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Title: Defamation (2009)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Yoav Shamir | ... | Self - also narrator and interviewer | |
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Abraham Foxman | ... | Self |
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Bob Wolfson | ... | Self - ADL Regional Director |
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Notav | ... | Self |
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Adi | ... | Self |
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Yaiv | ... | Self |
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Reuven | ... | Self |
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Perlin | ... | Self |
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Ov | ... | Self |
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Noah Klinger | ... | Self - Journalist |
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Joel Levi | ... | Self - ADL Regional Director New York |
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Dov Hikind | ... | Self - Assemblyman |
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Benjamin Lifschitz | ... | Self - Reporter |
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Abraham Hecht | ... | Self (as Rabbi Hecht) |
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Gianfranco Fini | ... | Self |
Intent on shaking up the ultimate 'sacred cow' for Jews, Israeli director Yoav Shamir embarks on a provocative - and at times irreverent - quest to answer the question, "What is anti-Semitism today?" Does it remain a dangerous and immediate threat? Or is it a scare tactic used by right-wing Zionists to discredit their critics? Speaking with an array of people from across the political spectrum (including the head of the Anti-Defamation League and its fiercest critic, author Norman Finkelstein) and traveling to places like Auschwitz (alongside Israeli school kids) and Brooklyn (to explore reports of violence against Jews), Shamir discovers the realities of anti-Semitism today. His findings are shocking, enlightening and - surprisingly - often wryly funny. Written by FRF
my daughter and I just watched this movie today on cable, without the benefit of any context. while it was clear that the filmmaker sided with the Mearsheimer-Walt types, I still thought it was worth watching.
to me, any time Norman Finkelstein is allowed to go on camera and give his noxious views, that's a good thing. in fact, the whole movie affirmed the idea that "anti-Zionism" is just an excuse for anti-Semitism. I think this is the opposite of what the filmmaker wanted to prove, but there it is.
if you do see this film, please remember to take it with a grain of salt. example: Finkelstein says that there is no American anti-Semitism but there IS anti-Muslim feeling. according to FBI statistics, anti-Jewish hate crimes occur 8 TIMES AS OFTEN as anti-Muslim crimes. but Finkelstein doesn't back up his assertions with facts, since he wouldn't be able to.
the problem of anti-Semitism has been with us for thousands of years, and it isn't going away any time soon. this movie contributes to the conversation if watched with an open but skeptical mind.