Thursday, January 8, 2009

" Israel Isn't David . . . It's Goliath" --- Irena Klepfisz

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1295/is_7_65/ai_76157765?tag=artBody;col1

This article by Matthew Rothschild, originally published in the July 2001 issue of "The Progressive", is relevant and powerful.


I ask her about the common canard, "self-hating Jew," that many of us get hit with when we criticize Israeli policy.

"Well, people have a hard time calling me a self-hating Jew," she says. "I'm a child survivor. I lead a very Jewish life. I'm committed to Jewish survival. I don't want the Jews in Israel to die. I want them to be safe. I think they're on the wrong road to safety."

She says that such labels are a blackmail against criticism. If Jews can't criticize Israel for fear of being called "self-hating," and if non-Jews can't criticize Israel for fear of being called "anti-Semitic," then Israel gets off scot-free.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Nomi

I AGREEEEE with you. When we are afraid to debate because we are afraid of being called a "(insert a bad name - racist, sexist, homophobe, hater, etc. -- here)", the first casualty is the truth. But isn't this EXACTLY the same argument that Ann "(insert a bad name here)" Coulter has made in her recent books?

We should all be strong enough to discuss our ideas and positions without being afraid of name calling.

Joe