Here’s our good friend and occasional Z Word contributor David Adler with a charming version of a mellow Christmas tune that sounds just perfect in the twilight of New Year’s Day. In addition to writing about politics, David is a respected jazz critic. He is also, as I know from having met with him, the sort of person with whom debate and even disagreement is instructive and animating, not painful and irritating. And watching his performance below is a pleasing reminder of why a range of interests makes for a happy life. Happy New Year.
Archive for the 'z word' Category
Our regular contributor Karl Pfeifer has been targeted by a particularly insidious form of the blood libel. “To accuse me, to have participated in a ‘massacre’ is part of a projection customary in many German circles. The best-known and by far the most widely held example of projection of guilt is the defamation of Israel as the ‘Nazis of today.’ This is one of the most objectionable forms of antisemitism after Auschwitz,” Karl writes. Read his full account here.
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Last week, I debated Ahmed Bedeir on Florida station WMNF. Earlier today, I debated him again. You can listen to it here, about 23 minutes into the broadcast.
You can listen to a radio debate between myself and Ahmed Bedeir, a former official of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, here - it begins about 15 minutes into the broadcast.
I had intended to write a post reflecting on the past year, but the conflict in Gaza put paid to that. Nonetheless, as 2008 segues into 2009, I want to record a debt of gratitude to the following: Eamonn McDonagh, who joined me as a writer on this blog back in July and brought his insight and wisdom along with him; our guest writers, in particular the esteemed Karl Pfeifer and my colleagues Ken Stern, Michelle Sieff and Kenneth Bandler, for their superb contributions; our friends in the blogosphere, especially Gene and David T at Harry’s Place, David and Mira at Engage, Terry Glavin, Contentious Centrist, Normblog and the many other must reads on our blog roll; our sponsor, the American Jewish Committee, for its generous and unstinting support; and you, our readers, for putting Z Word on the map in our first year of existence. Thank you all.
Karl Pfeifer has written an insightful and penetrating essay for Z Word in which he dissects the unwillingness of Austrian social democrats to confront antisemitism - and their willingness to deploy it.
Continue reading ‘New on Z Word: Antisemitism and the Austrian Left’
Since we have entered one of those periods when everyone and their dog has an opinion about what the future holds, I want to highlight an excellent piece by Z Word contributor Michelle Sieff which employs rigor and analytical substance, rather than political astrology, to glimpse the continent of Africa one quarter of a century from now.
