Jews Should Learn from African Americans and Move On

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As Israel ends its Gaza invasion and I, as a Jew, question the morals and effectiveness of this military campaign, as I objected that of the invasion of Lebanon in 2006, I still hear the old appeasement song. I hear it again, again, and again from my Jewish friends. I am wrong in questioning these military campaign because the enemy is Hitler. Hitler, Hitler Hitler. Hezbollah is Hitler, Hamas is Hitler, Iran is Hitler, the Palestinians are Hitler, the Arabs are Hitler. They are all for the systematic extermination of the Jewish people. And when voices are heard in Europe, USA and other regions; when commentators disapprove of the methods used by the Israeli government when dealing with Hezbollah and Hamas, my Jewish relatives are quick to dismiss those as opinions of antisemites. In their mind people who disagree with the foreign policy of Israel are simply waiting for the enemies of the Jewish people to complete the work they left undone by the Nazis. For them the Palestinians are not a people with valid claims to a country that I hope they get as soon as possible. For some of them the Palestinians are a neo Nazi group that was created to make sure that Hitler's final solution gets finally....implemented.

Now let's compare the situation of the Jews to that of the African Americans for a moment. African Americans deserve to be mentioned in the Jewish debate because they were, as recently as 1960 in USA discriminated against in the most virulent forms. The country that now has an African American President did not allow African Americans to sit in an empty bus seat because it was reserved for whites. And in the previous centuries African Americans were sold as cattle, enslaved for life, frequently raped and killed without charges. As such the history of African Americans is comparable in horror to that of Jewish history. And in some ways it is worse because the "regime" that abused and terrorized them is in a way, still in power.

Yet somehow, the vast majority of African Americans do not believe that slavery or mass prejudice could ever happen to them again. I don't see too many Black people worried that tomorrow somebody will enslave them again. But unfortunately, many Jews still believe that another dictator intent on wiping the Jewish people, could arise at any moment in the world and frequently confuse people who see Israel as their enemy as people who want to exterminate all Jews around the world. And while it is true that there are some rabid racists in the world who wish all Black people dead and all Jewish people dead they are a minority to be considered but not to worry about them on a daily basis.

But some Jewish commentators believe that big time antisemitism is still alive in the United States. As we know, Obama's Muslim ancestry was an issue for Jews in America as some saw that Hussein middle name as a potential sign that it maybe him who endangers Jewish life as we know it in the future. As unlikely as it sounds I have Jewish American friends who still argue that Jews are safer in Israel than in USA or worse that Jews in USA are safer in USA thanks to the existence of Israel, something that if true, it's probably true the other way around. Most Jews still believe that the State of Israel exists to provide a safe heaven to the Jews of the Diaspora. But now, surrounded by hundreds of millions of enemies, I believe that without the Jews of the Diaspora, and especially without the Jews in the United States the State of Israel would be endangered. As military technology improves and becomes available for all it is hard to see how 5 million Jews can defend themselves against so many rich and well armed enemies who in some cases directly support Hamas and Hezbollah. The chances that Jews are picked up country after country by Neo Nazis and exterminated as it happened during WWII is as probable as the chance that the same happens to Gays, Blacks, native Americans or any other minority that used to be discriminated against. Almost zero. Instead, the chances that Islamic terrorists or Islamic states end up defeating or greatly damaging Israel with the use of advanced weapons over the next 20 years are significant. And it is my opinion that invasions such as that of Lebanon or Gaza increase the possibility of this tragic event happening. If there is ever another holocaust again in my view it will sadly happen in Israel. But this is not because the anti semites are winning. This is because the creation of the state of Israel was accompanied by the displacement of the Palestinians and the Palestinian issue must be solved. The dangers that Israel faces is not a Jewish issue anymore. Israel is a mostly Jewish country at war with enemies for reasons that are not antisemitism per se but are geopolitical in nature.

