A plea for all Maine Jews – Thedoghousespa

All Maine Jews should support recent divestment and arms embargo efforts. Yes, even if they support Israel.

As early as October 2023, American Jews have been appalled by events in Israel-Palestine and, supposedly, deeply divided about it. On the one hand, there is a supposed majority with unquestioning support for the actions of the Israeli government, who believe that anti-Zionism and any criticism of Israel is inherently anti-Semitic and un-Jewish. On the other hand, we are led to believe that there is a vocal minority who support a maximalist form of Palestinian liberation, the end of the state of Israel, who veer towards “self-hatred”, “anti-Semitism” and are unaware of the problematic nature of organizations such as Hamas.

To be sure, these divisions exist to some extent. There are some whose views can be described in one of these two ways. I found, however, that beneath this divided image there is a unifying but even more complicated reality. Most American Jews I speak to are concerned about the violence on all sides and want a lasting and meaningful peace in the region. They are concerned with both the Islamic fundamentalism and ethno-nationalism of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Jewish fundamentalism and ethno-nationalism of the Israeli coalition government led by Netanyahu, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.

Most people I know do not oppose Israel’s existence, but they do not support its current actions. They are dedicated to Jewish values such as tikkun olam (healing the world) and tzedakah (charitable giving). They took to heart the message of “never again,” the watchword of commemorating the Holocaust and preventing future human rights abuses. Here at home, they are uncomfortable with the uncompromising rhetoric of supporters in both parties and are concerned about the rise of anti-Semitism, largely on the right, white, Christian side of the Republican Party.

This assessment is supported by national surveys. right Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), 75% of American Jews feel some emotional attachment to Israel, but 63% oppose Prime Minister Netanyahu and 92% believe they can and should criticize the Israeli government. right Pew Research Centerup to 70% of American Jews vote for the Democratic Party, similar numbers support Harris over Trump, and a similar or even greater number believe that the policies and rhetoric of the Republican Party are actively anti-Semitic.

Despite this broad support for the Democratic Party among American Jews, a growing minority, potentially as high as 40 percent, say the failure of the Biden-Harris administration to stop Israel’s actions in Gaza is a major concern. A study conducted by the Hebrew University found that 90% of American Jews I feel that Jews have an obligation to work for social justice and to help the poor and/or oppressed.

Israel’s current ruling coalition is made up of right-wing extremists desperately clinging to power in an attempt to avoid the consequences of lawlessness and corruption, waging a war that is controversial at best and most vocally opposed hostage. families they often rhetorically claim to support.

In short, the vast majority of American Jews would be horrified to see these people elected here at home. How strange to see how some American Jews fight against this kind of “leadership” in their own country, while providing political cover for it on the other side of the world.

Peace in the region is not possible while the far-right Israeli government is supported by the United States. When either the US or the Israeli government fails to live up to our standards and values, we should openly criticize them and use every tool at our disposal to pressure them to do better. We should be supporting our ideological allies in Israel rather than allowing our government to support its electoral opponents. We should support Israeli-Palestinian coalition building and reconciliation whenever possible.

That’s why I’m calling on all Maine Jews to support divestment efforts, like the one recently voted in Portland, and gun embargoes, like the bill recently introduced by fellow Jew and New England Senator Bernie Sanders. We must say clearly and vocally to both our Jewish institutions and our elected officials that we believe in the importance of criticizing both the Israeli and US governments in order to hold them to our standards. Instead of choosing either “side” in this conflict, or the passive stance of “neutrality,” actions like this represent actively choosing the side of peace and reconciliation, the first steps in a long-lasting shalom for the region.