Like many of you, Mariah and I sit at the breakfast table moaning over the morningís news from the Middle East and torturing over what we should, could, might be doing. The answers are painfully not obvious.
But one thing we thought might be helpful is to sort through a conundrum that Mariah weighs, echoing confusion Iíve heard from many others: As a non-Jew, how can you be passionately critical of the Israeli governmentís actions and at the same time avoid being identified as, or giving sustenance to those who are, anti-Semitic? Hereís some thinking thatís emerged from these conversations, with her and with some of you.
To label people as anti-/pro- any peoples is to doubly stereotype. There are many Jews with many different positions about the Israeli government. That is true in the US, and equally true inside Israel itself. Opening up definitions of the category, "Jewish", is a first step.
Next, itís important to put today in the context of yesterday. Having created Israel as a solution to the dislocation of the surviving European Jewish community after the holocaust, the allied nations invited the troubles that are today happening. In too small a place, laden with too much theology and too many attachments, relocating a terrorized people on lands belonging to a long-subjugated people could only be a design for fierce conflict. On the side of the Jews, paranoia still exists that extinction is a real possibility ? a fear living in memories of the holocaust and enflamed by understandably rageful reactions in the present to the Israeli governments actions. "This is a battle for survival of the Jewish people," Sharon is quoted as saying in todayís NY Times, "for survival of the state of Israel" I donít think so. The equation of the Jewish people with the state of Israel is clearly problematic, playing right into the hands of people who want to condemn all Jews out of anger at the actions of some. But I believe the Palestinians offer no threat to either people or state; they are clearly now on the victimized side of the struggle, and it is just that experience of powerlessness that foments acts of tragic violence. For the Palestinians, the living memory of colonial subjugation is re-enacted on a daily basis, the determination to fight for rightful autonomy layered powerfully by past and present realities.
Add to the recipe increasingly intense competition for diminishing oil resources, a cold war now transformed into unrelieved American hegemony in the context of a global economy, "peace" efforts by a variety of parties that give true meaning to the word "disingenuous" ? you add ingredients; there are many that could be included ? and it would be miraculous if the current polarization, indeed brutalization, were not happening.
Given all that, I believe, as I know many of you do, that the leaders of the Israeli government and the leaders of the American government are dangerously misguided, in a collusion of terror whatever the rhetoric of peacemaking that comes out of Washington. As an American (for better or worse!), I am prepared to voice my opinion about US policy in any and every way possible. When it comes to opposing the Sharon governmentís actions, although demonstrations, especially led by American Jews, are expressive, Iím leaning toward prioritizing support for voices of dissent within Israel rather than seeking to lobby the government directly.
Both among the Palestinians and the Israelis, there are people loyally working toward a just political solution to the conflict. One thing I believe we in the US can do is to know about such groups and to offer whatever support they wish from us: contributing money, publicizing their actions and programs, and, above all, lobbying our government to respect their wishes.
A big part of the powerlessness I feel is in direct ratio to the inaccessibility, the sloganistic single-mindedness of the Bush government. So ideological is this administration that itís very hard to find ways to express anything other than blanket dissent ? never a very happy, and certainly not a very powerful, position to be in. What we can do is to speak out, to dispel the myth of a presidential mandate, to advance alternative ideas about roles for the US government.
And, over time, we can get involved in electoral politics. Iím gradually becoming inspired, as I havenít for decades, to do voter registration work; to support promising progressive mainstream politicians (several oxymorons there?) like Paul Wellstone and Barbara Lee; to encourage by whatever means those voices in Washington that speak in a non-hegemonic voice: raise controversy, say unpopular truths at critical moments, etc.
I must say that my list of how-to-take-on the US government is thin; while some action is always better than no action, these proposals donít fill me with vigor and hope. But I suspect you have ideas and inclinations, too, and Iíd like to hear them. I hope this memo may start a round-robin dialogue about sound political action we can take, both to make our views known about the current crisis in Israel/Palestine, but also over the long-haul to influence the direction of US policy globally.
So please do add on, send on, creatively think on the problem we all share.
Beth Roy
April 11, 2002
Meanwhile, here are some names and numbers:
In Israel:
Bat Shalom, a womenís peace-and-justice
group of long-standing and well-respected work. http://www.batshalom.org
batshalo@netvision.net.il
Tel: +972-2-563-2622
Fax: +972-2-561-7983
Israeli ëRefuseniksí, a group
of soldiers and officers in the Israeli Defense Forces who have refused
to serve in the occupied territories. See request for actions below. For
more information, email Shamai Leibowitz, hagit-ma@zahav.net.il
In Palestine:
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee is a good conduit for information about action in support of
the Palestinians.
4201 Connecticut Ave., N.W.,
Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20008 (202) 244-2990, Fax: (202) 244-3196
E-mail: adc@adc.org
http://www.adc.org
The Fellowship of Reconciliation
also maintains good links with peace-and-justice forces in Palestine. http://www.forusa.org/
US Congressional contacts:
Paul Wellstone
136 Hart Senate Office Building,
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-5641
http://www.senate.gov/~wellstone/
Barbara Lee
1301 Clay Street, Suite 1000
North Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 763-0370 Fax: (510) 763-6538
426 Cannon HOB, Washington,
D.C. 20515 (202) 225-2661 Fax: (202) 225-9817
http://www.house.gov/lee/contactme.htm
Barbara Boxer
1700 Montgomery Street, Suite
240, San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 403-0100 (415)
956-6701 fax
112 Hart Senate Office Building,
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-3553
http://www.senate.gov/~boxer/contact/index.html
Ted Kennedy
315 Russell Senate Office
Building, Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4543 FAX: 202/224-2417
senator@kennedy.senate.gov
| http://kennedy.senate.gov
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From Shamai Leibowitz, an
Israeli military "refusenik":
Thank you for showing support. Here are the different ways you can help our cause and stop the terrible atrocities:
1. there are currently 35 soldiers in jail for refusing to take part in these war crimes (occupation crimes would be more accurate).
2.send me letters that I will bring in to the prisoners (you can't send them directly to the prison because the authorities will take them away) [email hagit-ma@zahav.net.il]
3. MOST IMPORTANT: be brave and ask to be interviewed on TV demanding an immediate freeze on US aid to Israel until it evacuates all its forces from the territories. write letters to the editor, write your senator or congressman
4. join large demonstrations and hold signs supporting the Israeli refuseniks. photograph and send to us
5. send the article below to all your friends and relatives, especially to people in the Jewish community
6. do not hesitate to condemn
Sharon and blame him for all blood spilling in the past months. Remind
everyone what he did to us in the Lebanon war. in Sabra and Shatila. And
here he goes again.