From: simon1@bass.bu.edu (Simon Streltsov)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet
Subject: Re: Shafarevich
Date: 4 Sep 92 17:01:37 GMT
Reply-To: simon1@bass.bu.edu (Simon Streltsov)
Followup-To: soc.culture.soviet
Organization: Boston University

In article <1992Sep4.064632.1149@cco.caltech.edu> patricia@cco.caltech.edu (Patricia M. Schwarz) writes:
>Please excuse me for not using proper quotation etiquette, but I am
>very clumsy with editors.
>
>About this letter of Shafarevich in  <95320@bu.edu> (correct?):
>I still can't understand if he is really antisemitic.

You see, it may  take some time to understand in US, that if a 
person says " I am for animal right" in every place, then he is
not a dog-healer, but has some political agenda, and never
took veterinarian classes at all.

The same thing with the Shafarevich's words  (this is in the Igor's
post either), that not all Jews are bad, some of them support
me - I know, he is not a Jew-lover.

I hope, that everyone, who was born over there, easily understands
it. Lengthy explanation available upon request.

>I have a friend who is a Jewish physicist who was trying to
>help a Palestinian physicist whom he believed to be unfairly
>treated by the Israel government.

If he is trying to help a person, that's great, every Jew has
an obligation to do it. 

>For this he was denounced by many as an antisemite.

I doubt, it could be reason to call him an antisemite,
if it is - it's a shame for those, who said it.

But maybe he is using it for something less.

simple test fot your friend:

if you can answer "yes" to ALL of the following questions:

a/ He blames Israeli government, not buerocracy, particular
   person
b/ he uses media for that
c/ He never helped Jewish scientist, unfairly treated by
Israeli government
d/ He never helped Palestinian scientist, unfairly treated by
Iordanian,Syrian,Kuweiti,Saudi government,

then I'd suspect him being a political activist.


>I am confused because last week a friend from Russia was reading
>Shafarevich's book and said there was nothing antisemitic in it.

I didnt read the book, and didnt even pretend, that I did.
I commented on his - seemingly genious and recent - article.

>
>Of course, I feel hurt by some things that I call "sexist" that don't
>bother most men. 

Right, I broke a nice romance with an American girl after my (Russian)
(sexist) joke. 

I felt, that if I can not express this part of my culture,
I'd not feel free enough >-:[.


>And this Russian friend is not Jewish, so probably
>he's not the best one to trust for that assessment, since antisemitism
>is not a direct personal threat to him.

Probably, right.

I heard interesting result, which, I guess, can be checked by
valid statistical procedure:
many Russians have several Jewish friends, whom they respect,
but consider them as an exception from general Jewish population.
(well, it holds for some Jews either -:)

My good friends in Moscow were usually avoiding saying a word "Jew"
to me, or about someone else in my presence. They didnt want to insult
me or hurt me, you know. 

I cite these two obervations to show, that to people, who hold these
opinions, or at least were brought among them, some of the 
Shafarevich's stuff may sound as polemic, but sane.

>-patricia@cco.caltech.edu
Senya,
have a good trip.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet