Aussie Jewish Day School Students Enthuse Over Palestinian Propagandist's Poetry

Большой мой (as I was taught to exclaim, euphemistically, in Russian class) !!!

There's more literary anti-Israel propaganda circulating in Australia, and working its wicked way upon youth, even Jewish youth; yes, even in the community known as "the Shtetl on the Yarra" (Melbourne) and as one of the most Zionist in the Diaspora!

Last week, I blogged about how anti-Israel activist Samah Sabawi's  play set in Gaza is now on the 2016 curriculum for Years 11 and 12 in the state of Victoria and how the Australian Jewish community appears to have allowed this not insignificant propaganda victory for the foes of Israel go unchallenged.

Ms Sabawi spruiks BDSer Prof Stuart Rees's new book

Last week, too, Samah Sabawi appeared at an event called "Fightin Words: Poetry as a Means of Resistance" at the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne, a venue for egghead discussions of various sorts.

I'm not quite sure which poem or poems Ms Sabawi recited at the event, but her bitterness towards Israel and the  nature of her poems can be seen here.

Here's a podcast of an interview Ms Sabawi gave a few days ago on the Australian public broadcasting channel SBS concerning the upcoming event: it begins in Arabic but if you stick with it until 3:18 you will hear Ms Sabawi reciting some of the following poem, almost spitting its bitter Israel-demonising phrases:

Words!
I stand dispossessed
No congress behind me
No statesmen surround me
No lobby to breathe hellfire
No media eager to appease
No three-ring circus
Of intellectual jesters
Academic clowns
And policy experts
Who truly do not see
the big elephant in the room
No legal acrobats
Dance for me
On a thin rope of decency
No politicians
Juggle oppression
And human rights
On my behalf
No trips to boost careers
For MPs and their wives
No propaganda movies
No radio broadcasts
No myths
No lies
No hasbara nights
No army,
No country
Not even one leader
To believe in
All I have are my words
To tell my story
My voice
To demand justice
But you tell me
My language is too strong
Nakba
Forced exile
Ethnic cleansing
Apartheid
Words
Carefully chosen
Purposely uttered
These are the words
That lay the foundation
Of the language of my liberation

It seems Samah Sabawi's works are having the desired effects.

I've just been sent an account, plus an accompanying group photo with Ms Sabawi in the middle, of four students from a leading Jewish day school in Melbourne imbuing the propaganda spewed out, seemingly with enthusiasm.

I won't reproduce the photo, since it's private, but I will quote the account (devoid of the names of the school, the students and the teacher mentioned, and of the Year 11 student who wrote it):

 "On a warm Thursday night [7 April], four Year 11 Literature students, made our way into the city, full of curiosity about what the night would bring. -----, ----, ------ and myself met up with our teacher ------- ------- to attend a poetry reading called “Fightin Words: Poetry as a means of resistance” at the esteemed Wheeler Centre. Since we are currently studying the significance and beauty of migrant poetry, this lecture was the perfect opportunity to immerse ourselves in diverse journeys through spoken word. So, amidst a group of sophisticated intellectuals, we listened to 3 wonderful poets, each with their own extraordinary tales to tell. We had the privilege of being enlightened and inspired by the words of Karl Lokko, a former gang leader who has turned his life around; indigenous poet Ali Cobby Eckerman who shared the story of her tragic childhood and touched our hearts, as well as Samah Sabawi an Australian Canadian poet, playwright and essayist, originally from Gaza, now residing in Australia. It was a truly engaging experience full of amazing poetry and insightful stories. We all feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to attend!"

This is quite shocking. 

A few years ago, the very able British blogger Edgar Davidson wrote:

'If you need to know the depth to which the British media has indoctrinated the public with anti-Israel feelings, then I can give no better example than the following: 

My daughter, who goes to an orthodox Jewish school, tells me that, when the subject of Israel is discussed in their Jewish studies GCSE class, students routinely state things like "the Jews have no right to Israel because they stole the land from the Palestinians".  

In making statements like that, those regular 15-16 year old Jewish kids, are simply repeating what they are told relentlessly in every part of the media (as I have regularly reported on this web). In the midst of the big story of revolution across the entire Arab world (funny how the media is suddenly realising that these Arab countries were abusing their citizens for decades - they have been telling us all along that Israel  is the pariah state in the region) the BBC and Channel 4 has gone into overdrive ... to demonize Israel.'  [Emphasis added here and above]

Meanwhile, I notice that on the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) English Literature curriculum this year is book by a certain Megan Stack.

If this video is any indication,  Every Man in This Village is a Liar contains controversial material regarding suicide bombings in Israel, and depicts America's War on Terror, together with "Islamophobia", as an "over-reaction" to 9/11.

Screenshot of one reader's impression of the book below:

Spreading propaganda amongst schoolkids is of course akin to penetrating the opponent's soft underbelly.

These trends must be watched, and vigorously protested and counterbalanced if necessary.