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Alan Dershowitz
Jewish Voice for Peace vs. Susan Sarandon (and Alan Dershowitz)
The New York Post’s Page Six reports:
Susan Sarandon outraged the Jewish Voice for Peace group when she crossed its picket line to attend a cocktail party last month in the new Madison Avenue jewelry store of Lev Leviev, a diamond-dealing real-estate mogul who owns the former New York Times building and the Apthorp building on the Upper West Side.
Now the California-based grass-roots organization has sent the star a letter asking her to “publicly sever ties” with the jeweler, whom the group is boycotting because he supports Jewish settlements in the West Bank. But Sarandon’s rep denies she’s allied with the high-end gem dealer.
The picketers, who were there for the Leviev store launch in mid-November, stood on the sidewalk with Palestinian flags, shouting, “You’re glitz, you’re glam, you’re building on Palestinian land,” and, “Occupation is a drag, just say no to your gift bag.” A source told Page Six that Sarandon marched in and “tried not to notice the yells outside.”
Page Six got a reply from Sarandon’s rep:
…Sarandon’s representative questioned whether the actress attending one Leviev event amounted to “ties,” and added, “She has no ties to any jewelry company.”
I can understand JVP’s doggedness on the Sarandon front. When you’re a far-left group, and you’ve lost Susan Sarandon, you know you’re in trouble.
But Sarandon isn’t the only celeb who’s tangled up with this issue. Ubiquitous pro-Israel pugilist Alan Dershowitz suddenly appeared on the scene of another protest outside the Leviev store, strode inside and emerged with a shopping bag with which he proceeded to taunt the demonstrators. The scene was captured on video:
The snarky Hollywood gossip blog Defamer has an amusing take on the Sarandon brouhaha. Citing the Page Six piece, Defamer offered up the following analysis:
You read right: the Jews opposing “settlements” weren’t lawyers, they were pro-Palestinian protesters. These “Jews,” whose payos were suspiciously affixed with duct tape, chanted “Sorry ‘bout those charging tanks! Sorry that we run all banks!” and “What do want? Pogroms! When do we want them? Now!” at the Bull Durham star in an effort to bring peace to the Hamas-led region.
In addition to the issue of Israeli settlements (which are the central complaint of the protesters), the anti-Leviev camp has raised a number of other issues about the company’s ethics, which are noted in the Post article.
Bintel Brief: Alan Dershowitz on ‘Scooter’ Libby and Jonathan Pollard
Prof. Dershowitz,
I was very interested to see that you argued for the commutation of the prison sentence of Scooter Libby. You see, I know this guy who is 20 years into a life sentence. He was a Navy analyst and got caught spying for another country. Did he deserve to go to jail? Sure, but not for life. The country in question was an ally of the United States, the prosecution reneged on its plea agreement, the judge let in some questionable testimony during the sentencing stage, and by now this fellow has suffered enough. What should he do? Do you think you could get Scooter to put in a good word for him?
PRISONERS DILEMMA
Alan Dershowitz replies:
I did not argue for commutation of the prison sentence of Scooter Libby. I joined a brief written by 12 professors arguing that the legal issues in Libby’s appeal were serious and substantial, and that he should be given bail pending appeal. I would join the same brief for any appellant who had significant issues on appeal, since I am appalled by the trend toward locking people up while their appeals are pending. I have seen innocent defendants languish in prison only to see their convictions reversed, but they can’t get back the year they unjustly spent behind bars.
As for Jonathan Pollard, I have devoted enormous energy to try to get his sentence commuted. I petitioned President Clinton repeatedly to commute his sentence, and I have publicly railed against the excessiveness of the Pollard sentence and the fact that the government reneged on its plea agreement. We must continue to fight for justice for Jonathan Pollard.
Alan Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He is the author of numerous books, including “Chutzpah,” “The Vanishing American Jew,” “The Genesis of Justice,” “The Case for Israel,” “The Case for Peace” and, most recently, “Blasphemy: How the Religious Right is Hijacking the Declaration of Independence.”
Send a letter to the Bintel Brief at bintelblog@forward.com. To read other installments of the Bintel Brief, click here.
Bintel Brief: Alan Dershowitz Says Being a Pro-Israel Liberal Doesn’t Mean Being Lonely
Dear Prof. Dershowitz,
I am a very politically liberal Jew. However, I find great discomfort with liberal activist organizations when it comes to Israel. Their messages are frequently strident and are often indistinguishable between being anti-Israel and antisemitic. Equally problematic is finding myself in the camp of the neo-cons and other right-wing groups in their support of Israel. Is there no place for a liberal Jew who supports Israel?
LONELY LIBERAL
Alan Dershowitz replies:
Bintel Brief: Alan Dershowitz Examines Whether Hamas Opinion Articles Are Fit To Print
Professor Dershowitz,
Do you think that the publishing of opinion articles by Hamas officials in The New York Times and The Washington Post constitutes material support to terrorists as defined in the Patriot Act?
Thank you for all of your great and inspiring work on behalf of Israel.
FIT TO PRINT?
Alan Dershowitz replies:
Bintel Brief: Alan Dershowitz Helps Out With a High Holiday Dilemma
Dear Prof. Dershowitz,
Like you, I am a law professor. I teach at a private law school that does not cancel classes on Rosh Hashanah.
While the school is closed in observance of select holidays, such as Good Friday, Martin Luther King Day and Yom Kippur, classes are not canceled for many federal holidays. Individual professors may, of course, cancel classes for other reasons, but they must usually schedule a makeup class.
I’m Jewish, but not at all religious, and I hold classes on Rosh Hashanah. My son thinks I should reschedule my class when it falls on Rosh Hashanah for the benefit of my Jewish students (perhaps 10% to 15% of the enrollment) and because he feels that I should observe the day by not teaching. Since I would not attend religious services if I canceled classes, I would feel hypocritical canceling. Jewish students can miss the class without penalty, though they would lose the opportunity to attend that class session. Canceling the class, however, would inconvenience the majority of my students, since there would be a makeup session.
What do you think I should do?
SCHOOL OVER SHUL
Alan Dershowitz replies:
