Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Remember this moment

 A few years ago I was a guest at a meeting in the U.S. of some lay and professional Jewish community leaders.  In some concluding remarks, the chairwoman of the meeting made a passing comment about how the Israeli government paid no mind to the opinions and sensitivities of the American Jewish community, and that hopefully someday it will.

Most of the attendees either nodded their heads in silent agreement or did nothing at all.  No one objected.

While no fan of the then-current Israeli government, or of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, I nonetheless could not let this off-the-cuff, almost flippant comment go by.  As the chair was about to close the meeting, I raised my hand and said "excuse me."  I then went onto say something like this:

"This is a two-way street.  While American Jews may feel that Israelis are insensitive to them and ignore their views, Israelis have similar feelings.  They feel American Jews are not there for them when it really counts.  Two examples:

"1)  During the Second Intifada that started in 2000, after Arafat's rejection of the Clinton/Barak proposals for a Palestinian state and the resort to violence, American Jews were a rare site in Israel.  The busloads of Christians kept coming, but the Jews?  To the Bahamas and Hawaii, one might speculate.  Certainly not to Israel.

"2)  Israelis saw the Iran deal as an existential threat.  Yes, Prime Minister Netanyahu was the face of the opposition to the world, and, yes, one can certainly argue with his approach.  But the view that the deal presented a serious, life-and-death threat to Israelis and their children was a position held across the political spectrum.

"Israelis were up against a popular American President, President Obama, whose Administration resorted to less than admirable strategies to paint those opposing the deal as warmongers.  On occasion, they hearkened back to thinly disguised, old tropes used against Jews for centuries.

"Where did most American Jews come down?  With President Obama, not Israel.  From the perspective of many Israelis, these two incidents told them American Jews are fair-weather friends.  When the going gets rough,  American Jews aren't there."

The meeting adjourned.  I saw one or two faces with indicating appreciation, nodding understanding.  

The rest: silence.

Here in Jerusalem we can see the demonstrations in the U.S. by those that would love for Israel to disappear. But we do not see the demonstrations of years gone by, of proud, public, unafraid Jews in places like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco.

Yes, there are a few brave, lonely, determined voices.  But nothing organized by the major American Jewish organizations.  Nothing like the tens and hundreds of thousands of years gone by.

It seems like American Jews have become timid, without confidence, when it comes to supporting the only Jewish-majority nation in the world, a nation that has its challenges and that makes mistakes, but that has been miraculous in what it has accomplished and, under extraordinarily trying conditions, is generous in its conduct towards its enemies.

A nation that seeks peace but refuses to not defend itself in the face of rampant aggression against its people. A country that changed the perception of all Jews in the world, and that made Jews strong and proud.

In the face of that nation suffering over 3,100 missiles fired at its civilian population, a population that would have been devastated but for its defensive systems and its shelters, American Jews are, as my former rabbi in Sacramento put it, the Jews of silence.  

We've seen this movie before.  We saw the Pittsburgh Platform, wherein the budding Reform Movement rejected Zionism and the concept of the Jews as a nation and asserted that Judaism was simply another religion whose adherents would meld comfortably into the countries of which they were citizens, in this case the United States, the Promised Land, the Golden Medina.

We saw the timid, silent American Jews of the 1930's and 1940's, those that counseled against demanding strong measures to rescue the condemned, to not rock the boat, to not  pressure, all out of fear of irritating the Roosevelt Administration and of calling into question their loyalties.

We saw major American Jewish organizations and so-called leaders of the American Jewish community cringe and criticize as Hillel Kook (a.k.a. Peter Bergson, Revisionist Israeli leader) who organized loud and very public rallies and marches and pageants demanding American action aimed at saving Europe's Jews, to little avail.

We saw the early days of the Soviet Jewry Movement, when the Jewish "establishment" warned that protestors were upsetting the Nixon Administration's rapprochement with the Soviet dictators, assured us that they knew how to get the job done quietly and diplomatically, when in reality they were fearful of being charged with putting Jews before America and with losing their invitations to Washington dinner parties.

We know who in these instances have been judged heroic and who have been judged cowardly.  We know who we now admire and who we do not respect.

We know who stood proudly when the lives and limbs of their brothers and sisters were under dire threat, and who were concerned for their status with those they look to in the general community for acceptance and legitimacy.

American Jews and American Jewish organizations will not be proud of this moment in Jewish history or in Israel-American Jewish relations.

The next time American Jews complain that Israelis are not considering their feelings and taking into account their opinions and needs, remember this moment. Be assured that Israelis will.

(Originally published in The Times of Israel)
 

13 comments:

  1. Good one.

    Spent the day in Ashkelon and Otef Aza, yesterday. Chilling. Should be required field trip for the American Jews.

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  2. Very sad but this is one of your best ever. You hit the issues right on the head. I wish we would all do better than we are.