I firmly believe in the right of Israel to exist but oppose the recent policies of the Israeli government including the invasion of Lebanon and of Gaza because I believe that both invasions are unethical and moreover, tactically wrong. They are unethical because in both cases Israel is attacking, killing and greatly damaging the infrastructure of other countries or quasi countries (Lebanon and Gaza) in retaliation for dangers that are minimal. Casualty ratios of 900 to 13 can hardly be called a war regardless of the fact that human life should be impervious to mathematics. In Spain where I live we take higher number of casualties from Islamic and Basque terrorists. I am not happy to live in Madrid 10 minutes from an airport that was partly blown up a year ago with 2 casualties. But I do not want my government to send helicopters to Bilbao to shoot missiles at the Basque terrorists who are guilty of that crime. Such action would only make it more likely for ETA to recruit members and grow. Where 5 are killed, 50 others would arise. Moreover, in asymmetrical warfare of the kind that Israel fights, the danger to Israel is not that it is defeated by the regular armies of its neighbors, the danger is that its neighbors evolve to have better and better terrorist weapons and that next time Israel is hit with 4000 missiles these actually hit their targets. I am concerned that Israel is precipitating the evolution of Hamas into a more sophisticated enemy. And it is only a matter of time for terrorist technology to get better. Terrorism is defeated by making it harder for terrorists to recruit and evolve, not by attacking terrorists hidden among the general population with regular armies and killing hundreds of children whose siblings will grow up with the single minded purpose of destroying you. Terrorism is defeated as we do in Spain by patiently making the case for terrorists weaker, not by military force.

Furthermore I see another risk and that is that as Israel escalates in violence the Muslim world unifies against it. Yes I do know that Fatah hates Hamas and that the Muslim world is divided in all sorts of battles. I do know that in the last 20 years over a million Muslims have died killed by Muslims and less than 10,000 killed by Jews in all sorts of Muslim-Muslim conflicts such as the Iran Iraq war or the constant Sunni and Shia conflicts. But there are many Muslim leaders out there who are waiting for a unifying theme to get to rule whole Muslim world. Osama Bin Laden tries, Ahmadinejad tries, and unfortunately the theme of exterminating Israel grows more popular every year. Indeed Ahmadinejad seems to have better than Osama Bin Laden because he picked Israel and not USA as his stated enemy and now Al Qaeda seems to also be shifting in that direction.

So before invading a country, destroying its infrastructure, because they kidnap some soldiers as in the case of Lebanon, or because they throw potentially lethal rockets after a truce as in the case of Gaza, I think that Israel should think about how easier it makes the life of Islamic terrorist recruiters when it retaliates with tremendous force. Terrorists feed on anger and invasions, air bombardments, massive killings are certainly valid reasons for the attacked population to be angry about. Jews should learn from African Americans and realize that it is possible to be discriminated in the past, to be hated in the past, to be enslaved in the past, to be abused in the past and somehow...not be hated in the future. That if you lose a few soldiers is bad, but creating the conditions to lose your whole country is worse. Jews seem to talk about history as if it is destiny when instead I believe it is the destiny of the current generation of Jews to change history forever and make peace. Jews should learn to distinguish from the people who hate them because of territorial claims and the rest of the world who temporarily hates them because of the way they react against people who have territorial claims. These claims, while not valid in the case of the Lebanese, are pretty valid in the case of the Syrians and the Palestinians and as Jews we must acknowledge this and move back towards Oslo. Jews should learn that the reason why most people in secular Europe dislike us Jews is for the aggressive policies of the State of Israel. Jews should not confuse disagreement with Israel's foreign policy with the virulent racism that characterized societies of 70 years ago. This type of racist thinking is historically over. It´s over against African Americans and its over against Jews. Indeed it is so over that in the current anti Israel demonstrations in Europe the right wing parties, traditionally known as Neo Nazis were not present. Moreover I am convinced that if tomorrow Israel and Palestine learn to live in peace most people around the world will forget about both countries. They will be as relevant to the world as Croatia and Serbia are today. An irrelevance that is surprisingly great as a country tries to rebuild its future in a peaceful manner.

The present dislike for Jews around the world is not because of rampant global antisemitism but because most non Jews and non Muslims believe that Israel is reacting too strongly and too unfairly to the aggression it receives. Of course Israel has the right to defend itself. But while at the beginning of its history the world saw Israel as a country trying to survive, now the world sees Israel as a country using excessive force against the right of another country to exist. The best hope for Israel is that Palestine has a strong leader, that Israel can deal with in matters of security. Even as enemies Israel and USA are better off when the enemy is a state and not a terrorist entity. Until such leader arises Israel will not be safe but Israel must know that this leader will be somebody that is hard to deal with. History has many former terrorists who became respected leaders including some of the founders of the State of Israel. A strong leader who focuses on peace maybe difficult to deal with, but it will not be hard as fighting the Hamas Hydra that Israel is currently confronting.

Comments

[ABCVoter]

Wrt. Martin's comment, "Where 5 are killed, 50 others would arise."

On that link I provided (the former IDF soldier's blog) please note the photo of the boy standing in front of the oncoming tank. As adults we need to reflect on this seriously.

An entire generation of children is growing up believing this is the norm and war is a game of chicken. Hatred and the seeds of revenge ("Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth") are being sown into the hearts of children who should be in school, learning about consideration for others, science, nature, other cultures, languages......HOW TO MAKE A KITE for goodness sake!

This is how the "Where 5 are killed, 50 others would arise" could become self-fulfilling: a child sees their family and friends being killed and swears vengeance. They're conditioned towards violence and the propagation of it rather than peace.

A friend made me aware that 47% of the Gaza population are under the age of 14. A BBC report highlighted that 55% are under the age of 16. Moreover, 98% of children in Gaza will be traumatized by the ongoing violence:

* http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/48580.php

It is shameful that the adults are not negotiating and implementing peace agreements to prevent this.

Let's cast aside the "Is there anti-Semitism / anti-Palestinian?" positions. Let's ask ourselves:

WHAT CAN WE DO TOGETHER TO ENABLE CHILDREN ON BOTH SIDES TO BUILD KITES RATHER THAN BE BOMBED?

[ABCVoter]

Ok, you don't seem to have published Part I:

Martin,

Con respecto completo, esta comparación entre el African-American y los judíoses absurda. La situación del African-American sería mejor ser comparado con apartheid y también la servidumbre de indios durante la regla del Raj antes de la independencia de 1947.

Nevertheless, there is some validity in the crux of your argument: it’s unreasonable for Jews to go into auto-pilot and imagine that every political group / country X want to complete Hitler’s ideology of Zionist extermination and for Israel to retaliate or make a pre-emptive military strike when diplomatic and political options are available and can be negotiated and enforced.

Anyone of a sound, objective and analytical mind and modus would question the proportionality of Israel's recent offensive in Gaza (1414 Palestinians killed compared with 13 Israelis and US$2+ billion of reconstruction needed). Tzipi Livni explained in BBC interviews about the constant bombardment of southern Israel by Hamas rockets over the last eight years before Israel decided to go into Gaza on 27 December 2008.

This position is nonsensical; no country would wait 8 years to defend itself and then do so conveniently before Obama’s inauguration. Moreover, Israel censored the media to reduce any evidence of any contraventions of international human rights laws they may have committed. This is no better than the way extremist regimes like the Nazis tried to suppress evidence of their actions.

One life and one lost voice is one too many.......

[ABCVoter]

PART II

Wrt anti-Semitism, some of the most successful, “top of their professions" and recognized entrepreneurs / film producers / bankers / industrialists / artists etc in the world are Jewish immigrants (from Russia, Central Europe and Israel itself) resettled in the US, scattered across Europe and even in China so there's hardly sufficient weight to any "Poor us, we're so discriminated against and vilified" claims.

In any case, these links may be worth reading for perspective from both sides (Israeli and international):


* http://ayende.com/Blog/archive/2009/01/05/politics-morality-isnt-math.aspx


• http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090112/falk?rel=rightsideaccordian

For those interested in contributing to mapping potential solutions rather than contributing to the conflict (actual, moral and intellectual) please add your US$0.02 here:

* http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/mapping-the-crisis-in-gaza-1226554.html

It would also help if we all informed ourselves about the PRECISE wording and conditions in previous attempts at reaching a Peace Agreement since 1967 (SCR 242, Camp David (Carter), Madrid, Oslo, Camp David (Clinton), Arab League, Quartet Road Map, Geneva et al).

Then maybe collectively identify the components which work for both sides from each of these peace plans.

Now THAT would be worth applying our brain cells to rather than debate whether the situation of Jews are comparable with African-Americans.

[Sorry, Martin, you have a platform but you're not using it constructively in this case.]

[exotic]

great article

[driven989]

As someone who lives in Spain, this author better oppose the Israeli massacres in Gaza and Lebanon because if he did not, he would be a minority of ONE in that country. I have lived in Madrid myself, and Spaniards (and those who live Basque country) are fully united in their support for Palestinian justice -- not doubt about that.

