Dr. Norman Finkelstein: Radical Intellectual

He's been pegged as not just an "anti-Semite", but a "self-hating Jew". Some have even gone so far as to call him "an enabler of terrorism". But one person I've looked up to and respected greatly, and informed myself about at lengths is Dr. Norman Finkelstein.

This is a man whose parent's have been directly affected by the horrors of the Holocaust- both being the only to escape slaughter from each of their families- but who continues to maintain one of the loudest anti-Zionist voices in America and abroad. His distinctly strong views, rooted in a well-researched academic past, have gained notoriety among respected intellectuals, like Nom Chomsky. But hearing interview responses and speeches he's done, Dr. Finkelstein continues to assert he is not at all deserving of "being put on a pedestal"- anybody in his position should and would be doing the same. He's published a lot of work, including his controversial books The Holocaust Industry, and ‘This Time We Went Too Far’ – Truth & Consequences of the Gaza Invasion.

Although his resume boasts of impressive positions at top Ivy League schools, critics have claimed "he's not a teacher, he's a propagandist". People continue to harass him on a daily basis, going so far as to vandalize his property and relentlessly call for his eviction from his New York home. He's been banned from travelling to Israel for 10 years, infamously made a slew of different remarks in defense of Hezbollah, and travelled throughout Lebanon and the Occupied Territories on a speaking tour (any Jew reading this will understand the gravity of that gesture).

Next Wednesday, February 16, Dr. Norman Finkelstein will be making an appearance in Toronto at York University in an event called "Israel, Palestine and the Muslim World: Where are we headed?" You can click
right here to check out more info on this event, and some similar ones in other areas of the country.

Anyways, I continue to observe this fascinating man with a vigilence. His opposing sides are highlighted very well in the documentary "American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein".

HERE, is perhaps one of my favourite clips because I think its such an accurate portrayal of who this brilliant man is: