When I moved to the USA, I noticed a strange phenomenon.
Most of my Jewish friends were very hesitant to talk about Israel. In a conversation with my friend Jean, I learned that anybody in her family who criticized Israel’s actions would be seen as ‘self-defeating’ or ‘non-patriotic’ at best.
I later found out that many of my American friends and acquaintances felt the same way.
I strongly believe that there needs to be room for debate in order to create options, and that there needs to be room for disagreement in order to promote growth. Therefore, this article attempts to do more than state an opinion: it is my plea as an Israeli, as an American, as a Jewish person who cares a great deal about both Israel and the USA – to bring these discussions to the table.
The US has always played a role as an agent of change for Israel. Israel is greatly supported by American financial investments and loans; there is a strong political link between the leaders of the communities and heads of these two states. Israel built much of its structure around western ideas, using Britain and the US as leading models in the structures of the Israeli political system and law. Last but not least, American society as a whole is the only world power, spreading American values and way of life through grass-root consumers of movies, fast food and technology.
The ties between the US and Israel, and between the Jewish communities in both countries, are so strong that some things become masked. The issues that Americans are aware of in part are addressed Part I. Those issues, which are not addressed in the US at all, are discussed in Part II. These non-addressed issues help to maintain a fixed notion of Israel, and one that is hardly questioned. But this needs to change (or something like that)
Part I – the Israeli Palestinian impasse
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is seemingly well covered in the media here. Many of the terrorist attacks are reported in some detail. Both Israeli and Palestinian leaders are allegedly introduced here. Take the example of Ariel Sharon, Israel’s prime minister. Sharon’s firm, aggressive approach against terrorism has been accepted well, for the most part, amongst Jewish Americans and the general American public. His reason for building a fence, and threatening the Palestinians with a ‘one-sided solution’ was discussed. The US government formally discourages this plan while allowing the building to continue. However, the fact that Sharon, and his two sons, have been accused of grave financial discrepancies, fraud and unlawful investments never made it to the headlines here. Sharon is under police investigation; his sons are already facing allegations.
The truth is most Jewish people aren’t interested; they simply support Sharon because he is the elected prime minister of the people of Israel. Why was Sharon elected, then?
Living in Israel takes a toll: it is the driving through checkpoints that becomes routine, it is looking at an Arab person with suspense when s/he takes the bus. These are justified fears, but the outcomes of decisions made within such long-standing fear and frustrations aren’t always the best. In general, there are two historically powerful political parties in Israel– Likud and Avoda, emphasizing different aspects of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Likud party is known for stressing security as a preliminary step for solution, while Avoda pushes peace-accords. Sharon was chosen after Barak (from the Avoda) failed to bring the well waited for permanent agreement to follow the Oslo accord.
Then started the last Intifada (Palestinian ‘fight for liberation’) and new wave of terrorism, and Sharon’s policy of ‘diminishing our enemies’ resonated well with the fear and frustration on the Israeli streets.
Still, there is a raising debate in Israel that isn’t heard here: The Geneva Initiative – a model for permanent Israeli-Palestinian agreement that was initiated by a group of Israeli and Palestinian leaders: writers, generals, politicians, professors, sent to every home in Israel in November of 2003.
Civil acts against the occupation are taken through petitions, refusals to join the army (see later) and loud debates over the media. None of those voices are heard in the USA.
An example of this is the important letter of the 4 heads of the ‘Shabak’ (Israel’s general security agency). These four generals published an open letter explaining why it is crucial for Israel to reach an agreement with the Palestinians. Another well-conversed petition in Israel was the one signed by Israeli pilots refusing to participate in bombing the occupied territories.
I am constantly amazed that only those demonstrations that are in accord with the US policy make it to CNN: when peace was encouraged (Clinton era) – there would be ‘Peace Now’ demonstrations on TV even when they were small and limited, while in times like now, no matter how heated the debate is in Israel – it doesn’t make it here.
If you ask almost any Israeli you’d find that they strongly disagree. They may disagree with Sharon’s policy because it is too short-sided, because the fence is not effective, because the other side hasn’t been dealt with, or because they think he isn’t aggressive enough; but two things are certain: Israelis are not in agreement about what should be done, most just cannot see a real alternative, and most Israelis would agree that something needs to change profoundly in the political front to reach a real solution.
Part II – Israel beyond the Palestinians
Israel is struggling as a democracy in many areas. The issues to follow are those that I believe Israel needs help with. Israel has wonderful attributes, including the ability to have these core issues re-examined. However, Israel is only 55 years old. Where was the USA after its first 55 years?