[Americafirst2008]

Well said.

also it's more like 25 million people died in WWII, they got over it, stop beating a dead horse and using this to murder children in Gaza.

Racism is alive and well in the Arab world but it's also very alive in Israel among racist settlers who feel all americans not of their faith are inferior.

[LogicCircuit]

You perfectly verbalized what I have on my mind for some time now. It's so frustrating not to be able to have a real dialog about Israels policies, because of antisemitism mccarthyism.

I live in Israel so whenever I speak out against the war or vote left, I'm a traitor and should be exiled to Gaza. I suppose when I finally get my green card, I'll become an antisemite :)

More people should speak out the way you do!

[powercosmic]

What I find truly amusing about many of the responses to Mr. Varsavsky's spot on elucidation is that many "Israel Boosters" will:

(A) Criticize Mr Varsavsky as "naive" (this is pompous, presumptuous)

(B) They will then claim that the horrific Israeli policies are the ONLY route to take, (wrong, this is what the article points out)

(C) Lastly, almost all will point out that Israels enemies are growing stronger, and thereby inadvertently asserting that Mr. Varsavsky is correct. (The policies are failing)

See Martin you are right.

[powercosmic]

Mr. Varsavsky this is the most eloquent and intelligent expression of the middle east condition regarding Israel and Palestine.

Israeli Jews are infected with a self destructive self image of Holocaust group hysteria.

Particularly its leaders. That Israels ability would crumble without American weapons and aid should be alarming to most Israelis, time is not on their side. The middle east is thriving, Arab nations are thriving, and geopolitical power is shifting.

African Americans have indeed succeeded in a way that Jews down through history have not been able to, as an American who believes that conquering our Civil rights issues is probably our greatest achievement as a country.

I think that blacks in America succeeded because they did not have another country giving them the weapons of war and an unfair advantage over whites, this is how they overcame their stronger enemy.

Israel WILL NOT succeed with their current policies of living in the past and of fear and destruction .

[Michale32086]

"The Palestinians have discovered the way to destroy Israel."
-Jack Ryan, SUM OF ALL FEARS

The novel, not the movie..

Michale.......

[moflard]

In case you weren't aware - that's a work of FICTION.

[jlevyellow]

"Israel is reacting too strongly and too unfairly to the aggression it receives. "

Mr Varsavsky of course is joking. He could not possibly mean that entire populations of Israeli towns need to live 15 to 30 seconds from a bomb shelter. He could not possibly mean that sleep at night needs to be light in order to save your family when "Color Red" sounds. He could not possibly mean that parents have to dread allowing their children out to play at any time. Finally, he could not possibly mean that the occasional funeral of a friend or relative produced by random selection is acceptable.

Most important, Mr. Varsavsky could only write this sort of screed to Jews, since they are the only ones in the world who would understand his meaning. No one else in his right mind would accept the position of victim in the manner that he is proposing.

My guess is that Mr. Varsavsky has never been responsible for the safety of anyone else in the world but himself. He has never had to make policy decisions for people who put their trust in him. How much aggression would Mr. Varsavsky finally admit was too much for Israel before it had to use all force available to it to halt the daily rockets? How many precisely would have to die? His chuztpah is quite overwhelming and he probably does not even recognize it. Let him assume some responsibility for his pronouncements before putting pen to paper.

[aemathisphd]

I think this commentary is painfully naïve on two points. First, it's clear that anti-Semitism is at its worst worldwide as it's been since World War II. While, to some extent, this rise can be linked to the beginning of the Second Intifada, at the same time, this fails to explain why you have a small but vocal community of people who believe that the Mossad carried out the 9/11 attacks or that Jews were warned prior to the attacks to vacate the World Trade Center. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion are back in print in the Middle East and the Hamas Charter singles out not Israelis solely, but Jews everywhere.

Second, it is quite clear that institutionalized racism against African-Americans is far from over, the inauguration of Barack Obama tomorrow notwithstanding. Let's not forget that Obama's experience is rather different from that of other black Americans, notably because he has NO ANCESTRY WHATSOEVER in slavery. He was raised by white Americans, though he certainly experienced racism in his life. His wife, however, is a different story, and as an African-American descended from slaves, she can speak to the issues perhaps better than he can.

But looking at this country and seeing far more people of color living in poetry than whites, I can't help but wonder whether institutionalized racism is really over. We should avoid seeing the Obama presidency as baptism from our original sin of slavery.

