As a progressive Jew, I often find myself frustrated at the rhetoric coming from many in the Jewish establishment about what it means to be pro-Israel. I consider myself pro-Israel and for me, protecting the peace, security, and rights of all humans- Israeli, Palestinian, or any other group, is paramount. For me, then, being pro-Israel consists of advocating for safe and secure lives for Israelis and Palestinians and us all. As a Jew, I appreciate the need for a safe haven for a historically persecuted minority as is the Jewish community. Yet I also realize that within our people, there are those who would have us sacrifice the dignity and rights of others to achieve this goal. I say unequivocally that we can and will promote the well-being of all people. Obama speaks what flows through the minds of many Jews when he says we should not equate pro-Israel with being pro-Likud.
As someone who has advocated for peace in the Jewish community, I can't tell you the relief I feel to see a national figure like Barack Obama asserting my right to make my voice heard for peace. My friend Adrian and I were attacked countless times for speaking out in favor of a ceasefire in Lebanon and the vitriol we were exposed to was at times fierce and unreasoned. However, what we also found through our activism was that many Jews were like us- pro-peace, pro-Israel, and scared that deviating from the right-wing dogma of the establishment would harm our own reputations in the Jewish community.
In the end, we prompted an important discussion in the Reform Movement about what it means to support Israel and what role American Jews have to play in making peace there and around the world. I am proud of the conversations us student activists sparked and the dialogue that many in our community are bravely engaging in around these important issues. I think great arguments can be made on different sides of many issues in our community- what a peace settlement should look like, when/if military force is acceptable, and even the degree to which Diaspora Jews and Israelis should have a say in each other's political debates. What is indisputable, though, is that discussing these issues in an open and inclusive way is exactly what our community, and indeed all (little d) democratic communities, should promote. Let's have a debate about what it means to be pro-Israel, not just how far to the right we can pressure the Israeli government. Let's trust ourselves to be able to distinguish the hateful rhetoric that applies a higher standard to Israeli human rights abuses than to those of their own countries from the constructive criticism that pushes us to live by the ethics we preach in synagogue on Shabbat.
In his speech today, Obama sums up my view pretty succintly: "if we cannot have an honest dialogue about how do we achieve these goals [of making peace], then we’re not going to make progress." To move forward, we cannot dictate, we must dialogue. We must join Obama in navigating that dangerous territory between the extremes of anti-Israel radicals and hawkish right-wing Likudniks. It is a compromised and fruitful path that I and the peaceful majority of Jews and Arabs stake out for ourselves every day. We've never been more fortunate to have the next President of the United States at our side every difficult step of the way.
"Be from the students of Aaron, love peace and pursue peace" -Rabbi Hillel