Mick Hartley

Exploiting Holocaust history

They got this right - eventually:

A group of US doctors have cancelled a planned “Genocide in Gaza” protest at the US Holocaust Museum after critics on social media called the would-be demonstration ‘offensive’.

The group called Doctors Against Genocide, which calls itself “a global health coalition committed to stopping genocide”, was recently formed in response to Israel’s operation in Gaza, following the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7.

They had planned to protest outside the museum in Washington DC on December 28 at 11am followed by a 3pm gathering outside the White House.

The announcement urged attendees to get free tickets to the museum. “Don’t ring in 2024 with an ongoing genocide,” they said. “Action is open to all. We encourage healthcare workers to wear white coats/uniforms.”

Watchdog group StopAntisemitism.Org called the initial announcement “sickening” and “stomach-churning.”

“Hamas has one goal – to murder Jews. For this physicians’ group to desecrate the Holocaust museum with their calls of a ceasefire (ie – for the Jewish nation to stop defending itself) is stomach churning,” the group said on X/Twitter.

The Holocaust Museum added in a statement: “Our museum is the national memorial to the 6 million Jews killed by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. It is deeply offensive to survivors and the memory of the victims to exploit Holocaust history.

“Our long-standing policy against protests in our museum preserves this space for the solemn memory of victims, the reflections of survivors and its educational mission.”

Doctors Against Genocide said in a statement: “We made a decision to cancel the event. We will be announcing future events with more detailed communication.”

The group also claimed that there were “misconceptions surrounding our Holocaust Museum event, which has been misrepresented as an antisemitic gathering.”

Instead, the group claimed, the goal was to visit the museum “to express our empathy for the horrors of that genocide. Additionally, we wanted to bring awareness to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”

“Our initial communication did not sufficiently convey this, leading to misinterpretations and unfounded accusations from parties with ill intentions,” it said.

In a separate post, the group claimed the event was supposed to be a way “to learn from the museum’s initiatives in genocide education and prevention to inform our own efforts as an organization dedicated to preventing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide around the world.”

Yeah, sure.

Attempting to rein in male competitors

In contrast to chess, the sport of disc golf has very clear advantages for males. But that's not going to stop men competing and winning in the women's events:

The Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) has been forced to drop their new regulations on men who want to participate in women’s competitions after being sued by a trans-identified male player. The lawsuit was launched earlier this year by Natalie Ryan, who had been dominating women’s competitions prior to the PDGA attempting to rein in male competitors.

Ryan first filed a suit against the PDGA in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California this past February. In his complaint, he argued that a recently-adopted PDGA policy prohibiting trans-identified males from competing with women if they had undergone a “male puberty” violated his civil rights and California laws against discrimination.

“The policy adopted by the PDGA and [Disc Golf Pro Tour] is arbitrary and capricious and in violation of Plaintiff’s right to be free from discrimination based on her gender,” the suit said, arguing that policies restricting widespread male participation in women’s sport “denied [Ryan] and other transgender women, who in the eyes of California law are women, full and equal access to the accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, and/or services of [PDGA] organizations.”

Well, he's got a point. If transgender women are women according to the laws of California, then his suit against the PDGA would seem to have a pretty good chance. Not that it ever came to court: the PDGA doesn't have the money to fight the case.

Yesterday, a settlement between Ryan and PDGA was announced. While the full terms are not available for public consumption, part of the agreement included PDGA dropping the policy which banned males from competing with women unless they had begun transitioning prior to puberty. This change means that all males who had undergone at least two years of hormone therapy are able to compete with women once again.

In a statement, PDGA revealed that a lack of funds was part of the reason why they were unable to fight against Ryan’s litigation onslaught, with Ryan having filed suits against them in two separate states.

And yes, he's getting the prize money that should be going to women.

