Here is an update in the J Street Conference by Lori Marcus:
What, where, why, and what next
Here I am at the J Street Conference – it is now midday and although my head is spinning and there is so much to weave together, I’ll give you just some of the highlights:
Impressions from opening night:
- This new alliance of progressive Jewish Americans are here to tell you that they are the annointed ones who will bring peace to the Holy Land if only the world will shut up and let them work their magic. Never mind that the magic is never defined beyond “two states for two people,” and that the goal is to “remold Israel into a state of social justice, a state where people do right” and where everyone will ”model core Jewish values” of “peace and outstretched arms to our neighbors.”
Hmmm. Well, those are core humanist values, perhaps core progressive values, and values that many Jews hold dear, but those are not the core Jewish values. And that’s the biggest problem with this whole J Street charade of representing the “New Jewish” response to the conflict in the Middle East. Unless New Jewish means “not Jewish” in the same way that some people refer to the New Israel Fund as the “No Israel Fund.” There is nothing inherently and solely Jewish about the J Street approach. A perfect example of this was offered by Daniel Sokatch who is, not coincidentally, the new president of the New Israel Fund, a pea in the pod along J Street.
Here’s the shorthand for the issue, and later I will go into detail about how this theme plays out over and over again at this gathering.
Perhaps the best known biblical quotation, at least amongst non-observant Jews, and the one focused on by Sokatch, is “Justice, Justice Shalt Thou Pursue.” Deut. 16:20. This is the very core of Judaism, he explained to those gathered in the Washington D.C. Grand Hyatt at the kick-off of the J Street conference. But, perhaps unknown to Sokatch (maybe because all the lithographs and needlepoints only include these words), the phrase continues “so that you shall inherit the land.” Yes, that really is a core value of Judaism, and the land is Israel.
The ultimate inability to differentiate between what these New Jews want to call Jewish values and what are actually the core values of Judaism, is offensive. To say the least.
A few little tidbits from today’s sessions:
Hamas and Hezbollah must be included in the so-called Arab Peace Plan – a comprehensive regional plan that Israel must have forced on it by the wise Americans united under the Community Organizer in Chief. And what will Israel get out of committing itself to a peace process not only with the Arab Palestinians, but one that also includes all of the other Arab countries in the region? Yes, you heard it here (well, actually I heard it here, but I’m telling you), what Israel has to gain is: ‘THE FULL AND COMPLETE ACCEPTANCE OF ISRAEL IN THE MIDDLE EAST.” Alvaro de Soto, the Former Chief Middle East Envoy for the United Nations.
From grotesque to repulsive: In a panel on How Jews, Christians and Muslims Can Work Together For Peace, the moderator, Ron Young (co-founder National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace) made two simply astounding comments. First, in his opening anecdote (they all start with anecdotes, not a bad strategy, except when it is a bad anecdote) Young said that he had just seen a film at Theater J called “Pangs of the Messiah.” He told us he wants to make a follow-up film called, “Please Messiah, Stay Home.” No joke. Just a few moments later Young mentioned evangelical Christians, specifically Rev. Hagee , who Young said, “leads a group called ‘Christians United to Take Israel to Hell.’” This panel couldn’t quite keep straight whether religion should be used to lead to a peaceful resolution or if it is religion that is the problem. Interesting panel. Actually, not really.
On to more sessions: Maybe “Iran: Is Diplomacy Working?” or “Palestinian Economic Development: Path to Peace or Diversion? ” No joke. They’re trying to fool the Arab Palestinians into forgetting about their oppression through the wicked wiles of economic development. I think I’ll have to check that out.
What, where, why, and what next
Here I am at the J Street Conference – it is now midday and although my head is spinning and there is so much to weave together, I’ll give you just some of the highlights:
Impressions from opening night:
- This new alliance of progressive Jewish Americans are here to tell you that they are the annointed ones who will bring peace to the Holy Land if only the world will shut up and let them work their magic. Never mind that the magic is never defined beyond “two states for two people,” and that the goal is to “remold Israel into a state of social justice, a state where people do right” and where everyone will ”model core Jewish values” of “peace and outstretched arms to our neighbors.”
Hmmm. Well, those are core humanist values, perhaps core progressive values, and values that many Jews hold dear, but those are not the core Jewish values. And that’s the biggest problem with this whole J Street charade of representing the “New Jewish” response to the conflict in the Middle East. Unless New Jewish means “not Jewish” in the same way that some people refer to the New Israel Fund as the “No Israel Fund.” There is nothing inherently and solely Jewish about the J Street approach. A perfect example of this was offered by Daniel Sokatch who is, not coincidentally, the new president of the New Israel Fund, a pea in the pod along J Street.
Here’s the shorthand for the issue, and later I will go into detail about how this theme plays out over and over again at this gathering.
Perhaps the best known biblical quotation, at least amongst non-observant Jews, and the one focused on by Sokatch, is “Justice, Justice Shalt Thou Pursue.” Deut. 16:20. This is the very core of Judaism, he explained to those gathered in the Washington D.C. Grand Hyatt at the kick-off of the J Street conference. But, perhaps unknown to Sokatch (maybe because all the lithographs and needlepoints only include these words), the phrase continues “so that you shall inherit the land.” Yes, that really is a core value of Judaism, and the land is Israel.
The ultimate inability to differentiate between what these New Jews want to call Jewish values and what are actually the core values of Judaism, is offensive. To say the least.
A few little tidbits from today’s sessions:
Hamas and Hezbollah must be included in the so-called Arab Peace Plan – a comprehensive regional plan that Israel must have forced on it by the wise Americans united under the Community Organizer in Chief. And what will Israel get out of committing itself to a peace process not only with the Arab Palestinians, but one that also includes all of the other Arab countries in the region? Yes, you heard it here (well, actually I heard it here, but I’m telling you), what Israel has to gain is: ‘THE FULL AND COMPLETE ACCEPTANCE OF ISRAEL IN THE MIDDLE EAST.” Alvaro de Soto, the Former Chief Middle East Envoy for the United Nations.
From grotesque to repulsive: In a panel on How Jews, Christians and Muslims Can Work Together For Peace, the moderator, Ron Young (co-founder National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace) made two simply astounding comments. First, in his opening anecdote (they all start with anecdotes, not a bad strategy, except when it is a bad anecdote) Young said that he had just seen a film at Theater J called “Pangs of the Messiah.” He told us he wants to make a follow-up film called, “Please Messiah, Stay Home.” No joke. Just a few moments later Young mentioned evangelical Christians, specifically Rev. Hagee , who Young said, “leads a group called ‘Christians United to Take Israel to Hell.’” This panel couldn’t quite keep straight whether religion should be used to lead to a peaceful resolution or if it is religion that is the problem. Interesting panel. Actually, not really.
On to more sessions: Maybe “Iran: Is Diplomacy Working?” or “Palestinian Economic Development: Path to Peace or Diversion? ” No joke. They’re trying to fool the Arab Palestinians into forgetting about their oppression through the wicked wiles of economic development. I think I’ll have to check that out.
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