    I am hearing very discouraging messages from my friends in North America. Some speak about being afraid because they have a mezuza on their doors & considering moving to other places. Others are now talking Aliya. Most are just devastated, finding it hard to cope and retreating from the issues. Oy vey.

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  3. This is a great piece and on mark!


    Yeshar Koach!

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  4. Very well said stay well.

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  5. Regrettably, well said. Frankly, I have to blame the American media for at least some of the reason why American Jews are not totally pro-Israel!! Last night's PBS Evening News started with scenes of the destroyed Gaza buildings and people crying, etc. Then a brief picture or two of the damage to an Israeli house. Then, back to the Gaza scene. Some mention of the number of rockets (3100) and how Israel’s defense rockets had hit about 80-90% of the incoming rockets. Some very slight reference to the fact that the Israelis are reacting to the Gaza rockets, not initiating the violence! Did mention that the News Outlets building had been hit because it was “accused of” sheltering Gaza militants and guns. And that other targeted buildings were hiding underground tunnels where guns and people are being transported. And……. no mention of the fact that the Israelis warned the Gaza citizens to hide and protect themselves — an hour before the artillery shells started falling!! No mention of this at all. And, as we know. It is standard for the Israelis to give these warnings. Anyway, don’t get me started.

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  6. Excellent. Thank you.

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  7. . A very pertinent and disturbing piece. AIPAC urges its members to write letters supporting Israel to our Washington representatives and of course I did that. But the old-time public demonstrations of support just have not happened.

    Part of the problem is that we now have a large and vocal Muslim community that has more energy and assertiveness than the Jewish community. I warned my friends that supporting increased immigration from Muslim countries was not in our interests but most Jews argued that their parents or grandparents were immigrants so we should support increased Muslim immigrants. A classic non-sequitur.

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  8. Glad you showed wisdom and refrained from using the word "WIMPs!"

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  9. In order for there to be “peaceful solution” to this 100+ year war, Palestinians and their blind supporters must first give up the idea that the only “just solution” requires the elimination of the Jewish and democratic State of Israel. Once they catch up with reality and history by recognizing that the State of Israel, a majority Jewish and democratic state is here to stay, then Israel will be able to start talking about an equitable political solution that will provide safety and security to all the inhabitants of Israel and Gaza. I look forward to that day, but at my age, I am beginning to doubt if I will ever see it during my lifetime. But I have not yet given up hope. In the meantime, Israel will do what it needs to do to keep all its inhabitants safe, with or without the support of world opinion or the united voice of the American Jewish community. Very sad, but unfortunately true.

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  10. In order for there to be “peaceful solution” to this 100+ year war, Palestinians and their blind supporters must first give up the idea that the only “just solution” requires the elimination of the Jewish and democratic State of Israel. Once they catch up with reality and history by recognizing that the State of Israel, a majority Jewish and democratic state is here to stay, then Israel will be able to start talking about an equitable political solution that will provide safety and security to all the inhabitants of Israel and Gaza. I look forward to that day, but at my age, I am beginning to doubt if I will ever see it during my lifetime. But I have not yet given up hope. In the meantime, Israel will do what it needs to do to keep all its inhabitants safe, with or without the support of world opinion or the united voice of the American Jewish community. Very sad, but unfortunately true.

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  11. I enjoy reading your Random Thoughts and your insightful analysis. You cite historical references to American Jewish apathy to problems past. This current apathy, however, is different and has been for some time now. Make no mistake that this is simply a reflection of the views of a quite sizable minority within the current democrat party. Among my Republican friends, without exception, they fully support Israel and condemn the efforts of the Iranian backed "other side". Also, with few exceptions, my democrat friends equivocate, talk of settlements, unfairness, BN, and a plethora of other concerns that give them angst over their support for the current Israeli situation. Quite frankly, they don't support Israel and are beginning to equate the BLM movement with a PLM movement. It is troubling to me that the support for Israel within the progressive wing of the party is rapidly declining and morphing into outright hostility. With leaders like Sanders and the Squad openly advocating for boycotts, withdrawal of aid, and accusations of apartied, how can one not see the direction the party is headed in. Right now in this country, the strongest advocates and supporters for the Israeli cause are the evangelicals and the Republicans. The Democrats are very conflicted and troubled by Israel and their approach to defending themselves against the current onslaught of rocket fire. AOC and Omar actually lament that it would be more "fair" if the Israeli death count were similar to the one in Gaza.

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  12. I've followed your posts for years. On this one we are in total agreement.

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  13. New generations unexposed to the horrors of the Holocaust, are not touched in the same way.
    With the advent of social media, it appears that Israel’s show of strength—necessary to us of course—is cause of embarrassment to them.

    With reference to the conniving mentality that started this war, I repeat this story for the good it might do:

    He killed his father.
    He killed his mother.
    Then he sobbed, “Pity me…I’m an orphan.”

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