Sunday, June 18, 2006
6/18/2006 08:56:00 AM | 
Posted by
JoeSettler
I can’t quite find the underlying message that Steve and Natty are trying to deliver in their article. Or rather I can and I find it pathetic.
I understand when they say that U.S. Orthodox Jews are the most connected to, and aligned with Israel, and are growing in strength politically in the U.S., but then I get lost.
They say that U.S. Orthodox Jews felt disappointment and perhaps feelings of betrayal over the expulsion “analogous to those felt by religious Zionists in Israel”, but “most were not prepared to protest publicly out of deference to the government of Israel.”
Feelings “analogous to those felt by religious Zionists in Israel”?
I understand when they say that U.S. Orthodox Jews are the most connected to, and aligned with Israel, and are growing in strength politically in the U.S., but then I get lost.
They say that U.S. Orthodox Jews felt disappointment and perhaps feelings of betrayal over the expulsion “analogous to those felt by religious Zionists in Israel”, but “most were not prepared to protest publicly out of deference to the government of Israel.”
Feelings “analogous to those felt by religious Zionists in Israel”?
I wonder how “analogous” those feeling could really be if they “were not prepared to protest publicly out of deference to the government of Israel.”
But let’s leave that aside for the moment.
It’s the next part which has me really confused.
The way I understand it, they are saying that if Olmert wants support from U.S. Orthodox Jews (or at least quiet from them) then he must engage them in dialogue.
The way I read it, they are claiming the role of the coward facing off with the bully, afraid to fight him, so he say to his friends, “hold me back, hold me back, before I do something”.
But let’s leave that aside for the moment.
It’s the next part which has me really confused.
The way I understand it, they are saying that if Olmert wants support from U.S. Orthodox Jews (or at least quiet from them) then he must engage them in dialogue.
The way I read it, they are claiming the role of the coward facing off with the bully, afraid to fight him, so he say to his friends, “hold me back, hold me back, before I do something”.
Picture is unrelated to the article except as an analogy.
Steve, Natty, don’t worry.
Continue to remain silent and tacitly support the next expulsion. It really isn’t connected to you at all, not in reality and not in analogy. Besides for your ego and conscience, you obviously only really need Olmert to talk to you so you can have an excuse to “hold you back”.
Expulsion Watch: Electricity was knocked out in S’derot today by some Kassam missiles (which also hit a school). Not to worry, Steve and Natty were not affected.
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3 comments:
the question is whether (religious) jewish americans should blindly support israel no matter what she does, good or bad, or if they should add a little bit of intelligence and personal opinion to their support. I don’t see how someone can blindly support israel for whatever reason when they don’t believe in the state’s actions.
would the o-u of today have then supported or at least not protested publicly the removal of payos and religion from yemenite immigrants. it would seem the answer could clearly be yes. would they have asked a government representative to come down and explain why they are destroying yemenite culture and religion. again, apparently yes. but would they at least have invited a yemenite about to have his peyos shaved off to ask him his opinion on the matter, and then chosen who to give their support to? apparently not. but only so as not to make public waves.
after 12 years of oslo, after the disaster called disengagement, after all the terrorist attacks, ignorance of the issues is not a veil the o-u or orthodox jewish americans can hide behind.
they should either decide they are attached to israel and her issues, and openly and fearlessly express their opinion on the matter and not worry about feelings spilling over causing alienation. if you really have feelings for eretz yisrael you won’t become alienated because a certain government doesn’t do what you want. if you really had strong feelings for israel you would want to scream from the rooftops when something was wrong and not ask for someone to convince you to be quiet or stay out of the debate.
but if after years of mouthing your prayers and not listening to the content of the words of the torah you don’t feel bothered enough by what is going on then you aren’t attached to eretz yisrael and you should at least acknowledge the fact and simply stay out of the debate for that reason alone.
why does everyone else in the world fearlessly and openly express their opinions (for or against) on israel publicly and attempt to move public opinion and policy on and in Israel in one direction or the other – everyone except for leaders of orthodox jewry in america? because it will confuse some congressmen? instead everyone should unite under a policy that is not only wrong, but evil.
Hopefully earlier rather than later diaspora Jewry will start understanding the nature of the illusion of democracy we have over here, and come to recoginize that supporting the State of Israel is not necessarily analogous with supporting the Jewish People in the Land of Israel.
Yoelba is right; the majority of Jews I speak with insist that they can't support Israel because of the policies of the government. Their thinking is treif, because it is so uninformed-- the government doesn't even support Israel! Eventually it will come to this: those who support Israel will make aliyah, and those who do not, won't. You can't pay lip service to Zionism.
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