..... As I just wrote Doug,
I went to see him debate a very nice Palestinian guy at a unitarian church in Kensington (near Berkeley) some years ago. Lerner argued, and I'm not making this up, that people objecting to jews settling in Palestine were the same as people objecting to blacks moving into a white neighborhood. This argument had the virtue of rendering everyone speechless with incredulity.
He is extremely repulsive physically. Overweight in a loose, flabby way with long spindly oily hair, and continually exuding sweat. It sounds like I'm exaggerating, but I assure you I'm not. The only thing more repulsive than his physical aspect is the grotesque extent of his self regard.
This was about fifteen years ago. I doubt there's been improvement.
Joanna