In September of 2022 at the Disc Golf Pro Tour, Ryan easily defeated the world’s number 1 ranked female competitor, Kristin Tattar, taking home $9,000 in prize money. Months prior, at the Great Lakes Open in Milford, Michigan, Ryan walked away with $6,000 for a first-place performance, beating out the world’s current number 2 ranked female player....

Last year, two anonymous female disc golf players spoke with Quillette‘s Jon Kay and stated that Ryan’s biological sex was undoubtedly bolstering his success in the sport.

“I would say that one of the biggest advantages of the [male-bodied] players is their ability to scramble in tight situations when a disc goes off the fairway, to just stand there and blast a shot through the woods,” one of the women said. “I’ve seen both [trans player] Chloe [Alice] and Natalie [Ryan] do this. They’re just standing still and throw the kind of [forehand shot] that I’ve never seen a female throw even under perfect conditions.”

The other female player added: “What makes it worse is that Ryan’s form isn’t even that good. If it were, [he’d] be out-throwing us by even more. So while the rest of us spend years refining our form, trying to keep up and get more distance, [he’s] been in the sport only—what?—three years or something.”

Another female disc golf player, Jennifer Castro, revealed that she was aware of female athletes refusing to join tournaments where transgender players were enrolled due to the stark performance advantage.

“I personally know of women who refuse to sign up for events if a transgender is playing, not because we hate them but because we feel we have zero chance, so what is the point of wasting our money on registration fees?”

"Natalie" is of course overjoyed:

I'm excited to announce that the PDGA, DGPT, and I have reached an agreement. All trans women will be equals at the elite level again. This is my victory. I had to be ruthless to get them to listen. I'm glad I can put that side of myself away. Now, I am hopeful that our sport can start fresh and grow to be a place that truly welcomes and celebrates everyone.

I cannot express how thankful I am to all my supporters and sponsors for sticking with me this year. I wouldn't have made it to the finish line alone, this is your victory too!

The entitlement of these men, and their total disregard for women, never fails to amaze.

The view from Israel

Einat Wilf, interviewed by Ksenia Svetlova:

On the Abraham Accords:

Anything that leads the Arab world to embrace us, even the name “Abraham”, I think was especially significant. I know the UAE is a small country, but it’s an influential country that chose a direction for the Arab world and the Muslim world where they have a different conception of Islam, a different conception of Arab identity. I sometimes call the Abraham Accords collateral benefit, saying we’re not the central story here. The central story is Arab leaders who are rethinking Islam, who are rethinking what it means to be Arab, who are basically saying that anti-Zionism doesn’t have to be the core of Arab. That Islam is compatible with the acceptance of the Jewish people in their land. That’s what matters.

I think what matters is the bigger trajectory of Islam, of the Arab world and then part of it will be the acceptance of the Jewish people here, a very important step. It’s not a coincidence that the Palestinians who really, for a century, have been fed on this idea that their entire purpose and goal in life is to destroy the Jewish state. For them, the Abraham Accords were experienced as a sense of betrayal. I understand that. It is a betrayal in the sense that they were used to being supported in trying to the Jewish state. But I hope that ultimately the Palestinians will go in the direction of the Abraham Accords rather than the Abraham Accords going in the direction of the Palestinians.

On UNRWA:

UNRWA is essentially an organization, still temporary, that was hijacked by the Palestinians, beginning in the ’60s, to become a Palestinian organization. It’s a Palestinian organization, and we should be very clear on it. It’s run by Palestinians. It serves Palestinians. It’s essentially the education system and the welfare system of the Palestinian people waiting to take over the State of Israel. That’s what UNRWA is.

UNRWA only exists in order to basically allow the Palestinians to say the war of 1948 is not over. Even into the fifth generation, we are still refugees from that war. One day we will return and liberate Palestine from the river to the sea when Israel is gone.UNRWA was basically the anecdote to the loss in 1948. In 1948, they wanted to prevent the establishment of a Jewish state. They failed and UNRWA was established as a way of saying we’re not done. We’re going to wait and wait generation after generation....

