-Caveat Lector- On 14 Jan 02, at 23:17, PNEWS.ORG wrote:
> > WHY I AM AN ANTI-ANTI ZIONIST > > by Gil Troy > > Perspectives," Canadian Jewish News, 31 May 2001, p. 11 - Posted > here in compliance with the Fair Use Doctrine for discussion and > educational purposes. > > In honor of Yom Ha'atzmaut this year, I wrote an essay for the > Montreal Gazette titled "Why I am a Zionist." The article sought > to return to basics during this difficult passage in Israel's > existence. To our non-Jewish friends, I tried to explain why > Zionism, which is Jewish nationalism, is no more racist than any > other form of nationalism. And to my fellow Jews, I tried to > emphasize the big picture beyond the messy and depressing > complexities of 2001. "A century ago, Zionism revived pride in > the label 'Jew,'" I wrote. "Today, Jews must revive pride in the > label Zionist." > > Throughout this essay, I was very careful to avoid addressing the > Palestinian question at all, beyond ending with a hope that just > as in the 20th century Israel made the Jewish dream of restoring > a homeland a reality, that in the 21st century Israel would > figure out how to reconcile with the Arab world and make the > dream of living in peace with her neighbors a reality. > > Nevertheless, some respondents caricatured my essay in subsequent > op-eds and in the "letters to the editor" section as an attack on > Palestinians and as a racist piece. These reactions made it very > clear. Far too many of Israel's enemies see any affirmation of > any kind of Zionism as an act of aggression against them. > > Even more disturbing were some of the responses the Gazette chose > not to publish. One pro-Palestinian organization defines itself > as "Anti-Zionist, Anti-Capitalist, Anti-racism, Anti-US global > hegemony, Anti-globalization!!" and "Pro-Hamas, Pro-Taliban, > Pro-all Islamic resistance movements fighting occupation and > oppression. AND MOST OF ALL PRO-ISLAM." The organization's Web > site posted a letter sent to the Gazette saying "'Why I'm a > Zionist' reminds me of other possible scenarios. Why I'm a KKK > member. To be proud repressing others, feeling superior and a > chosen people who deserve to kill, maim and torture.... God help > us when we can allow people to stand up and say 'Why I'm [a] > Terrorist, "Why I kill children,' 'Why I'm a Nazi,' 'Why I agree > with State sponsored Terrorism,' 'Why I bulldoze families home.'" > [sic] > > Perhaps most depressing was the letter from a Canadian man who > began with the by now knee-jerk (if conceptually paradoxical) > free association of Zionism "with Bolshevism, Nazism and racism > of the worst order." The man equated "the language the Nazis used > to describe the Jews in Germany in the 1930s and 40s and the > language now being used by the Ashkenazi Jews to describe the > natives of Palestine: snakes, sub-human, foreigners living on the > land God gave us, etc." > > As so many anti-Zionists do, the man then naturally segued into > the ugliest forms of anti-Semitism, saying "I understand why Herr > Hitler rose to power and why the Jewish holocaust - a harsh > reaction to the Jewish misdeeds - took place." Calling the "last > Jewish holocaust" an "act of 'divine justice,'" he concluded, > "You have, without realising [sic] it, given in your article 14 > reasons why the next holocaust is bound to occur.... Your article > tends to support the view that I have heard about as a child that > a Jew is born without a soul; he has no sympathy for anyone > unless his own interest is involved in it." > > These days, you do not need a Ph.D. to recognize that the Middle > East is a very confusing place. And I would never do what my > critics have done and tar all critics with the same brush. There > is a lot of room for honest and critical debate about Israeli > policy toward the Palestinians yesterday and today, and not > everyone who questions any Israeli action in any realm is > necessarily an Israel-hater or an anti-Zionist. > > Nevertheless, I wish to thank my critics for imposing a certain > conceptual clarity on the conflict. All Jews, all Canadians, all > people of good conscience throughout the world, should rise up > and strike down this anti-Zionist venom that has seeped into > daily political discourse. As the above examples indicate, such > new-fangled anti-Zionism is often hard to distinguish from > old-fashioned Jew hatred - no matter how many "man-bite-dog" > op-ed essays the few but loud anti-Zionist Jews may publish. We > have seen anti-Semitism blur with anti-Zionism in the Syrian > president's ugly anti-Jewish remarks when greeting the Pope; we > have