I am not going to recapitulate the sad story of what happened at Congregation Bnai Jeshurun in Manhattan this week except to say that progressive Jews (and others) thought a new day had dawned when its rabbis hailed the General Assembly vote on Palestine. (Here is the New York Times story on that development.) But then, within two days, the rabbis at Bnai Jeshurun were forced to clarify following a firestorm of abuse, ginned up by the usual suspects. (Here is the New York Times story on the retraction.)
The rabbis, of course, deny that they retracted anything. That is what they have to say. And they certainly will not confirm that they were threatened by big donors to their congregation, the Embassy of Israel, or other Jewish establishment big wigs for daring to break with Netanyahu. That is all to be expected. Part of the deal, when you accede to pressure, is that you do not reveal what actually went down.
But it is obvious what happened. Threats were made. They didn’t have to be direct. No one has to tell those working for organizations (or synagogues) dependent on donations from the Jewish community what they can and cannot say.
In most cases, they don’t need to be warned. They impose prior restraint on themselves. They don’t believe the line, they think it is disastrous for Israel but they also know that saying what they believe will cost their organizations money and may cost them their jobs. So they mouth the line, over and over again. And they are happy because Israel’s ambassador to the United States pats them on the back, and the donors make clear that the checks will continue to be written.
I do not put the B’nai Jeshurun rabbis in the same category as the organizational types.
Rabbis J.Rolando Matalon, Marcelo R. Bronstein and Felicia L. Sol are known throughout the Jewish community for their moral leadership and idealism. And they clearly thought (read the email that caused the brouhaha) that demonstrating that moral leadership by endorsing the Palestine resolution would not cause the roof to cave in. Yes, they knew they were sticking their necks out but not too far. Surely, it would be okay.
The more politically attuned within the Jewish community would have known better. The pro-Israel community is like the gun lobby. The National Rifle Association doesn’t really believe that the “right” to own a semi-automatic weapon is in the same category as the right to a hunting rifle, but they will oppose any restrictions on owning that automatic none the same.
That is because it thinks any regulation on any firearm is a slide down the slippery slope to confiscation of all weapons. Actually, it is possible that they don’t even believe that. It is just as likely that the NRA just wants to keep Congress and the political community in line. At some point, these organizational leaders just exert power for its own sake (getting politicians to grovel and making more money).
And so it is with the pro-Israel community. Any challenge to the prevailing orthodoxy on the occupation will be met with threats and attacks. Look at Peter Beinart. He is an Orthodox Jew, a lifelong Zionist, and a leader in the community. But when he endorsed boycotting West Bank settlements — not Israel itself, just the products of the settlements — he was condemned by the entire establishment. Last month the Atlanta Jewish Community Center refused to allow him to speak on its premises, as if he was a KKK leader. To its credit, J Street gave him a venue.
Now here is the creepiest part. Virtually none of the Jewish community’s enforcers on matters related to Israel apply the same standard to criticism of U.S. policies (except those policies that are related to Israel). The older ones openly opposed the war in Vietnam (some were war resisters). The younger ones opposed the Iraq war (contrary to common belief, Israel had no clear position on the Iraq war in contrast to their neocon pals here).
If some government official in Washington told them to pipe down, they would scream bloody murder. But when it comes to the occupation or Iran, they march as one behind Binyamin Netanyahu. Why? They are afraid. It’s as if they own a store in a neighborhood that is dominated by the mob. They don’t ask for an explanation of why they need to hire this guy’s brother-in-law or give the assigned “tips” to various people in the neighborhood. They just do it. It is the price of doing business.
A different sort of mob runs the American Jewish community. Fortunately, like Tony Soprano’s organization in that much mourned HBO series, it is falling on hard times. It is dominated by old people while nearly 60% of the young marry out of the community and consider Israel a foreign country — one that they may have some interest in but not all that much. That is why a congregation like Bnai Jeshurun is so successful. It attracts those people, understanding in the timeless words of Whitney Houston that “children are our future.” That is also why one of the few speakers who can attract Jewish audiences where the average age is under 70 is Peter Beinart. To put it simply, the kids don’t like hacks. And they don’t salute and “yes sir” their own government, let alone one 6000 miles away.
But the establishment, and its terrified salarymen (there are no women in these jobs) don’t care. They don’t care about what is right. They don’t care about Israel (they know its current policies are destroying it but won’t say what they know). And they don’t care about how America’s Israel-centric policies are hurting this country. As far as losing the younger generation, they don’t care about that either. They will have retired by the time all these thoroughly Americanized Jewish kids are the ones with the money.
But they will speak out on what is happening in the Congo or Burma. It’s not that they care about those places either but they do like to think of themselves as moral paragons. And they are allowed to say whatever they want about human rights abuses perpetrated by anyone except Israelis.
Congratulations to the rabbis of Bnai Jeshurun. One, you did the right thing. And, two, the reaction to your act will only weaken the hacks and fat cats that are the Jewish establishment.
