Today’s headlines motivate concerned Jew’s call to activism
By Gary Acheatel
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If I am not for myself, who will be? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when? (Hillel, Pirkei Avot 1:14) This essay was inspired by those who feel we should not raise our voices and correct propaganda for fear it will bring attention to us.
You’ve heard the claim that anti-Semitism is on the rise today, just like in the 1930s. You’ve heard others call Iran’s President Ahmedinejad another Hitler. But you turn away from these hotheads, more disturbed by the alarmist tone than by their message.
Times are good for Jews in America. The “gentleman’s agreement” that excluded us from businesses, universities, clubs and politics, started to fade during the 1960s. Jews are now part of mainstream America. But stop and listen carefully. Globally, and even here, this trend toward acceptance has reversed. Anti-Semitism has gradually slipped back in, catching us unaware.
Yes, that claim needs proof, and a yardstick. Start with the ever-sharper attacks on Israel. When do they cross the line? New York Times columnist Tom Friedman wrote: “Criticizing Israel is not anti-Semitic, and saying so is vile. But singling out Israel for opprobrium and international sanction—out of all proportion to any other party in the Middle East—is anti-Semitic, and not saying so is dishonest.”
Israeli cabinet minister (and former Soviet refusenik) Natan Sharansky offers a similar “3D test”: legitimate criticism crosses into anti-Semitism when it descends into demonization, double standards and deligitimization.
Now that we have a grading policy, let’s score our students on this test.
We’ve certainly seen problems in Europe. For example, the British National Union of Journalists voted to boycott Israeli goods. There was no corresponding criticism of any Palestinian group or action. And this took place while a BBC reporter was held hostage for weeks in the Gaza Strip, leaving foreign journalists afraid to enter Gaza. Where did they go? Jerusalem, of course, where they were safe and free to criticize. We should no longer expect even a pretense of journalistic objectivity from the British press. Grade: F.
But what about America? George Orwell’s “1984” taught that ideas are shaped by the words used to express them. Former President Jimmy Carter’s latest book puts demonization right in his title, by legitimizing the application of “apartheid” to Israel. Now saying it isn’t true is like the old line about answering “When did you stop beating your wife?” A barrier between Jewish and Arab populations? Obvious apartheid! But Israel did not want this barrier until West Bank towns sent suicide bombers to kill Jews and made the murderers into “martyrs.” What would America do in response to such attacks? The wall on the Mexican border is bigger (yes, really), and it is meant merely to keep out people who want jobs. And think about the double standard: Israel has many Arab citizens, but no Jew can be a Jordanian, no Jew could live in a future Palestine, and no Jew is allowed even to visit Saudi Arabia. Where’s the apartheid? Carter certainly has earned his F.
Professors Walt and Mearsheimer’s book about the “Israel Lobby” highlights the anti-Israel movement on campus. Jews, only 2 percent of the population, ask Congress to support Israel. Jewish groups such as AIPAC do not fund their campaigns in return. But somehow, without votes or money, the professors say this lobby controls U.S. foreign policy, and to our detriment. Couldn’t it be, just perhaps, that the Congress listens to the arguments presented and agrees that Israel deserves support? But why does the book get a nodding “of course” from the punditry and the academics? It revives the familiar story about Jews being disloyal foreigners in our midst, a fear as old as the Pharaoh of the Exodus. More professors with failing grades.
Next, turn to the Muslim world. No test needed, since we already know the grade—but, can an F be too high? “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” and “Mein Kampf” are best sellers. Iran has a president who denies Hitler’s Holocaust but wants nuclear weapons for the next one, when he can, in his words, “wipe Israel off the map.” Hamas has a charter that cites the Hadith: “The Day of Judgment will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews, when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say ‘O Muslims, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.’” Hezbollah’s leader Nasrallah said in 2002: “If they [Jews] all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide.”
No, it’s not about “occupation.” It’s about us.
The Machzor teaches that the shofar blasts of Rosh Hashanah send a message: Wake up!
Gary D. Acheatel of Ashland is the founder of Advocates for Israel whose mission is: to strengthen support for Israel by ensuring the public has factual information.