But what UNRWA is, and that’s the most valuable thing that UNRWA gives, it’s not the money, it’s not the education, it’s not the welfare. It’s the international legitimacy under the letters “U.N.”, funded by western states. That’s the value. Because from the Palestinian perspective, they look at UNRWA and they say the world is with us, the letters, “U.N.” The west is with us because UNRWA is funded by Europe and America. So for them, it means that America and Europe are actually behind the idea that Israel is temporary. That’s where the damage is.

Once you understand that this is what UNRWA is, then there is no need to replace UNRWA. There’s actually only need to get rid of it. Because once the Palestinians begin to understand that they are not refugees from a war that ended 75 years ago, just like Germans and Poles, and Hindus and Muslims, and Ukrainians and Bulgarians, and Italians are not refugees from the 1940s. They are not. All these other refugees got a very clear message. The war is over. Wherever you are is wherever you stay and you move on. Even if you lost your home, it’s sad, it’s tragic, but you move forward.

The Palestinians are stuck in this backward looking limbo and that’s why the war continues. They are not refugees. They do not possess a right of return. No one has a right of return to another sovereign country and they are not special. Once they begin to internalize it they become a forward looking people, a people who are focused on building for themselves rather than destroying for others....

We saw this war how UNRWA was terrible in the context of Hamas. Hamas was able to say, we’re not responsible for Palestinian civilians. And that’s not just Hamas. This is an old Palestinian view that they are not responsible for anything. They will wage wars. They will lose them. They’re never responsible. In their vision, the world is responsible.

Hamas can basically say we’re using all the money, all the cement to build tunnels, to build an army so that we can liberate Palestine from the river to the sea on behalf of the Palestinian people. And the things that Hamas would have had to take care of like education and welfare, and health care, are basically outsourced to UNRWA.

Trans chess

A typically annoying BBC article on trans chess players.

FIDE, the chess association, have quite reasonably decided that women's chess should be restricted to women, and should not include men who wear dresses, wigs, and lipstick. Like most sports and games, chess has historically been dominated by men, and only recently have we seen the rise of top women players.

The question of whether men have a built-in biological adavtange is still moot. It's not obvious, as in physical sports, but there are factors - such as spatial awareness differences - that have been cited as possibly favouring men. Whatever, it's not really the point. If women want their own women-only tournaments, they should surely have their own women-only tournaments - especially in the context of such a male-dominated activity. There are already mixed tournaments and men-only tournaments. 

For the BBC, though, the presumption is that this is a nasty regressive move, cruelly excluding poor transwomen:

The rules have been heavily criticised by notable female chess players including Jennifer Shahade - Fide grandmaster and two-time US women's champion.

"The rules have had a really upsetting effect on the chess community," Shahade told BBC Sport. "They seem very cruel.

"The practical ramifications, I'm not sure of yet, but they will have an effect on the LGBT community - people saying even if they are unlikely to qualify for events, it makes them want to play chess less."

In reality this has absolutely no effect on the Ls, Gs, or Bs. The only people affected are the Ts. As always with the trans crowd they align themselves with gays, thus trying to co-opt sympathy naturally felt for the historically oppressed homosexual community.

And this:

"The reason these policies come out is that people really believe players will pretend to be women to win events and take prize money."

It's possible they may. It's happened in practically every physical sport - athletics, swimming, cycling. It's perhaps not likely in chess because the male-female difference in performance is unclear - if indeed there is one. But such a claim - that it's all about possible cheats - also has the implication that there are genuine transwomen who can be distinguished from pretend transwomen. Which, for actual women, is a false distinction. You don't get to be a women by the sincerity with which you hold the belief that you're a woman.

Naturally a trans player, one Yosha Iglesias, is quoted with sympathy. We also learn that the main supporters of the FIDE move are those horrible backward Russians:

Putin's governments have introduced a series of anti-LGBTQ+ laws while he has been in office, including the "gay propaganda" law in 2013 during Dvorkovich's time in government. That banned promotion of homosexuality among people under 18. Russia also introduced a ban on gender-affirming surgeries for trans people in July this year.

