Michael Neumann

Last updated

Michael Neumann (born 1946) is a professor of philosophy at Trent University in Ontario, Canada. [1] He is the author of What's Left? Radical Politics and the Radical Psyche (1988), The Rule of Law: Politicizing Ethics (2002) and The Case Against Israel (2005), and has published papers on utilitarianism and rationality. [2]

Contents

Background and career

Neumann is the son of German Jewish refugees, [3] one of them the eminent political sociologist of Nazism, Franz Leopold Neumann.[ citation needed ] He is a US citizen and resident of Canada. [2] Neumann graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in English and History from Columbia University in 1968, and in 1975 was awarded his Ph.D. in philosophy by the University of Toronto. [2]

Neumann has taught at Trent University since 1975. He became a full professor in 2003. [2] His interests at Trent University include ethics, political philosophy, formal logic, philosophy of logic, and metaphysics. He has published papers on utilitarianism and rationality. He is a faculty member of the university's Centre for the Study of Global Power and Politics. [4]

Neumann is the author of What's Left? Radical Politics and the Radical Psyche (1988) and The Rule of Law: Politicizing Ethics (2002). In 2005 he published The Case Against Israel, a response to Alan Dershowitz's The Case for Israel .

Israel-Palestine conflict and antisemitism

Neumann takes the position, not substantially different from that of John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, that support of Israel in the Israel-Palestinian conflict is against US interests. He also considers it a primary cause of violence against the US.

Neumann's position has been attacked both by spokesmen for Jewish communities and by antisemites, from diametrically opposed positions.

Responding in part to some of these essays, the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) wrote a letter of complaint to the president of Trent University. [5]

Equally, antisemites have also attacked Neumann's classical and nuanced stance precisely because of the distinction he has made between a political critique of Israel and hostility to Jews per se on racist grounds. According to this extremist view, there is no such distinction to be made:

‘Neumann's approach is . . . a double-edged sword since it reinforces the notion that Israel/Zionism -- not Jews/Judaism -- is the source of the problems facing the Mid-East.’ [6]

Jewish Tribal Review controversy

Jewish Tribal Review (JTR) was a website which claims to "document Jewish and Zionist influence on popular culture, economics and politics" (it is now a defunct listing). JTR became interested in Michael Neumann's writing, and in late 2002 started an email dialogue with him. JTR asked for Neumann's participation in their activities, but Neumann, who considers JTR antisemitic, [7] refused to participate, explaining his position as follows:

"My sole concern is indeed to help the Palestinians, and I try to play for keeps. I am not interested in the truth, or justice, or understanding, or anything else, except so far as it serves that purpose. This means, among other things, that if talking about Jewish power doesn't fit my strategy, I won't talk about it." [8]

Subsequently, JTR created a page publishing their alleged email exchange without Neumann's permission. [9] This email got widespread attention in August 2003 when the National Post published one of Neumann's most passionate passages about Jews and Israel. In particular, Neumann was quoted as writing:

"If an effective strategy means that some truths about the Jews don't come to light, I don't care. If an effective strategy [of helping the Palestinians] means encouraging reasonable anti-Semitism, or reasonable hostility to Jews, I also don't care. If it means encouraging vicious, racist anti-Semitism, or the destruction of the state of Israel, I still don't care." [8]

In the ensuing controversy, Neumann clarified exactly what he intended by this statement:

'I will not self-censor my writings because they may be misused by antisemites, and it is only in this very particular and limited sense that I 'don't care' about encouraging antisemitism. Antisemites misuse all sorts of materials, including the statements of committed Zionists and of Mahatma Gandhi. It would be futile and impossible for me to tailor my writings to avoid such misuse.' [10]

Nonetheless, the publication prompted complaints from the Canadian Jewish Congress. [11] In September, 2003, Neumann sent a letter of regret to the CJC. According to the Peterborough Examiner , [12] "Congress chairman Ed Morgan, who accepted the letter of regret from Neumann, told The Examiner he wants the letter to close the matter." On his Israel-Palestine page , Neumann includes a detailed "reply to the Canadian Jewish Congress concerning objections to material which appeared on the Jewish Tribal Review web site". [10]

