I think we can all agree that nearly not receiving an honorary doctorate is one of life’s most harrowing experiences.  I mean, really, who among us hasn’t felt the gnawing pain of contemplating a future without a degree honoris causa (Latin: “for the sake of the honour”)?

Though most up for such an award don’t have their painful ordeal reported by the Guardian, Playwright Tony Kushner had the good fortune of being “victimized” through this academic torture by the worst protagonists of all, Zionists – which all but guaranteed his role as immutable victim.

In fact, Kushner has been the focus of 12 separate Guardian laudatory pieces - reports and commentary – decrying the forces who “accused him of anti-Zionism”, thus temporarily delaying the decision, by City University of New York (CUNY) to grant him an honorary doctorate.

Though Kushner received the award after a very brief debate, he continues to revel in the Guaridan assigned role of a McCarthy-style victim of a Zionist smear campaign.

The latest, by , is titled “Tony Kushner donates $100,000 to CUNY despite degree snub”, and includes the subheading: “Jewish Playwright says being labelled anti-Israel won’t stop him from donating prize money to City University of New York“.

Snub?

As the piece acknowledges, the slight consisted of a delay of four days -due to objections from the villain of the Guardian tale, Jeffrey Wiesenfeld - before the CUNY board voted to grant the award to Kushner.

Trueman writes:

“In May, John Jay College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY), was initially prevented from honouring Kushner following criticism from one of the university’s trustees, Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, over what he perceived as the playwright’s anti-Israel stance.” [emphasis mine]

And, later:

“Last month, Andy Breslau, president of the Nation Institute, said: “Tony’s refusal to submit to the mischaracterization of his statements on Israel.”

Trueman, like previous Guardian contributors who have opined on the profound injustice meted out to the tragically misunderstood Kushner – due to his “perceived anti-Israel stance” – either didn’t have access to an internet search engine or, more likely, practices the same ideologically-driven activist journalism affecting most of his colleagues, rendering him unable to honestly report on stories involving those hostile to the Jewish state’s existence.

As we’ve noted repeatedly, Kushner’s record of vicious anti-Zionism, and contempt for Jews who support Israel, is beyond doubt. 

Kushner’s extreme hostility towards Israel  includes several comments, in writings and in interviews, where Kushner clearly, and without qualification, expressed his view that Israel’s creation was a “mistake”, and that it should never have come into existence. 

Specifically, Kushner has complained that “it’s a terrible historical problem that modern Israel came into existence.”

Indeed, Kushner has made it clear that he is “not a Zionist”.  

He has also suggested that Israel is committing something akin to cultural genocide, accusing it of engaging in “a deliberate destruction of Palestinian culture and a systematic attempt to destroy the identity of the Palestinian people”, and clearly stated that Palestinian suicide bombing is not nearly as morally reprehensible in his view as IDF counter terrorism operations.  

Kushner also described Israel’s very creation as an act of “ethnic cleansing”, and has accused the state of engaging in “savagery” and “barbarism”.

He also has leveled quite vicious invectives against Jewish Zionists, once describing them as some of  “the most repulsive members of the Jewish community”.

Kushner, during his interview with the Guardian’s Theater Critic Michael Billington – who, by the way, gave a laudatory review to the play “Seven Jewish Children – denied that he favors a boycott against Israel, yet, as CAMERA pointed out:

“Kushner sits on the Board of Advisors of the “Jewish Voice for Peace” which advocates divestment and boycott campaigns against Israel. His name appears on JVP letterhead, including on a letter “salut[ing]” the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) for its move toward divesting from companies that do business with Israel.” [Also, see here]

In short, Tony Kushner believes Jewish Zionists are “repulsive” and that Israel is a state guilty of ethnic cleansing and cultural genocide which shouldn’t have been created in the first place, and likely has no right to exist.

And, in short, the Guardian will continue to portray the playwright as a victim, and continue in failing to report the playwright’s well-documented and undeniable record of demonizing and delegitimizing Israel and her Jewish supporters.

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