Prominent gentiles must get over their hangups and start criticizing Israel

Link

This morning I got a between-the-eyes email from a Jewish friend:

I in many respects finally "exited" from what was a lifelong communal Jewish space a number of years ago. It was liberating. It was Lebanon 2006 that finally did it.

This is a trend that this site has tracked: Jews who are so upset by Israel that they have slipped their communal bonds.
They've done it because Jewish communal life is corrupted by the pro-Israel commandment. The example of Tikkun Magazine offering space to the American Jewish Committee to justify the Gaza slaughter is the best example I can think of right now: a leftwing organization, offering shelter to madness. During Gaza a few Jewish orgs did speak out against the horror: J Street, Brit Tzedek, Americans for Peace Now, and the Israel Policy Forum. Though even their statements were mild. And they came under terrific pressure for issuing them.
"Forget about the Jews. The overwhelming non-Jewish American majority could halt the genocide of Palestinians." That is the conclusion of the anti-Zionist physicist George Salzman. "Until now I have been far too focused on arguing with... Jews, simply as a result of my own ethnic and professional background. I need to break out of that trap. It is up to us all, the vast majority of whom are non-Jewish, to struggle together for the future of humanity. " I think Anna Baltzer reached this understanding a long time ago.

All these Jews have risked/accepted the "self-hating" tag because opposing the use of white phosphorous on schoolchildren is more important to them than preserving their standing within an ancient community. It's not as if there isn't grief that goes along with that. Jews have been governing their own community for thousands of years. Many Jews who are agonized about Gaza and Lieberman can't break with communal life, even if they're sitting next to neocons. The idea of breaking out violates old norms. Because as David Harris says, Jews are supposed to stick together against common enemies! And generally they do.

This post is not aimed at Jews. Note the headline. Many non-Jews have not come into this space--Criticizing Israel-- because of fears of being called anti-Semites and written off. Years ago my friend Rob Buchanan said to me, Phil you have to speak out on this 'cause they'll just smear non-Jews as anti-Semites. And I accepted that responsibility.

But the point of this post is that the passivity of likeminded gentiles has now become a problem. We need more prominent gentiles to step forward. Here is Scott McConnell's interesting take on the matter:

Wasps never successfully adapted to not having, by right, the ruling role in key institutions, couldn't adjust to simply just being really influential--which they clearly, by virtue of education and resources, have the potential to be. Instead they have done this full-fledged retreat from the public square, to private life. The Freeman case is typical--all his important defenders were Jewish. I can't think of a single prominent Wasp who said, wait a second, what's going on here, this is a brilliant guy and an outstanding public servant.

Now I can think of gentiles who defended Ambassador Freeman, including Walt and Mearsheimer and Andrew Sullivan. But I take McConnell's point. And the point of this post is an appeal to other bloggers, profs, commenters, and journalists to be inspired by Congressman Brian Baird and come forward on this issue. Speak out if you were appalled by Gaza and are concerned about the militant approach to dealing with Iran. Obama will simply be owned by the lobby on this question unless we form our own new community.
(And as for the religious consequences, who knows.)

Posted by Philip Weiss at 02:56 PM