Being very flawed myself, I make every effort to avoid ever sitting in judgment of others for behaviors that can be considered nothing short of human. Human behavior allows people to make choices not everyone else will agree with as well as permitting people to do that one thing we all do. Make mistakes. So since I try my best not to be a hypocrite or cross the line, I am not going to spend any of my time criticizing my fellow Jews that make the choice not to live in accordance with Jewish law. Having come pretty close to making that choice at certain points of my life, I get it. I also believe these choices to be between man and God only. The issue I want to address is pride in being Jewish. Or lack thereof.
I am not afraid to call someone out if I feel there is blatant self-hatred, but since this post is directed more to the many in that grey area I realize it is important to be careful about stepping over a line. If I am to address a subject that goes after people for something as reprehensible as being ashamed of who you are, I need to speak in generalities. After all, I may have an opinion, even one shared by many, but even so I do not know what is in someone’s heart. Let’s just say that if what I am to say applies at all to you, or wakes you up to a different perspective, then maybe I’ve done something right.
It should not be a surprise that much of this discussion comes back to the Holocaust. Specifically in regard to the main issues I wish to address. The first being support for the State of Israel. Support does not mean blind agreement in all policies and actions of whatever government is in place. There are many people who have done more for Israel than I may ever have the opportunity to do that are much more opposed to the decisions made by the Israeli government than I am. This is not about stifling opinions. This is however about being balanced and fair as well as addressing the disingenuous motives of the BDS movement.
Fair and balanced means if you are to criticize Israel for its actions, you don’t fail to mention the years of dealing with a Palestinian Authority showing no indication of being a willing partner in peace. It means if you are going to go after Benjamin Netanyahu for a hard line approach you also recognize that he is not only dealing with officials that reward terrorists financially for killing innocent Jewish residents of Israel but in many cases officials who once lead or performed acts of terrorism themselves. And it means that when you criticize Israel for collateral damage that leads to the death of innocents that it happens when targeting enemies not looking for peace but preaching the destruction of the Jewish State of Israel. So yes, criticize Israel if you feel it is appropriate, but realize that if you do so in a vacuum that ignores the actions of the other side that you are not only wrong for doing so, you are part of the problem.
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, aka BDS, had proven time and time again that it is not about helping Palestinians, it is about ridding the land of Israel of Jewish people. It is a movement designed to cripple Israel economically regardless of who it hurts, Jews or Palestinians. If an organization is to claim that its purpose is to advance the cause of a people, what does it tell you when it causes the closing down of factories employing the very people it claims to be helping. But don’t take my word for it. Just look at the name of the organization. It is all about hurting the Israeli government with no mention about helping the Palestinian people. Partially because the people running the organization work hand in hand with the leadership that has for decades pocketed and misappropriated funding desired to help Palestinians and use hatred against Jews as a means of motivating the masses, much like Hitler and the Nazi Party did in Germany. So if you are Jewish and support the BDS movement you need to know that the goal of the organization is to destroy a country created to keep you safe. A country born from the ashes of 6 million murdered Jews. Which leads me to my final and most important point.
You can find Jewish practice antiquated, pointless or even wrong, but make no mistake. You can’t hide from who you are. You might try, but history shows us that our enemies don’t care how you feel about being Jewish, they care that you are and want you gone. And with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year approaching I would be remiss if I didn’t ask this question. Why would you want to hide from it? The Jewish people have major global impacts on education, science, medicine and pop culture. And for those of is who believe in it from a religious perspective, it has given us the Torah, a moral compass of how to live a good and productive life, regardless of how precisely or traditionally one chooses to interpret it.
Finally I want to wish all my fellow Jews a happy and healthy year ahead. Whether or not you believe or not, and even whether or not you accept who you are or not, I wish you blessings in the coming year. I may not like how you think and I will call you out, but that very thing you want no part of is the very thing that teaches me to wish good upon you. And when all is said and done, only you know what is truly in your heart.
A Happy and Healthy Year to all.
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