The Darkest Hour of the Anti-Defamation League

The ADL used false information attributed to MLK, to influence UN human rights hearings, just prior to 9/11.

What would MLK say to Marc Schneier & Michael Salberg, who published words in his name that were never written?

(SALEM, Ore.) - Publishing two stories Thursday about my friends at Veterans Today falling under attack by Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) - which represents Jewish and Israeli political interests, I am partly amused and partly horrified that at the same time this attack was launched, I was exposed to one of the ADL's biggest lies, that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. having written a letter titled: "Anti-Zionism = Anti-Semitism".

At a pivotal time in history, in defense of crimes against civilians, the ADL quoted from what has now been exposed as a fictitious letter attributed to America's greatest Civil Rights Champion - constructed with sentences that were never written by King, to gain political favor for Israel in the UN where Israel's policies were under a microscope over racism allegations... connected to Zionism.

This happened in July 2001.

In supposedly quoting King, Israel benefited from an illusion that never existed at all and many have paid the price in places like Gaza and southern Lebanon, ever since.

The idea that the ADL would stoop so low, to put false words in the mouth of MLK, removes their credibility today when they attack writers who dare criticize Israel's murderous military tactics against civilians.

Gordon Duff was referenced by Foxman as a "vicious anti-Semite", when in fact this man was stabbing his steely blade into absolute thin air, blowing out nothing but hot air.

Read Gordon Duff's article: We Will Not Be Silenced!

Read Debbie Menon's article: Pro-Israeli Group Calls Pro-U.S. Veterans Group Extremist!

The list of suspects in this heinous act of hijacking a dead religious leader's legacy is short, and it looks like the person who fabricated the story to the point that the ADL could use it, is probably a rabbi/author Wikipedia describes as bi-polar, Marc Schneier, who is, also according to Wikipedia:

"...rated number 37 of the top 50 most influential American rabbis by Newsweek magazine in 2007, and one of the 50 most prominent Jews in the United States by Forward. An advocate of tolerance and understanding between different ethnicities, he has been honored by the United States Congress as well as the State of Israel".

Here is insight; the lifestyle of this rabbi who makes huge claims without research, a very poor mark for an author, is extravagant. His 4th wife, Tobi Rubinstein-Schneier, donated a 400 lb. endangered Asian lion in his honor at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, a lion that was renamed "Rabbi Marc". This, while Israel sends drones and jets over Gaza almost every day bombing people to smithereens.

Rev. King is no longer here to represent or clarify his position, which might be very different in light of the harsh developments over the past four decades, as Israel stands accused of hundreds of crimes against humanity. In fact it certainly would. He identified with the Jewish people because of the way they were treated before and during WWII, everyone should. However as an African-American fighting unmasked racism head on, sometimes under violent conditions, he must have really felt a level of empathy. Today he would feel the same for the Palestinians, I believe.

It is terrible for the ADL to falsely brand as 'antisemitic' those writers, educators and activists, who speak out about widespread war crimes of Israel's and their hard right apartheid politics that provide different laws and roads for Jews and non-Jews.

A growing number of Americans take exception to their tax dollars being used for this type of purpose. Israel is, as it turns out, a society where only one particular culture and religion is tolerated, and this is far from what the great Rev. King was striving for.

This is an excerpt from the letter in question attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Schneier's book:

      ". . . You declare, my friend, that you do not hate the Jews, you are merely 'anti-Zionist.' And I say, let the truth ring forth from the high mountain tops, let it echo through the valleys of God's green earth: When people criticize Zionism, they mean Jews--this is God's own truth.

      "Antisemitism, the hatred of the Jewish people, has been and remains a blot on the soul of mankind. In this we are in full agreement. So know also this: anti-Zionist is inherently antisemitic, and ever will be so".

King's words were reportedly published in Saturday Review, August 1967. While it is true that Dr. King was an ardent supporter of the Israeli people, he did not, according to Jewish-History.com: write the nearly infamous letter "Anti-Zionism = Anti-Semitism" that was used to gain favor for Israel in U.S. Congress.

They researched the authenticity of the letter said to have been written by King, with Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA).

CAMERA published research 22 Jan. 2001, stating that the “Letter to an Anti-Zionist Friend” allegedly written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is apparently a hoax.

