Manfred Gerstenfeld
Manfred Gerstenfeld (Hebrew: מנפרד גרסטנפלד; 1937 – 25 February 2021) was an Austrian-born Israeli author[1] and chairman of the steering committee of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He founded and directed the center's post-Holocaust and anti-Semitism program.[2]
Biography
Early life and education
Manfred Gerstenfeld was born in
Career
In 1964 he moved to Paris where he became Europe's first financial analyst specializing in the pharmaceutical industry. He moved to Israel in 1968.[3] There he became the managing director of an economic consultancy firm partly owned by Israel's then-largest bank Bank Leumi. He was an academic reserve officer in the Israeli Army (Israel Defense Forces). Gerstenfeld was a board member of one of Israel's largest companies, the Israel Corporation and several other Israeli companies.
In the opinion of
Gerstenfeld was an editor of The Jewish Political Studies Review, co-publisher of the Jerusalem Letter/Viewpoints, Post-Holocaust and
He is the 2012 recipient of the
Death
Gerstenfeld died on 25 February 2021 in Jerusalem.[6] He is survived by his two sons, Dan and Alon.[7]
Views
Anti-Semitism in Europe
Extrapolating from a 2011 study that showed respondents agreed at a high rate with the statement of "Israel is carrying out a war of extermination against the Palestinians", Gerstenfeld concluded that some 150 million, out of 400 million, EU citizens espouse a view that demonizes Israel. According to Gerstenfeld,
Gerstenfeld claimed in 2009 that Norway had deep "emotional anti-Semitism. The current wave of anti-Semitism shows what people have been holding inside them".
Holocaust survivor Imre Hercz criticized Gerstenfeld's "propaganda war against Norway", querying his objectivity and noting that Gerstenfeld had visited Norway only once at that time.[10][13] When Gerstenfeld was questioned by Jewish community leader Anne Sender about the effect his book about Norwegian anti-Semitism might have on the Jewish minority in the country, he is reported as replying, "I couldn't care less about the Jewish Community in Norway, all I care about is to get your Jens, Jonas and Kristin off the back of my Prime Minister".[14]
In 2011 Gerstenfeld warned that an investigation into antisemitism in Norway by the
After three Norwegian universities declined an offer by
By his own extrapolation Gerstenfeld said that Norway has approximately 1.5 million anti-Semites, whom he defined as "ideological criminals".[18]
Criticism of Israel
In 2019, Gerstenfeld warned against growing "anti-Israel sentiment" in what he called "ideological" movements, including the human rights movement, feminism, the LGBTQ community, postcolonialism, intersectionality, "extreme veganism", the anti-nuclear movement, and the climate movement.[3] Gerstenfeld recommended professionally discrediting academics who supported the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel,[3] and denounced Jews who criticized Israel, such as U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, as "masochists" and "useful idiots for Israel’s enemies".[3]
Publications
Books
- Revaluing Italy with Lorenzo Necci (Italian) (1992)ISBN 978-88-200-1457-5
- Environment and Confusion: An Introduction to a Messy Subject (1993)ISBN 978-965-350-043-3
- The State as a Business: Do-It-Yourself Political Forecasting (Italian) (1994) ISBN 978-88-17-84368-3
- Israel’s New Future Interviews (1994)] ISBN 978-965-218-015-5
- Judaism, Environmentalism and the Environment (Thesis). 1998.
