GOOGLE Search result :[ A public clash between Isaac Asimov and Elie Wiesel on Zionism ... Asimov viewing Israel in 1948 as " establishing a ' ghetto " in a 'vast Muslim sea ' " ]

[Isaac Asimov and Elie Wiesel did have a public argument during a 1977 round-table discussion, but the exchange was about the universality of prejudice and suffering, not specifically a debate on Zionism itself. During the discussion, Elie Wiesel stated he did not trust scientists and engineers because some had been involved in conducting the Holocaust. Asimov, a scientist and an atheist, was irritated by this sweeping generalization and publicly challenged Wiesel, arguing that persecution is a sign of weakness, not an indicator of inherent virtue or vice. He contended that any group, given strength, might become a persecutor. While they did not debate Zionism during that specific exchange, both men had publicly stated, but differing, views on the subject: Elie Wiesel was a staunch supporter and defender of Israel, identifying as a Zionist, especially when faced with anti-Zionist attacks. He believed that Israel was a necessary and vital part of the Jewish people's destiny after the Holocaust. Isaac Asimov was a skeptic of Zionism and generally an anti-nationalist. He wrote in his final book, Asimov Laughs Again, that he was not ecstatic about the establishment of Israel in 1948, viewing it as establishing a "ghetto" in a "vast Muslim sea" that would lead to perpetual conflict. He felt that no human group deserved a "homeland" in the traditional nationalistic sense. ] [ Anarchists and Science Fiction GOOGLE SEARCH RESULT on Isaac Asimov vs. Elie Wiesel on ZIONIST Israel July 3, 2016 · Isaac Asimov on Elie Wiesel: ['I publicly expressed my view on this only once, and in delicate circumstances. It was in May 1977. I was invited to a round-table discussion whose participants included Elie Wiesel, who survived the Holocaust and hasn't spoken about anything else since. That day, he irritated me by claiming that you couldn't trust academics, or technicians, because they had helped make possible the Holocaust. What a sweeping generalization that is! And precisely the kind of remark that antisemites might make: "I don't trust Jews, because once, Jews crucified my Savior". 'I let the others argue for a moment while I brooded over my resentment; then, unable to contain myself any longer, I spoke up: "Mr. Wiesel, you're wrong; the fact that a group of people has suffered appalling persecution does not mean it is inherently good and innocent. All that the persecution proves is that this group was in a position of weakness. If the Jews were in a position of strength, who knows if they wouldn't become persecutors?" ... 'Even as I write, Jews are immigrating from the former Soviet Union into Israel. They are fleeing their country because they fear religious persecution. But the moment they set foot on Israeli soil, they become Zionist extremists who are merciless toward the Palestinians. They change from persecuted to persecutors in the blink of an eye.' lawrenceofcyberia.blogs.com Isaac Asimov On Antisemitism And The Universality Of Prejudice]