Support for boycott of Israeli professors

In January 2009, Neumann expressed support for a proposed resolution by Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) to ban Israeli professors from working in Ontario Universities. Neumann stated that "If people believe these are extreme circumstances and it will do some good, then I think it's reasonable and perhaps justified." He argued that a boycott is not antisemitic, stating that "It targets Israeli, not Jewish, professors." He further stated that "People may always have bad motives underlying good motives. And it's not absolutely impossible that some of these people have anti-Semitic feelings deep down, but do I think that plays a large part? No, I certainly do not." [13]

Request to remove his grandmother’s name from the Wall at Yad Vashem

In February 2009, Neumann and his brother Osha Neumann asked the Israeli president to remove their grandmother's name from the Yad Vashem because of the 2008-2009 Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.[ citation needed ]

The Yad Vashem leadership has never commented on the requests, or given any indication they have considered them, and no changes have occurred in the cite's listings as of November 2022.

Invitation to speak in Parliament and subsequent controversy

In April 2009, the Canada-Palestine Parliamentary Association invited Neumann to speak at a committee session on Parliament Hill, although it declined to comment as to why he was invited. The invitation immediately became a controversy. The Conservative Party announced that none of their Members of Parliament will attend the speech. A spokesperson for Citizenship and Immigration Minister, Jason Kenney, stated that "Mr. Neumann has the right to air his noxious views. The corollary, of course, is that we can and must criticize them. Neumann’s farrago of cant, conspiracy theory and hate are completely repugnant to our government." Bob Rae, the Liberal Party's foreign affairs critic, stated that Neumann was entitled to his opinions but that he was "surprised and disappointed" that the parliamentary group thought Mr. Neumann had something positive to contribute. [14]

Opposition to the Destruction of Israel

On April 21, 2009, Neumann gave an interview in which he stated that Israel is an "illegitimate state" but also stated that Israel should not be destroyed. He quoted from his book The Case Against Israel in which he wrote that "The cure of destruction is worse than the disease of illegitimate existence. In practise, wiping out a powerful state like Israel or the U.S. would cause even more suffering than letting it survive." [14]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baruch Spinoza</span> Dutch philosopher (1632–1677)

Baruch (de) Spinoza, also known under his Latinized pen name Benedictus de Spinoza, was a philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin. As a forerunner of the Age of Reason, Spinoza significantly influenced modern biblical criticism, 17th-century Rationalism, and contemporary conceptions of the self and the universe, establishing himself as one of the most important and radical philosophers of the early modern period. He was influenced by Stoicism, Maimonides, Niccolò Machiavelli, René Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, and a variety of heterodox Christian thinkers of his day.

The term Judeo-Christian is used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to Christianity's derivation from Judaism, Christianity's recognition of Jewish scripture to constitute the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, or values supposed to be shared by the two religions. The term Judæo Christian first appeared in the 19th century as a word for Jewish converts to Christianity. The term has received much criticism, largely from Jewish thinkers, as relying on and perpetuating inherently antisemitic notions of supersessionism, as well as glossing over fundamental differences between Jewish and Christian thought, theology, culture and practice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel Shahak</span> Israeli professor, Holocaust survivor, and civil-rights activist (1933–2001)

Israel Shahak was an Israeli professor of organic chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a Holocaust survivor, an intellectual of liberal political bent, and a civil-rights advocate and activist on behalf of both Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews). For twenty years, he headed the Israeli League for Human and Civil Rights (1970–90) and was a public critic of the policies of the governments of Israel. As a public intellectual, Shahak's works about Judaism proved controversial, especially the book Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousand Years (1994).

New antisemitism is the concept that a new form of antisemitism developed in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, typically manifesting itself as anti-Zionism. The concept is included in some definitions of antisemitism, such as the working definition of antisemitism and the 3D test of antisemitism. The concept dates to the early 1970s.

