filed under Activism | Election 2008
Obama and the Hebrews
7:14PM ON
02/09/2008
BY
Ariel Werner
I woke up to an e-mail this morning from my uncle, a Jewish lawyer in New York City. “Any truth to this?” he asked, and attached this article from The American Thinker, in which Ed Lasky writes:
For all supporters of the America-Israel relationship there is enough information beyond the glare of the klieg lights to give on pause. In contrast to his canned speeches filled with “poetry” and uplifting aphorisms and delivered in a commanding way, behind the campaign facade lies a disquieting pattern of behavior.
Lasky proceeds to outline this pattern with explanations of Obama’s allegiances with anti-Israel advocates, his support from George Soros, and his stance on Iran and Iraq. The article is skillfully written, and it terrifies me. Lasky and others in the Jewish community who would analyze Obama’s background for hints of Anti-Semitism, Anti-Zionism, or Arabism join in the unfortunate trend of Jewish hatemongering in our political sphere.
In his book If You’re an Egalitarian, How Come You’re So Rich? neo-Marxist philosopher G. A. Cohen writes:
I am still not a Zionist, but a Jew does not have to be a Zionist to feel strongly implicated in Israel’s fate. I have no use for the Israeli state, as such, just as I have no use for any other state, but I care disproportionately about the fate of the Jewish people there. I do not have the indifference to the Jews of Israel which is felt or faked by many Jewish leftists. I feel a strong identification not so much with Israel as such but certainly with its Jewish population, and I care about their safety, and about their deeds. When Americans kill Vietnamese, when Indonesians kill East Timorese, when Soviets mow down Czechs, when Serbs murder Bosnians, I am angry, frustrated, and sad. But when Israelis, under whatever provocation, blow up houses and kill men, women, and children in the occupied territories, there is blood on my own hands and I weep with shame.
His words have always resonated with me. Last year, I went as a stooge to the 2007 AIPAC Policy Conference in DC. I found myself surrounded by Israel policy advocates who seemed to believe that the current situation in the Middle East is a zero-sum game, that hatred directed towards Jews can be quashed by hatred towards Arabs, and that we must encourage the Israeli government to mirror America’s own catastrophic foreign policy decisions.
I struggle to understand how organizations like AIPAC can devote so much time, money, energy, and manpower to the cause of Israel’s foreign policy when our own country is plagued by such devastating inequalities. American Jews face the timeless question: Am I a Jewish American, or an American Jew? Living, as I do, in the United States, where my family has worked to achieve a life of comfort since my grandmother arrived here during World War II, I feel a calling to devote myself to the issues at hand in this nation.
At the Policy Conference, I sat in on a panel where an AIPAC outreach director pushed Congressman Wynn from my home state of Maryland and two other black elected officials on the matter of support for Israel in the black community. “How can we gain more supporters in the black community?” the gentleman asked Wynn. I was outraged. Until the Jewish community unites around combating issues facing the black community–such as educational inequality, mass incarceration, housing discrimination, and police brutality–how can we pressure black politicians to unequivocally support Israel? The Jewish community, in my opinion, seems to have forgotten its once-celebrated alliance with oppressed peoples. Perhaps it would be hypocritical to support America’s oppressed black population while imposing a parallel situation on Palestinians in Israel. Nevertheless, I cannot help but imagine how much might be accomplished in the realm of combating racism and inequality in America with the human and tangible resources I saw at the AIPAC.
It is this same cohort–the Israel lobby, dare I use the phrase–that has dedicated itself to attacking Obama’s candidacy.
On January 16, Ben Smith reported that Jewish voters were leaning towards Hillary Clinton. At the time, Jewish political circles were involved in the viral e-mails denouncing Obama’s character, background, and foreign policy stances.
One characterizes Obama, who is Christian, as a sort of crypto-Muslim Manchurian candidate. It has reportedly appeared in Hebrew translation, as well as in a more widely circulated English version. Another e-mail, circulating in New York Jewish circles, holds the fact that he studied at Columbia University — “a hotbed of controversial, Middle Eastern studies teachers” — against him.