"We were initially doubtful of the authenticity of the 'Letter to an anti-Zionist Friend' because the language in the first paragraph seemed almost a parody of language used in Dr. King’s 'I have a dream' speech. And it was an odd coincidence that the 'Letter' was listed as being published in one of the few magazines whose archives are not able to be checked online. Additionally, we could find no reference to the 'letter' prior to 1999, which was odd because the text is such a dramatic denunciation of anti-Zionism-one that would have been cited widely."

Additionally, the media watchdog wrote:

"...we found that quotations from the 'letter' were used on July 31, 2001, by the Anti-Defamation League’s Michael Salberg in testimony before the U.S. House of Representative’s International Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights. The same 'source' (Saturday Review, August 1967) for the 'letter' that was mentioned in the Schneier book was also cited in the testimony."

During the summer of 2001, before 9/11, Israel was in the world spotlight at the UN over their racist, Zionist policies.

In a nutshell, many Jews believe they are "the chosen people" - a theory based in biblical teachings, and that they can take and possess land in what they call 'Israel' because God gave it to them. The Palestinians from the beginning, agreed to no such arrangement, because it involves land theft and Murder, and slowly but surely they have been killed and removed from areas their families inhabited for hundreds of years.

Israel's fierce and direct racism was quite an item prior to the 'terrorist attacks on America' and the tragedy brought Israel needed relief from investigations over human rights abuse.

A featured item at the congressional subcommittee hearing on the World Conference Against Racism in July 2001, was then-President George W. Bush's threat to boycott the event if the issue of Zionism as racism was kept on the agenda.

In other words, the religious fundamentalist policies of Israel that strip human beings of rights guaranteed to them under the UN Human Rights Charter, would be tolerated or the U.S. would pull out altogether. Former Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) was one of the only U.S. voices showing real concern for Palestinian human rights.

The New York times reported 01 August 2001, that during the July 31 Hearing of the UN World Conference Against Racism:

"Blacks, both members of Congress and others who testified at the hearing, said it was imperative that the United States participate in the conference to demonstrate its concern over racism. Jewish lawmakers and representatives of Jewish groups expressed deep concern over the inclusion of language in a draft agenda that characterizes Israel's settlements as "crimes against humanity" and describes Zionism "as a movement based on racial superiority."

Here is exactly what the ADL's Michael Salberg said in his prepared statement:

 Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: ''When people criticize Zionism, they mean Jews . . . Anti-Zionism is inherently anti-Semitic and ever will it be so . . . and what is anti-Zionism? It is the denial to the Jewish people of the fundamental right that we justly claim for the people of Africa and freely accord to all other nations of the globe. It is discrimination against the Jews, my friend, because they are Jews. In short, it is anti-Semitism.'' (From M.L. King Jr., ''Letter to an Anti-Zionist Friend,''—Saturday Review—XLVII (Aug. 1967), p. 76. Reprinted in M.L. King Jr.,—This I Believe: Selections from the Writings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—(New York, 1971), pp. 234–235.)

  3. Efforts to single out Israel, vilify Zionism and promote anti-Semitism run contrary to the intergovernmental understanding that the Conference goals are best served by omitting country-specific references. Singling out Israel for criticism in the concluding documents of the WCAR would undermine the goal of nations coming together with a unity of purpose to eradicate racism.

A DISCUSSION ON THE U.N. WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM - House of Commons

It is clear that the ADL used the false statement attributed to MLK to help convince the world body that even this great American Civil Rights leader endorsed their cause, when the man had no opportunity to see the number of illegal human rights violations which Israel has been accused of, particularly in recent years, such as during the raid on Gaza that left more than 1400 dead, including approximately 400 children. That indiscriminate attack on a civilian population involved the use of illegal weapons like white phosphorus and depleted uranium (DU).

There is no reported connection to the MLK letter source claimed by Michael Salberg. However the “letter” was published in the otherwise reputable 1999 book by Rabbi Marc Shneier, titled: "Shared Dreams,", with a preface written by Martin Luther King III.

Regarding that, CAMERA wrote, "Since the King family is known to be extremely careful with Dr. King’s legacy, we assumed they must have verified the accuracy of the book before endorsing it."

We all owe CAMERA a big round of thanks for bringing truth and clarity to a situation that has been manipulated in ways that can never be reversed. They went the extra mile.

