When an Israeli moderator at the JPPI conference says “Israelis have far more pressing problems than women’s rights to pray at the Western Wall,” or the frequent excuse that the mistreatment of American Jewish women and Conservative rabbis in Israel is an American problem, I see red (“I Love Israel, But Does Israel Love Me?” Editor’s column, May 29).
Till now I’ve been able to recover, but I don’t know how much longer I can. When Israelis once again brush off the concerns of Conservative and Reform Jews, I paraphrase the famous Abba Eban statement about the Arabs and say, “you Israelis never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity” to show that we indeed all are Jews.
I am enraged by the ongoing blindness of Israelis toward the aspirations of many, indeed most, committed American Jews, in the so-called “Jewish homeland.”
I visited Israel several times, as did my children. I was proud of Netanyahu’s visit, pay dues to AIPAC, quit J Street, but I don’t know how much longer I can sustain my bifurcated view of Israel. If Israel can mistreat us fellow Jews as it does, how much more so is it mistreating Palestinians? So far I’ve been able to keep this question slightly below my conscious perception of Israel, but can’t go on much longer. Nor do know I how long I can go on defending Israeli policies against the rising tide of criticism as I am losing faith in Israel. And if this is coming from someone as pro-Israel as I have been, I dread thinking about those starting from no commitment to Israel.
Israel: Wake up.
The New York Jewish Week brings you the stories behind the headlines, keeping you connected to Jewish life in New York. Help sustain the reporting you trust by donating today.
