Dov Bechhofer Did Nothing Wrong

3,105 words

Antifa in New York City have doxed a White Nationalist, and this one is quite a find: an Orthodox Jewish doctor ^[2] working at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx by the name of Dov Bechhofer. Bechhofer’s father is an Orthodox rabbi.

According to the doxers, Dr. Bechhofer made a number of comments at Counter-Currents. In the article, Spencer Sunshine, an associate fellow at the think tank Political Research Associates who studies far-Right movements, is quoted characterizing Counter-Currents as “at the highest intellectual level of discourse in the white nationalist crowd.” The doxers also claim that Dr. Bechhofer was Facebook friends with Jared Taylor and Peter Brimelow, and he ran a Facebook page called Supporters of American Renaissance.

According to the doxers, the comments at Counter-Currents were simply signed “Dov” but made references to personal and professional details that match Dr. Dov Bechhofer. In these comments, Dov expresses dismay with miscegenation, supports the creation of white ethnostates through humane population transfers, supports the removal of Muslims from Europe, disdains Nazi LARPers, and even says that he understands anti-Semitism:

. . . I’ve had it in my head to write a little something called “A Jewish Defense of Anti-Semitism,” but it’s been slipping my mind. In short, the vocal majority of Jews act so irritatingly and display such reprehensible attitudes – publicly and privately – that I’d rather see a “tempered” anti-Semitism now than see Jewish perfidy continue without consequence until, as Johnny Cash might say, the man comes around. Because he will. As I frequently tell Jewish acquaintances, if there is another Holocaust, it will be entirely of their doing (I don’t get too into the genesis of the first one . . . I once tried, but mouths fell open and I was practically kicked out of the apartment). So, yes – I like to see (((them))) named and exposed where relevant. I would like to see a general boycott of Hollywood coupled with some Semitic realism. And I’d like to see the fanatical AIPAC supporters exposed as the dual nationalists that they are. Etc.

More than 130 comments signed Dov appeared at Counter-Currents. This was one of the last, and the first one that unambiguously states that the author is Jewish. Of course the name was a clue, and there were several other hints, but in a subculture where people use pen names like Demarcus Leibowitz, sometimes even going so far as to construct whole online personas, one can never be sure. But it never crossed my mind to stop allowing Dov to comment at Counter-Currents, since he struck me as intelligent, thoughtful, remarkably objective, and rather brave. Frankly, I looked forward to his comments.

I thought Dov’s views on many issues that divide White Nationalists were quite sound: he saw Hailgate and Unite the Right for the disasters they were; he opposed Nazi LARPing and the more juvenile and vulgar reaches of the Alt Right; he disdained crude misogyny and attacks on women who tried to help the cause; and so on. He also made it clear that he rejected race-war fantasies and sympathized with my desire to find paths to racial separation that are maximally peaceful and humane ^[3], respecting the basic human rights of all involved.

The name Dov also made it highly likely he was Orthodox, which was interesting to me, because since 2016, I have been seeing signs that significant numbers of Orthodox Jewish men in their 20s are plugging into the Alt Right and White Nationalism. This phenomenon bears watching, since it may herald a split in the Jewish community, which is the major impediment to white identity politics. Left-wing Jews have finally noticed and commented ^[4] on this phenomenon as well, although their definition of White Nationalism is broad enough to include Donald Trump.

Although I have no patience for the conservative and Alt-Lite penchant for trotting out “based” minority outliers to shore up the delusion that conservative civic nationalism is possible, I recognize why the normie mind finds characters like Milo so fascinating. It does validate our ideas when outsiders agree with us, especially when their agreement goes against stereotype and petty ethnic interests. The basic thought process regarding Milo is: “He’s a gay race-mixing Jew, so if he is conservative, that must mean he has heard a compelling argument.” There is a world of difference between Jews like Michael Hart and Laurence Auster, who claim that Jews are white and seek to police anti-Semitism in the White Nationalist movement — and Jews like Dov or Gilad Atzmon, who do not try to alter our movement but instead seek to change Jewish attitudes toward white identity politics. None of them are “us.” But the former are subversives. The latter are allies.

So is “Dov” at Counter-Currents Dr. Dov Bechhofer? I was rather surprised that the Forward was willing to run with the antifa dox without apparently considering the possibility that the comments at Counter-Currents were made by another individual, perhaps even the doxers themselves, to frame Dr. Bechhofer. Of course the antifa did not contact me for verification. They are anonymous, so their reputations hardly matter. And they are judgment-proof, so they can defame at will. But the Forward has money and credibility to lose. Of course, if they did contact me, I would have said nothing. I do not discuss the identities of my authors, donors, and commenters with anyone, much less enemy combatants. I might well have lied, simply to throw them off the case. We don’t owe the truth to journalists and other antifa trying to destroy thought criminals.

On Thursday, however, Dr. Bechhofer released a statement which he shared with the Forward ^[5] that confirms that he is indeed Dov from Counter-Currents:

“I am filled with remorse and take full responsibility for my actions, which will long be an embarrassment to my family, friends, colleagues, and community,” Dov Bechhofer wrote in a statement shared with the Forward. . . .

