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Avi Hein holds a masters degree in Israeli Society & Politics from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he currently lives. He has been involved in Israel advocacy and education in Israel and the United States since he was 17.
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By Avi Hein
February 20, 2007
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Too often, fealty to Israel and loyalty to the Jewish people only manifests itself during times of crisis. During last summer's war in Lebanon, Israeli blog traffic skyrocketed. Once the war was over, it plummeted. Hundreds of millions of dollars flow into defense organizations while Jewish schools and camps must scrounge for money.
Anti-Semitism and "support for Israel" are very popular causes for the American Jewish community. Israel rallies attract thousands yet most American Jews have never visited Israel. Even fewer make aliya, let alone spend an extended period of time in Israel. Hundreds of millions of dollars go into "fighting anti-Semitism," while the cost of Jewish education skyrockets.
Jewish newspapers shry gevalt about the global scourge of anti-Semitism. They talk about the conflict in Israel but ignore the realities, including the unpleasantness, of the Israel-Diaspora relationship. As Chaim Waxman and Sergio DellaPergola noted in a recent editorial, Israel has not been a true concern of Jews in the Diaspora, despite temporary spikes in interest during times of crisis. That Israel is only important when its in trouble, that Americans are only concerned about their Jewish identity when our enemies oppose us poses deep dangers to the health of the global Jewish community.
Too many Diaspora Jewish organizations claim to speak for Israel by distributing images of suicide bombings, incitement, and attacking Islam and Iran. Yet, these same spokespeople have very little connection with the reality of Israel -- a wonderful, albeit imperfect, country. Their Jewish identity is based on hatred of others, not love of ourselves. They focus on the Israel of terror and not the Israel of technology.
The Passover seder has a dramatic enactment in which the leader covers the matzot, lifts up a cup of wine, and states that "in every generation they rise against us to destroy us." This dramatic enactment concludes, not with we will form defense agencies or hold rallies, but rather with the statement that God always rescues us from our enemies' hand.
Jewish identity should not rely on Haman or Hitler, Arafat or Ahmadinejad but rather Hillel and Hirsch, Moses and Maimonides, Einstein and Eisen. Antisemitism will not go away and Israel will always have security dangers. But it is up to us whether the Jewish people will be strong and well educated about their heritage. It is up to us whether Israel will have a populous and thriving Jewish majority.
Too many (but certainly not all) Israel advocacy organizations spend more time attacking Islam than loving Israel. We don't have to insult Islam. We have to love Judaism. We have to engage in Israel. Engaging in Israel means embracing all of Israel -- the good, the bad, and the ugly. It means recognizing that Israel is not perfect but that it is ours. It means recognizing that not all criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic and not all criticism comes from a hatred of Israel or the Jews. Loving Israel means knowing about the real challenges -- inequality, poverty, education, Jewish knowledge, respect for minorities -- faced by this real, 21st century country. It means going beyond the conflict to understand the multifaceted beauty and passion of this country. It means appreciating Israeli art, culture, science, and scholarship.
Fealty to Israel should not be based on the Iranian threat or hatred of some of Israel's neighbors. Fealty to Israel should be based on the fact that Israel is the national homeland of the Jewish people, the only place where the Jews can exercise national sovereignty. After 2000 years, independence has been restored to the Jewish nation. That is nothing less than miraculous, even when it means that the Jewish army commits (rare) abuses or the Jewish police arrest the Jewish criminals! Fealty to Israel should be based on the fact that Israel, the eternal homeland of the Jewish people, is a wonderful country that respects its minorities, educates its populace, and brings innovation to the world. It should be based on a true love and appreciation of the very existence of a Jewish homeland.
The best response to anti-Semitism is pro-Semitism. The best response to those who want to wipe us off the face of the earth is to engage in tikkun olam and contribute to the betterment of the world.
Visit Israel. Learn Hebrew. Watch an Israeli film. Observe a mitzvah. Keep Shabbat. Say a prayer. Read an Israeli blog. Invest in Israel. Make aliya -- the ultimate expression of Jewish pride and Jewish love. Be proactive, not reactive.
In 1990, a student at Columbia University, now a professor at Bar-Ilan University, wrote an article in the Columbia Spectator entitled "How to Fight Jew Hatred." That article, pointed out that "you don't protest Jew hatred." He continued, "How often, my fellow Jews, we gather to 'oppose'; how rarely we gather to create."
Let us build Jewish homes. Let us create a Jewish country. That is the best response to those who hate us.
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