Archive for August, 2009

Oy Va Goy in The Independent

By: Chas Newkey-Burden   On: 16 August 2009

My Simon Cowell biog – and this very blog – are mentioned in The Independent today:

Chas Newkey-Burden’s unauthorised biography of Simon Cowell, out next month, will, says Amazon, “lift the lid on the professional and private life of one of Britain’s most eligible bachelors”. Presumably Cowell should be quaking in his Gucci loafers. Or maybe not. On his blog, Newkey-Burden admits to being a fan of the high-trousered one, describing him as “wonderful”, panting about how he admires his attitude to fame. No hatchet jobs here, then.

You’ll have to wait and see…

Posted in: Books, Celebrity8 comments

More busy bee pics

By: Chas Newkey-Burden   On: 12 August 2009

Seeing as the last batch of photos of me entertaining my lovely Israeli visitors seemed to go down so well, here are some more as the Israeli odyssey continues gloriously.

More such days out to come. Normal Oy Va Goy service will be resumed in due course.

Posted in: Just For Fun1 comments

The busy bee

By: Chas Newkey-Burden   On: 10 August 2009

I am very busy this week. No, not writing biographies but out and about in London with numerous visiting Israeli friends who all seem to be arriving at once! :)

Posted in: Just For Fun9 comments

Oxfam hypocrisy

By: Chas Newkey-Burden   On: 7 August 2009

Many UK charities have a tradition of hypocrisy, distortion and bias when it comes to Israel – to such an extent that some barely deserve the description ‘charity’ any more. Christian Aid and War On Want have been particularly extreme examples in recent times.

So has Oxfam whose shameful record of dishonest anti-Israel bias has been widely-documented including here and here. Oxfam has been at it again this week, suspending Sex & The City actress Kristin Davis because – wait for it – she endorses Israeli cosmetics!

Hopefully one day Oxfam will put an end to its hateful bias against Israel and return to its admirable traditions. Until then, remember all this next time they wave a rattling tin or standing order form in your face – and tell them what you think.

Posted in: Antisemitism15 comments

Gilad Shalit

By: Chas Newkey-Burden   On: 4 August 2009

As I posted previously, last month I wrote to my MP about Gilad Shalit.

I have received a very positive reply. He completely ‘gets it’ about both Gilad and Hamas. He’s written to David Miliband about Gilad and is supportive of his case.

So hats off to Adam Afriyie MP.

UK readers: see here how you too can act to help Gilad. It only takes a minute…

Posted in: Israel7 comments

Don’t Tread On Me by Carol Gould

By: Chas Newkey-Burden   On:

Carol Gould is not just one of my favourite authors, but one of my favourite people. It is safe to say that warmth, wit and wisdom are qualities particularly well-represented among Americans and Jews, but even by these high standards she’s a star. As I discovered a few months ago, she is also a formidable debater. Don’t be fooled by that sweet smile, opponents.

Carol is also the only person I’ve ever whacked in the head with a vegetable, but more of that later…

I’m writing this post because she has written a fantastic book called Don’t Tread On Me: Anti-Americanism Abroad. It is a 21st century J’Accuse against the growth in anti-Americanism and its vile, incestuous sibling – antisemitism. The book is so much more than that, though. It is also a personal celebration of all that is great about America and Americans, a charge-sheet against the hypocrisy and envy that underpins the prejudice against them and a personal journal of a brave, plucky woman in strange times.

As I wrote in Not In My Name, the growth in anti-Americanism is undeniable and disturbing, but even I am surprised by the level of bigotry Carol has faced in these shores. She’s had an amazing life and I must say that much as I love my country, when someone like Carol feels so uncomfortable living here than we really have lost our way. The more people read books like hers, the more chance we have of getting back on track.

I think what I enjoyed most about Don’t Tread On me is that Carol is not content to merely disprove the lies about American people. She goes to the next stage and proudly celebrates their pluckiness, their work ethic and all the other qualities that make them such a great people. I’ve read countless American non-fiction and fiction books but this is the one that in my opinion best captures the admirable spirit of the people. Informative, entertaining and above all damn right, it is a brilliant read and I urge you to buy it now.

So, about that vegetable… It was at a Passover seder in 2007 where we sat together. Carol could not have been more welcoming of me, the nervous goy. It is a Sephardi tradition to strike ones neighbour on the head with a spring onion during the Seder, and I couldn’t think of a better person to follow that tradition with than Carol.Nor has anyone busted anti-Americanism as well as her. Everything that is great about Carol and the American people in general is distilled into her book. I cannot recommend it enough.

You might also like to read her novel Spitfire Girls. I haven’t read it yet but it is very highly thought of.

Posted in: America, Antisemitism, Books16 comments

Shabbat goy

By: Chas Newkey-Burden   On: 3 August 2009

Senior rabbis in Bat Yam are discussing hiring a shabbat goy.

I’m your man!

