Just got back from the morning holiday service, and it is as if the rabbi was reading my mind. When I wrote RONIT AND JAMIL, two years in the making, all I thought about was, "I love Israel, I am proud to be a Jew, there should be a Jewish state, but there should also be dialogue: Israel is imperfect." This is surely no reason to dismantle the wonderful concept of Zionism, which my grandfather brought with him when he came to America as a Zionist and a Socialist, two ideologies I am proud to be part of. However, Israel's imperfections have translated, as the rabbi said, into a virulent form of anti-Semitism on college campuses. It is surely okay to say Israel is doing so many things wrong: building more settlements, using the military, not even attempting to work toward a two state solution. What is not okay is to say Israel, as a Jewish state, does not have the right to exist. Of course they do! It was mandated. It was a response to the extinguished Jewish population post World War II. And a Jewish state does not mean that others can not live inside. However, it is equally important to acknowledge what Israel is doing that is terribly wrong; not to give them a carte blanche. This is the essence of democracy and also having a democratic voice. Thank you Rabbi Timoner, for not being afraid to speak about a very important reality.
No comments:
Post a Comment