[powercosmic]

I think you are wrong and Mr. Varsavsky's is right, why?

Because his line of thinking would lead to policies that are the exact opposite of those that have failed for more than 40 years and given birth to Islamic Fundamentalism and Islamic Terrorism against America for its support of Israel.

But hey, Israel isn't my country or my problem, its survival (as a nation) wouldn't matter to me at all, I think that Israel should open its borders to Arabs and fully integrate Arabs into its population just as America has done but people of all stripes. Israel after all, does exist on Arab lands taken from Arabs in 1948 by the UN and the british. Its time to "Do The Right Thing"

Why doesn't Israel have more minorities in its government? Doesn't American aid to Israel come with guarantees of equality for all? I think that Mr. Obama should look into Israeli policies and start to regulate its aid to Israel based on PROGRESS on this issue.

[aemathisphd]

This response is flawed in assuming things about my positions and about the conflict itself that aren't true.

1. Fundamentalism goes back long before Zionism and Hamas owes its existence to the Islamist movement in Egypt between the wars.

2. While I believe there has been a spike in anti-Semitism, I don't agree with most of Israel's policies.

3. Israel didn't "steal" land. Partitioned by the U.N. was accepted by the Zionists. The Palestinians could've had a much larger state than they'll ever see today if they'd accepted partition, but I more blame the Arab bloc than the Palestinians themselves. Furthermore, to suggest Israel cease to exist as a Jewish state is to ignore that this won't happen because Israel won't let it happen, nor does the Palestinian population wish to rule over Jews. That's why separation is not only desirable, but necessary.

4. Israel's existence isn't contingent on U.S. aid. That the Israel Lobby is so successful in getting massive aid for Israel isn't proof that Israel requires the aid. They could fight Hamas and Hezbollah with less developed weapons and still win. The other Arab nations have no desire for conflict with Israel, as was clearly shown over the past month. Nevertheless, I agree that aid to Israel should be suspended pending a peace agreement.

5. Israel has minorities in its government, the cabinet, and judiciary. Arab parties were in governments in Israel into the 1980s. It's important to know the facts before providing opinions.

[ephd]

Continued from last post: Lets be clear, I think that the author makes SOME valid points about Israel, or atleast points that raise concern even for supporters of Israel such as myself. Also, I DO believe that racism against blacks continues to exist in the USA and that some of the claims of racism are well founded. However, when an author writes an article claiming that Jews worrying about anti-semitism are basically like the boy who cried wolf and need to learn from the black population how to cope with a history of descriomination and move on without seeing racism everywhere. Well, that in my opinion is rediculous and suggests to me that the author is a typical liberal. He decides on who the poor victims should be (e.g., blacks, Gays, African American, Palestinians) and glorifies them to the point that they can do no wrong. Other groups (e.g., Israel, zionists) are the bad guys and can do no right. While Neither groups is all good or all bad, the authors position seems to me to be based on a deep need to be a liberal and espouse liberal viewpoints without even weighing the voracity of his claims.

[Roman Sandler]

"But unfortunately, many Jews still believe that another dictator intent on wiping the Jewish people, could arise at any moment in the world and frequently confuse people who see Israel as their enemy as people who want to exterminate all Jews around the world."

Germany under the Weimar republic was the international model of a liberal open society. WIthin only a decade it deteriorated into a culture that supported the idea of genocide. If it can happen in Germany to the Jews it can happen to anyone anywhere. We must be constantly vigilant to fight any signs of intolerance, bigotry, and racism, (as for instance taught to Muslim children) whether it be to Gays, Muslims, Jews, Whites, or Blacks, Men, or Women!! To say it can never happen again is irresponsible. I hope it never happens again, and the only way to insure that is constant vigilance (as done by many of the Jewish leaders you criticize) not armchair wishful thinking!

[Roman Sandler]

"As such the history of African Americans is comparable in horror to that of Jewish history"

There definitely are similarities. There are also differences. One such difference is that noone today threatens to enslave balcks. On the other hand, millions of muslim children around the world are systematically indoctrinated to hate and despise ALL JEWS, not just Israelis. Furthermore, who are you kidding. Before the election (and I assume after also) Blacks have very often, and sometimes quite correctly, shouted accusations of racism. The case-in-point is Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and that whole gang. Need I say more?