Being special is a burden and a trophy at the same time. Our deniers throw away both, without realizing that they are thereby assuming an even heavier and more wearing burden. It is therefore not too surprising to read the articles of a number of Israel's leading journalists to the effect that the Irving trial itself was not so important. This is because the deeper thrust of the trial was about the Jewish people being special. And if there is anything our enlightened intellectuals detest it is being considered special.
Antisemitism comes in various forms.
Sometimes it is disguised as scholarship - biblical criticism, revisionist history, distorted archeological conclusions. That is what made Irving so dangerous, since he had standing in the world of historical scholarship. Let us hope that his standing is now destroyed. Pessah represents the beginning of Jewish national uniqueness. It reminds us of our ancient and our near past.