"Rosh Hashana, the birthday of the world" ... See MoreSee Less

Trump's full speech is here. It has some powerful points in it about Iran, Syria, socialism and human rights www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWD2BhcLSGg ... See MoreSee Less

A somewhat muddled but nevertheless interesting piece from my friend Shmuel Rosner (who is not perhaps at his best here – but then this is a tricky subject).

What Anti-Semitism in America Looks Like From Israel
Contributing Op-Ed Writer
By Shmuel Rosner
New York Times
September 15, 2017

TEL AVIV — The first meeting between an Israeli prime minister and a German chancellor took place in 1960 in New York. At this meeting, David Ben-Gurion of Israel explained to Konrad Adenauer of West Germany that there were three types of Jews in the world before Israel was established: the Jews who lived among Muslims, who adopted Muslim customs; the Jews of Europe, who never considered themselves a part of the society in which they lived; and the Jews of America, who live in a country of immigrants and so see themselves as Americans like all other Americans.

Ben-Gurion, who was born in modern-day Poland, understood European Jews. But he never really understood the Jews of the Arab world or the Jews of America. The truth is, even now many of us Israelis still don’t. And nowhere is this clearer than in how Israel responds to anti-Semitism in America today.

Generally, Jewish Israelis are not personally familiar with anti-Semitism. When they hear “anti-Semitism” they think about Jewish history — the Nazis’ Holocaust, the pogroms in czarist Russia — not our own experiences. At the same time, after looking at history, Jewish Israelis never fully believe that it’s possible for a non-Jewish country to be free of anti-Semitism. A 2016 poll found that 99 percent of Israelis believe that anti-Semitism is “very” or “somewhat common” around the world. Thus, for many Israelis the next disaster in the diaspora is just a matter of time.

Jewish Israelis are also not acquainted with Jewish assertiveness outside of Israel. The story they know — the Zionist narrative — is of powerless Jews in the diaspora who became politically assertive only in the Jewish state. This is, to use Ben-Gurion’s formulation, the story of European Jews.

Because of Israel’s circumstances and assumptions, Israeli Jews haven’t developed the same sensitivity and ear for anti-Semitism that Jews elsewhere have. For example, this week Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 26-year-old son, Yair, posted a meme on Twitter that featured George Soros, a Jewish billionaire, dangling the earth on a fishing rod, a lizard-person and a hooknosed figure who resembles the worst kinds of anti-Semitic depictions. The younger Netanyahu hasn’t yet explained himself, but I have no doubt that he’s not an anti-Semite. His lapse was probably an extreme case of a tin-eared Israeli using the wrong tools to make a point about his father’s enemies.

This gap between Israel and the diaspora is also why Israel and its leaders have struggled to find an appropriate response to the fear that has engulfed much of the American Jewish community since the rise of Donald Trump, and even more so following the events in Charlottesville, Va., last month, when neo-Nazis marched down the street chanting anti-Semitic slogans. Many people — especially the prime minister’s usual opponents and detractors — criticized Mr. Netanyahu for being slow to condemn the neo-Nazis and for being insufficient in his denunciations.

In Israel’s defense, the response of American Jewish organizations, leaders and pundits to the neo-Nazi show of hatred in Charlottesville was confusing. Many Jews seemed to react to these events as if anti-Semitism — an existing but fringe sentiment within a country that generally has warm feelings toward its Jews — poses an immediate danger. But at the same time, by raising their voices to demand clearer condemnation, these Jewish leaders were acting assertive and self-confident. They hardly seem to be living in fear.
Since the only anti-Semitism Israelis understand is one of violence, blood and brutal intimidation, it is hard for many of them to appreciate the panic over a few hundred marchers and the ineloquent condemnation of the president. Since the only remedy for anti-Semitism they know is a Jewish state (and its Jewish army), it is hard for many of them to appreciate fears about anti-Semitism that are not followed by immigration to Israel.

But most of all, what should Israel do? Just consider some of the options:
Assist American Jews in some material way? They seem to be doing fine. In fact, they seem to feel confident enough to fight their own fight. Any attempt by Israel to intervene in this crisis would suggest that the Jews of America are not as integrated as they claim to be.

Join the chorus of condemnation? Israel doesn’t need to prove that it dislikes neo-Nazis. But as a country, it has other interests. First and foremost is its need for good relations with the American administration — the same administration that many American Jews blame for the crisis. Moreover, Israel has an aversion to leftist radicals like the ones who clashed with the white supremacists in Charlottesville because many of these radicals are associated with groups highly critical of Israel’s policies, who often support boycott of Israel — a stance that most Israelis believe is as anti-Semitic as the anti-Semitism of the right.

Refrain from responding? When Israel attempted that, many American Jewish leaders (and some Israelis) condemned its silence. “Any Jew, anywhere, who does not act to oppose President Donald Trump and his administration acts in favor of anti-Semitism,” wrote the Jewish novelists Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman, asking Israel to “wise up.”

The only thing that Israel can really offer in response to anti-Semitism is something tried and true: its existence. Israel can and must continue to be a Jewish safe haven, ready to accept Jews in distress from anywhere in the world. Israel’s law of return enables every Jew who feels the need to flee persecution to find a home in the Jewish state and become a citizen.

There is a sense of disappointment among many Jews in America at what they perceive as Israeli indifference to anti-Semitism in the United States, whether it appears at neo-Nazi demonstrations or in memes on Twitter. But in fact, this is just another case of Jews talking past one another. Israelis see frightened American Jews rejecting what they consider the only solution for anti-Semitism. American Jews see cocky Israelis clinging to a solution that doesn’t address what they consider most important: an America free of anti-Semitism.

The cure for this misunderstanding is knowledge that both communities lack. American Jews need to better understand that Israel’s stance on anti-Semitism in America reflects Israel’s circumstances. Israelis need to better understand the Jews of America and accept that for once, they shouldn’t offer the ready-made and oftentimes valuable solution of a safe haven, but rather extend their empathy to another great Jewish community waging its own battle. ... See MoreSee Less