etter to the Editor in the NYT, ADL National Chair Robert G. Sugarman stated, "While one can agree or disagree with Maureen Dowd's portrayal of Goldman Sachs and other bankers (column, Nov. 11), her statement that "the bankers who took government money and then gave out obscene bonuses are the same self-interested sorts Jesus threw out of the temple" potentially raises one of the classic themes of anti-Semitism linking Jews and abhorrent money-lending practices. However unintentional, Ms. Dowd's invoking the New Testament story to illustrate our current financial mess conjures up old prejudices against Jews."

Writing in The New Jersey Jewish News Menachem Rosensaft and Jason H. Dolinsky also suggested that Dowd's article was anti-semitic, saying "we have heard these terms far too often to let them pass. Anti-Semitic tracts and Web sites are replete with references to “blood-sucking Jews.” And Ms. Dowd is too intelligent not to have realized that the depiction of Jews as greedy money-lenders has resulted in persecution and pogroms over the course of the past two millennia. Ms. Dowd has given new life to such ancient anti-Semitic incitements. We dread the prospect of swastikas smeared outside Goldman Sachs offices, or of learning that some street hood, inspired by Ms. Dowd’s column, broke an observant Jew's leg shouting "let Goldman Sachs buy you a new leg. At a time when a virulent Judaeophobia is on the rise, especially in Europe and throughout much of the Muslim world, politicians, journalists and columnists have a responsibility to refrain from using inflammatory anti-Semitic code words. Our constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech does not bestow on any of us a license to incite to bigotry or violence."

Dowd was refering to an interview given by Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein where he said, "he understands that a lot of people are “mad and bent out of shape” at blood-sucking banks. He added “I know I could slit my wrists and people would cheer." Dowd is right when she states that "Blankfein’s trickle-down catechism isn’t working. Now we have two economies. We have recovering banks while we have 10-plus percent unemployment and 17.5 percent underemployment. The gross thing about the Wall Street of the last decade is how much its success was not shared with society."

Dowd discuses Matt Taibbi who was also called an anti-semite for his critique of Goldman Sachs in Rolling Stones Magazine. Taibbi was accused of anti-semitism in his critic of Goldman Sach's greed and financial exploitation for saying, "the first thing you need to know about Goldman Sachs is that it's everywhere. The world's most powerful investment bank is a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money." Taibbi never said anything anti-Jewish in his article but due to the fact that Goldman Sachs is associated by many as being a Jewish institution his criticism of the firms financial parasitism brought about that accusation from many.

Dowd wrote another article a while back in the NYT titled "Blue Eyed Greed", where she agreed with Brazil's president Lula that the financial crisis "was caused by the irrational behavior of white people with blue eyes, who before the crisis appeared to know everything and now demonstrate that they know nothing.” Dowd added "it is true, of course, that the upper-crust, underwhelming Anglo-Saxon leaders who allowed America’s financial markets to morph into louche casinos, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, were very, very white men with blue eyes."

The ADL and the establishment media were silent over Dowd's assertions about Anglo's being responsible for the financial crisis, however now the ADL is accusing her of anti-semitism for an article that does not mention anything about Jews.

Journalist Philip Weiss's correspondent, Geof Gray commented  about this on Weiss's blog stating, "and it is true, of course, that the upper crust, underwhelming Anglo-Saxon leaders who allowed America's financial markets to morph into louche casinos, George W Bush and Dick Cheney, were very very white men with blue eyes." Isn't this a tad disingenuous? Didn't Summers, and Rubin and Greenspan have something to do with the debacle? Isn't Maurice "Hank" Greenberg's AIG implicated as is Goldman Sachs, among others? Just upper crust Anglo Saxons? Isn't this an antique notion, true perhaps in the 1920's? Have we reached the point out of the fear of being accused to being antisemitic that we pretend that Jews aren't there?" Weiss concurred, "Gray has my total agreement here. Journalists are misleading their readers about the character of the power structure out of apprehensions of the rise of anti-Semitism. This kind of journalism is not helpful, and may actually be feeding the resentment that fosters anti-Semitism."

The Bernie Maddof scandal attracted a lot of attention from both the Jewish community and so called anti-semites. Madoff became a pariah within the Jewish community for ripping off many Jewish organizations and prominent Jewish individuals such as Steven Spielberg and Elie Wiesel. However groups like the ADL are covering up for the crimes of financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs, that were responsible for the financial crisis and ripped of the taxpayers through bailouts, which they spent on lavish bonuses for their executives. Goldman Sachs was President Obama's second top source of campaign contributions and donates heavily to many prominent politicians.

Goldman Sachs should be treated like a criminal entity much like ENRON was. However ENRON fit into the liberal establishment's stereotype of "Evil White Gentile Republicans, while Goldman Sachs has a stereotype as being Jewish." It is no more anti-semitic to criticize Goldman Sachs than it is anti-WASP to criticize ENRON. However there is a notion put out by the likes of the ADL that any organization that is associated as being Jewish should be immune from criticism. The ADL also uses this tactic to silence any harsh criticism of Israel or the Israeli Lobby.

The ADL receives a large portion of its funding from Wall Street and therefore has a vested  interest in what is good for financial interest rather than what is good for America as well as American Jews who are not part of  the moneyed elite. The ADL has received large donations from Michael Milken's junk bond fortune and Wall Street crook Marc Rich, who many believed used the ADL to lobby for his pardon from President Clinton. Mob associate of Meyer Lansky, Moe Dalitz was simultaneously the CEO of "Sterling Bank" and National Commissioner of the ADL. Even the ADL's current National Chair Glen Lewy was an investment banker involved with Wolfensohn & Co, Deutsche Bank, and a member of the CFR.

In his article "Why Jewish Bankers Love Anti-Semites" Anti-Zionist Jewish author Henry Makow says, "Jewish bankers love anti-Semites because they transform a legitimate political and economic grievance into a racial one that easily can be dismissed as "hatred." Anti-Semites are like dogs who drive the Jewish sheep into the bankers' pen. In spite of this, some Jews are questioning the instrumental role Jews play in the creation of the New World Order. Jewish bankers love anti-Semites because they transform opposition to the NWO into discredited racism. They ensure that Jews serve the NWO agenda and non-Jews remain divided."

Neither Dowd's nor Taibbi's article's about Goldman Sachs mentions anything negative against Jews. The ADL is only enforcing that stereotype by screaming anti-semitism over strong criticism of Wall Street. It is true that individuals of Jewish decent are over represented in Finance. Everyone should be judged as an individual, however the ADL puts collective blame on all Jews when they claim to speak on their behalf, and cover up for criminals because they happen to be Jews, or support the ADL agenda.

  

Written Nov. 16, 2009

FW 2/2/11