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I would hereby like to nominate Professor Carlo Strenger, from the department of psychology at Tel Aviv University, for the Philistine of the Year Award.

Strenger is a far-leftist hater of Israel and Zionism who regularly explains to Haaretz readers why Israel is a horrible state unworthy of existence, but the Hamas is really misunderstood. (A collection of Strengerisms may be read here: http://www.google.com/cse?cx=003938713500856905333%3Aghdjn7wl9zu&ie=UTF-8&q=strenger) But today Strenger goes beyond that to support hooligan violence against Orthodox Jews! Really!

The background to this is the continuing campaign of intimidation and violence by ultra-secularists in Ramat Aviv, where Strenger lives and where his Tel Aviv University is located, against Orthodox Jews. The ultra-secularists claim there is a cabal by the Orthodox to "take over" the neighborhood. You know, like the Elders of Zion.

Anti-religious bigotry is the main form of bigotry in Israel. Strenger and his anti-Orthodox stormtrooper buddies are no doubt the very first to take to the barricades to support the right of Arabs to move into Jewish towns and communities in Carmiel and elsewhere. But they insist they have the right to "defend liberalism," to use Strenger's words, and use violence to keep the Orthodox out of Ramat Aviv.

Strenger's version of Der Sturmer appears in Haaretz this morning at http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1087998.html . Notice the title: "Liberalism has the right to defend itself." That is so Orwellian that I really cannot think of a way to mock it. Defend liberalism by beating up Orthodox Jews who move into your neighborhood! You have the right to harass the Orthodox if you invent a claim that the Orthodox harass the secularists! (How? By saying Shabbat Shalom to them?)

Here are some selections from Strenger's Haaretz rant:

'Imagine seeing the following story in the news: "A Haredi neighborhood has been flooded by requests from secular Jews to rent and buy apartments. They have opened bars in the neighborhood as well as an Agudat Hillel office, which offers assistance and advice to Haredi youths who want to become secular. The Haredim have started to counterattack; they have launched a Web site encouraging Haredim not to rent apartments to seculars, and are warning that the neighborhood's religious value and way of life is in danger.". 'The story in Ramat Aviv happens to be the other way around: Secular Jews are organizing to defend their lifestyle against a Haredi influx. The answer is very simple: from Safed to Beit Shemesh, from Ramot Eshkol in Jerusalem to Arad, the story has repeated itself: Haredim begin by renting or buying apartments, and once they reach a