Voices

 

http://www.chijewishnews.com/aaron.jsp

 

Sept. 11, at least for awhile, brought out the best in Americans.

 

The intifada, so far at least, has brought out the worst in Jews.

 

More and more, worse and worse, every day.

 

Just about the worst is the decreasing tolerance being shown by Jews, the increasing McCarthyism being shown by Jews.

 

Jews are nothing if not a contentious people, with most holding strong views, with those views being all over the map. We are as diverse as a people come, as passionate as a people come, as ready, willing and able to argue why our position is right and yours is wrong, as a people come.

 

And all of that is what makes us so special, so strong. All of that has been our tradition from the beginning, has been what has kept us going and made us what we are.

 

Which is why nothing could be more shocking, or more unJewish, than the current effort by too many Jews to force the community to hear only one side, to not hear any side not espousing the Jewishly correct line of the moment.

 

Because of what's going on in Israel, many Jews, many too many Jews, believe Jews are not allowed to utter any word that is in any way critical of Israel or supportive of peace with the Palestinians. Period. No exceptions.

 

Because of what's going on in Israel, many Jews, many too many Jews, have confused unity with uniformity. And too many right wing Jews have emotionally terrorized the community so as to try and prevent Jews from having access to any perspective other than theirs.

 

I have long said that one of the tragedies of the failure of the peace process is that that failure has emboldened the right wing among us, those who never gave peace a chance, who did not want a real peace and do not want a real peace, who will never support giving the Palestinians a state, no matter of what size or shape, who will never think of Palestinians as our equals, as human beings, as deserving to live side by side with Israel in dignity.

 

For these right wingers, it's not about borders or refugees or land or any issue, for that matter. After all, issues can be resolved and for them, all Palestinians are animals out to destroy us, and that is the only thing that matters. For them, it's might makes right, Jews are in control and in power and so why should we share. Jews won the land fair and square so why should we make a deal.

 

Not only is this an incredibly short- sighted and ugly perspective, one that plays on our fears and preys on our prejudices, but it is weak and indefensible. The proof of its weakness is that the right never has the guts to give the other side. You never see a right wing publication print even one article providing the perspective of those in support of the peace process, never see a right wing organization feature someone speaking in support of the peace process.

 

The right believes it is right and that's that. No need to give any airing at all to the other side. Indeed, the only need is to stifle the other side, call them names, label them traitors, try to destroy them.

 

Now that the right mistakenly believes they have "won," that their view has prevailed, their intolerance is worse than ever.

 

We saw that most vividly last week in Chicago when a bunch of right wing thugs, McCarthy-like Jews did all they could to prevent Sari Nusseibeh from speaking here.

 

Nusseibeh is a Palestinian leader and that, for them, was enough to try to shut him up. Forget that he is the leading voice for peace among Palestinian leaders, forget that he has had the guts to publicly condemn suicide bombing and done it in Arabic, in Arabic newspapers, has had the guts to publicly tell Palestinians to forget about a right of return. Forget the fact that just this week, Fatah, Yasser Arafat's organization, blasted Nusseibeh for all his talk about living peacefully with Israelis.

 

Here is a guy we should be applauding for his courage and for his reaching out to Israel, someone we should be eager to hear and dialogue with. But let's forget all that. Let's say the right is right that you can't trust him, that he's just like all the others. That is one thing. It is quite another to not allow him to talk to us.

 

The right believes it knows everything, is always right. And so only it knows who has the right to talk to the Jewish community. And so if you don't make its approved list, meaning if you think any way except how it does, meaning if you don't think all Palestinians are terrorists and that there can never be a Palestinian state no matter what, you have no right to be heard by the Jewish community. Period. No exceptions.

 

The right would have the Jewish community be what Judaism has never been. Monolithic, intolerant, one- sided.

 

And because of what's going on in Israel at the moment, because what's going on has many of us worried, many of us scared, the right is particularly feeling its oats at the moment, is in full flower, doesn't even go through the motions, pretend, to be reasonable or fair.

 

Nusseibeh was but one example of that. In a week or so, a Zionist organization is having a forum on whether there should be a two-state solution. Are they going to really examine that issue, give both sides, all perspectives? Are you kidding. All three members of the panel, as well as the moderator, are right-wingers, one more right wing than the next, each, all rabid opponents of the peace process. There will not be one voice advocating for a two state solution in this forum on whether there should be one.

 

Is that the Jewish way? Is that Jewish education? Is that examining a vital issue? Nope, it's we're right and that's that. Any Jew on the other side is an Arab loving, Jew hating, enemy of Israel .

 

And even the Israeli Embassy in Washington is getting into the act. There are many of us who believe the Jewish community is insane to be embracing Evangelical Christians solely because they are strong supporters of Israel . Evangelical Christians are no friends of the Jews and many of us believe we ought to be careful about jumping into bed with them.

 

Others, of course, see it differently, are glad for the support. And that's fine. I believe all positions are valid, all have a right to be heard, all opinions should be aired.

 

Evidently, however, the spokesman for the Israeli Embassy doesn't agree. Here's what he said when told some in the Jewish community think it's a mistake to be cozying up to the Evangelicals.

 

"Jews should have enough self- confidence in their own identity not to fear or be intimidated by Christian groups that are supportive of Israel."

 

Reading that took my breath away. The Israeli Embassy is supposed to represent all Jews, respect all Jewish points of view. And yet here is its spokesman saying there's something wrong with the Jewishness of any Jew who ain't ready to hug Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. Meaning, Jews, do it this way or, well, let's just say you ain't really Jews or, at least, defective ones.

 

That is the way things are in today's 'there's only one right answer' Jewish world.

 

How far this attitude has gone is something I take very personally. For it has hit me in a very personal way.

 

I have put off writing about this for months and months, not sure if I should or I shouldn't. I do so now because I see more and more the intimidation going on in this community, the threats to organizations, the name calling of any Jew not following the right wing line. It's as if anyone who in any way says anything about Israel not approved by the right wingers, has no right to say, or to be.

 

There is a rabbi in this community who I respected more than any other, someone I considered a friend, even a father figure.

 

He is an older man, a man considered perhaps the greatest fund raiser in Chicago Jewish history, his annual dinner being the biggest of them all. He's seen Israel from its birth, seen it struggle, seen it threatened, seen it fight war after war.

 

I understand that, I really do. And so I understood when he wasn't happy with me when, in my columns, I so strongly supported the peace process.

 

That this paper, in its news pages, gave wide and full airing to those who opposed the process, didn't get credited, let alone noticed. What mattered, all that mattered, was that my column strongly expressed why the peace process was the right thing to do.

 

I believed that because I so love Israel, so want what's best for Israel, so want Israel to be strong and to be all it can be, for its people to flourish.

 

Somehow, though, this rabbi either didn't believe that or couldn't accept that someone could love Israel if they were for the peace process. And so this man began to hate me, to treat me in hateful ways, to call me names, to accuse me of wishing the destruction of the state of Israel .

 

Okay, I understood. He was mad, he remembers the days when Israel was in danger of being thrown into the sea, he doesn't believe Palestinians can be trusted, he feels the peace process was dangerous for Israel . And so my supporting it, he believed, was outrageous.

 

But that's one thing. Something I could accept. I take strong stands and so must expect and accept that some will react strongly to them. And when the issue is as important as peace and the well-being of Israel , emotions run very high, feelings very deep.

 

But there is a line. Or at least there should be. And this man who thinks himself a good Jew, is, indeed, a man who has raised millions for Israel and made possible much good work, has crossed that line in a way I never thought a Jew, let alone a Jewish leader, would or could.

 

This man, during the last year, conducted a campaign in which he would call Jewish leaders, urging them to help him put this newspaper out of business.

 

You read that right. He took the time, made the effort to call leaders of Jewish organizations, prominent members of the community in an effort to silence me.

 

It is one thing to disagree. It is quite another to try to destroy.

 

When several of the people who had gotten such calls, called me to tell me, I was absolutely stunned. I am used to getting nasty letters, being called names while sitting in shul, being labeled all kinds of things for being in favor of the peace process. But I never imagined a Jew, a Jewish leader could act in such a way, try to do such a thing. Be so sure he is right, be so sure that I am wrong, that he convinced himself that he has the duty to shut me up, shut me down.

 

Talk about McCarthyism.To him, my voice has no right to be heard. Period. Forget that I love Israel. Forget the thousands upon thousands of articles supportive of this community this paper has done. I do not see things as he see things, so I am wrong and must be stopped, must be silenced. McCarthyism? Hell, that's Stalinism.

 

Thankfully, none of those who called me, agreed to help in his little plot, were, indeed, disgusted by it.

 

Indeed, all said that now more than ever, there must be in Chicago an independent Jewish newspaper, a place that gives voice to all voices, that airs all Jewish perspectives, not just the Jewishly correct ones of the moment. The Jewish world, they said, must hear what all have to say, more now than ever.

 

That someone in this rabbi's position, with his standing, could do such a thing, act in such a way, not only shook me to my core, but scared the hell out of me for this community and for the Jewish people.

 

It is precisely now, when we are scared, now, when we are worried, that we must hear what all have to say. What the hell is wrong with us that we are allowing some to attempt to stifle the very thing that has made Judaism so vibrant. We have never all agreed on everything, even the most important things. Indeed, our very strength comes from hearing different perspectives, listening to each other, learning from each other.

 

If we truly care about Israel , it is vital we hear what Sari Nusseibeh, a Palestinian leader, has to say. If we truly want to understand the ramifications and dangers and possibilities of a two-state solution, it is vital we hear both from those against it and those in favor of it.

 

What the right wingers don't understand is that it is diversity, being open to all views and ideas, that makes us strong and that leads us to make the wisest decisions. It is hearing only one side, not being willing to listen to any position other than our own, that is the ultimate weakness.

 

The right thinks they are Israel's best friends. The truth is quite the opposite. As much as they don't want to hear that.