N.J. poet laureate scoffs at governor's call to step down

By The Associated Press,
freedomforum.org staff

09.30.02

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TRENTON, N.J. — The state's much-criticized poet laureate plans to hold a news conference this week to discuss the controversy surrounding one of his poems and the governor's call for him to resign.

Amiri Baraka was criticized after he read the work, "Somebody Blew Up America," at the 2002 Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival earlier this month.

"Who knew the World Trade Center was gonna get bombed," read a line from the poem, which was cited by the Jewish Standard weekly newspaper. "Who told 4,000 Israeli workers at the Twin Towers to stay home that day? Why did Sharon stay away?"

Some Jewish groups have characterized the poem as anti-Semitic. McGreevey spokesman Kevin Davitt said the governor strongly condemns any racist or anti-Semitic behavior.

"The language used in Mr. Baraka's recent poem could be interpreted as stating that Israelis were forewarned of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Mr. Baraka should clarify the intent of his language, apologize for any potential misinterpretation of his language and resign," Davitt said.

According to CBS News and other news organizations, the story of 4,000 Israelis "told to stay home" is a myth that started Sept. 13 with stories in two Jordanian newspapers alleging Israeli involvement in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The next day, an Israeli ambassador told reporters that 4,000 telephone calls had come into the Israeli government "from worried Israelis unable to contact their relatives in New York," CBS News said. A TV station run by the terrorist group Hezbollah then used that figure in claiming that 4,000 Israelis had not reported to work at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.

Baraka said he had no intention of apologizing or resigning. He strongly rejected the criticism, denied he was an anti-Semite, and said that criticism of Israel did not amount to anti-Semitism.

Baraka said the poem also addressed Israeli policy toward Palestinians that he believed helped fuel anti-American sentiment among Arabs, a sentiment shared by some Jews.

In no way did he mean to imply that Israel was responsible for the attack, directly or indirectly, he said.

"First of all, Israel and Judaism are not the same, and to hide behind Judaism every time someone criticizes Israel is a charade," Baraka said. "Anything that I said in that poem can be referenced."

Baraka said he would address the controversy during the news conference Oct. 2 at the Newark Public Library.

"I will clarify my position that I can criticize United States imperialism and Israeli imperialism, and I can take a position of support of the Palestinians' right to self-determination without being slandered as an anti-Semite," Baraka told The Record of Bergen County for today's editions.

Yesterday, Davitt reiterated the governor's request that Baraka resign, urging him "to do the right thing." Baraka instead demanded an apology from his critics, urging them "to do more checking on what I said rather than calling me anti-Semitic."

Shai Goldstein, New Jersey regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, spoke with McGreevey on Sept. 27. He said in a letter to the governor that his organization was pleased McGreevey had called for Baraka's resignation.

The poet laureate position was created in 1999 and pays $10,000 per two-year term.

A recommendation to name Baraka as poet laureate earlier this year came from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, in consultation with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

Davitt said the title of poet laureate and the grant money cannot be rescinded, and the decision to resign is up to Baraka.

Charles Johnson, a poet who served on the committee that chose Baraka, said he had not read the work before voting for him. However, he did not believe Baraka should be forced out because of one poem.

"You don't as a committee select a poet laureate because you agree with him," said Johnson, the night editor of the Home News Tribune in East Brunswick. "You look at his body of work, and in Baraka's case you look at how dedicated he has been to poetry, even before the 1960s. That's a heck of a commitment."

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