Arun Gandhi Resigns From His Own Non-Vilence Institute Under Jewish Pressure
New York: The resignation of Arun Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, as president of the M.K. Gandhi Institute of Non-Violence he founded has been accepted following a furore over his critical remarks about Jews and Israel.
Arun Gandhi, 73, was in India when the controversy over his column in a Washington Post blog erupted.
What upset many Jews was his piece titled "Jewish identity can't depend on violence" on January 7 on Post's blog, "On Faith".
He sent his resignation by email to Joel Seligman, president of the University of Rochester, which hosts the prestigious institute, in upstate New York. Seligman asked him to sort out the matter in person with the institute's board.
"I resigned to relieve pressure on the university and the institute. I met the institute's board on Thursday on my return and they went by my decision," Gandhi told IANS.
He said the storm was mainly in the Jew-dominated Rochester community.
Starting with the statement "Jewish identity in the past has been locked into the holocaust experience", he wrote: "Jews not only want the Germans to feel guilty but the whole world must regret what happened to the Jews. The world did feel sorry for the episode, but when an individual or a nation refuses to forgive and move on, the regret turns into anger."
Gandhi added: "The Jewish identity in the future appears bleak. Any nation that remains anchored to the past is unable to move ahead and, especially a nation that believes its survival can only be ensured by weapons and bombs."
As the website was swarmed by irate messages, some calling him anti-Semitic, Gandhi posted Jan 10: "My apology for my poorly-worded post... I do not believe and should not have implied that the policies of the Israeli government are reflective of the views of the Jewish people."
Next day, a statement criticising Gandhi from Seligman appeared on the Post website. "I believe that Gandhi's subsequent apology inadequately explains his stated views, which seem fundamentally inconsistent with the core values of the University of Rochester."
Feeling the heat, the blog's moderators regretted Gandhi's posting, asking readers for "a measure of forbearance and tolerance as the site endeavours to conduct a civil and illuminating conversation".
By then, the larger Jewish community had got into the act, asking for Gandhi's resignation from the institute, even urging Rochester University to sever its ties with the institute.
Far away in Israel, The Jerusalem Post too took note of the controversy as "Gandhi's grandson blasts Israel, Jews".
Today, Gandhi feels sorry for the episode because he wanted people to see his opinion about the proliferation of violence in a better light. He is not apologetic about his apology on the blog, "which was not for the content".
"Now, my first task is to start the healing process in the Rochester community," he said. He lives in his house near the campus.
But he is not crestfallen that he has to leave the institution he set up 17 years ago to spread the Mahatma's message.
"I used to wonder whether the institute, which became dependent on me, will die with me. Now it is a test for the board and others whether they can run it," he said.
"In six months, this storm will blow over and I can get back to the institute, if necessary," he said.
He will continue as a panellist to write weekly on the Post blog and will continue to lecture in the US and elsewhere. His next book, he said, is on "my understanding of the Mahatma's non-violence".