Dangerous extremes

Editorial

Despite the occasional thoughtful newspaper article, in-depth radio or TV interview, well-made documentary or Internet video, soundbites and blogs most often rule the day. The limitations of the media become clear whenever a complex issue arises. On a topic such as the Israel-Palestinian conflict, for example, the people who can best manipulate the media are the ones who end up representing “the Jewish community.” And, since crises-made-simple make the best news, it is the extremes that flourish and intelligent discourse falls by the wayside, as the silent majority remains, well, silent.

So who represents the Diaspora Jewish community on Israel? The long answer begins with something like, the diversity of Jews (socioeconomic backgrounds, colors, personal histories, etc.) and Judaism (atheist to ultra-Orthodox) and the complexity of the matter doesn’t allow for a one-sentence response. The short answer depends on which extreme you can stomach most: the Jews who justify every action with the claim that there are anti-Semites around every corner or the Jews who believe the only good Jew is a stateless, oppressed Jew. These are the groups from which non-Jews are forming their opinion about Jews, Judaism and Israel, so it is worth getting to know them a little better. How much the two extremes overlap in their beliefs and tactics is actually quite amazing.

For both extremes, Jewish history begins at the Holocaust and their printed material and speeches exploit the tragedy for their own purposes. Both sides claim the truth and the moral high ground, but in fact manufacture narratives, disseminating historical fiction rather than history.

Both sides mislead and isolate rather than educate and engage. They promote reductive definitions of what it means to be Jewish, picking and choosing texts from Jewish scholars or the Torah to support their narrative, without connecting Jews (and Judaism) to our centuries-old presence in the land of Israel. Nor do they connect Jews and Judaism to the vast reality of the Diaspora: Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi, Ethiopian – we live around the world and represent myriad traditions and beliefs, yet we are all Jewish.

In both extremist groups, people who don’t agree with the party line – even behind closed doors – are ridiculed, bullied and/or ostracized. Both sides are either unfamiliar with, or choose to ignore, Judaism’s rich traditions and ethical teachings. Instead of emulating the debates of our sages, absolute certitude and arrogance dominate both ends of the spectrum – there is no room for diverse opinion and no desire for peace. Both groups propose “solutions” that wholly exclude and denigrate the other, ignoring the lessons of sinat chinam (senseless hatred) that is said, in Jewish tradition, to be the cause of the great tragedies throughout Jewish history.

There are a couple of minor differences between the extremists, which is what puts them at opposite ends of the issue. One side claims all people are equal, yet Jews don’t count; the other side claims to defend human rights, yet promotes Islamophobia. On one side, there is no excuse for Israel’s existence; on the other, Israel can do no wrong.

These are the loudest voices of “the Jewish community.” These are the people who seem to hold sway not only in the media, but each has political support and financial backers. They are not going to disappear or lose influence any time soon. Neither will “win” the battle, because they both know that they perpetuate each other – the presence of one demands the presence of the other and, as long as both extremes are well publicized, both groups will do well for themselves.

But extremists of any kind don’t bode well for a civilized, democratic society and the extremists within our community are making fertile ground for anti-Zionism, anti-Semitism and racism in general. This is not what Canada is intended to be, nor what Judaism is.

There is rational advocacy work being done behind-the-scenes by various communal organizations and, on campuses, Jewish student groups are doing their best to counter the anti-Israel sentiment that permeates the environment. The relatively recent Buycott initiative is also praiseworthy – tangibly supporting Israel and local businesses without denigrating anyone. But caring, compassionate and reasonable Jews – i.e. the vast majority of Jews in the Diaspora and Israel – need to command more of a public stage. They need to start taking some risks to be heard.

In addition to the work they are already doing, leaders in the organized advocacy community need to go more public. They need to discuss and debate the myriad grey areas of the Israel-Palestinian conflict in the media and other public forums. They need to more widely disseminate educational materials that lay out the facts of Judaism and Jewish history (beyond 1948 and the Holocaust). They need to give Jewish community members the tools to begin dialogues in their synagogues, homes, clubs or other relatively safe venues.

If we can’t even talk among ourselves about Israel, we will never be able to support her effectively on the world stage. We know from past experience what happens when good people remain silent. Have we not learned anything?

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