 |
|
|
|
 Some see signs of growing strife within American Jewry over the issue of Israel. American Jews confront internal rancor over IsraelBy Joe Sterling, CNN Atlanta (CNN) - When the editor of a Jewish newspaper here wrote this month that the Jewish state might consider assassinating an American president, his column made national headlines and provoked a Secret Service inquiry. The most striking criticism came from the Jewish community itself, which collectively held its nose and harshly denounced the column by Andrew Adler, who is also the owner of the weekly paper, the Atlanta Jewish Times. Anti-Defamation League national director Abraham Foxman called Adler's words "irresponsible and extremist." Adler apologized and resigned as editor, but some see the episode as the latest example of an increase in divisive, over-the-top rhetoric within American Jewish communal life, revolving largely around the hot-button issue of Israel and its policies toward the Palestinians. The tensions have provoked Jewish groups across the country to launch programs aimed at lowering the political temperature in their own religious communities. Israel is not "one of the great unifying factors" that it once was in the Jewish community, said Samuel Freedman, author of "Jew vs. Jew: the Struggle for the Soul of American Jewry.”
"Since the Lebanon invasion and the First Intifada, it has become a dividing line,” he said, referring to the Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation in the late 1980s. “It's probably deeper now than I've ever seen it." Tensions within American Judaism are rising as some Jews detect an "existential threat" to Israel, with Iran's nuclear aspirations and Islamist parties coming to power during the Arab uprisings, he says. Freedman also sees broader trends at work, including the fading line between private and public talk dissolving in the era of blogging and tweeting. The Atlanta Jewish Times incident, he says, is a reminder that words that sound bold in private will "resonate really differently when they are out in public." Ethan Felson, vice president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, says emotions have been much more "intense and destructive" lately as ideological camps within the American Jewish community harden their views over the contentious U.S. presidential campaign, tensions between Israel and Iran, and issues from health care to marriage. "This is going to be a brutal year," he says. "We're looking at a scorched earth political environment." Felson’s group spearheads a nationwide civility initiative and held a "civility institute" last year to help Jewish leaders with conflict resolution, listening and "communicating across polarized divides." Leaders from 15 Jewish communities across the country participated. The council recently issued a civility statement signed by a range of prominent Jewish entities, saying the effort has "deep roots in Torah," the Jewish sacred text, and "in our community's traditions." But the statement also spoke to a troubled Jewish landscape. "The expression and exchange of views is often an uncivil, highly unpleasant experience,” it said. “Community events and public discussions are often interrupted by raised voices, personal insults, and outrageous charges." Jane Schiff, a Jewish Council for Public Affairs board member who is also on the group’s civility task force, says she has seen the hostile atmosphere take its toll in her Atlanta community, with rabbis backing off from talking about Israel. "They are afraid it will affect their employment. I'm seeing friends saying to each other, 'I'm not talking to you about that because I want to stay your friend,' " she said of controversial issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Judy Saks, the community relations director for the Jewish Federation of Nashville and editor of the federation-produced community newspaper, can attest to the vituperation. In May, an online video surfaced about Muslims in Nashville that said they were fomenting pro-terrorist ideas. Called “Losing our Community,” the video was produced by a Boston-based group called Americans for Peace and Tolerance. A video on the group’s website says one Nashville Muslim figure it regards as radical has been embraced by “self-described progressive Jewish religious leaders," including a rabbi, and is respected as an interfaith activist in the community. Saks said that the original video blasted three Nashville rabbis but that two were removed after several weeks. Americans for Peace and Tolerance did not respond to a request for comment. "It brought out such divisiveness in this community,” Saks said. “It pointed fingers at our rabbis for doing what rabbis do." The organized Jewish community decided to draw up its own civility statement, which supports "robust and vigorous debate about critical issues – as long as it is civil and tolerant" and disagreement "without threats of reprisal." "This