Breaking the Silence responds to Ron Weiser
In two opinion pieces on J-Wire (“War of Words” 2 Sep 12 and “Co-founder of Breaking the Silence speaks at Australians for Palestine event” 12 Sep 12), Mr Ron Weiser continues to assert that two activists who recently visited Australia, and were hosted by the Australian Friends of Palestine, were representatives of Breaking the Silence…writes Yehuda Shaul.
That is entirely untrue and neither Breaking the Silence nor NIF had anything to do with their visit.
Mr Micha Kurz, one of the two, was a founder of Breaking the Silence but parted company with us many years ago.
When NIF Australia informed us that Australians for Palestine were referring to Breaking the Silence in their advertising for that visit, I wrote immediately to them and to Mr Kurz stating that he had no authority to represent or speak for Breaking the Silence and demanding that they remove our name from their publicity.
Mr Kurz acknowledged that was the case and, as far as I know, never represented otherwise. NIF Australia also caused the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and the Zionist Federation of Australia to be informed immediately of the action Breaking the Silence had taken. Mr Weiser could easily have ascertained the true position had he been interested in knowing it.”
Interesting that Breaking The Silence do not contest the accuracy of what Ron Weiser actually said.
They do not deny that their testimonies are mostly anonymous and they do not deny that they refuse to give these allegations to the proper authorities for verification or more likely a finding that they are baseless.
They also do not deny that some of their members support BDS.
Peter
To Yehuda Shaul and NIF
I am intrigued by Yehuda Shaul’s statement:
“When NIF Australia informed us that Australians for Palestine were referring to Breaking the Silence in their advertising for that visit, I wrote immediately to them and to Mr Kurz stating that he had no authority to represent or speak for Breaking the Silence and demanding that they remove our name from their publicity.”
Why was NIF Australia that concerned to inform BtS that Australians for Palestine were referring to BtS in their advertising for the visit?
Was NIF Australia anxious to avoid any suggestion it could in any way be associated with Australians for Palestine through the common link to BtS?
Surely the issue for us in Australia really is – why is NIF Australia still associating itself with BtS and also still donating funds to finance its activities?
Co-patron of NIF Australia Martin Indyk recently stated:
“The New Israel Fund is not an organisation for everybody because it’s inevitably going to be involved in edgy stuff. ”
Those joining in this kind of edgy stuff usually get pushed over the edge – as NIF Australia found to its obvious discomfort in having to extricate itself from any association with Australians for Palestine.
Moving in circles that seek to undermine Israel politically under the guise of being purely humanitarian organizations is the last thing NIF Australia should be doing,
If NIF had no association with BtS then this sorry saga would never have arisen.
Until NIF Australia wakes up to this fact and concentrates solely on its laudable humanitarian agenda to end discrimination in Israel – it will continue to be viewed with deep suspicion by Jews in Australia.
Its the the Old good cop bad cops only Breaking the Silence mashuganas are the bad cops and NIf are the bad cops too..
Michael Burd
I would note that I have never stated that BOTH had a connection to BtS.
Nor that they were “representatives” of BtS.
So let’s not have more blurring by BtS to avoid the central issue.
Micha Kurz and his cofounding of BtS was cleverly used by his hosts in the promotion of his visit.
It was his hosts that noted his position – and used it – and then repeated it.
That is undeniable. That is a fact.
Perhaps it would have been best if BtS would have informed the hosts of Micha Kurz directly, so that they did not promote and then continue to promote him and his BtS connections.
Or perhaps BtS was not really that interested in doing that, I do not know.
Sahar Vardi was described by her hosts as an activist in Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity, as I correctly noted.
Both participated in an interview in Melbourne that is now on You Tube that promotes BDS in part or full.
Also as correctly noted, both BtS and SJS are NIF grantees.
Ron Weiser