“Enemies of Civilization”: Not Churchill’s
In a 1920 article, “Zionism versus Bolshevism,” Churchill noted that many leading Bolsheviks were Jews. Columnist Roger Cohen is now reading this to mean that Churchill considered Jews enemies of civilization.
Quoting Churchill out of context has become a hobby among those determined to find among his 15 million words exactly what they hope to find, instead of what he wrote or said. Roger Cohen is too respected a writer to be among them.
In “Jews in a Whisper” (New York Times Sunday Review, 21 August 2011), Mr. Cohen argues that “Jews, with their history, cannot become the systematic oppressors of another people.” Fair enough, but in recounting the historical antipathy to Jews, why do we need to twist Churchill’s words to make the point?….…