When Victims Rule (pdf)

WALL STREET, JEWISH / ISRAELI ETHICS, AND THE WORLD OF FUND RAISING
human rights groups for his union-busting and for catering to the Chinese government
(in 1994 he yanked the BBC off his Asian satellite network because officials
in Beijing were angered by its reporting on Chinese human rights
violations).” [MJ, 9/10-97, p. 18]
“By what criteria has the UJA chosen the worldwide robber baron for this
years’ award over, say, Radovan Karadzic [accused of war crimes in Bosnia], or
perhaps Larry Flynt [the pornographer]?” wondered Eric Alterman in the Nation,
“… Murdoch was chosen, the UJA says, for his ‘longtime support of the
security of the state of Israel, his friendship for the Jewish people, and his support
of UJA.’” [ALTERMAN, p. 6-7] The Australian-born Murdoch had earlier
been honored in 1982 as the “Communications Man of the Year” by the American
Jewish Congress. He was presented that award by AJC president Howard
Squadron, who was also Murdoch’s American lawyer, his guide to visit rightwing
politician Ariel Sharon in Israel, and an opinion page writer for Murdoch’s
New York Post. [GOLDSTEIN, T, p. 69; KIERNAN, T., 1986, p. 262] “The Jewish
national cause is one that is extremely important to me, to my family, and to my
company,” Murdoch told the UJA audience, “… We’re also in Israel [Murdoch
has investments there] because of my faith in the integrity and worthiness of the
Zionist undertaking. I have been accused of being pro-Israel, pro-Zionist, pro-
Jewish – charges to which I plead guilty.” [LEON, M., 7-4-97, p. 16]
Matti Golan, a former Israeli government official, calls the massive American
Jewish organizational ring to raise money for itself and Israel the “Money
Machine.” American Jews, notes Golan, have
“created a ruthless, well-oiled machine whose only aim is to collect
money and … will do anything to do so. Every year [American Jewish
leaders get] a higher quota to meet and … stop at nothing to meet it. If
you can’t meet your quota, you’re out. The only gauge of success, the one
bottom line, is how many dollars you’ve brought in.” [GOLAN, p. 65]
In 1999, Jewish billionaire Henry Samueli was presented an award by a
prominent Jewish American organization. As the Los Angeles Times noted this
honor,
“The Orange County chapter of the American Jewish Committee will
present him with its National Human Relations Award … He’s happy
to be honored, Samueli said, but he was surprised to find out that a donation
to the Committee was part of the package.” [CONWAY, A., 4-
13-99, p. E1]
Even Alan Dershowitz concedes that “Jewish organizations sometimes honor
the wealthy without inquiry into the sources of their wealth. We sometimes
do not make the effort to see what is plainly before our eyes. We are blinded by
the facade of money …” [DERSHOWITZ, Chutzpah, p. 307]
This worldview, so common in the Jewish community, was heralded as an
emulative value for Americans at-large in 1995 by a Jewish professor at the University
of Chicago, Daniel Fischel, who espoused it – not surprisingly – in his
book, Payback: The Conspiracy to Destroy Michael Milken and His Financial Revolution,
published prominently by Harper Collins. Fischel’s introductory para-
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