The first Israeli victim of Saddam Hussein is a Zionist myth on which we were brought up.
It stated that Israel is a haven for all the Jews in the world. In all the other countries, Jewslive in perpetual fear that a cruel persecutor will arise, as happened in Germany. Israel isthe safe haven, to which Jews can escape in times of danger. Indeed, this was the purpose of theFounding Fathers when they established the state.
Now Saddam comes along and proves the opposite. All over the world, Jews live in safety, andonly in one place on the planet are they threatened by annihilation: Israel. Here the nationalparks are prepared for mass-graves, here (pathetic) measures against biological andchemical weapons are prepared. Many people are already planning to escape to the communitiesin the Diaspora. End of a myth.
Another Zionist myth died even before that. The Diaspora, so we learned in our youth, createsanti-Semitism. Everywhere the Jews are a minority, and a minority inevitably attracts thehatred of the majority. Only when the Jews gather in the Land of their Forefathers andconstitute the majority there, will anti-Semitism disappear throughout the world. Thusspoke Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism.
Nowadays this myth, too, is giving up its blessed soul. The very opposite is happening: theState of Israel is causing the resurrection of anti-Semitism all over the world, threateningJews everywhere.
The Sharon government is a giant laboratory for the growing of the anti-Semitism virus. Itexports it to the whole world. Anti-Semitic organizations, which for many years vegetated onthe margins of society, rejected and despised, are suddenly growing and flowering.Anti-Semitism, which has hidden itself in shame since World War II, is now riding on a greatwave of opposition to Sharon’s policy of oppression.
Sharon’s propaganda agents are pouring oil on the flames. Accusing all critics of his policyof being anti-Semites, they brand large communities with this mark. Many good people, whofeel no hatred at all towards the Jews, but who detest the persecution of the Palestinians, arenow called anti-Semites. Thus the sting is taken out of this word, giving it somethingapproaching respectability.
The practical upshot: not only does Israel not protect the Jews from anti-Semitism, but quiteon the contrary – Israel manufactures and exports the anti-Semitism that threatens Jewsaround the world.
For many years, Israel enjoyed the sympathy of most people. It was seen as the state of theholocaust survivors, a small and courageous country defending itself against the repeatedassaults of murderous Arabs. Slowly, this image has been replaced by another: a cruel, brutaland colonizing state, oppressing a small and helpless people. The persecuted has become thepersecutor, David has turned onto Goliath.
We Israelis, living in a bubble of self-brain-washing, find it hard to imagine how the worldsees us. In many countries, television and newspapers publish daily pictures of Palestinianchildren throwing stones at monstrous tanks, soldiers harassing women at the checkpoints,despairing old men sitting on the ruins of their demolished homes, soldiers taking aim andshooting children. These soldiers do not look like human beings in uniform – “the neighbor’sson” as they look to Israelis, but like robots without faces, armed to the teeth, heads hiddenby helmets, bullet-proof vests changing their proportions. People who have seen thesephotos dozens and hundreds of times start to see the Israel in this image.
For Jews, this creates a dangerous vicious circle. Sharon’s actions create repulsion andopposition throughout the world. These reinforce anti-Semitism. Faced with this danger,Jewish organizations are pushed into defending Israel and giving it unqualified support.This support enables the anti-Semites to attack not only the government of Israel, but thelocal Jews, too. And so on.
In Europe, Jews already feel the pressure. But in the United States, they still feel supremelyself-confident. In Europe, Jews have learned over the centuries that it is not wise to be tooconspicuous and to display their wealth and influence. But in America, the very opposite ishappening: the Jewish establishment is practically straining to prove that it controls thecountry.
Every few years, the Jewish lobby “eliminates” an American politician who does not supportthe Israeli government unconditionally. This is not done secretly, behind the scenes, but asa public “execution”. Just now this was done to the black Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, ayoung, active, intelligent and very sympathetic woman. She has dared to criticize the Sharongovernment, support Palestinians and (worst of all) Israeli and Jewish peace groups. TheJewish establishment found a counter-candidate, a practically unknown black woman,injected huge sums into the campaign and defeated Cynthia.
All this happened in the open, with fanfares, to make a public example – so that every Senatorand Congressperson would know that criticizing Sharon is tantamount to political suicide.
Now this is repeated in a big way. The pro-Israel lobby – which consists of Jews and extremeright-wing Christian fundamentalists – is pushing the American administration to start awar. This, too, openly, in full view of the American public. Dozens of articles in theimportant newspapers point this out as a plain political fact.
What will happen if the war ends in failure? If it has unexpected negative results and manyyoung Americans die? If the American public turns against it, as happened during the VietnamWar? One can easily imagine a whispering campaign starting: “The Jews have pushed us intothis,” “The Jews support Israel more than they support America,” and, finally, “The Jewscontrol our country.”
Furthermore, Sharon may sooner or later bring about a revolution in the Arab world. This willbe a disaster for American interests. American Jews, now completely identified with Israel,will be blamed.
Anyhow, the conspicuousness of the Jews in the United States, especially in the media, andtheir disproportionate influence over the Congress and the White House, can backfire one ofthese days.
Of course, the special political culture of the United States encourages such phenomena – butthat was also true in Spain of the “Golden Age” and the Weimar republic in Germany. History doesnot have to repeat itself, but neither should one disregard its lessons.
There are people in Israel people who secretly wish for the victory of anti-Semitismeverywhere. That would confirm another Zionist myth on which we were brought up: that Jewswill not be able to live anywhere but in Israel, because anti-Semitism is bound to triumpheverywhere. But the United States is not France or Argentina, it plays a critical role in theMiddle East. Israel’s national security, as established by all Israeli governments sinceBen-Gurion, is based on the total support of the United States – military, political andeconomic.
If I were asked for advice, I would counsel the Jewish communities throughout the world asfollows: break out of the vicious circle. Disarm the anti-Semites. Break the habit ofautomatic identification with everything our governments do. Let your conscience speakout. Return to the traditional Jewish values of “That which is altogether just shalt thoufollow!” (Deuteronomy 16,20) and “Seek peace and pursue it!” (Psalms 34, 14). Identifyyourselves with the Other Israel, which is struggling to uphold these values at home.
All over the world, new Jewish groups that follow this way are multiplying. They break yetanother myth: the duty of Jews everywhere to subordinate themselves to the edicts of ourgovernment.