To Michael Harris, from Michael Harris

When it comes to anti-Semitism, there are times when bad press is good press.

By MICHAEL HARRIS
Anti Semitism 390 (photo credit: Reuters)
Anti Semitism 390
(photo credit: Reuters)
Dear Michael Harris,
Your recent anti-Semitic rampage on Iranian news television only served to reaffirm my most fundamental belief: The Jewish people need a Jewish State in the Jewish homeland.
After you, a former Republican gubernatorial candidate in Arizona, referred to the recent school shooting in Connecticut as, “Revenge killing in the United States sponsored by Israel” you made headlines across the world for your clear hatred of Jews.  Your current position as financial editor of Veterans Today, an anti-Semitic newspaper that borrows language from The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, does not help to improve your already tattered image. 
I usually ignore statements like these from people like you, but since we share the same name yet have completely different world views, I felt obligated to give you a response. 
As the President of TorchPAC, the pro-Israel political organization at New York University, I have strong feelings about the comments that you gave on Iranian Press TV.  Statements like, “I want Israel off the face of the Earth; they’re the source of all the problems in the Middle East” made me have an overwhelming feeling of anger towards you.  However, there is only one thing that I can say in response to such a ridiculous accusation: Thank you.
Seriously, without people like you, the Jewish State may not have gained the level of success that it has acquired over the past 64 years.
No, this is not satire, but it is irony.  It is true that Jews have a right to a state not solely because of necessity, but because Eretz Yisrael has always been the historic homeland of the Jewish people.  Jews are indigenous to the Middle East, and therefore we have a legal right to this territory.
Nevertheless, global anti-Semitism has served not only to increase Jewish support for the Jewish State, but also to ensure that Jews worldwide are constantly aware of their national identity.    Frankly, anti-Semites serve as a great unifier for the Jewish People.
It is as if you, as well as all anti-Semites, are a group of reverse psychologists that work on behalf of the state of Israel.  The more that you talk about your hatred of Israel, the more that you encourage our love Israel.  When you increase our sense of collective vulnerability, you also further our feeling of Jewishness, and galvanize us behind Zionism, the ideology that you detest.
For instance, you and your ideological twin in the Gaza Strip, Hamas, have unknowingly been working day and night to increase the strength of the Jewish State.  This can be seen in a recent Haaretz article about emigration, which stated that, “When the security threat mounts, the Israeli public views leaving as treason, and few emigrate at such times.”  That’s right, your ally’s attempts to destroy the State of Israel creates an environment that discourages emigration from Israel.
How do you fall into this mix?  Your rhetoric leads many Jews to ultimately immigrate to the State of Israel, as you are only serving to further our insecurity in living in the Diaspora.  In other words, as you encourage Jewish immigration to Israel, Hamas discourages emigration from Israel.  Could the Jewish Agency and Nefesh B’Nefesh ask for a better Hanukkah present?
Not only are you financially supporting the Israeli government by increasing the number of Israeli citizens (since they are tax payers); you are also increasing the number of recruits to the IDF.  Israel’s strong economy, military power, and social cohesion are partially due to people like you.  As I said, thank you very much.
Additionally, your interview has had the same effect on college campuses.  Recently, countless students have been contacting me to get involved in TorchPAC to ensure the eternal existence of the Jewish State.  On the day after your interview alone, the membership of our group increased by more than 25%, and it is all because of you.
If you still do not understand, then let me explain. The Jewish State, despite the problems that it faces, will respond to any form of aggression by growing even stronger. This is what happened after people tried to destroy Israel through both conventional warfare and terrorism, and this is what will continue to happen during every second of your delegitimization campaign.
Next time, why restrict yourself to just Iranian Press TV?  Go on CNN, Fox, and MSNBC and repeat the same talking points again.  Come to my campus, grab a megaphone, go outside our Hillel, and galvanize the locals in an enormous protest against the “Zionist-occupied” government of the United States. You would do us a big favor.
Please, at least think about it.
From,
Michael Harris