Reposted by Josh Nathan-Kazis
Daniel May on why Jewish Currents invited Hasan Piker to their October 11 event at BAM. (I will be there, by the way. Please say hello if you're coming!)
jewishcurrents.org
Why We Invited Hasan Piker to JC Live
Jewish Currents publisher Daniel May on our upcoming conference
![He did two major things as head of the ADL: He fused Jewish identity, and the morality of the fight against antisemitism, with Israel’s interests. And he made himself a pope-like figure of the Jews, our official leader, demanding political and cultural homages and headline coverage. As he said, “I don’t represent, I lead.” Was that a quote he gave to you?
JNK: It was. The exact quote was: “I don’t sit and poll my constituency. Part of Jewish leadership is leadership. We lead.”
EV: Plus, there was Foxman’s public corruption and abuse of power, as seen in the Marc Rich scandal, which happened in the years preceding my start to drawing cartoons. [Ed note: In 2000, Foxman lobbied for a pardon for the fugitive financier Marc Rich after Rich gave a $100,000 donation to the ADL.] And he also lobbied against a congressional resolution acknowledging the Armenian genocide. The combination of these factors—fusing antisemitism with anti-Zionism, the orchestration of public humiliation spectacles, and naked corruption—created a playbook his successor followed.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:itcqruu6tvm4sjbzffscuao6/bafkreiabjgg6jazl3oz7vwsyu5e5c4lz6kyxvw4iwajkir3m73edfegysi)