Bechhofer’s statement went on to denounce bigotry and violence and said he is “actively seeking long-term professional help to deal with these issues, which must be confronted honestly and completely.” . . .

“While I have much soul-searching and work to do on myself, I intend to take actions for the rest of my life that promote the dignity of all humanity,” he concluded.

This was a bad idea.

First of all, this is the United States of America. Bechhofer has the First Amendment right to think and say whatever he wants. The government has no right to silence him, and neither should private sector organizations operating under pressure from Leftist-orchestrated lynch mobs. The United States desperately needs federal legislation forbidding politically correct terms of service and employment, which are one of the Left’s most powerful instruments of suppressing dissent. If people’s livelihoods simply could not be threatened because of their political beliefs, the Left could howl all they want, but they would be impotent. The First Amendment should be a complete defense. And in the case of Bechhofer, New York State law actually bars his employers from terminating him because of his politics. Furthermore, he is entitled to sue anyone who organizes to pressure his employer to fire him for tortious interference with a contract.

Second, Bechhofer’s views as expressed at Counter-Currents and elsewhere are absolutely true. Truth should also be a defense in itself. The white race and white civilization are perishing because of low birthrates, miscegenation, and race-replacement immigration. Diversity is a source of conflict, not strength ^[6]. The organized Jewish community has played a disproportionate role in creating this crisis and preventing racially-conscious whites from dealing with it. A terrible reaction is brewing. White ethnostates are the only solution.

Moreover, Bechhofer did not fall in with the juvenile buffoons, LARPing Nazis, and violent thugs who have hijacked the most important cause on the planet and driven it off a cliff. He gravitated to the best of the movement — Counter-Currents, VDare, American Renaissance — and tried to imagine humane solutions to this mess. He doesn’t need “professional help” to deal with “issues.” He’s one of the sane ones. It is the rest of society that has gone mad.

Dov Bechhofer has nothing to apologize for. Dov Bechhofer did nothing wrong. Except apologize.

If any of my readers are ever doxed, I implore you to do nothing before you read Vox Day’s SJWs Always Lie. Or if you want a quick refresher, read my review ^[7].

Dr. Bechhofer is currently a radiology resident at Montefiore. He is just starting what could be a lucrative career after years of hard and probably very expensive training. He probably thought that an apology was the quickest way to make this fuss disappear so he could get back to his life.

But it doesn’t work that way.

As Vox Day explains, admitting to SJW charges and apologizing will simply cause them to renew their attacks. Before Dr. Bechhofer apologized, the entire “case” against him was circumstantial. Now he has admitted it is true. He is doing the enemy’s work for them. So why would they stop now? The next logical step is for them to demand that he be fired. And indeed, we learn in the very same article announcing his apology that:

Next Monday, the hospital will be the site of a protest calling for Bechhofer to be fired and have his medical license revoked, organized by a self-described “revolutionary mass organization” called SPARC.

Needless to say, Dr. Bechhofer should not resign. That too would be doing the enemy’s work. It would also allow them to hypocritically declare that they are not responsible for his downfall — he is. Instead, he should sue SPARC for tortious interference. It is very unlikely that his medical license could be taken away from him, but here too he actively aided his enemies by claiming that he is seeking “professional help” for presumably psychological “issues.”

It is not, however, too late for Dov Bechhofer to save himself. But he’s in a hole, so first he needs to stop digging. Then he needs to follow Vox Day’s advice, which I summarize as follows:

1. Recognize the attack, remain calm, and realize that very few friends and coworkers will help you.
2. Don’t try to reason with them: You are not dealing with rational people, but with raving beasts who will take every gesture of good will as a sign of weakness and will use everything you say against you.
3. Do not apologize: Apologies are treated as evidence of guilt and invite intensified attacks.
4. Accept your fate: Try to adopt a Stoic attitude of indifference about outcomes; focus simply on doing the right thing, which is to fight.
5. Document their every word and action: Most organizations have rules for firing or disciplining people; know the rules; demand that they be followed; admit nothing; demand the accusers do all the work; get everything in writing, and get it signed.
6. Do not resign! Don’t do the enemy’s work for them.
7. Make the rubble bounce: Basically, this means counter-attack; do everything you can to raise the price of attacking you for your enemies and your employer. This is worth quoting at length: “Whether you survive the attempted purge or whether you don’t, it’s very important to observe who has defined himself as an ally, an enemy, or a neutral party during the process. The choices people make will pleasantly surprise you about as often as they disappoint you. Once everyone’s choices have been made clear, your task is simple. Target the enemy at every opportunity. Hit them wherever they show themselves vulnerable. Play as dirty as your conscience will permit. Undermine them, sabotage them, and discredit them. Be ruthless and show them absolutely no mercy. This is not the time for Christian forgiveness because these are people who have not repented, these are people who are trying to destroy you and are quite willing to harm your family and your children in the process. Take them down and take them out without hesitation. If you have any SJWs working under you, fire them. If you have an SJW relying upon you for something, play dumb and assure him that he’ll get it on time, then fail to deliver, all the while promising that it’s going to be done next week. Above all, understand that the normal rules of live and let live are no longer in effect. The more you disrupt their activities and their daily routine, the more difficult they will find it to purge you. Assume that you are on your way out — if you’ve followed the previous advice given, you should already have your landing zone prepared and are only waiting for the right moment to exit — and salt the earth. Leave devastation in your wake so that it will take weeks or even months for them to try to recover from the damage of your purging.”
8. Start nothing, finish everything: Basically, don’t act out of anger; don’t initiate attacks, but when attacked, respond with disproportionate, overwhelming force.