seen anti-Zionism blur into anti-Semitism with the steep > rise in attacks on Jews in Canada and throughout the world since > September. > > It is tragic and ironic that this resurgence of anti-Zionism > comes almost a decade after Oslo, when, polls show, a majority of > Israelis and a majority of Jews throughout the world began to > acknowledge Palestinian nationalism. It is tragic and pathetic > that these blood libels, new and old, come after Ehud Barak > offered a sweeping set of concessions at Camp David last summer, > almost 97 percent of the territories. It is tragic and demonic > that these attacks on the right of Israel to exist are being > heard throughout the world and covering up many Palestinians' > resort to violence instead of peaceful negotiations. > > We in the Jewish community need to focus on these fundamental > issues, on the right of Israel to exist, and on many > Palestinians' violent repudiation of attempts at peace, even as > we struggle with the political, strategic, moral, and existential > challenges of today. We must not get so bogged down in apologias > and defensiveness that we ignore the bigger picture. A quarter of > a century ago, America's ambassador to the United Nations, Daniel > Patrick Moynihan, rejected the infamous UN "Zionism is racism" > resolution as "an obscene act." Moynihan later explained that he > recognized more than "uninformed bigotry" at play, "it is > conscious politics.... It is not merely that our adversaries have > commenced an effort to destroy the legitimacy of a kindred > democracy through the incessant repetition of the Zionist-racist > lie. It is that others can come to believe it also." > > The poisonous seeds Moynihan saw sown in the mid-1970s are > bearing deadly fruit today. We cannot sit by idly and let these > libels fester. We must as Jews and as proud citizens of a great > democracy stand up and fight. In Montreal, 105 Jewish > organizations from across the political and religious spectrum > have banded together in Project Solidarity to affirm the Jewish > community's support for the state of Israel and the people of > Israel. People are wearing blue and white ribbons to demonstrate > their support. Beyond this symbol, the project hopes to raise one > hundred thousand dollars -- representing one dollar for each Jew > in the community -- to support trauma facilities Israelis so > badly need at this time. > > We cannot afford today to be blase. We cannot keep on with > business as usual. Israel needs our help in fighting this war of > headlines and propaganda -- which distorts the truth and feeds > real violence in the Middle East. Jews in Montreal should be > vying for the honor to contribute to this project and raising > many times more than the one hundred thousand dollar goal. And > Jews throughout the world should follow this example. Not a > wedding should occur, not a bar or bat mitzvah should be > celebrated, in which a donation is not made -- by both hosts and > guests. Not a Jewish organization should meet, nor a Jewish > festivity be held, in which some affirmation of solidarity with > Israel, pecuniary and otherwise, is not made. The money will be > well-spent and the message will come through loud and clear: > whatever our differences, whatever our confusions, we reject the > anti-Zionist libels, we support the right of Israel to exist, and > pray desperately for a real peace, that satisfies as many people > as possible as soon as possible. > > Gil Troy is professor of history at McGill University. > > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > "The degree to which one is sensitive to other people's suffering, to > another's humanity, is the index of one's own humanity." > Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| > |||| | PNEWS-L - LISTSERV(tm) is a NEWSLETTER with 23 SYMPOSIUM > TOPICS | | TURN OFF topics you do not want - SUBMIT ESSAYS - > CRITIQUE ARTICLES | | Highest level of *NET SECURITY* ~ > Indexing-Digest-Search-Interface | | Topics= > ALERTS,HEALTH,INTERNET,ETHICS,REFUGEES,REVIEWS | | > HUMANITY,ANTI-SEMITISM,MISC,TERRORISM,LIBERTIES | | > ZIONISM,WOMEN,EMPIRE,ACTIVISM,CONFLICT,CAPITALISM | | > OPED,RHETORIC,POINTER,LETTERS,SOCIALISM,LAW | > | -*FREE NEWSLETTER*- mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > | | As of January 12th - 3,216 subscribers - On the Internet since > 1982 | > |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| > |||| > ___ > / o o \ > ===OO=====OO========================================================== > ==== = > "The Truth may not always win, but it is always right." 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