Word: dershowitz
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...there is another thread of argument running through the book: Dershowitz defends himself against the charge of inconsistency that I just leveled two paragraphs ago. Dershowitz insists that every position he takes is derived from righteous principles consistently applied--that he holds Israel and Jews to the same high standard as he does everything else. Dershowitz's opposition to capital punishment, he is proud to note, extends to Adolph Eichmann...
...real hypocrites, "Dersh" goes on to argue, are the anti-Semites who criticize Israel while turning a blind eye to atrocities in the Arab world and elsewhere. Here Dershowitz hits upon a thorny problem. The anti-Semitism he describes surely exists--his collection of anti-Semitic hate mail is evidence enough of that--and many do use criticism of Israel as a thin disguise for anti-Semitism...
...Dershowitz's account of his own experiences with anti-Semitism recall the old saw, "Even paranoids can have enemies." To be sure, Dersh has enemies, but he is still paranoid...
...DERSHOWITZ SEES an anti-Semite under ever rock and bush. Martin Luther? A direct precursor to Hitler who should be reviled by Christians. The Gospels of Matthew and John? Seminal anti-Semitic tracts...
True, Christian theology is occasionally tarnished by vile anti-Semitism, but then again, the Hebrew bible advises atrocious punishments for women who grab men's genitals and even commands Jews to commit genocide against the Amalekites. We should no more revile the apostles than the prophets. For Dershowitz, who sees everything through the lens of his paranoia, any whiff of anti-Semitism disqualifies all manner of good deeds...