"...because we do not ordinarily rely on anyone else’s research, we decided to double-check, by searching back issues of Saturday Review* (Rabbi Shneier’s book had referenced the “letter” as being published in the August 67 Saturday Review). Lo and behold, there is no such letter in any of the August issues, nor do the page and volume numbers cited conform to those actually used by that publication."

It isn't coincidental that the fake letter of King was used by Israel, as the ADL shows us once again that the militant Israelis are no definitive representative of the Jewish faith, not at all, no more than Taliban define Islam, or the Westboro Baptist Church... Christianity.

This information is not new by any means, and groups instrumental in checking the facts related to this story, particularly CAMERA, pinned this down almost a decade ago. However as the ADL continues to lash out at those who criticize Israel's crimes against civilians, writers like Gordon Duff of Veterans Today; who are anything but antisemitic, it seems reasonable to remind ourselves exactly how the ADL earned the cozy position in U.S. politics that it holds.

Verifying the information from CAMERA were a team of archivists at Boston University who also were unable to locate any such letter, and Jewish-History.com, who states on their Website:

"We searched the archive of Saturday Review where this letter allegedly was published. This periodical is a weekly, not a monthly, so there were four issues published during the month of August, 1967. Of these four issues, two contained 76 or more pages. On p. 76 of one issue, were classified ads, on p. 76 of the other issue, a review of the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. There were no articles by Dr. King on Zionism or any other topic. Nor is there any anthology of Martin Luther King entitled This I Believe".

While to me the connection with the rabbi/author is sinister, almost clear, CAMERA and Jewish-History.com stated:

"We can only conclude that no such letter was written by Dr. King. Please note we are not implying that the apparently bogus 'letter' originated with Rabbi Schneier."

But I'm not worried about offending anyone, we are raised to be honest and are learning, some of us at least, that there is almost no truth to a majority of Israel's claims. With no adherence to the truth predicating their moves and agendas, these one-dimensional warriors are interested in nothing that does not carry a direct benefit.

On a factual level, it is true that MLK supported Israel and also that he made a speech shortly before his death where he compared being against Zionism to being antisemitic. That is what he went to his grave believing, there is little question about that.

One thing this demonstrates is that Dr. King thought like the average American Christian after World War Two, when the Jews and many other cultural and religious groups were put to death by the million in a terrible Holocaust. It is a tragic period that had nothing to do with Palestine, which occupied the land that is now Israel, until 1948, from which time it had everything to do with Palestine. From the beginning, the so-called 'Chosen People' have taken land and eroded the position of the people who lived there in peace prior to the establishment of Israel.

It has been written many times, but the number of Israeli citizens killed in the rocket attacks from Gaza in all time, is 28. Yet this is the main justification for raids over Gaza that drop bombs on family homes, sometimes day after day. People in Gaza fear the sound of military aircraft. It is something western people do not even comprehend.

The ADL wants to plant the thought that criticizing Israel's extreme human rights abuse is antisemitic when it is not, and we should have the decency as a world to never even have to state such points, yet we do.

I frequently write about the Genocide two years ago in Sri Lanka that left up to 100,000 or more Tamil people dead at the hands of a state terrorist government, but that isn't because I like one culture more than the other. The suggestion that being critical of Israel's apartheid laws is antisemitism - is self-serving hogwash to further the Israeli cause, one of domination and conquering in an age when we are supposed to be beyond that.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in my estimation, would not be pleased with Marc Schneier, Michael Salberg, or the ADL. However I think he would embrace Gordon and Debbie and all those who keep the torch lit, fighting the good fight for the betterment of all humanity.

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Tim King: Salem-News.com Editor and Writer Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines. Tim holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Silver Spoke Award by the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (2011), Excellence in Journalism Award by the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs (2010), Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), First-place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Tim has several years of experience in network affiliate news TV stations, having worked as a reporter and photographer at NBC, ABC and FOX stations in Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. Tim was a member of the National Press Photographer's Association for several years and is a current member of the Orange County Press Club. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. As News Editor, Tim among other things, is responsible for publishing the original content of 82 Salem-News.com writers. He reminds viewers that emails are easily missed and urges those trying to reach him, to please send a second email if the first goes unanswered. You can write to Tim at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com