willingness to listen to other points of view honors Nashville's spirit as an open, welcoming and friendly city, our nation's history and our Jewish heritage," it said. "We will not engage with those who threaten the safety and security of our community." In California's San Francisco Bay Area, controversy erupted over a film about Rachel Corrie shown at a 2009 San Francisco Jewish film festival. Corrie, an American member of the International Solidarity Movement who was killed in Gaza nine years ago by an Israel Defense Forces bulldozer, symbolizes for many the battle on the left against Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories. Corrie's mother spoke at the event, angering some Jews, who said her appearance politicized what was supposed to be an artistic moment. The reaction to the film reflected the political fissures in the Bay Area Jewish community. In response, two community leaders, Abby Michelson Porth and Rachel Eryn Kalish, co-founded Project Reconnections, which included an initiative called the Year of Civil Discourse. The well-funded effort throughout 2011 worked to bring Jews of different political stripes together for dialogue and deliberation, study and workshops. It also focused on reconciliation in four synagogues beset by political enmity and engaged community leaders over issues such as the Middle East. Porth, also associate director at the Bay Area Jewish Community Relations Council, says the project helped infuse the community "with the skills and the opportunity to have a rich, meaningful and civil discourse." She says it got people on opposite ends of the spectrum to stay at the table to understand the other person's point of view and to to deliberate thoughtfully over disagreements. Kalish, the Year of Civil Discourse project facilitator, saw people’s "fight or flight" instincts shift as they learned to communicate thoughtfully and gain a deeper understanding of issues such as Jewish settlements and the status of Jerusalem. A healthy conversation, Kalish said, helps people think and understand that "maybe there's a third way" to approach a stubborn issue. She recalls an interaction in one synagogue between an older man who lived through Israel's War of Independence in 1948 and the Six Day War in 1967 and a young woman who sees Israel through the prism of its criticized actions in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. The two synagogue members came to understand each other and now work side by side as dialogue "facilitators" at their congregation. Kalish cites this as an example of "pretty dramatic change" in learning how to listen and speak honesty and respectfully. Mitch Chanin, executive director of the Jewish Dialogue Group in Philadelphia, offers dialogue programs for Jews in synagogues, colleges and other organizations and trains people as dialogue facilitators. The group formed in 2001 and has done work across North America. Chanin, who says his group refrains from promoting political opinion, says the dialogues have included talking through the tough issues around the Middle East conflict. "People grapple with the questions of what risks are we willing to take and what actions are ethical. Who can we trust and not trust?" Chanin said. "The likely consequences of Israeli policies. What are the intentions of Palestinian actors? “What can we do to be safe? When is it OK to kill? When is it necessary? When is it wrong? When are there alternatives?" |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Dan Gilgoff and Eric Marrapodi, with daily contributions from CNN's worldwide newsgathering team and frequent posts from religion scholar and author Stephen Prothero.  |
|
|
|
© 2010 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertise with us | About us | Contact us | Help | Advertising Practices
Check out the chick in the white/yellow striped shirt in the pic. Nice pair!
indeed..
Plastic!
ALL THE JEWS IN THIS COUNTRY ENSLAVE THE WORKING CLASS AND HAVE MOST OF THE MONEY.. THERE GREEDY.. GET OUT IF YOU DONT LIKE IT..
I have been following some of your posts and I must admit. You are really one stupid SOB.
They are not a very gracious people. Look how God has had to deal with them. They appear very hard hearted and self absorbed.Imagine saying something like that about the Israeli Pres.They would be mounting you on another cross.
Clearly Obama is pro-islam. of course he is against israel
Where did you get that info Batman??
Yet another example of paronaia...inbreeding is a B!$@h. How many times have this president gone to bat for that country...what with Bin Laden and El Qaida and all...and yet his life is being threatened? Quit tripping!
Me too
THATS WHAT WE GET FOR STOPPING HITLERS BURNING RAGE..
Don't we all MISSED Hitler the "Great One" so much today!
The anti-Semitic comments on this comment list are exactly why the pro-Palestinian terrorist movement is such a darling of the left. Go join Hitler in the bunker, you racists.
Oh yeah,,Exactly!!! You the pot calling out the kettle!!!! Nimrod!!
More like Pro-Palestine pretending to be true citizens. Wolf in sheep's clothing.
Why then threaten our President?
To Pat F; if your evil satanic jewish tribe dares threatens any Blackman or the life of the President of the FREE World, the President of US then; you bet your stinky satanic jewish ass that you freaking have problem with his race and those he represents. You evil jews picked the wrong race to pick a fight with. You evil, satan possessed jews crucified the Son of the Living God and got away. NOT this time! From what the World knows; Satan Lucifer’s blood runs in every evil jewsh family.
We all MISSED Hitler the "Great One" so much today!
Please go to Google-plug in USS LIBERTY_SEE why I hate the Jews AS well as LBJ
Having researched and followed the Liberty incident for over two decades, I know a thing or two about it. The Liberty conspiracy nuts are surrounded by raving antisemites and Islamo-Fascists. (Your Google search should provide many links to demonstrate this.) Both the USA and Israel agree that it was a friendly-fire incident. The USA has killed VASTLY larger numbers of innocent civilians and allied soldiers since then, even in much less trying conditions and despite having much more advanced weapons systems compared to what Israel had back in 1967 and yet American friendly-fire incidents do not produce crazed conspiracy theories. This is why only genuine kooks and antisemites still support the anti-Israel Liberty conspiracy theories. You appear to be in good company...
"Adler apologized and resigned as editor"....Seriously? That's it? Can you imagine what would have happened to an American -Arab who suggested such an action? Adler should be facing criminal charges. Who knows what damage has already been done ... what thoughts and ideas are now planted in the heads of radicals. I'm appalled by the lack of response to such an egregious act of incitement. Sadly, I'm not surprised.
Well put Deborah!!
Again, its free if disgusting speech. In the U.S. mere speculation is not considered a threat. Muslim nationalists, white supremacists, and all manner of radicals have made similar statements and are not in jail. His resignation, and being put on the FBI watch list, are appropriate, and anyone subscribing to his paper should cancel.
If Jewish groups across the country don't like how we treat Israel. than they are free to go bake to Israel at anytime. I have to wonder some times way they still live here in America ?
Yes,,,thats it!! A Bake sale!!
Chris, that is the same old tired argument used against the Irish, the Blacks, the Asians, the Hispanics, and ANY GROUP that individually or collectively complain about 'Merica. Give me a break.
"We" still live here because we were born and bred here. We are Americans. So "going back" is not necessarily and option. Why can't a Jew have opinions on the only Jewish state in the world and still be an American and live here? Don't Italians have opinions on politics in Italy, Greeks on Greece, French on France? Same thing. Or should we simply ask all people with roots or anscestors from other countries to "go back"?
Threatening the President of this country is not just expressing some opinion....
Chris,k
They are here for the money and send it back to Israel to attach the Arabs.
Mike, you're so right...as long as those opinions don't involve our tax money being shipped over there. Everyone has a right to have opinions, but please stop mooching off of us...
imagine if newspaper for/by Muslims had suggested that the US president should be assassinated, i wonder how many people from it would be in Guantanamo now, certainly there would be more of a reaction than this. though great job cnn, why am i not surprised that an article about Jewish extremists calling for an attack on our president would have one sentence about that and 20 paragraphs about how enlightened Jews are.
Again, its free if disgusting speech. In the U.S. mere speculation is not considered a threat. Muslim nationalists, white supremacists, and all manner of radicals have made similar statements and are not in jail. His resignation, and being put on the FBI watch list, are appropriate, and anyone subscribing to his paper should cancel.
If you like another country so much and dislike the U.S., then get out and go to wherever it is you came from.
It wouldn't really an assassination of a US President. More like an assassination of an Israeli puppet. Israeli was involved in 9/11 (5 arrested with explosives that day), the USS Liberty bombing, they own Hollywood (LA Times), and have massive influence in Washington. America is practically their country now.
Obama gave support for the Islamic Brotherhood. They hate Israel
You mean Cash Cow!!
One of the great dangers of antisemitism is the danger to the antiesemites themselves. While crowing about imagined Jewish plots to take over the world, control the banks, media and govt, they distract attention from those who REALLY ARE trying to take over the world, banks, govt, etc. Al Jazeera is not owned by Jews. There is WAY more Arab oil money in American banks than there is Jewish money. Same for Washington. Feel free to demonize the Jews – just don't act so surprised when Islamo-Fascists strike in your own neigborhood. It will be your own fault.
If that is how Israel feels, time to stop all foreign aid. Immediately.
Adler is American. Israel condemned him, as they should.
Read Dennis Ross' book, "The Missing Peace." Ross was the chief negotiator during the Clinton negotiations with the Israelis and Palestinians. A comprehensive settlement was reached regarding all the important issues. At the last minute Arafat backed out because he feared assassination if he signed. This resulted in the Intifada. In the meantime Clinton's term ended, but the negotiators continued their work at Taba and reached complete agreement. The problem was that none of them were in office any longer. The agreements, complete with maps, are all laid out in this excellent book. Interestingly, Netanyahu was negatively portrayed in the book, as was Arafat. Prime Minister Barak and the Palestinian negotiator Erekat were portrayed more willing to reach agreement.
HITLER SHOULD HAVE BURNED ALL THE JEWS !!!
Obvious troll is obvious.
It's not hard to imagine why he felt the way he did after reading articles like this.
idiot
My Dear Don Juan,
I don't know how old you are. but it does not matter. You live all your years with hate in your soul!!! Shame on you!
But please remember when you die (God forbid) you may meet Jesus there in heaven (or in hell) (:-) Please don't repeat what you just said about Jews! I am pretty sure Jesus will not be happy what you said about his close relatives!
I wish you all the best!!!
Helen.
Typical. Wah wah wah!
As a non jew who works for orthodox jews, I can say with certainty that most jews are sincere and good people. Reactions to stories like this always surprise me a bit.One jew says something inappropriate and we automatically make blanket statements about all jews.I was raised catholic ( I believe in God now, but in no way practice or really give much thought to the issue ) and have come across idiotic catholics, muslims, jews, and atheists.No one group is immune to stupidity.
It is funny how American media portrays Palestinians as the only hurdle in achieving peace. How they betray simple minded Americans.
Hamas and Fatah are evil. No doubt. But, what would happen if Hamas and Fatah did not exist? Palestinians have no army and no defense so what would happen?
Jews would continue to bulldoze the Palestinians out of their homes and increase their settlements until every Palestinian was pushed out of Palestine so that Israel could take over the entire land.
So long as Israel, the US, Iran, Syria and the other players in this mess keep at it, the Arab residents of Israel and the occupied territories will never be able to live without Hamas and Fatah. If we want to see a land without war, we need to stop behaving in ways that incite violence. When two sides have equal power and mutual respect, diplomacy can work, but the Arab residents of that area have no power and are not respected by the government of Israel. How to you expect powerless and angry people to respond to threats?
That makes no sense. If Hamas and lets use Hezballah since Fatah has at least tried to work with Israel, there would not be the terrorist attacks and no need for Israel to bulldoze houses. Second they don't have an army because they have never had a state or a stable enough government.
