What's next for the Goldstone report?

CRC calls report 'biased,' distributes counter-information

Last Thursday, on the heels of Judge Richard Goldstone’s New York Times opinion piece in defense of the report bearing his name, the Regional Community Relations Council sent out a kind of all-points bulletin to the 500 addresses on its e-mail list. Both Goldstone’s op-ed and the report, said the e-mail, “are very disturbing to the Jewish community and supporters of Israel from around the world, as they are biased and one-sided.”

To help the community respond, the CRC – an agency of UJA Federation of Northern New Jersey, the United Jewish Communities of MetroWest, and the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey – provided background information and other materials. Among them were an analysis and comments from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; an opinion piece by Harvard Prof. Alan Dershowitz called “UN Investigation of Israel Discredits Itself and Undercuts Human Rights” from the Hudson Institute; and statements by the Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee.

Also included was an e-mail link to the report as well as other information provided by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.

According to Joy Kurland, the CRC director, the materials will be posted on UJANNJ.org. They can also be requested by e-mailing her at joyk@ujannj.org.

“With the information [the CRC has] disseminated,” Kurland said, people “can discuss this with members of the community and with the media. They can write op-eds and letters to newspapers,” which, she noted, is particularly appropriate, inasmuch as Goldstone’s op-ed was in the Times. “They can communicate with members of Congress as well.”

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