According to Iglesias, the Russian influence on chess is felt heavily through these new laws.

"I am certain there is no coincidence the Fide regulations have been published just after Russia put in place one of the most horrifying anti-trans laws," she said.

"It's also meaningful they did not consult any trans players. They knew what they wanted."

Poor Yosha Iglesias soldiers on, bravely fighting back the tears:

Iglesias says she was moved to tears and "so grateful" for the French Chess Federation's support.

As a result, she is doing her best to remain hopeful about the future, while aware her time in elite chess could be shortened.

"There is so much uncertainty, it is hard to make a prediction," she said. "In France, there was a rejected law proposal that sport categories should be based on assigned sex at birth. If that happened, I could no longer play as a woman in France.

"You see similar things happening everywhere - in the UK and USA too.

"I'm glad I can be like a mother to young trans players. When I was young, I had no-one to look up to, but it's better now than not so long ago."

Why can't he play as a man, then - this Iglesias? That's what he is. Why should women be denied their own tournaments for the sake of his precious feelings?

Hellish lives

The Daily NK on life for many in this North Korean winter:

As North Korea faces a huge drop in temperatures down to 20 degrees Celsius below zero at times, many North Korean families in the northeast part of the country cannot heat their homes due to a shortage of firewood, Daily NK has learned. 

Speaking through the phone on condition of anonymity, a source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Dec. 19 that “many families in Hoeryong have been unable to prepare enough kindling to heat their homes lately.” He added that people live “hellish lives” with “not enough to eat, and now they can’t even put together enough kindling.”

North Koreans usually begin preparing kindling or charcoal briquettes in autumn to heat their homes in winter, but the source said most people have been unable to purchase enough due to the high price of firewood. 

“Even families that had a tough time during COVID-19 could prepare at least a cubic meter of firewood, but this year, they’ve been unable to put together even that much because the firewood price skyrocketed with the onset of winter,” the source said. “Because it’s too expensive to buy wood by the cubic meter, they buy it by it bundle-by-bundle to heat their homes, though this barely meets the need.”...

Many North Koreans barely make KPW 2,000-3,000 even if they work all day, which makes it impossible to buy both food and kindling with what they earn. 

As a result, many people cannot properly heat their homes in the bitter cold, so they wage war against the cold indoors by wearing thick layers. 

As the temperature plummets, a great number of North Koreans are also suffering from flu-like symptoms, including high fevers and coughs. The flu is especially rampant among young children, according to the source. 

“Children inevitably come down with colds because they have weakened immunity from malnutrition, and [their parents] can’t even heat their homes in the cold. Parents feel terrible because they can’t buy a single tablet of medicine, even when their kids come down with serious colds.”

At least they can warm themselves with the knowledge that the country, under the inspired leadership of Kim Jong-un, is a nuclear power that can now send rockets into space...

In the Afghan madrassa

After the shameful US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban have prevented girls from getting an education. But apparently, we now learn, they're allowed to study Islam. 

In September 2021, a month after U.S. and NATO troops withdrew from Afghanistan following two decades of war, the Taliban announced that girls were barred from studying beyond sixth grade.

They extended this education ban to universities in December 2022....

Last week, U.N. special envoy Roza Otunbayeva expressed concern that a generation of Afghan girls is falling behind with each day that passes.

Last week, an official in the Education Ministry said Afghan girls of all ages are allowed to study in religious schools known as madrassas, which have traditionally been boys-only.

Isn't that nice?

But Otunbayeva said it was unclear if there was a standardized curriculum that allowed modern subjects.

Studying modern subjects? Is she joking??

These are girls at a religious school in Kabul, August 2022.

The Hamas view of a ceasefire

Hamas Official Ghazi Hamad, in an English-language broadcast, welcomes the support of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand for a ceasefire in Gaza - a step in the right direction towards stopping the global isolation of the “fascist” Israeli government and ending the occupation and the "genocide".

Jesus was a Jew

Full text:

As Christmas approaches, I'm seeing a lot of posts about how "Jesus was Palestinian" - even from friends I would otherwise consider academics. I'm also seeing pics of nativities where baby Jesus is wrapped in a Keffiyeh (I have feelings about that). So, I'm taking the rare step of chiming in because this actually is my wheelhouse (my two degrees being in Religious Studies and Genealogy).

First, let me say the (hopefully) most obvious part out loud: Jesus was a Jew. This is actually not up for debate. The real, historical Jesus (actual name: Yeshua ben Yosef) was a Jew born in the Roman province of Judea (translate: "Land of the Jews") to a Judean Mizrahi Jewish father (Yosef) and a Galileean Mizrahi Jewish mother (Miriam). We know that he wore the tzitzit and was well-versed in Torah - enough so that his followers called him "Rabbi". We also have an extensive genealogy that traces his lineage to King David of the Tribe of Judah (we cannot prove this to current genealogical standards, but even without the genealogy we can solidly say Jesus was a Judean Jew).

I get it. Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, lies in what is NOW the Palestinian West Bank. That does not make him magically, retroactively, a Palestinian. Actually, the words "Palestine" and "Palestinian" would have been meaningless to Jesus and his contemporaries, as the moniker "Syria-Palestina" was not placed on the region until approximately 100 years after Jesus' death - and it was only done by the Roman Empire as an insult to the Jews and in an attempt to alienate them from their homeland. Furthermore, the term "Palestinian" used to refer to a cohesive ethnic identity didn't occur until the 1960's. Just to be clear, that's about 1,930 years after Jesus' death.

Let me put it this way: saying "Jesus was Palestinian" is like saying "Pocahontas was a citizen of the United States of America". It's not only historically inaccurate, it's also pretty offensive.

Carol of the Bells

Shchedryk - "Carol of the Bells" - is a Ukrainian song about the turning of the seasons from winter to spring, the new year as traditionally understood. It's a song of hope....

🇺🇦Carol of the bells by Angelina Usanova
Miss Universe Ukraine❤️
This year, Christmas is not fun again. But Shchedryk sounds again against all odds. This is our song of Strength and Hope. I believe that the next Shchedrik will sound in war free Ukraine! pic.twitter.com/mAQnVgeYJl

— Sofia Ukraini (@SlavaUk30722777) December 21, 2023

Shildon 1986

Another Café Royal Books production, this time from photographer Janine Wiedel:

In 1986, I was commissioned by ITV television to document Shildon, a small town in County Durham once known as “the cradle of the railways”. My son was just one year old and still light enough to carry on my back. It was February and very cold. Two years before, the town’s lifeline had been cut off, by the ending of 150 years of continuous rail vehicle maintenance and construction.

Shildon was central to the story of Britain’s railways. It was here that the world’s first steam-powered public railway opened and where one of the first rail engines was built.

The town grew up alongside the development of the railway and was a major transport hub for coal mined in the nearby Durham collieries. The mining industry had been an important site of development in rail technology, and so it made sense that early railway locomotives were developed in and around the coalfields of the North of England.

Shildon’s commitment to rail was unparalleled, making it a single occupational community which stood apart from the surrounding towns. It was almost inevitable that any male born there would work in the Wagon Works, which would offer a job for life. However, in 1984 the Railway Works, once the biggest wagon works in the world, was closed with the loss of 2600 jobs or 85% of the male manufacturing jobs in the town. Unemployment in the town soon reached over 40%.

[Photos © Cafe Royal Books/Janine Wiedel]

Cafe Royal Books previously: Shipbuilding on Tyneside, London 1967-1972, The North-East, Whitechapel 1972-1992, Manchester 1970s, 1970s Liverpool, Hull 1970s.