Not Fair - Richard Silverstein in the Guardian Distorts Jewish Response to Its own Terrorists

I like when this blog gets a link from abroad. But here Richard Silverstein distorts the content to make his incorrect point in a post, "Acting in ignorance: Israeli extremists have built themselves a vacuum of hatred. Liberal Jews have a responsibility to prevent them flourishing." He links to a comment in one of our posts that comes from a fringe maniac. The post itself does exactly what Silverstein says we don't do. We do rail against Jewish extremism. So does the Jewish Week. So do many other papers and blogs. There is no vacuum, no conspiracy of silence. Richard is not honest here:

More recently, the dean of the Yeshiva University rabbinical school told students in Jerusalem that if Ehud Olmert "gave away" Jerusalem in a future negotiation that they should "shoot" him and desert the IDF. Subsequently, the rabbi and university president released statements feebly claiming the former didn't believe what he said. Since the audience laughed at his remark, it must mean that the speaker was really in jest and not in earnest. No one has satisfactorily explained how imagining the assassination of a prime minister can be said to be a jest. Instead of being investigated and cautioned by the Israeli police for his behaviour, the rabbi cancelled his stay and returned hastily to New York.

A Portland Chabad rabbi recently wrote in a blog that Israeli government ministers should be sent to the gallows for betraying the nation. The problem is that when Jews incite they are excused. But when Arabs incite it's plastered all over the media. I don't excuse incitement on either side. But if Jews expect Arabs to restrain their side then they will have to do a better job of restraining their own. Incitement is a two-way street. As Gorenberg so cogently writes about recent events: "The terrorist and the would-be lynch mob exist in a strange symbiosis. Hate feeds on hate and conjures up more hate."

Not fair Richard. I called for Yeshiva University to fire the rabbi who advocated (as a joke) violence against the PM of Israel. What did you want me to do? Did you want me to advocate that he be shot?

Jews who incite are not excused. You are just plain wrong. You are distorting the record.