. At one point in those first two weeks he said that the Jews were so prominent in industry in Portugal that the word Portuguese was synonymous with Jew.
This Friday was the third week of the class which consists of about 40 senior Jewish students. Finally he reached the subject of Jews and Slavery. I raised my hand and told him that he had been making anti-Semitic statements in his previous lessons because of his statement that “Portuguese was synonymous with Jews.” I told him about the “Secret Relationship…” and the Wiesenthal Center’s answer to the book written by Dr. Harold Brackman.
He says that the “Secret Relationship…” purposely mistakes Seymour Liebman’s statement that “Portuguese was synonymous with Jew” to make an anti-Semitic point (See The Secret Relationship, p. 88). And here my instructor was telling his class the exact same thing, that Portuguese was synonymous with Jew and no one was calling him an anti-Semite. My instructor was taken aback. When I asked him as an instructor of such a class if he had ever read “The Secret Relationship…” and he said he had not. When I quoted to him the statement of Dr. Marc Lee Raphael (of the American Jewish Historical Society)and started asking if indeed Jews had played a disproportionate role in slavery he accused me of disrupting the class.
Thereafter the instructor would not recognize me when I raised my hand but as he went on telling of how good Jews treated their slaves and how kind they were to the Black women that they fornicated with I could not keep still and told him how what he considered kindness was actually rape and murder. That shook up the class somewhat. I finally consented not to ask any more questions (it was about 5 more minutes to the end of the class anyway) if the instructor agreed to take home a copy of the “Secret Relationship…” and talk about it in the next session. This he agreed to do. I asked him if in his reading of the book he can point out to me the Big Lie being propagated by the Jewish press that the book says that the Jews “dominated” the whole of slavery. I read the first page of the book where indeed Henry L. Feingold statement that “Jews who were frequently found at the heart of commerce could not have failed to contribute a proportionate share to the slave trade directly or indirectly.”
I do not know what will happen next Friday for the 4th class. I am considering asking for at least one hour to discuss the book in detail since it is so vital a topic. I am pretty sure he will not agree saying he has his outline. I will then ask the class if they would agree to such a discussion since some of them I hope would be a least curious to know what the book says. If all else fails I thinks I will place tape across my mouth and sit in silent protest as he goes on with his lecture.
I will keep you informed.
Stan
Re: Update
Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997
Hi,
I am sending this on Wed. Tomorrow is my class. What I did was to print up 40 copies from you web page under to heading “What are the Issues?” I figure if I am not given the opportunity to really dialogue with the Instructor at least I will hand out the copies. I should get some kind of reaction from the handout.
Stan
Re: Update
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 1997
Hi, I just came back from my class in “Jews in Colonial Times”. Man am I disgusted. On last Thursday I gave my instructor “The Secret Relationship…” I ask him one thing. Did the book say that the Jews “dominated” the slave trade as the big lie that is being spread about the book by Jewish sources, or did it say that the Jews were dis proportionately involved in the slave trade.
Since he is an instructor and for the past 3 weeks he had been talking about how prominent Jews had been in trade and shipping how could he not admit to that.
When he started the class today he said he had read for the first time “The Secret Relations…” and he wanted to talk about it for 5 minutes and only 5 minutes because he did not want to waste the class’s time. He started out by saying that it was a very clever book but completely anti-Semitic and full of lies and misquotes. He read a few passages from the book which told of the Jewish involvement and he commented that nowhere in the book does it tell of the involvement of others in the Slave trade.
After his 10 minutes of denouncing the book I raised my hand and said I would like to respond to his remarks. His answer was that he had said at the beginning of the class that he would only take 5 minutes to discuss the book and he said he does not want to waste the class’s time in discussing it.
I said I could not believe that in a college setting with 40 people attending the class that they would not be interested in hearing what was in the book from a different point of view. I said as intelligent adults at least they would want to hear another opinion of the book. I told them I was not a Nazi, or a skin head and that I had a right to be heard.
I thought that at least a few students would say “let him speak.” I was wrong. The pack of students started yelling for me to sit down and stop disrupting the class. When I said I could not believe what I was hearing one of the students (a big one) jumped out of his chair and stood over me telling me to keep my mouth shut.
After order was restored I took out a gag I made from my handkerchief. I placed it over my mouth and sat down in front of the class in silent protest.
The instructor went on to talking about another matter for 10 minutes and finally said he could not continue teaching with me sitting there and that if I did not return to my seat he would call the college guard and have me physically removed.
For a moment I did not know what to do but I finally decided to take the gag out and return to my seat.
During the intermission in the class I search the room for at least one of my fellow students to give me an encouraging word. My search was futile. You can’t believe the hatred I encountered.
When the class resumed I kept quiet until the last 5 minutes of the class when again the Instructor talked about how “my book” The Secret Relationship…” lied because it was to Brazil that most of the slaves were brought to. For the first time since I returned to my seat I raised my hand. When he did not call on me I shouted out. “Is it true or not that the Encyclopedia Judaica says that in Brazil at that time it says that the ‘Jews dominated trade in Brazil?'” The Instructor became nervous and responded “I will not answer that question. When I asked him why not, it was a simple question. He was the instructor. Did or did not the Encyclopedia Judaica and others say that the Jews dominated the trade in Brazil?
He reiterated that he would not answer while the pack of students yelled that I was upsetting the class and I should stop disrupting by my questions. I could not believe what was happening. These were 40 well educated people, many of them I am sure were college graduates, one told me later he had three degrees from three universities. He told me this as the class ended and I told the students as they were departing for the class to take my handout which was a reprint of “What are the Issues?” from your web page.
Of the 40 students who left the class only 3 people took my handout.
The last two remaining sessions are outlined to be Jewish intermarriage and Jewish role in the Revolutionary war. I made a last appeal to the instructor to give me at least 5 minutes to tell the class where I am coming from. To convince them that I am not a Nazi or skin head, that I am a Jew like them who is only asking for 5 minutes. He said he would think about it, but I do not think he will allow me to speak.
As a last resort I am thinking of writing out 10 questions and asking him to comment on them without my saying a word. If that doesn’t work I am not sure what I will do next.
I still cannot believe what happened to me.
Stan
P.S. Forgive the spelling and grammar but I wrote in the heat of anger
For more on this topic see the Nation of Islam book series The Secret Relationship Between Blacks & Jews. Download the free guide by clicking here.
To purchase the series click here.