Others in the Jewish community, however, have worked to counter these unfounded anti-Obama claims. In an Open Letter to the Jewish Community, key leaders, such as ADL Director Abe Foxman, wrote:
These tactics attempt to drive a wedge between our community and a presidential candidate based on despicable and false attacks and innuendo based on religion. We reject these efforts to manipulate members of our community into supporting or opposing candidates.
Obama has also gained the support of the pro-Israel New York Sun, which wrote in an editorial:
He has chosen to put himself on the record in terms that Israel’s friends in America, at least those not motivated by pure political partisanship, can warmly welcome.
Daniel Levy, a seasoned Israeli foreign policy expert, outlined the Israeli/Jewish case for Obama in an article on the Huffington Post. He concludes:
Israel’s supporters in America should not feel excluded or alienated from the excitement that surrounds the hope that is Obama, they have every reason, in fact, to embrace and be a part of it.
Perhaps, however, the most eloquent description of Obama’s Jewish problem is that of Michael Lerner, who explains:
Obams’s problem is that his spiritual progressive worldview is in conflict with the demands of the older generation of Jews who control the Jewish institutions and define what it is to be pro-Jewish, while his base consists of many young Jews who support him precisely because he is willing to publicly stand for the values that they hold. We can expect that this tension will be central should Obama win the nomination. But once in office, whether Obama actually pursues policies that are in accord with his highest beliefs as a spiritual progressive, or whether he finds it “too unrealistic” to try to buck the spineless Democrats who will bow to the Israel Lobby automatically, depends on whether we can build a powerful enough movement of ordinary citizens to push for a peace that provides security for Israel and justice for the Palestinian people. Obama has made it clear he would want to do that.
I am saddened and discouraged by the standards to which the Jewish community is holding Barack Obama. I hope my people remember the meaning of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world, before it’s too late, and we’ve wasted our best chance to bring peace to the Middle East.
February 10th, 2008 at 3:42AM
Ted Baar Says:
Of course Obama does have deep connections with the Left’s growing Anti-Israel tendencies and their bankers such as George Soros. Got news for you lefties; truth is not hate, it’s just truth.
Oh, you might look into his church run by a race baiting Afro-Centrist who has no time for the evil white people. Read a few of his sermons, if you ever read anything that disagrees with you world view.
[Reply]
February 10th, 2008 at 10:30AM
Mike Schwartz Says:
“uncle, a Jewish lawyer in New York City. “Any truth to this?” ”
Ariel - you come close to the classic self-hating Jew.
Is there any reason to bring up the profession of your uncle - other than to reinforce classic anti-semitic stero-types of Jews?
In what way does your uncle’s career matter vis a vis his opinion.
Please try chilling a bit.
[Reply]
February 10th, 2008 at 10:37AM
Mike Schwartz Says:
Ariel-
Another odd point.
You excoriate Rep. Segal for taking an overly public stance in defending himself from inappropriate/baseless attacks from the Planned Parenthood RI staff.
Yet - you are more than willing to launch attacks publicly against fellow Jews.
It is without a doubt that the type of charges you level will be used by those who really are trying to damage Israel’s security.
Why not work within the Jewish community - quietly of course - to try to connect with those that are pushing for more peaceful coexistence with Israel’s neighbors.
There are plenty of Jews both here and Israel that believe in that direction.
Peace.
[Reply]
February 10th, 2008 at 11:30AM
joe Says:
tikkun olam is what inflames a lot of anti semitism to begin with-a little less meddling is what jews should consider-especially when they open themselves to charges of hypocrisy-”do as i say,not as i do”-charley bakst case in point over there in lily white barrington-and i’m jewish by background so forget the accusation of “jew hater”
[Reply]
February 10th, 2008 at 6:37PM
Ariel Werner Says:
I find it incredibly sad that Jews cannot examine the character, beliefs, and nature of our people without being dubbed ’self-hating.’
