HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017406.jpg
2.29 MB
Extraction Summary
3
People
7
Organizations
3
Locations
3
Events
1
Relationships
5
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Manuscript draft / memoir page
File Size:
2.29 MB
Summary
This document appears to be page 319 of a draft manuscript (dated 4.2.12) likely written by Alan Dershowitz, as indicated by the biographical details and the House Oversight Bates stamp often associated with his submissions. The text recounts the author's early activism with the Inter-Yeshiva HS Council against UN calendar reform, his student experiences with the UN, and his philosophical distinction between 'human rights' (universal) and 'particular rights' (group-specific) developed during his academic career. The page is stamped HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017406.
People (3)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Lodge | Diplomat/Official |
Recipient of mail regarding world calendar reform (likely Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.).
|
| Hammarskjold | Secretary General (UN) |
Informed by the U.S. regarding the position on calendar reform.
|
| Author/Narrator | Lawyer/Academic |
The 'I' in the text. Likely Alan Dershowitz given the Bates stamp context, biographical details (Yeshiva HS, lawyer, ...
|
Organizations (7)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Inter-Yeshiva HS Council |
Instituted a postcard campaign opposing world calendar reform.
|
|
| United Nations (U.N.) |
Subject of the author's early admiration and later criticism.
|
|
| General Assembly |
Observed by the author's high school class.
|
|
| United Nations Association |
Joined by the author and classmates.
|
|
| The First Amendment Club |
Metaphorical organization mentioned to define advocacy principles.
|
|
| The Human Rights Club |
Metaphorical organization mentioned to define advocacy principles.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Source of the document via Bates stamp.
|
Timeline (3 events)
First week in April (Historical)
Postcard campaign instituted by the Inter-Yeshiva HS Council against world calendar reform.
USA
Locations (3)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Origin of student letters favoring the proposal.
|
|
|
Where the author traveled for civil rights work.
|
|
|
Visited by the author during high school.
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Relationships (1)
Early admiration for sensitivity to religious minorities turned to criticism regarding human rights violations.
Key Quotes (5)
"Large numbers of the US citizens oppose the plan"Source
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Quote #1
"Their opposition is based on religious grounds..."Source
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Quote #2
"It persuaded me that even small efforts could have an impact on large organizations—a lesson that has stayed with me over my career."Source
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Quote #3
"No one could have predicted, in those days, how the UN would soon become an organization dominated by human rights violators and a bystander to, if not a facilitator of, genocide, terrorism and other human wrongs by so many of its own members."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017406.jpg
Quote #4
"A Jew who fights only against anti-Semitism is an advocate for particular rights... these are commendable activities, but they do not qualify as advocacy of human rights."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017406.jpg
Quote #5
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,994 characters)
4.2.12
WC: 191694
WC: 191694
Of the 328 pieces of mail addressed to Lodge during the first week in April, 209 expressed opposition to world calendar reform on religious grounds. These were the result of a postcard campaign instituted by the Inter-Yeshiva HS Council.
The article went on to point out that Lodge had also received letters from the Oklahoma students who favored the proposal, as did some legislators.
However, the opposition of religious groups to calendar reform—and it came from all faiths—prevailed. The U.S. informed Secretary General Hammarskjold that it did not favor any action by the UN to revise the present calendar. ‘Large numbers of the US citizens oppose the plan,’ the U.S. note said. ‘Their opposition is based on religious grounds...’
We were thrilled that our campaign—involving hundreds not quite the “large numbers” reported—had succeeded. We regarded it as a victory for religious freedom. It persuaded me that even small efforts could have an impact on large organizations—a lesson that has stayed with me over my career. And it enhanced my admiration for the U.N., which had shown sensitivity to religious minorities.
During my high school years, my class made several visits to the U.N., where we watched the General Assembly in action. We debated whether “Red China should be admitted to the U.N.” I took the affirmative side. Several of us joined “the United Nations Association,” and we participated in “model U.N.” sessions, playing the role of representatives from particular countries. No one could have predicted, in those days, how the UN would soon become an organization dominated by human rights violators and a bystander to, if not a facilitator of, genocide, terrorism and other human wrongs by so many of its own members.
What are human rights?
During my college and law school years, most of my focus was on domestic civil rights. I marched, attended rallies, trained for civil rights work in the South, and briefly traveled to points of confrontation in several southern cities, while carefully remaining out of harm’s way.
After becoming a teacher and a lawyer, my involvement in the human rights movement broadened, both academically and politically.
In my academic work, I began to explore the meaning of the term “human rights,” as contrasted with “civil rights,” “civil liberties,” and “political rights.” To be an advocate of “human” rights meant to me going beyond one’s particular group. A Jew who fights only against anti-Semitism is an advocate for particular rights, as is an African-American who struggles only against racism, a woman who only opposes sexism, or a gay person who limits his advocacy to gay rights. These are commendable activities, but they do not qualify as advocacy of human rights. Just as joining “The First Amendment Club” requires the active defense of expression one deplores, so too, joining “the Human Rights Club,” requires an active commitment to the universal rights of all
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HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017406
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