The Canadian Jewish Congress was, for more than ninety years, the main advocacy group for the Jewish community in Canada. Regarded by many as the "Parliament of Canadian Jewry," the Congress was at the forefront of the struggle for human rights, equality, immigration reform and civil rights in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeshayahu Leibowitz</span> Israeli Orthodox Jewish polymath

Yeshayahu Leibowitz was an Israeli Orthodox Jewish public intellectual and polymath. He was a professor of biochemistry, organic chemistry, and neurophysiology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, as well as a prolific writer on Jewish thought and western philosophy. He was known for his outspoken views on ethics, religion, and politics. Leibowitz cautioned that the state of Israel and Zionism had become more sacred than Jewish humanist values and went on to describe Israeli conduct in the occupied Palestinian territories as "Judeo-Nazi" in nature while warning of the dehumanizing effect of the occupation on the victims and the oppressors.

Mohamed Elmasry is a Canadian engineering professor, imam, and Muslim community leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks</span> British Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, author, and politician (1948–2020)

Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks was an English Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, and author. Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013. As the spiritual head of the United Synagogue, the largest synagogue body in the United Kingdom, he was the Chief Rabbi of those Orthodox synagogues but was not recognized as the religious authority for the Haredi Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations or for the progressive movements such as Masorti, Reform, and Liberal Judaism. As Chief Rabbi, he formally carried the title of Av Beit Din (head) of the London Beth Din. At the time of his death, he was the Emeritus Chief Rabbi.

Franz Leopold Neumann was a German political activist, Western Marxist theorist and labor lawyer, who became a political scientist in exile and is best known for his theoretical analyses of Nazism. He studied in Germany and the United Kingdom, and spent the last phase of his career in the United States, where he worked for the Office of Strategic Services from 1943 to 1945. During the Second World War, Neumann spied for the Soviet Union under the code-name "Ruff". Together with Ernst Fraenkel and Arnold Bergstraesser, Neumann is considered to be among the founders of modern political science in the Federal Republic of Germany.

The Canadian Arab Federation (CAF) was formed in 1967 to represent the interests of Arab Canadians with respect to the formulation of public policy in Canada. It presently consists of over 40 member organizations.

Antisemitism at universities has been reported and supported since the medieval period and, more recently, resisted and studied. Antisemitism has been manifested in various policies and practices, such as restricting the admission of Jewish students by a Jewish quota, or ostracism, intimidation, or violence against Jewish students, as well as in the hiring, retention and treatment of Jewish faculty and staff. In some instances, universities have been accused of condoning the development of antisemitic cultures on campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canada Christian College</span>

Canada Christian College and School of Graduate Theological Studies, also known as Canada Christian College, is a private evangelical Bible college in Whitby, Ontario, Canada. As of 2020, over 6,500 people have graduated from Canada Christian College.

<i>The Politics of Anti-Semitism</i> 2003 book by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair

The Politics of Anti-Semitism is a book edited by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair and published by AK Press in 2003.

Muslim supporters of Israel refers to both Muslims and cultural Muslims who support the right to self-determination of the Jewish people and the likewise existence of a Jewish homeland in the Southern Levant, traditionally known as the Land of Israel and corresponding to the modern polity known as the State of Israel. Muslim supporters of the Israeli state are widely considered to be a rare phenomenon in light of the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict and the larger Arab–Israeli conflict. Within the Muslim world, the legitimacy of the State of Israel has been challenged since its inception, and support for Israel's right to exist is a minority orientation. Pro-Israel Muslims have faced opposition from both moderate Muslims and Islamists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Finkelstein</span> American political scientist (born 1953)

Norman Gary Finkelstein is an American political scientist and activist. His primary fields of research are the politics of the Holocaust and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

The Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians(ACJC) was formed in 2005 as a coalition of Canadian Jews critical of the policies of the Israeli government, particularly toward the Palestinians. The ACJC argued that Israel wrongly "claim[ed] to speak in the name of Jewish people around the world," and that "those of us who have a different vision" should "come forward publicly to present our views to the Canadian Jewish community and to the people of Canada."

