‘I will not say anything against the Jewish people’
NewsIn the last of the present Lebrecht Interviews on BBC Radio 3, I asked Itzhak Perlman for his thoughts on the present situation in Israel, where he was born and grew up.
Itzhak gave a deep sigh and said he was hurting. But the bottom line, for him, is loyalty.
Listen now on iPlayer.
Pictured: Perlman’s US debut on the Ed Sullivan show
He was discreet. But in his rumination that it would take a “good statesperson,” he spoke volumes. And I suspect a lot of “the Jewish people” agree with him.
Israel is NOT “THE” Jewish people.
Israel has the largest Jewish population in the world and it is the homeland of the Jewish people. In that sense, it IS the Jewish people, in the same way that France is “the French people”, Greece is “the Greek people” etc.
Is “loyalty” enough to say nothing and watch your country turn into something hateful against an entire population. The reputation of the State of Israel is damaged beyond repair.
Maybe it’s to show solidarity when genocidal terrorist armies, lavishly sponsored, trained, armed and directed by an imperialist Iranian regime, invade and attack Israel, raping, slaughtering, torturing, burning to death and kidnapping thousands – while Israel does its best to avoid civilian casualties (and is far more successful than in any comparable conflict, yet in far more difficult circumstances) in fighting back.
“while Israel does its best to avoid civilian casualties (and is far more successful than in any comparable conflict, yet in far more difficult circumstances)”
I see this asserted frequently. I have yet to see any compelling evidence offered in support of this assertion, though.
Then you simply aren’t looking for it. Even the Hamas casualty numbers (mostly combatants) indicate a low level of civilian casualties. Read what John Spencer writes. Israel holds itself to the highest standard, prosecuting its own fighters when they have broken the laws of combat. Many IDF soldiers have died trying to protect civilian life in Gaza. Maybe stop watching MSNBC and reading The Atlantic and you’ll get the real story.
Precisely.
@Max: Then get informed through real news sources. Ignorance of the truth is no excuse.
There is plenty of evidence, as there is that it is not by any means always the case.
And you will continue not to see any evidence, as long as you wilfully shut your eyes to it.
Maybe try and look harder.
James you are absolutely correct. Can people name another country that alerts the “Palestinians” to evacuate?- Jordan and Egypt are “Palestinian states!!(very helpful to their own people). The terrorist are committing genocide.
@James: Spot on. Sadly, this needs to be pointed out repeatedly to the low-information useful idiots who pretend to occupy the moral high ground. The ignorance of the Hamas groupies beggars belief, but we have to keep on working…
well, there is a strange paradoxon.
The Jewish side claiming the ethical high road, telling the other side off as barbarian „Untermenschen“.
Yet… the death toll in decades of this conflict is about 10:1 to the disadvantage of the Palestinian side. (ten dead Palestinians for each dead Israeli)
Maybe you need to check your sense of reality?
Not sure where you get your figures from, but the inconvenient fact (inconvenient for your bigoted background) is that any “Palestinian” death that may have occurred was as a result of Israel defending itself against a terrorist attack of some sort. Israel NEVER systematically targets anybody; they are always on the defensive. How would you like to live in an environment where rockets are being shot constantly at your apartment building, park, or soccer field? Hence the name of their army, the Israeli DEFENSE Forces. Would the Islamist terrorism finally cease to exist, and the (begrudging) acceptance of the Jewish State, then there would be peace and useful bigoted fools like you wouldnt post this sort of excrement.
@Tamino: 2:1 civilian to military casualties. The lowest ratio on record, so maybe you need to check your sources. You do also realise that the explosives in the pagers were calibrated to harm no-one except the agent, don’t you?
@Anthony Sayer: the numbers I use are the most objective available, the overall death count on both sides since about 1947 in this ongoing conflict.
I‘m withholding judgement. Just wondering about these numbers.
That is because Hamas hides among the civilian population, and includes dead terrorists among the casualty figures. Maybe you need to check your prejudices?
It was that ratio also before Hamas. I‘m quoting official numbers. Where is the prejudice in that?
Are you really still trying to spin an infantile „us good guys vs them bad guys“ framing for this decades old „hen or egg first“ conflict? When anyone in the world who can think critically can see that this is a conflict, particularly by now, that is complicated, and doesn‘t know „good guys“ on either side anymore?
It is a grave error to take sides in this conflict, as your post so eloquently demonstrates.
Do we admire the loyalty of the German people in the 1930’s ?
This is a disgustingly obscene suggestion of equivalence.
A wonderful top-class interview.
Out of interest, please can I ask – were you Face to Face with Mr Perlman or was it over Teams / phone etc ?
I agree with Tom Philips. Disagreeing with the Israel government has nothing to do with Jewish people world wide. The Israelis themselves have protested the leader.
SOME Israelis have protested against Netanyahu – but NOT because of opposition to the war. They were protesting the minute he came into office.
I was sorry he had not told the story which he related at the funeral of Shelly Gold, the CEO of ICM Artists which Isaac Stern had helped found from the ashes of the Hurok Empire. Having received his performance schedule for the coming year, he stormed into Gold’s office. “You promised that I would appear in Carnegie Hall, appear with the New York Philharmonic . . .” and a variety of other prestigious engagements. “But this schedule has me playing in places like Kalamazoo Michigan! Why?”
Gold barked at him to sit down. “You WILL play in all the world’s important venues with all the important orchestras. But this is your first year of fully professional touring. You have to realise that the good people of Kalamazoo will probably never again be able to afford the fees I will get for you. They may never again have a chance to hear you perform live. But these are the very people who will remember that you played for them and they will continue to buy your recordings for many years and make you a considerable amount in royalties. So you WILL perform for them!” Perlman left Gold’s office in a more contrite mood!
Great story.
Do you mean “Jewish” people (off which only some live in Israel) or “Israeli” people (not all of whom are Jewish)? I don’t think it is helpful to constantly conflate the two.