- The Environment in the Jewish Tradition: A Sustainable World (Hebrew) (2002)
- Europe’s Crumbling Myths: The Post-Holocaust Origins of Today’s Anti-Semitism] (Foreword by ISBN 978-965-218-045-2
- The New Clothes of European Anti-Semitism (French)(2004), co-edited with Shmuel Trigano] ISBN 978-2-915376-08-1
- American Jewry's Challenge: Conversations Confronting the Twenty-first Century (Foreword by Jonathan Sarna) (2004) ISBN 978-0-7425-4282-2
- Israel and Europe: An Expanding Abyss? (2005)] ISBN 978-965-218-047-6
- European-Israeli Relations: Between Confusion and Change? (2006)] ISBN 978-965-218-054-4
- Israel at the Polls 2006 with Shmuel Sandler and Jonathan Rynhold (2008) ISBN 978-0-415-41361-9
- Academics against Israel and the Jews]. (Foreword by ISBN 978-965-218-057-5
- Behind the Humanitarian Mask: The Nordic Countries, Israel, and the Jews (Foreword by Gert Weisskirchen)(2008)] ISBN 978-965-218-066-7
- The Abuse of Holocaust Memory: Distortions and Responses] (Foreword by ISBN 978-965-218-076-6
- Anti-Semitism in Norway: Behind the Humanitarian Mask (Foreword by Finn Jarle Saele) (Norwegian) (2010) ISBN 978-965-218-066-7
- American Jewry's Comfort Level: Present and Future with] ISBN 978-965-218-086-5
- Israel at the Polls 2009 with Shmuel Sandler and ISBN 978-0-415-56065-8
- Het Verval. Joden in een stuurloos Nederland (The Decay. Jews in a Rudderless Netherlands) (Dutch) (2010) ISBN 978-90-490-2406-2
- Judging the Netherlands:the Renewed Holocaust Restitution Process 1997-2000] (Foreword by ISBN 978-965-218-097-1
- Demonizing Israel and the Jews. (Foreword by Rabbi ISBN 978-1-61861-334-9
- (with: Françoise S. Ouzan) (2014) ISBN 978-90-04-27776-2
- The war of a million cuts] (foreword by ISBN 978-1-61861-341-7
- Israel at the Polls 2013: Continuity and Change in Israeli Political Culture. (with Eithan Orkibi) (2015) ISBN 978-1-138-94587-6
- Israel at the Polls 2015: A moment of transformative stability. (with Eithan Orkibi) (2017) ISBN 978-0-367-14313-8
- Anti-Israelism and Antisemitism. (Foreword by Edna Brocke) (German) (2018) ISBN 978-3-17-028887-4
- Veerkracht [Resilience] with ISBN 978-90-490-2431-4
References
- ISBN 978-3-631-59570-1. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ^ "Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld". Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ a b c d Arnold, Janice; Reporter, Staff (4 December 2019). "Aggressive policy against academic BDS proposed by expert". The Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- ^ Pfeffer, Anshel Pfeffer (22 December 2013). "How to Be a Limmud Snob: A Guide to Navigating the Ultimate Jewish Conference". Haaretz.
- ^ Arnold, Janice (15 December 2019). "Aggressive Policy Against Academic BDS Proposed by Expert". The Canadian Jewish News.
- ^ David, Israel. "Manfred Gerstenfeld, Long Time Contributor to the Jewish Press, Dead at 84". Jewish Press. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- Jerusalem Post.
- ^ Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism: The Dynamics of Delegitimization, chapter by Alan Johnson, page 176.
- ^ Spitzer, Maya (30 March 2009). "Norway: Increased anti-Semitism has local Jews anxious". The Jerusalem Post.
- ^ a b "Israelsk avis: Kristin Halvorsen sa "Død over jødene!"". Dagbladet. 30 March 2009.
- ^ "Nordmenn er et barbarisk og uintelligent folkeferd". Dagbladet. March 2009.
- ISBN 978-1-449-76015-1.
- ^ Philip Weiss 'Anatomy of an anti-Semitic falsehood: 'Jerusalem Post' said Norway’s Finance Minister led chant, 'Death to the Jews!', Mondoweiss 31 March 2009.
- ^ Sender, Anne (23 September 2013). "Gode og mindre gode venner". Vårt Land.
- ^ "Frykter for undersøkelsens troverdighe". Norge idag. 25 February 2011.
- ^ Gerstenfeld, Manfred (23 March 2011). "Something rotten in Norway". Ynet.
- ^ Fumes, Kristina (20 June 2012). "Norway doesn't hate Jews". Ynet.
- ^ Gerstenfeld, Manfred (6 December 2012). "Norway's Holocaust inverters". Ynet.
- JSTOR 25834582.
- OCLC 748999803.
External links
- Author: Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld at the website of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
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