Tommy Lapid To U.S. Jewry: Grow A Pair
Facing the AIPAC scandal and a backlash over Israel’s arms sales to China, Israeli MK Tommy Lapid sees a conspiracy against US Jewry afoot in the highest levels of government, and in a op-ed for the Jerusalem Post, calls on the American Jewish community to step up before it’s Germany ’33 all over again.
I understand the desire of Jewish Diaspora leaders to bury their heads in a bowl of chicken soup until the storm blows over. Why cause unnecessary provocations? Why spark angry debates? Maybe we really were overly confident? Arrogant? Let’s behave like good children for a while.
I differ with that approach, even if it does contain a modicum of Jewish wisdom.
The “anti” people will draw encouragement from the silence of the Jewish leaders. They will conclude that American Jews can be put in their place before their hutzpa gets out of control.
Alan Dershowitz is fond of saying that the Jews of America are not guests in somebody else’s house. That being the case, a little Jewish courage wouldn’t hurt. America is basically an open and enlightened society. No senior official would want to be accused of anti-Semitic motives or even of hating Israel.
many jews are way too cowardly in the face of official antisemitism: the excessive sentence for pollard (the longest prison term in histroy for a spy for a friendly country); the aipac setup (who wouldnt respond when told jews were about to be murdered and no one was warning them) – most of america is projewish proisraeli, but there are rogue elements who need to be isolated – along with the anti jewishe intellegencia of this country (me study programs at columbia, the noam chompskys and finkelsteins of the world, the presbyterian ucc and anglican leadership, etc.)
Oh, yes! If-you’re-not-with-us-y ou’re-against-us language! Rock on!
Oh, and Mobius, I hope someone always calls you on it when you say stuff like “grow a pair.” Language matters.