Douglas Murray Enthralls at BookFest

Known as “one of Israel’s best friends,” British journalist, essayist, public intellectual, and political analyst Douglas Murray appeared at the Book Festival of the MJCCA on Nov. 15.

Through the sponsorship of philanthropist and a minority owner of the Atlanta Falcons, Ed Mendel, Murray was in conversation with Atlanta Journal-Constitution journalist Greg Bluestein and discussed Murray’s book, “On Democracies and Death-Cults.”

Most important were his insightful, broad sweeping observations of Israel post-Oct. 7, antisemitism, the ignorance of today’s youth vis a vis college manipulation, and his overall understanding of the positioning of the Western world and how and why we got to this point.

Bluestein admired the standing ovation pre-interview, as Murray appeared relaxed, yet crisp with his British accent, while explaining that he had been living in New York for the past five years. His first topic was his grasp on Oct. 8 of the scope of the horrid events, and why something so appalling would promulgate Canada, Australia, and the U.S. to align with the Gazan underdogs in joining this “death cult.”

Murray said, “The young people are being misled about real history, Israel and antisemitism with biased views … about white supremacy, colonialism also leveled at the U.S., Great Britain … with this pressure, something is going to burst when you are blamed for a crime that you did not commit.”

He then “dissed” Instagram protests by people like “gays in gold lame with purple hair with comic book activism claiming that it would be easier to be queer in Palestine than in the U.S.”

Not letting up on the effete elements of college education, Murray related, “Bear in mind college kids are fed up and don’t want to be told what to do as Israel is over emphasized,” noting the absurdity of them spending four years of their parents’ hard-earned money, litigating a country they have never been to.

Bluestein then queried Murray’s references to “pink washing.” Murray’s response, “Everything Israel does is used against it. Like going into the U.N. where the dice is loaded … free countries are messy. How can there be a genocide in Gaza if their population doubled from 2005 to 2023?”

He then eschewed false narratives like Gaza being akin to the Warsaw Ghetto. “It’s coming from both the far right and the far left.”

Murray stated that he wants to bear witness to what he himself observed, like Hamas glorifying death, parading and celebrating evil.”

He shared, “It’s hard to unsee a father being shot in front of his sons, heroes being maimed intercepting grenades by hand.”

Murray subsequently visited some of those very terrorists in prison and hopes they never get traded or freed.

Bluestein noted that polls show how U.S. support of Israel has deeply declined as “not being an integral part of U.S. policy.”

Murray offered that “Egypt gets the same amount of aid as does Israel, and we don’t hear how they control [us], plus arm sales benefit our economy.”

On an optimistic note, Murray heralded the resilient Israeli people and their plan to build back.

“And for those who thought the young Israelis were soft and wanting to just hang out on the beach, they were wrong. I saw a cocktail maker serving one night, then the next day joining an IDF combat unit. I saw an Alpine unit in the desert learning to fight in the snow. What? With all the heroic retaliation by Israel, the confidence is back! In Israel, I witnessed a funeral and wedding all at the same time. With this tenacity, Israel is back!”

Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta CEO Jared Powers introduced Mendel and praised his deep commitment to Jewish community service and philanthropy. In introducing Murray, Mendel had just the right measure of humor and content.

He stated, “Douglas was quoted as saying ‘Jews are taught not to gloat over someone else’s misery, but I’m not Jewish.’”

In seeking advice about doing a short introduction about himself, Mendel said, “I am not Douglas Murray, but I am Jewish. Remember, if you live long enough, every victory turns into a defeat … as Hamas recently found out.”