The ‘separation of synagogue and state’ is a complex issue in a country defining itself as both Jewish and democratic. There are the obvious problems with the non-Jewish citizens of Israel, mainly Muslims and Christians who often find themselves discriminated and forced to follow general Jewish calendars and regulations. But the problem I deem most crucial is that of the Jewish identity within Israel. Some of the Israeli laws, such as certification of marriage and registering as a Jew, are legally handled by the orthodox Jewish stream. More and more young Israelis who cannot identify themselves with that way of life or belief find themselves without an alternative. In order to get married in Israel, if you are Jewish, one must be wed by one of their rabbis, in a partly orthodox ceremony. Therefore, there is a phenomenon of more and more young Israelis traveling to nearby Greece or Turkey to get married in a civilian wedding, which is legally abiding in Israel. To me, this is a symbol of the religious tear in Israel. Most of Israelis don’t consider themselves religious and do not belong to any community of worship. Strong reservations and frustration with the orthodox-parties political power gave rise to an Anti-religious party in the last election, which received twice the number of voters anticipated. Events such as opening streets for cars on Saturday or employing Jewish workers during holidays brings tolerant citizens to a clashing battle with religious regulations. The creation of Jewish alternatives through a variety of traditions and understanding of Judaism is one of the great contributions Americans can provide for Israelis. Whether or not Israelis come to adopt a stream that is prevalent here is less important than the ability to choose it as a legitimate choice.
The fact that the decision ‘who is considered Jewish’ is based on orthodox rulings has consequences on the community here and should be addressed. As long as non-orthodox Rabbis are not considered a ‘kosher certifier’, marriages and conversion to Judaism could be considered not abiding. This would impact many intermarriage families here and their children, if they ever wanted to live in Israel or marry an Israeli.
Israel, like any other country has its financial margins. In Israel’s economy after the hi-tech crash a few years ago, and the bottomless budget of security, there was more unemployment and poverty. There are parts of Israel and specific pretrial towns which have been suffering from poverty and neglect for years. Such towns known in Israel as ‘development-towns’ have two or three times the percentage of illiteracy, school drop-out, multi generational poverty, criminal activity and violence. There are governmental programs to assist these areas but they have been ineffective for years, and under-budget.
In the bigger cities, many of the newer immigrants, coming to Israel in the last decade from Russia and Ethiopia are suffering from poverty and unemployment.
Many of the orthodox Jews live in under-poverty level conditions, not to mention the living conditions in some of the Arab villages within Israel, where the level of density, water and power services and roads are dangerously neglected.
Israel also has a large number of legal and illegal foreign workers, mainly from Romania, the Philippines and Africa, working in conditions that are below any human standards. Many of them are overworked and underpaid, without protective rights or health services, since they are neither residents nor citizens.
In my view, if you want to donate to Israel, these are the places that need your money first. Choose a community, read about the needs of the people, the schools. Make the difference that otherwise would not’t be possible.
The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) is becoming a target for questioning. From the inception of Israel, military service is mandatory for all citizens, boys and girls. Two groups of citizens are exempt – ‘Israeli Arabs’ who are Arabs living within the boundaries of Israel and are legal citizens for all purposes, and orthodox Jews. There are historical and political reasons for those exceptions, but I will not go into them here. The mandatory service has greatly impacted the Israeli society in general, and these two groups. On the positive side, the IDF serves as an inclusive bridge for most citizens. It creates a shared sense of responsibility for security, and has undoubtedly contributed to the fact that Israelis are known for their directness and assertiveness. The IDF is known as one of the best militaries in the world, and has in fact made it possible for Israel to withstand its many wars. Even on the moral side – there’s a positive outcome into drafting people who otherwise wouldn’t have joined an army: for many years there was a sense that the Israeli soldier is more moral than in other countries. However, this sense of a moral army is constantly being challenged in light of events in the occupied territories. Many investigations of un-just use of fire, killings of civilians and demolishing houses in the west bank and Gaza are wearing out this moral stance. Two weeks ago, in a Joint Israeli-Palestinian demonstration regarding the separation fence, an IDF solider ‘accidentally’ shot an Israeli demonstrator, thus re-encouraging the debate over the use of excessive force against civilians. There are a few grass-root groups, such as ‘New-Profile’, claiming that Israel as a whole has become more defensive and aggressive, and that the focus should be on de-militarizing the society and its leaders.
A year and a half ago, a group of high-school students wrote an open letter to the Prime Minster, refusing to join the IDF due to ‘the inhumane acts of the military in the occupied territories’, etc. This letter, now known as ‘Michtav Ha Shministim’ (the twelfth-grader’s letter) became the basis for a petition signed by hundreds of teenagers and their parents. Little support followed six of those refusers when they were repeatedly sent to trials and back to jail, but with that little support came some real debate about the right to refuse, and the consequences of denying it.
