He is the rabbi of the local Reform temple with which I am tenuously affiliated, although I'd like to be more so. I have suspected before that although he's a religious liberal as would be expected of a Reform rabbi, he is a right-leaning hawkish Zionist. Unfortunately, this is not an unusual combination. He confirmed my suspicions when he sent out an e-mail from ARZA, which I believe stands for American Reform Zionist Association. It was filled with all the usual smear and spin (actually frantic damage control) about the humanitarian activists involved in the flotilla incident. He was asking the congregation to foward this e-mail to our family and friends. Here is my response:

Dear Rabbi ****,

I cannot and will not forward the ARZA statement you sent out to my family and friends because it does not reflect my views on this most recent tragedy. I DO NOT support the hardline Netanyahu government and never have. Now I'm living for the day Israel decides they've done enough damage and removes them from power. I totally disagree with ARZA's "Israel right or wrong" spin on the flotilla incident. I have already read accounts of it from my preferred sources and drawn my own conclusions.

My sources are (among others) Rabbi Arthur Waskow's Shalom Center, Rabbi Michael Lerner's Network of Spiritual Progressives and J Street Pac--all of whom are (understandably) totally devastated, as are their readers. For news from Israel, I depend strictly on Haaretz and NEVER on that right-wing rag Israel National News aka Arutz-7. That one is the favorite source of the so-called "Christian Zionists," as well as the Jewish extreme right both religious and political. Therefore it has no credibility with me.

Just before I got your e-mail, I changed the signature line I have been using for over a year on my favorite discussion board. It now reads this way:

My grandmother was ill in bed when the Nazis came to her home town of Staszow. A German soldier shot her dead in her bed. My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza. --Sir Gerald Kaufman, MP

The last note I posted on that same discussion board (last night) contains a link to the most recent Shalom Center article on the flotilla incident. It quotes a recent Haaretz editorial, which says in part:

As that editorial itself shows, there is much that is valuable and decent and sensible in Israeli society. But its present government, which tries to drape itself in Jewish history and Jewish religion, is a disgrace to the Jewish people, an abomination to human ethics, and a danger to the peace of the whole world -- including the United States. (my emphasis)

Like all other Jews I deeply regret the polarization in the American Jewish community over the occupied territories and the stalled peace process. It has caused pain and division even within my own family. But we can all expect that polarization to get worse before it gets better as a result of this incident.

It will also have a direct bearing on America's security because it increases the danger of another 9/11-type terrorist attack. That's precisely what the neocon, imperialist and anti-democratic elements of our own government want, of course, although they'll pretend to wring their hands over it. But they will use it to strip away the last remaining shreds of our civil rights the Bush administration didn't get around to destroying.

Since this is a basic issue of conscience, my present position is the only one possible for me. I have always been acutely aware that it was the Jewish religion, and specifically Reform Judaism, that formed my conscience in the first place. Even if they screwed up in some other areas, they did an outstanding job in that one...which means they are stuck with it now!

Shalom,
Linda Sang

Linda
If you want something done, send the letter to someone with more than prayer power, like President Obama. He's already wrestling with Netanyahou.

Then pray.

Donald

quote:

Originally posted by EQ:
Linda
If you want something done, send the letter to someone with more than prayer power, like President Obama. He's already wrestling with Netanyahou.

Then pray.

Donald

Donald,

I already signed a J Street letter to President Obama, which hopefully will have a greater impact. As for Netanyahu, the only thing I am praying for is the day the Israelis vote "no confidence" and give him the boot. He's done enough damage already.

--Linda

"Sulha" (reconciliation) prayer at Abraham's tomb

The link a YouTube video, and one of many small but hopeful signs I've seen as the smoke clears. It was made in 2008 before the Mavi Marmara tragedy, but not surprisingly it's had a lot of hits in the last few weeks.

--Linda

Thanks, Linda. I enjoyed the video very much, and I recommend it also.

Donald

Yes, that was a good thing for me to see.