OSLO, Norway — Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz met with leading members of Oslo’s Jewish community at the city’s Chabad House last week, where he spoke about the extreme anti-Israel, anti-Semitic attitudes he encountered in Norway. He urged them to take lessons in Jewish pride and courage from Chabad.
Dershowitz To Norway’s Jews: Take Courage
OSLO, Norway — Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz met with leading members of Oslo’s Jewish community at the city’s Chabad House last week, where he spoke about the extreme anti-Israel, anti-Semitic attitudes he encountered in Norway. He urged them to take lessons in Jewish pride and courage from Chabad.
The world famous civil rights lawyer who is typically invited to meet with heads of state wherever he travels, told the group of about 30—among them a number of professors—that he was turned down for meetings with Norway’s leaders. His offers to speak at NTNU-Trondheim and Oslo universities were also declined because of his views on Israel.
“I’ve spoken at every major university in the world, German, Russian, Chinese universities, and even at Bir Zeit. Only twice in my life have I been turned down. The first time in Apartheid South Africa when I was Nelson Mandela’s lawyer, and the only other time has been here.”
Dershowitz came to Norway on the invitation of the ICEJ (International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem)and was invited by NTNU students independently of the university. He pointed to the first line of a petition prepared by Norwegian professors to boycott Israel, illustrating that it is not occupation, but rather the existence of the State of Israel as a whole that Norwegian academics take issue with: “Since 1948 the State of Israel has occupied Palestinian land…”
As a formal petition it consequently failed to garner the signatures it needed. But it is effectively being practiced against Israel by Norwegian universities, he said, cautioning the students that if they would attempt to pursue it formally, they would be shunned in the academic community, and find themselves the object of a reverse boycott.
As well, he added, “we will put together the greatest legal team assembled and we will sue you in front of the international courts, in front of the courts of Europe and Norway,” for practicing racial and religious discrimination against Israel’s Jewish professors.
Raanan
Dershowitz is pro-peace and for a two state solution. Rav Wilhelm, with all due respect, you didn’t read his book. Recently in Huffington Post, he wrote and article about how the Arab Unrest offers new opportunities for peace. It is not appropriate for a Chabad House to invite him. Better to invite Israeli Generals, security personnel and Israeli government officials preaching a One State Solution.
Raanan