Posted in: Israel, Judaism1 comments

A tragic day for a country of tolerance

By: Chas Newkey-Burden   On: 2 August 2009

“We are a democratic country, a country of tolerance, a law-abiding state,” said Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of the attack on the gay youth centre in Tel Aviv last night. “I spoke to the internal security minister this morning and asked him to act so that the murderer faces trial and so that the full force of the law is used against him.”

Israeli President Shimon Peres said: “Murder and hatred are the two most serious crimes in society. The police must exert great efforts in order to catch the despicable murderer, and the entire nation must unite in condemning this abominable act.”

Too right. In many of the countries surrounding Israel, the government and police would not be condemning and hunting somone who murdered gay people – they would be committing the murders themselves as part of their barbaric legal systems.

As I discovered when I first visited Israel in 2006 in part to research an article for Attitude magazine about gay life there, Israel is a beacon of light in a dark region. I interviewed countless gay Israelis including a celebrity chef, a serving IDF officer and an Israeli Arab. All were full of positivity about the Jewish state’s record on gay rights.

And no wonder. As I wrote, in Israel:

‘Workplace discrimination against gay people is outlawed; the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) has many openly gay members; in schools, teenagers learn about the difficulties of being gay and the importance of treating all sexualities equally. The country’s army, the Israel Defence Force has many dozens of openly gay high-ranking officers who, like all gay soldiers in its ranks, are treated equally by order of the government. The Supreme Court has ruled that gay couples are eligible for spousal and widower benefits. The country has many gay football teams. Nearly all mainstream television dramas in Israel regularly feature gay storylines. When transsexual Dana International won the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest as Israel’s representative, 80 per cent of polled Israelis called her “an appropriate representative of Israel”‘.

You can read my full account of gay life in Israel here.

My thoughts go out to all effected by last night’s shooting.

Posted in: Gay, Israel3 comments

Encore Une fois, Arsenal

By: Chas Newkey-Burden   On: 1 August 2009

I’m ridiculously excited by the growing possibility of Patrick Vieira returning to Arsenal. He was an absolute legend during his stay at the Club. My favourite memories of him on the pitch include his goals at home to Manchester United and Newcastle United in his first season (I was there for both goals). More generally, him and Emmanuel Petit’s customary high-five just before kick-off always got my adrenalin pumping – and who can forget the breathtaking sight of him galloping impressively upfield year after year like an imperious thoroughbred?

I also encountered Vieira off the pitch quite a few times. The first time was at Lee Dixon’s testimonial golf day (I know!) during which him and Petit were great value. I chatted with him a few times during my then-regular visits to the Arsenal training centre in my capacity as Dennis Bergkamp’s official online biographer. Vieira would sometimes come and join Dennis and me as we went about our website business, and always showed a devilish sense of humour. Those two could be a great comedy double-act.

In autumn 2000, I wrote this cover feature on Vieira for Four Four Two magazine, predicting he would become the next Arsenal captain. Naturally, I was proved right. I also recall doing an in-depth interview with Neil Ruddock a month or so after Vieira had spat at him at Upton Park. I asked Ruddock about the incident. If it had genuinely upset him he did a good job of pretending he found the entire controversy rather amusing.

I make no bones about it – I’d love Vieira to return. The last time a player came back for a second Arsenal career was Martin Keown in the mid-1990s and that worked out very well. True, this is a different situation in many ways but I’m all for a second helping of Vieira. It’s true that, under Wenger, Arsenal have tended to sign unheard of players who he turns into stars. But he is also the master of taking established stars who have lost their way and putting them firmly back on track. Just ask Marc Overmars and Thierry Henry about it.

Come on Arsenal, make it happen with Vieira.

Posted in: Football17 comments

George Galloway and the Saudis

By: Chas Newkey-Burden   On:

George Galloway’s new hobby-horse on Press TV and some of his other outlets is to attack what he sees as a hypocrisy in the way the West so loudly condemns the Iranian government, but is considerably softer on the Saudi Arabian regime.

It’s absolutely true that the Saudi regime does not receive enough attention from the West, but Galloway would be on much stronger ground if he did not appear twice-weekly on the Iranian regime’s Press TV channel and did not write ‘You can count on the fact the [the Iranian] election was fair’. The best people, George, condemn both the Saudi and Iranian regimes.

However, it has been admirable to hear him hold Saudi Arabia to account for its human rights violations. Until, during this week’s episode of his Comment show during which he had angrily condemned the Saudi regime, he clarified: “The idea that women in Saudi Arabia are treated universally badly is also wrong…I’m not here condemning Saudi Arabia for its attitude towards women.”

Women in Saudi Arabia have to wear the hijab and are viciously harassed if they do not comply. They are not allowed to drive. Just five per cent of the workforce (the smallest percentage in the world) are women, who are only allowed to work under very limited conditions. A female victim of a gang rape was recently jailed and lashed to punish her for not being with a male relative chaperone at the time of her attack. Many Saudi homes have separate entrances for men and women. Saudi women are only allowed a bank account if they have the permission of their husband. Female illiteracy is high…

…I could go on. The above is what George Galloway was not condemning.

For my account of a past episode of Comment, click here.

Posted in: Iran, Islamism1 comments

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