Dov Bechholfer is going to lose a great deal because of this dox. That’s why the enemy does this. Apologizing won’t change that. He needs to accept his fate. Then he needs to do the right thing, which is to fight. Because if more people fight and win, fewer people will have to face doxing in the future. Dr. Bechhofer is going to go through hell. But if he does the right thing, he will help create a world where others do not suffer the same fate. And he will make himself into a hero in the process.

Beyond that, Dr. Bechhofer needs to recognize that not only will apologizing increase rather than decrease the negative effects of this dox, it is also bad for his soul. Because he is lying. He didn’t change his whole worldview overnight. That is simply not possible. There are some things that we can control, and some things that we can’t. Dr. Bechhofer cannot control all the negative consequences that are in store for him, although he can mitigate them if he does the right thing. But there is one thing that he can control fully: his own moral stature. He has chosen to sully himself with a lie. He has abandoned truth in the vain attempt to regain social respectability. He needs to return to the truth and defend it. That way, no matter what happens to him, he can take solace in the fact that he preserved his moral worth.

When you are doxed, it is natural to think of the friends you are losing. People will try to save those friendships, even at the price of their own moral worth, by issuing false confessions and apologies — usually in vain. His family might be furious, but if he stood his ground, they might eventually come around. The sort of friends who would abandon him over this will not change their minds because of an apology. And the friends who will stick with him won’t need one. Apologizing might effect one or two waverers. But it changes almost nothing. Certainly nothing that would justify the costs.

Doxing victims seldom ask themselves about the friends that they might gain by standing their ground and fighting. It is still not too late for Dr. Bechhofer to dig in his heels. If he does, he will be surprised by how many people will offer moral, legal, and financial support — people within the Jewish community, free speech advocates, and even White Nationalists who will waste no opportunity to strike back at the Left. He will exchange false friends, who only liked him because they did not really know him, for true friends, who would like him as he really is, agree with his principles, and respect him even more if he stood his ground.

Many readers are probably wondering how Dr. Bechhofer was doxed. How did his comments at Counter-Currents get connected to his real-world identity? Unfortunately, he made it easy. His Facebook page was apparently under his real name. Still, it probably would not have occurred to antifa to compare Dr. Dov Bechhofer’s social media profile with the comments of “Dov” on Counter-Currents unless someone who knew him tipped them off. I am pretty sure that Dr. Bechhofer was ratted out by one of his friends or acquaintances — perhaps one of the very people whose friendship he is trying to preserve by issuing a lying apology.

There’s a lesson here for a lot of us. Many people in their 20s and 30s have made their lives an open book on social media. Many who evolve intellectually and politically toward the Right have done so in public, documenting it before friends whose political beliefs are increasingly divergent. Every one of these people has a mental line that you cannot cross without becoming an enemy. A lot of these people, moreover, are incapable of making fine ideological distinctions. There are Leftists who think that Mitt Romney is a fascist, after all. Chances are, you crossed those lines with a lot of your normie-Facebook friends a long time ago.

Perhaps you are not as tempting a target as an Orthodox Jewish doctor in the Bronx. But the Moloch of the antifa, press, and mob requires fresh blood sacrifices. They’ll work their way to you eventually. If people who worked at hotdog stands could lose their jobs for attending Unite the Right, how safe do you really think you are? It could be only a matter of time before you become a target.

I know, I know: You can’t bring yourself to shut down your Facebook profile, even though you know that the longer it is out there, the greater the danger it poses. You don’t want to lose all the pictures, all the contacts, and so on. But the answer is simple: Keep your normie Facebook but purge it of political content. Make it your good boy page, so your mom and your schoolteachers can keep tabs on you. Then create a completely separate, bad boy Facebook page for your movement friends. And by completely separate I mean use a different name, different avatar, different everything.

According to the Forward article, “The doxer spent six months investigating Bechhofer, and was in contact with people who knew him personally; documents shared with the Forward claim that the investigation included in-person surveillance.” It sounds pretty creepy, but you’ll be happy to know that our people do the exact same thing to antifa, because they too have shared their political journeys on social media, made elementary opsec errors, and unknowingly crossed the line between friend and enemy with many personal acquaintances, some of whom are now in our camp. We know where they live and work, too.