Shalom Kitat Dekel!
Very much enjoyed our tiyul up north today learning about the first and second waves of aliyah. For your homework assignment, please read the articles I gave you from the NYTimes. Here is a link if you prefer to read on the computer: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/04/04/is-anti-zionism-anti-semitism
Please respond to which article speaks to you the most and why.
Shabbat shalom,
Evan
After reading each opinion piece, my opinion most resonates with that of Benjamin Gladstone's. I agree that the Jewish people NEED a place to call their own in order to escape oppression by other countries, which stems from antisemitism. The Jews have had to escape persecution in many countries, and tons of Jews are still doing that. Israel is a place where Jews can come to practice their religion freely and with a sense of security by their own people. When people are anti-Israel, they in turn are anti-Semitic and inconsiderate to the continued oppression that people are attempting. Many anti-zionists disagree with the politics, but whether people agree with the leadership of the Israeli government is irrelevant in the question. The fact of the matter is that the Jewish people need a state, and that situation is tightly knit in with the religious aspects of Judaism.
ReplyDeleteThe first article speaks to me the most as I share in its views.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, criticism of Israel should be encouraged. However, the criticism needs to be with reason. No country is perfect and Israel is no exception.
Secondly, Israel definitely receives too much criticism. Although some debates are very controversial, unarguably they are less worse than those of Syria and other violated countries.
Third, the connection between anti-Zionist being Anti-Semitism when described as preventing a Jewish future speaks loudly. If the Jews do not have their own state, who knows what will happen to us in the future. This is an issue that is so threatening but few acknowledge. This to me is the core element of the statement, "Anti-Zionism is Anti-Semitism".
I disagree with a major part of every article that was written but I think that the first article by Daniel Gordis is the one that i disagree with the least. I have a very similar opinion to those which Alex expressed in his comment in that 1) Israel should be criticized because some of the policies the Israeli Government has in place are terrible and 2) I agree that the criticism that Israel receives is significantly more than it deserves. However, I had a major problem with this article in that it insists that the future of the Jewish people is in jeopardy. I simply do not agree with this. In the past, the persecution of Jews and the serious damage done to them has been by anti-semitic governments. Aside from those in the Middle East (and please correct me if I'm wrong) I cannot recall any government today that is outwardly against the existence of the Jewish people. Society may be anti-semitic but without the help of a military, the existence of the Jewish people is, in my opinion of course, not in danger.
ReplyDeleteI really admired the first article written by Daniel Gordis. The question, is anti-zionism and form of anti-semitism, is one that I had never even considered , but after reading the articles, and being here in general I think it is one worth discussing. Gordis brings up the idea that people often defend critiques on Israel as acts of anti-semitism, and he says that critiques on Israel are valid just like critiques on other countries. However, he goes further to say that because critiques on Israel are more than just political critiques. Gordis goes into that because Israel represents the future of Jewish life, that critiques on Israel after a certain point can be seen as a rejection of a Jewish state. I thought this article was really interesting and I agreed with it. Prior to reading this article I never really considered the question, but now I almost feel that anti-zionism isn't directly anti-semitism, however I think that they do relate, because anti-zionism is a rejection of the Jewish state, which can somehow relate to the rejection of Jews.
ReplyDeleteUCSC, a huge college in my town, voted pro BDS, but one of the student government representatives was Jewish and was not allowed to vote because he was 'bias'. This was a huge deal, and I think that the question posed relates to this situation. In voting to reject Israel, a Jewish student was not allowed to partake in it, showing some sort of anti-semitism in my opinion. Regardless I think that Jews have the right to their own state, as we are a people, a nationality, similar to French people having France, and I think that by rejecting that idea, in some way, it is rejecting the Jews.
The article that speaks to me the most was written by Mr. Benjamin Gladstone. His interpretation of Zionism is eloquently put and a thorough analysis of the Jews and their history as a people. He is correct when he says that we have relied on the protection of other nations throughout our history and that we haven't stood up for ourselves enough. I also agree with him that Israel is criticized more often and in a harsher way than other nations. I know that some criticism may be deserved, however, the amount is clearly much higher than it should be. Mr. Gladstone points out that in our society, places like college campuses are not immune to the harsh judgments and manipulations of people who hate Jews. Jews need a state of their own to be accepted as a race and religion, without a state we would simply be pushed out and persecuted for the remainder of our years.
ReplyDeleteBefore I read these articles, I saw no relation between anti-Semetism and anti-Zionism. However, the article that speaks to me most is "Self-Determination Is Crucial for Jews". It brought up the point that there are no student groups at colleges that are anti-France or anti-China, so why would there be anti-Israel groups? In that case, anti-Zionism has a direct relation to anti-Semitism.
ReplyDeleteI'm taking the phrase "spoke to you most" not as what you relate most with, but more as made you think the most. The article written by Lisa Goldman was very interesting to me how the completely separated zionism from religion. I had never completely separated them in my mind before, but it makes sense. I also find it very interesting how she says American Jews have a fixation with the Holocaust. I agree to an extent, however I feel that it is an important event in our history, but shouldn't be put front and center when talking about Judaism and Israel. I do agree that criticism of Israeli policy is legitimate as long as its not overly critical compared to other countries.
ReplyDeleteI personally agreed with the Self-Determination article a little more than the others. I found it interesting how anti-semitism and anti-zionism is connected, meaning people hide their anti-semitism in their anti Israel beliefs. I agree, as the paper says, Israel has its flaws, and a two state system is difficult. I believe something needs to be done, but the Jewish people need a homeland. We need to make sure the worlds anti-semitic views do not destroy our homeland. The worlds anti semitic views can not become anti zionism
ReplyDeleteThe article I agree with most is the one written by Daniel Gordis. He wrote about how Israel represents the Jewish future and that Israel is the only country in the world that is safe for Jews. I agree with this the most because us Jews need a safe place in the world because what we have gone through as a people. As stated, Israel was created to ensure the safety and flourishing go the Jewish people and we deserve to keep this land for us.
ReplyDeleteThe article that I agree with the most is the one written by Daniel Gordis, he brings up the argument that the land of Israel is our future and without it we also have no place to go to if we are pursecuted. As a Jew myself I do think we need a safe place to have because of the way we have been treated in the past and how we are treated currently with anti-semitism.
ReplyDeleteI liked the self-determination article the most. It made the most sense to me. The article pointed out very good opinions and reasons, which confirmed my previous beliefs. I think they are related.
ReplyDeleteI think I agreed with the Daniel Gordis article most. I just thought what he had to say is very relevant to the talk on the topic of Israel today. There is clearly a double standard for Israel and the issue needs to be brought up to the table at the UN. Israel isn't a perfect country but neither is any other. Critics like to shout Israel's failures and whisper its accomplishments.
ReplyDelete