As Steve Rosen, the indicted AIPAC official, once told me: a lobby is a night flower. It thrives in the darkness and withers in the daylight. Rabbis J.Rolando Matalon, Marcelo R. Bronstein and Felicia L. Sol shined a powerful light indeed. And the night flower will feel the withering effects. You did good.
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FLASH: Americans For Peace Now and J Street are both demanding that President Obama condemn Israeli settlement expansion. Now that is good news to end the week with. And I give the rabbis at Bnai Jeshurun some of the credit. Congratulations to J Street and APN.
When you go see Les Miz, know that you are now with the young people waving the flags. The Jewish establishment is the National Guard.
“America’s future is an ethnic hodge podge. Mix it up. Everybody should intermarry.”
It is people like you who want to eliminate real diversity and turn the whole world into a homogenized mass. Fascinating genetic and cultural diversity is a product of relative isolation.
ha ha, you little hebrew school goody-goody. Come on, you know the truth, you’ve got the big microphone, use it to save humanity and get over your squeamishness. Say what is needed so that we don’t have to live through these horrors any again, no matter how fun it is to pretend…. The retribution is going to be worse this time. Don’t allow yourself to think about your mother, and what this will mean to her. It is a trick, she learned it from mother….you….must….resist….
LOL what? I get the overall gist and I’d be inclined to agree. Simply put, xx neo cons should eat s*** so their kids don’t have to.
The widely-adopted non-speaking-truth-to-power (a/k/a see-no-evil-hear-no-evil-speak-no-evil) is a wonderful testament to that type of political organization, made so noteworthy in the XXth century, totalitarianism.
There is an alternative. The rabbis should be celebrated. Others should jump on the band-wagon. A clean break — if not with Israel generally, then with the entire settlements project and occupation — is called for, deserved, a moral imperative, and morally unexceptionable. The congregations should cheer them rabbis on, join them in protest, and call-out-by-name the big-money-boys, if any, who subsequently significantly withhold money from the synagogue. The axis-of-evil (AIPAC et al.) should be roundly denounced from all sides. The power must be broken, not caved-in-to. (Hurry up please, it’s time!)
All this reminds me, sadly, of the other and far greater evil of our time, climate change, where the scientists who could warn were over-careful and UNDER-WARNED, the politicians (ever worried about very short-term problems) ignored global warming, the industrialists (ever concerned with short-term profits) stood in the way of any sort of progress, and the coming train-wreck went madly forward :: to a large extent because people who KNEW were SILENT.
Right, and kept themselves distracted with wholly artificial trumped-up reasons to be outraged like digging in their heels over a tiny piece of land they wanted to steal or falling over a nonexistent fiscal cliff.
And, here’s a big disappointment:
when i clicked on, “like”, I was connected to J-date…
Seriously??
While reading this, I had a thought on the Jewish community, as a whole, and their connection(s) to Israel.
My baby brother had asked me, not long ago, if “even Leiberman” (D-CT) held dual-citizenship with the lunatic-state. I told him I was pretty sure that answer would be, yes. If he wanted it, as any American Jew might, he would happily be given dual-status. He was actually disappointed in Leiberman, which kind of caused me disappointment in this sibling.
But I realized something about the Ameircan-Jewish/Israeli community.
They are rarely, if ever, out-front in American politics. When Lieberman ran for the Veep chair, I figured a lot of Americans would not want a Jew in such a high position. Now, I see this in the opposite manner. Jews, particularly dual-Jewish/Israeli Americans, would not want him out front or even directly behind the guy who would be in the lead. It would send a lot of anger, most appropriately, toward Israel.
And Isreali-American Jews could not have that. Nor could or would Israelis back in Palestine.
No Lieberman is not a dual citizen. Virtually no American Jews who live in this country are. Dual citizenship is limited to Americans who emigrate to Israel (although, I suppose, you can return to the US and keep it). Bottom line; American Jews are US citizens. Period.
Same with the Jewish liberals/progressives in congress. Where’s Bernie Sanders? Barbara Boxer? Jan Schakowsky?
For that matter, has Keith Ellison said anything about the E-1 settlement plan?
The conspiracy of silence is simply amazing. You get the feeling that if someone, particularly, a Jewish member, would stand up and make a forceful denunciation, the damn would break. It’s not like the days of McCloskey and Findlay, when those speaking out could be isolated and brushed off as “anti-Semites.” There is a large constituency, particularly among rank and file Democrats, willing to step up if only someone in leadership would break the ice of silence.
I agree, and I can’t wait for that particular dam to break. I wonder if we will find the big database, where each person’s transgressions are recorded, Stasi-like. Maybe there will be truth and reconciliation trials for Foxman and Kristol, and we will be able to FOIA ourselves to see what denunciations have occured over the years, where your (seemingly) harmless old crone aunt who saw you eat pork dumplings when you were 12 took notice of your rebellious streak, or you went to the british press with proof of israeli nuclear duplicity (yes, vannunu). Let the inquisition commence!