Zionism
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Checkpoints, the wall and an unexpected message
Wednesday, July 4th, 2007
I think of Hannah often these days, now that I have begun to wade into the difficult task of conversing with the left on Israel. She is from Australia, in her late 50s, and has lived in Israel since the early ’70s. Hannah (not her real name) is one of the brave, tireless, […]
More conversations about one state vs. two states
Tuesday, May 1st, 2007All right, let’s say you believe everything about Israel is worthy of contempt and insult, and the Jews should never have set foot in Palestine, and the whole Zionist enterprise must be halted.
So what do you want to do? Short of throwing out millions of Israeli Jews by force (which, of course, is an […]
The price of demonization
Tuesday, April 24th, 2007Some wise words from Cecilie Surasky about this little experiment here:
I personally find the whole Zionism/anti-Zionism litmus test both distasteful, often offensive, and certainly odd. It’s odd and to me artificial because the definitions are so slippery, the understanding of Zionisms so superficial.
In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever had a discussion about Zionism with […]
Progressive answers to anti-Zionism — Part 2: Alternative visions
Wednesday, April 18th, 2007Some respondents to my previous post on “What Israel Could Be” were predictably furious that anyone could associate the word “progressive” with the word “Zionism.” They described Zionism as a movement that was, by its very definition, murderous and evil.
“Zionism” is one of those elastic words or phrases that have long since lost […]
Progressive answers to anti-Zionism — Part 1: A vision of what Israel could be
Sunday, April 15th, 2007There are perfectly reasonable, articulate, well-meaning people who share many of the values of progressive Zionists but do not believe the Jewish state should exist.
It is possible to believe this without being anti-Semitic. It is possible to believe this and still denounce protestors against the Jewish state who treat Palestinians suicide bombers as freedom […]
Worth reading: “Reclaiming the Z Word” (i.e., Zionism)
Friday, April 13th, 2007On Sunday, I am going to argue that it is important to start answering the claims of educated anti-Zionists with cogent, calm and respectful arguments, rather than engaging in frenzied efforts to deny them platforms. In the meantime, the following essay by Chris MacDonald-Dennis on why he calls himself a Zionist is worth reading. […]
Philip Weiss and the straw man of Jewish “separatism”
Wednesday, April 11th, 2007On April 1st, I remarked that a post by Philip Weiss had conveyed the far left’s discomfort with Jewish identity. Weiss’ response created so many straw men that it would take hours to torch them. But one of his ideological scarecrows deserves comment, because it is based on a notion of Jewish identity […]
The far left’s discomfort with Jewish identity
Sunday, April 1st, 2007Philip Weiss, a casual friend and often an ideological nemesis, has a fascinating, typically disturbing post about Jewish identity on his blog, MondoWeiss.
In his magazine articles and his blog, he has been asking very provocative, often necessary questions about American Jews and Israel. As a result, he has become an increasingly important […]
Petition to remove settlers from Hebron marketplace
Wednesday, March 28th, 2007Ameinu, together with Meretz USA and the Union of Progressive Zionists, has sent the following letter to Israel’s Defense Minister, Amir Peretz, calling for the immediate removal of hundreds of settlers who recently seized a Palestinian home in Hebron. You can add your signature to the letter. Come on folks, don’t just sit […]
Signs of hope, believe it or not, for co-existence
Tuesday, March 13th, 2007My inaugural post. Drum roll, please:
A story in yesterday’s Maariv by Yonathan Haleli has gotten no attention in the U.S. It is about a poll of Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews. It begins on a predictably disturbing note, with responses indicating fear for the future on both sides. But dig a little deeper, and you will find an urge for co-existence and reconciliation that […]