Standing by principles

Editorial

Music lovers who attended the Vancouver Recital Society presentation of the Jerusalem String Quartet at the University of British Columbia’s Chan Centre on Oct. 2 were handed an unassuming brochure on the way in. The outside of the brochure, in colors and style used by the sponsoring society, appeared to be an official handout. The inside, as those settling into their seats awaiting the beginning of the concert discovered, was a litany of anti-Israel propaganda.

What does it say about the anti-Israel movement that they target for boycott cultural events like the recital society’s concert? It reminds us that, at the dark heart of the (BDS) movement to boycott, divest from and sanction Israeli companies, individuals, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations, is a rejection of intellectual and artistic achievement.

It is not a coincidence that the only country in the world currently facing a call for complete and total isolation is Israel, the source of much of the world’s knowledge in too many fields to begin listing. The announcements of this year’s Nobel prizes, combined with statistics on academic research that declare Israel one of the world’s foremost sources of scientific and intellectual advancement, reminds us that much great research is coming out of this tiny Middle Eastern country.

Amid this progress is also a continuing openness to dissent and challenges to the status quo, as evidenced not only by the protests that swept Israel this summer, but by the government’s intention to act upon the protesters’ main complaints. And there are stories out of Israel almost weekly about new programs or initiatives – public and private – to make Israeli society more inclusive and equitable.

Dennis Prager, author of Why the Jews?, maintains that there are intrinsic characteristics in Judaism that attract negative attention from outsiders. This is not “merely” the small matter of pursuing a non-conforming religion. Millennia of hatred have been due in part to Jewish insistence on pursuing a fundamentally non-conforming worldview that contrasts starkly with the standards of the times. For instance, the Middle Ages – or “Dark Ages” – was among the most horrific periods of Jewish history for a number of reasons. In part, Jews did not fit in anywhere during those terrible centuries because core Jewish tenets of learning, respect for life and moral questioning put them at odds with the barbarism ascendant around them. In later centuries, it is no coincidence that Jews were prevented full participation in universities as students and faculty. Haters knew that a way to hurt Jews was through an attack on our books and our dedication to learning.

Nonetheless, we have continued learning unabated and, as a whole, remain steadfast in trying to make the world a better place. For the Jewish Independent, as a newspaper, part of this is being accepting of a variety of opinions and encouraging people to act upon their beliefs, within legal limits.

So, in addition to boycotting classical music concerts, we humbly suggest that BDS activists also refuse to use any social advancements with Israeli roots, including cellphones and the technology used to design their BDS brochures and otherwise publicize their escapades. And, we think that these activists could have even more practical impact if they used their graphic design skills to create a discrete card that they could carry in their wallets, like the one many of us carry for organ donation, on which morally upright individuals decline any health intervention that involves Israeli research or technology. Maybe an additional level of commitment could offer a check-off option to reject service from any doctor with Zionist sympathies or who has ever studied at an Israeli institution, or who uses any research or equipment remotely connected to Israeli efforts. Let them carry a card declaring: “Let me die rather than be treated with Zionist cures!”

If this seems flippant, the implications of a boycott against Israel are no less ridiculous, given the country’s contributions to almost every field of human endeavor. Most of the anti-Israel demonstrators standing outside the Chan Centre risked nothing but cool weather and gave but an hour of their time to a cause in which they ostensibly believe so much. With Israel-rejection cards, they could send a much stronger message, free from any accusations of hypocrisy. They could, for example, decline cancer treatment for their parents, heart surgery for their children or psychotherapy for themselves.

Imagine how much more of an impact BDSers could have if they demonstrated moral clarity by actually standing by their principles in ways that materially affect them.

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