The Ontario division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has supported the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel since 2006. Their stance has encountered opposition from the Canadian Jewish Congress and parts of the press but also widespread support from university professors, Independent Jewish Voices, Palestine House, Canadian Arab Federation and labour unions. In 2009 the CUPE Ontario university workers' committee proposed to extend the campaign to boycott any joint work with Israeli institutions that carry out military research. That resolution became the focus of extensive controversy and was modified in response to pressure from the CUPE national president; the amended version was brought before the CUPE Ontario conference in May 2009 and passed with a 2/3 majority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mona Baker</span> Egyptian professor of translation studies

Mona Baker is a professor of translation studies and Director of the Centre for Translation and Intercultural Studies at the University of Manchester in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism</span> Guide on antisemitism

The Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism (JDA) is a document meant to outline the bounds of antisemitic speech and conduct, particularly with regard to Zionism, Israel and Palestine. Its creation was motivated by a desire to confront antisemitism and by objections to the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism, which critics have said stifles legitimate criticism of the Israeli government and curbs free speech. The drafting of the declaration was initiated in June 2020 under the auspices of the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem by eight coordinators, most of whom were university professors. Upon its completion the declaration was signed by about 200 scholars in various fields and released in March 2021.

Zionist antisemitism or antisemitic Zionism refers to a phenomenon in which antisemites express support for Zionism and the State of Israel. In some cases, this support may be promoted for explicitly antisemitic reasons. Historically, this type of antisemitism has been most notable among Christian Zionists, who may perpetrate religious antisemitism while being outspoken in their support for Jewish sovereignty in Israel due to their interpretation of Christian eschatology. Similarly, people who identify with the political far-right, particularly in Europe and the United States, may support the Zionist movement because they seek to expel Jews from their country and see Zionism as the least complicated method of achieving this goal and satisfying their racial antisemitism.

References

  1. ↑ Michael Neumann Faculty Webpage, Trent University Department of Philosophy, accessed April 29, 2006
  2. 1 2 3 4 Michael Neumann CV, Neumann's academic website, accessed April 28, 2006
  3. ↑ "About the Author", The case Against Israel (2005)
  4. ↑ Centre for the Study of Global Power and Politics, Trent University, Members Archived 2018-05-17 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Anna Morgan, Professor's email raises concerns of intimidation Archived 2006-04-23 at the Wayback Machine , Canadian Jewish News , February 13, 2003
  6. ↑ Cleland Lefevre ‘Professor Neumann and Beyond: A View from the Left,’ http://www.jewishtribalreview.org/lef.htm
  7. ↑ Isabel Macdonald, Canadian Jewish Congress takes issue with Trent professor Archived 2004-10-14 at archive.today , Arthur, September 15, 2003
  8. 1 2 Jonathan Kay, Trent University's problem professor Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine , National Post , August 9, 2003
  9. ↑ Anna Morgan, CJC confronts Trent U over professor Archived 2006-04-23 at the Wayback Machine , Canadian Jewish News , August 13, 2003
  10. 1 2 http://members.tripod.com/~mneumann/cjctripo.txt [ bare URL plain text file ]
  11. ↑ David Smith, Jewish group criticizes Trent prof Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine , Peterborough Examiner , August 18, 2003.
  12. ↑ Jack Marchen, Professor sends letter of regret Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine , Peterborough Examiner , September 23, 2003
  13. ↑ Ontario union's proposed Israeli ban not anti-Semitic: academics [ dead link ] by Katie Daubs and Lee Greenberg, Canwest News Service (reprinted by the National Post), January 6, 2009.
  14. 1 2 MPs give noxious views a bullhorn [ permanent dead link ] by John Ivison, National Post, April 22, 2009.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.