This is an open letter to Rabbi Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth who recently offered the following comment, regarding a speech made by President Ahmadinejad of Iran.

“There can be no doubt as to the most tenacious ideology of modern times: German fascism came and went. Soviet Communism came and went, Anti-Semitism came and stayed”.

This offensive remark was directed at the great un-washed (us) as led by evil and wicked scribes such as Guy Rundle, Jeff Sparrow, Antony Lowenstein und alles.

Dear Rabbi Sacks, I found your comments, as told by Michael Danby, MHR, to be mendacious, ridden by hyperbole, and consumed with cliché-laden tripe.

Do you tell us precisely where all this anti-Semitic hatred is coming from? Not a bit of it. The traditional stamping-ground for anti Semitism is the far right-wing cloud cuckoo- land of the red-neck and of Eric Butler and his League of Rights, and all the other fringe lunatics. It is a case of round up the usual suspects.

Have you got statistics to prove anti semitism is on the rise amongst university students? Are there pastry-cooks suddenly praising Hitler; conservationists, zoo-workers, scout-masters, teachers and grafiti artists dentists, medicos? None of the above? Oh, I see, it’s just a feeling that’s going around at the moment. And it’s non-specific.

The fact that you seek to expunge writings, it’s called censorship these days, of, in this case Crikey and New Matilda; people with whom you disagree is almost a template, certainly typical of all fundamentalist religionists. On the one hand you praise Australia for the love she has shown to our Jewish migrants, on the other hand you wish to tell us what we can read. The Catholics have an identical mind-set. It would seem your gratitude extends only as far as the recipients ability to kow-tow to your dictates.

You would have us believe that every person who believes the State of Israel commits crimes against humanity, is automatically anti-Semitic. Australians are per-capita the most widely traveled people on earth. Do you dare to assume that we learn nothing when we visit other countries?

You are quick to label Australians-including the ones who have been to the Middle East, anti-Semitic? Based on a bit of history-none by your standards, but enough to allow me to think for myself. It behooves me to say my disgust for the State of Israel is profound. Having endured the Holocaust-although they wont admit that the Armenians suffered a proportionally worse Holocaust by the Turks, the Leaders of Israel-especially Benjamin Netanyahu-use the experience, not to learn from it, rather it is used like a plank to bash everyone else over the head with it. It happened sixty-four years ago, yet you preach eternal guilt to the people born after the event

Under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu Israel has established colonies-settlements is the euphemistic name given to them-in Palestine. Also, whenever a couple of Palestinians get in trouble with the police, they are branded as terrorists by the Netanyahu Government. However, if a couple of Israelis do the same thing they are described as being treated for a nervous condition, or one is a minor felon. Nowhere does the State of Israel accuse its own citizens as being terrorists.

Backed with American money the State of Israel has got itself into the position as having an iron dead-lock on the throat of any US president. They have journalists and writers who live in other countries pumping out endless praise for a country whose recent track-record deserves nothing but emnity, and condemnation.

If the Mongol hordes were over-running Asia again you, and everyone else, would be screaming about the barbarians who were helping themselves to other peoples land and cities and killing bystanders and innocents. Israel does the same thing to the people of Palestine. But because it was written down by scribes in a three-thousand year old book-a book possibly written by hundreds of different people, inscribed by semi-literate shepherds, the land of Palestine belongs to the Israelis. Proof? See, God said so!

If you should wish to reply to this letter I would make the point that I am, never have been, and never will be anti-Semitic. I am merely that cliché, an Australian who feels for the under-dog.

None of the above, although critical of the State of Israel, is by no means intending to be disrespectful to you personally.

Most sincerely

Venise