The consequences of not going to the army in Israel are very grave, whether you are exempt or not. Many positions and benefits in Israel are based on whether or not a person served. This creates a bias against the Israeli Arabs, and sometimes against orthodox Jews, throughout their lives. A proposal to have a civil service parallel to the military one could solve that, as well as the question of political refusals to enroll. However, so far ideas such as this have been blocked by fear that willingness to join the IDF would decline drastically and that the IDF would no longer be the “army of the people”.
Creating a more profound dialogue regarding the type of support Israel receives is important on three levels: for the US Jewish community, the Israeli reality and moral responsibility.
It would allow members of the American Jewish community to feel less alienated due to ethical and practical disagreements with the Israeli policy. It has been my impression that the American Jewish community here has been striving to build models of Jewish life, which take into account our rights as a minority group within a democratic society. It is that precise issue which most critics of Israel assert too.
The Jewish community managed to establish itself well by any standards of success. More than any other minority group that I could think of, Jewish people in America become part of the policy makers, creators of entertainment, social services and business owners. Most calendars state Christian as well as Jewish holidays; Yiddish words were adopted in formal English, etc. The community struggles with maintaining Jewish identity with democratic, multi-cultural life style, and clings to a perfected notion of Israel as the key.
When people start questioning that key, they are locked outside.
Discussing Israeli problems (and American related issues) from a broader perspective could promote tolerance towards different opinions within Israel as well. Israel is struggling with many real, critical issues. A few of which I reviewed here, these are the tip of the iceberg. Each of these are complex; so complex that attempting to simplify matters with a firm one-sided solution (such as building a one-sided fence?!) can be seen as an act of helplessness more than anything else. People who live in Israel dare to disagree, all the time. The disagreements and questions make it to the morning papers, to art shows, different civil actions. But people there are worn down: they need your help. One-sided support prevents Israeli initiatives that are opposing the official policy from even being brought to the American public as part of the real debate that exists in Israel, and limiting its effectiveness. They need you to acknowledge the different ideas, to learn about the whole picture of daily reality.
We, the Jewish people, have a mutual responsibility towards one another. There’s a saying: Kol Israel Arevim Ze La’Ze (all Israel guarantees one another). And that is what we need to do: once we know each other’s circumstances better, we need to support each other. But truly supporting each other isn’t just a matter of donating money or promoting positive representation, we have a moral responsibility. In this day and age, we could all read an Israeli newspaper (in English) every once in a while, we could sign petitions, and partake in social activism that agree with our belief systems.
I wrote this with great love to Israel, and great concern. I was hoping to broaden the views of Israel regarding the issues it truly struggles with. The consequences of these problems affect Israelis and Americans, Jews and non-Jews. I see it as my moral heritage to remind myself of the great strength originating from 2000 years of persecutions: we should understand the struggle for self-determination, the wish to be free. I feel that by being Israeli I have a responsibility to assist my friends and family, my neighbors and leaders by letting their voices be heard here (in the US); By creating a place for new visions to form here, by asking for help where it is much needed.
Einat Metzl, 2004
Some web sites:
Daily news (and exceptional specials on Friday papers)
http://www.haaretz.com/Official site regarding the political system and parties
http://www.politicalresources.net/israel.htmThe Geneva initiative:
http://www.heskem.org.il/index_en.aspNew Profile – Movement for the civil-ization of the Israeli society:
http://www.newprofile.org/default.asp?language=enShministim – Israeli youth refusal movement
http://www.shministim.org/english/index.htmSite of the 6 in Jail for refusing to serve and their families
http://www.refuz.org.ilThe Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories:
http://www.btselem.org/The Israeli democracy institution
(also in their site – army and society, religion & state, surveys)
http://www.idi.org.il/english/Byachad – Judaism, Society, democracy
http://www.byachad.org/A small religious yet pluralistic party
http://www.meimad.org.il/To help create a dialogue between Jews and Arabs, or to learn about the conflict
http://www.dialogate.org.il/peace/ A magazine about Israelizm and Judaism
http://www.acheret.co.il/About social activism within Israel
Poverty alleviation
Meretz- Social-democratic Israeli Party
http://www.meretz.org.il/English/HomePage.htmShinui – liberal party (also known as the Anti-religious party)
http://www.shinui.org.il/elections/eng/index.htmlIsrael movement to progressive Judaism (also a good site re. social justice and programs to promote education and assist new immigrants)
http://www.reform.org.il/English/default.htm
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