I am not self-hating. I observed my Bat Mitzvah in Israel in 2000. I worked at an organization called the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism in 2003. I traveled to Israel for 5 weeks in 2004 with the Bronfman Youth Fellowship, a program devoted to enhancing pluralistic dialogue across the various denominations of Judaism. I served as an officer in my temple youth group as Social Action Vice-President, President, and President ex-officio during my high school years. In the summer of 2006, I worked at the DC-based Foundation for Middle East Peace with former Ambassador Philip Wilcox and researcher Geoffrey Aronson, an expert on Israel’s relationship with Hamas and Hezbollah. I celebrate Shabbat nearly every Friday with Ari’s family here in Providence.
I am NOT a self-hating Jew. I am proud of Judaism’s longstanding tradition of learning and dialogue. What would Judaism be without its history of self-reflection? The Talmud and Tanach are two important texts that embody this traditional reflection. Yom Kippur, the holiest day on our calendar, is devoted entirely to self-analysis, repentance, and reconciliation. I understand your point that, perhaps, we should question these matters internally. But how can we air our agenda externally but reflect only internally? Do you believe that all minority communities should limit their self-examination to conversations within the group?
And, Joe, I completely disagree with you. Tikkun Olam is NOT what inflames anti-Semitism. We are rarely criticized for good works in the community. We are more often condemned for our blank check support for Israel and our tendency to put intense economic pressure on public officials.
And as for my choice to refer to my Uncle as a Jewish lawyer, I considered it heavily before writing my post. I do feel that it is an important piece of descriptive information in explaining the circles in which these viral anti-Obama e-mails are circulating.
Cheers,
Ariel
[Reply]
February 10th, 2008 at 9:24PM
joe Says:
ariel-you are a young person- i am 61 and spent my life in places and occupations where there weren’t many jews-i was a border patrolman and used to drive around in a pickup off duty throwing beer cans out the window with my redneck buddies and occasionally they’d ask me-are you for real a jew,and i’d say yep and that would be it-the point being that jews should forget about being different and just be themselves-jews ARE NOT special in any way and we have no gretaer insight into what’s right and wrong than anyone else-and that’s why tikkun olam is so screwed up-my wife is an hispanic protestant and my daughter in law is a black baptist and my son in law is an irish catholic and we have no problems being a happy family -sorry if i seemed hard on you
[Reply]
February 10th, 2008 at 10:58PM
Ariel Werner Says:
Joe,
I realize that in my life, I have had less of a chance to experience anti-Semitism than my elders. I do not dispute the complexity of your experience with folks ambivalent about us Jews. I do, however, dispute what seems to be your definition of Tikkun Olam. I do not think your experience with your “redneck buddies” asking you if you are “for real a Jew” in any way suggests that Jews should not engage with the community or refrain from community service and activism. We are members of the communities in which we live and, as such, have a civic duty to engage with the issues facing community residents. I agree with you that we are “not special.” In fact, I have long been troubled by the Jewish concept of chosen-ness. [I am not self-hating, but I certainly have gripes with some aspects of our religion and people.] To me, Tikkun Olam, repairing the world, is the Jewish definition of social justice. Tikkun Nafshi, meanwhile, is the equally important act of repairing the self. I don’t privilege these Jewish ideals above other secular definitions of community service and self-reflection, but I am proud that they are important elements within Judaism.
[Reply]
February 10th, 2008 at 11:39PM
joe Says:
now i will defer to you on knowledge of jewish principles-i have little to none,even though i was bar mitzvahed(i read the prayers phonetically)-my grandmother knew a lot about being jewish,but somehow it never took with me-the last time i attended a rosh hashonah service was in nha trang,vietnam in september 1968 and we got mortared for 2 days straight-i don’t think the vc were anti semites in particular(trying to be funny) but it wasn’t much of a new year-well we both agree on that chosen business anyway-my great grandfather on my dad’s side was drafted into the russian army for 25 years-that was being chosen okay
[Reply]
February 11th, 2008 at 9:08AM
Obama and the Hebrews, Cont. | Providence Daily Dose Says:
[...] Cohen backs me up in the NYT: I believe Barack Obama is a strong but not uncritical supporter of Israel. That is what [...]