Gabriel Schivone: Self-Proclaimed Human Rights Activist, Self-Proclaimed Jew

Mr. Gabriel Matthew Schivone is one of the very few people in human history whose very name appears destined to become a description of a phenomenon, in this case the Schivone Jew. Previous examples of persons who have given their names to phenomena include Vidkun Quisling, the Earl of Sandwich, and only very few others.
FringeGroups, Rise of the Schivone Jews

It appears that the ease with which some will claim to be human rights activists interested only in justice, is matched by the equal ease with which one such "activist" decided to claim he is a Jew.

Meet Gabriel Schivone.

Back in June, Schivone's opinion peace appeared in Haaretz, where Gabriel Schivone described how his Jewishness led him to join the Flotilla:

You might wonder what would motivate a Jewish American college student to participate in what may be the most celebrated - and controversial - sea voyage of the 21st century, one that aims to nonviolently challenge U.S.-supported Israeli military power in the occupied territories. I simply cannot sit idle while my country aids and abets Israel's siege, occupation and repression of the Palestinians. I would rather use my personal influence and power, in concert with other members of American civil society, to actively and nonviolently resist policies that I consider abominable. So, next week, I and more than 30 other American civilians will be sailing on the U.S. ship the Audacity of Hope, to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

I am one of a growing number of young American Jews who are determined to shake off an assumed - and largely imposed - association with Israel. Prominent advocacy organizations, such as the American Jewish Committee, which proudly proclaim their unconditional support of Israel, for several years have been declaring their "serious concern" over the increasing "distancing" of young American Jews from the state.

The problem is that Schivone's arbitrary and self-serving understanding of international law is matched by his equally arbitrary and self-serving definition of the term Jew.

Now Haaretz has printed a letter to the editor from Valerie Saturen, who knew Schivone 7 years ago, shares his politics--and knows that Schivone is not a Jew at all. The letter describes how Schivone created his false identity as a Jew in order to exploit the sympathy it would draw:

In his editorial about joining the flotilla to Gaza, Gabriel Schivone represented himself as a Jewish college student. I feel I must point out that this not his true identity, but one he has created in order to generate insider credibility, shield himself from accusations of anti-Semitism, and resonate with a target audience.

...Gabriel is not Jewish, whether in terms of ethnic ancestry, religious belief, or cultural identity. He has never identified as a Jew until it became useful in advancing his political agenda. During the High Holiday season of 2007, Gabriel told me that he discussed Israel with campus representatives of Chabad, identifying himself as a Jew. When asked why he did this, he explained that he has a distant Jewish relative and that "you use what you have."

And use it he did, having no apparent problem with the deception.

Here is a short video of Schivone putting his con job to work:



After  Saturen's letter, Schivone's response appears--and here it is in its entirety:

I'm astonished by the bizarre charges about my most cherished sense of personal identity made by a person I haven't seen, nor corresponded with, in years. It is precisely through my work organizing for Palestinian human rights with other Jews that I evolved to become deeply proud of my identity as a Chicano Jew.

This is not an uncommon story. Many of us find, after years in the wilderness, that this work has brought us closer to our Jewish roots because we found a community of other Jews who believed as we did and who commit themselves, with every ounce of their being, to full equality for all people, especially Palestinians.

Petty attempts at personal defamation of this sort act as distractions from the urgent task that should concern us all: to expose, and resist, U.S.-Israeli policies of closure and the ongoing destruction of Palestinian life under occupation.

There is no denial of the claim that Schivone is not the of a Jewish mother, merely indignation that his fabricated lie should be questioned.

CAMERA writes about Schivone's fraud, noting that:

Thus, an anti-Israel activist who falsely identifies as Jewish enjoys the platform granted by Ha'aretz to publish a manipulative and deceptive column. As Saturen suggests in her letter, international anti-Israel activists place a premium on the participation of Jews in their activities. In this case, the flotilla organizers seemingly scored big -- a Jewish participant, and writing in an Israeli media outlet, to boot. Claims of anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism are thus defused.

Considering Haaretz's lackadaisical approach to all this--failing to fact-check Schivone's claim to begin with, and it continuing to identify him in his original op-ed as "a Chicano-Jewish American from Tucson", such frauds are only going to continue.


Technorati Tag: Flotilla.