Liberalism Starts at Home

Liberalism, especially in this day and age is to some extent charitable.  This coming from a long time self-proclaimed Liberal.  However, when it comes to the situation in the world today and in particular to the targeting of Israel and the Jewish people, I am admittedly and proudly what would be considered a hawk as opposed to a dove.  This is because when it comes to liberalism, I believe that just like charity, it starts at home.

The definition I found of Liberalism that best helps me illustrate my point is the following one.

Liberalism: a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties.

I am comfortable with that definition and support it fully.  What I don’t support is putting the civil liberties of others before the civil liberties of the Jewish people, especially when in doing so I believe it is being done at the expense of the Jewish people.  When I see people showing greater concern for the plight of the people of Gaza than they do for the people of Ashdod it angers me.  As someone who has called himself Liberal I make the following demand of those who call themselves Liberal as well.  If you are going to be so concerned about human rights apply that same concern to the ongoing disregards for the human rights of the Jewish people.  Don’t read a news report about the tragedy of 4 Palestinian children being killed, because their leadership insists on war, as your rallying cry for what is right and wrong. On August 9, 2001 a suicide bomber exploded a bomb in a Sbarro Pizza in Jerusalem. 5 of the dead were from one family.  The couple, Dutch Jewish immigrants, and there 3 children ages 14, 4 and 2.  This was no accident.  This was an achieved goal by the same type of people who put these 4 Palestinian children in the position to die in this current conflict.  If you want to fight for human rights, God Bless you.  Just don’t leave out the Jewish people.

Human rights and civil liberties are not about what is the flavor of the day, it is about genuinely and sincerely recognizing which people are suffering unjustly and without bias identifying the source of that suffering.  Those who speak of a human rights crisis in Gaza conveniently ignore the fact that Israel would have no need to control Gaza if it were not run by terrorists living large off of funds meant to help their very own people.  You want to care about the difficulties they live in, I can respect that.  Just don’t pin it on the Jews because you are too ignorant or too frightened to put the blame where it belongs.

Take heed.  These enemies want the same for us that Hitler and the Nazis did, and the Nazis did not spare the ignorant and frightened.   They either used them to further their goal or they killed them first.  You want to be Liberal, be one that loves your own at least you love others.  If your fight today is with a fellow Jew because they are angered that Jews continue to be attacked and killed as we have been for thousands of years, then you have lost perspective.  Or worse, you have a misguided and dangerous perspective.

The fact that I do not cry over the death of 4 Palestinian children does not mean I am happy it happened.  The fact that I use the murder of 3 Jewish boys doing nothing other than going home from school as a rallying cry that enough is enough, doesn’t mean I support the killing of innocent Palestinians.  And the fact that I assign blame to the Arab world for fueling a war I know Israelis and Jews throughout the world do not want, does not make me racist.  It also does not mean I am any less Liberal.  It just means I recognize the truth.  If we are to say “Never Again” we can’t in turn hide and pretend when it is starting to happen again.  If we do that we are facilitating our own tragic destiny.  Something I am not prepared to do.