If Hamas and Hezbollah and Fatah were to stop promoting and supporting violence against Israelis that would help the peace process. Let us imagine that for 2 complete years no attacks of any kind against Israelis come from the West Bank or Gaza. There is no smuggling of semiautomatic or automatic pistols, rifle or shotguns. No smuggling of explosives. No manufacturing of rockets or explosives. There are no expressions of a desire to destroy Israel. The Israelis would come under increasing pressure both internally and externally to respond positively to such a period of significant nonviolence. Why? Money. Many Israelis are frustrated with the amount of money it takes to deal with the settlers security issues. If there is no violence, then reduce the expenditure and put the money back into the neglected areas of Israel that existed before the 1967 war. If you get another year of peace, reduce the expenditure again. After about a dozen years of peace the security operations in the West Bank and aroud Gaza will look more like normal police forces. The internal West Bank checkpoints will have been removed. During this period of peace the internal political forces of Israel will also be able to more extensively investigate the funding mechanisms of the settlers and how they divert tax money from the original intended uses to themselves. The scandals there will result in reduced funding for settlers. The settlers logic that they provide a security function will be shown to be untrue. Political support for them will drop for each year of peace. By the end of a dozen years you will have the chance to remove the settlers political ability to be a decisive voting block in the parliament. That means you can get a peace treaty approved. The basics of the treaty exist already from the talks during the Clinton Presidency. The Palestinians get a land area equal in size to the land area that existed in Gaza and the West Bank before the 1967 war. The boundaries are different, but the square kilometers are the same. The other stuff is dropped. No right of return to Israel. If you are Palestinian, you can move to the new Palestinian state. You get a police force, not an army. You get a coastal patrol, not a blue water navy. You get light transport helicopters and aircraft, not a long range air force. The new Palestinian nation will save a huge amount of money because they will not be tempted to spend taxes on such enterprises. Your economy will grow and combined with the amount of international aid that will be given, you should be able to build up an impressive array of public and private infrastructure. Your economy will probably grow in a couple of decades to be more productive than almost any other in the Middle East.
David Hoffman is too wordy. I won't read his rant.
Probably too intelligent for the likes of you, Tom.
Iran is attempting to develop the technology to build a nuclear weapon – why else would you build your nuclear facilities UNDERGROUND? Whether they intend to use them is doubtful as if they did they know they would be isolated by everyone including Russian, China and Pakistan thus allowing the US to annihilate the entire country. Question is whether Israel is willing to held hostage to a nuclear Iran. Based on the Raid on Entebbe, Munich Olympics and the Six Day War, (not to mention the bombing of Iraq & Syria's nuclear facilities) Israel will not stand idle by and wait to see what happens politically. The simple truth is Israel doesn't believe they have the luxury to wait and see like Europe & the US. Israel believes the bombs will fall – the only question is when and they will act while they have the advantage not when Iran is on equal nuclear footing. Russia will do nothing as they have the second worse historical treatment of Jews next to Hitler. China & India will publicly speak-out against the military action, but then side with their largest trading partners – The United States and Europe far more important to their economies than Iranian Oil. The only thing postponing an attack is the threat of $200 bbl oil which would send the world into economic spiral.
Most newly built nuclear energy facilities are built underground. It's a safety reason. Stop watching the simpsons:)
Your logic makes me throw up!
Does anyone who is afraid of Iran developing nukes understand how these weapons work. If Iranians would use nukes, they would be killing millions of fellow Muslims. Look at the map and see how the Muslims and Jews are very much living in close proximity and mangled together in that area.
Really name one non-military underground commercial nuclear reactor??? What Iran wants to be the first...
Neely, add in the movement of the radioactive fallout. It goes right over nations that would be upset to have their citizens sickened with radiation. Get a bunch of Turks or Jordanians sick and see what eventually happens to Iran's leaders. Not nice things.
Let me clarify few thngs for you. All nuclear technology is bulit below the ground. Have you seen US nuclear facilities?
Lets do not mix subject. We are NOT alking about Iran. But about Jewish community had threten US president.
Israel and over 16 countries have nuclear capbilities. Lets assume have a bomb, do you think they drop it in Israel which has 6 million of Palestenian poulation all moslem?
I think Iran nuclear is just an excuse.
I any case, I do NOT want to see any foreign country flag in US. There is clear messgae here. If you are a US citizen then you will folow US flag and law of Land, f you do not like it them go back who ever you are supporting. No compromise on that. We are tired of pampering Israel.
Seriously It is hotter than a jew in an oven–comment by Don Juan smacks of racisism , extremism and Naziism. You should take this guy's privileges away–
FREEDOM OF SPEECH... NEE HOOW
It's call Democracy and Freedom