More and more, we hear from faculty and students about the need to have an “open tent” or a “big tent,” of ideas and opinions specifically, when it comes to the Arab-Israeli conflict. While the nature of public discourse demands expressing a multitudes of ideas and opinions, the kind of openness espoused by this big tent idea is in fact myopic and limiting in its own narrow scope. The notion is sold as a non-binding position, when in reality those that sell it are simply uncomfortable or unwilling to take a firm position.
The big tent thus gives the impression of openness, but actually only caters to left-of-center views.
The genesis of this in the American Jewish community lies in our need to be open and pluralistic, which is generally a good thing but can become self-destructive.
While the Diaspora Jewish community is hardly monolithic when it comes to Israel, Israelis or Israeli policies, mainstream Jewish groups and organizations since 1948 have adopted the line of “supporting the democratically elected government of Israel – Left, Right or Center – and ensure the safety and security of its citizens.” Of course not blindly, but under the belief that a strong, united front benefits the Jewish community at large.
This is the line organizations such as Federations, AIPAC, AJC, ADL and others have adopted to show bi-partisan support for the democratically elected government in Israel. Yet, we are seeing today how this policy has been interpreted as a so-called right-of-center agenda.
That is, support for Israel is perceived as a right-wing agenda – this is a farce.
Those who make these claims have gone to extreme measures, even to a point of adopting the Palestinian narrative, as if to say that if we (Jews) will become more Palestinian than the Palestinians, peace in the Middle East would come about.
Thus, the extreme Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) has made J Street seem like the height of moderation. As Isaac Deutscher formulated in his “non-Jewish Jew” regarding the State of Israel, “on a deeper, historical level the Jewish tragedy finds in Israel a dismal sequel. Israel’s leaders exploit in self-justification, and over-exploit Auschwitz and Treblinka; but their actions mock the real meaning of the Jewish tragedy.”
This has become the foundation for the adaptation and revisionism of the Arab-Israeli conflict among the Jewish Left, who feel the need to put aside their Jewishness to underscore their pluralism and openness.
Of late, these very issues were challenged by Hillel at Swarthmore College, where the students attempted to question Hillel’s own stance on the Arab-Israeli conflict. To its credit, Hillel’s newly- appointed international president and CEO Eric Fingerhut correctly held his ground and made it clear to Swarthmore where the red lines are, stating: “Your resolution [Swarthmore] further includes the statement: ‘All are welcome to walk through our doors and speak with our name and under our roof, be they Zionist, anti-Zionist, post-Zionist, or non-Zionist.’ This is simply not the case. Let me be very clear – ‘anti-Zionists’ will not be permitted to speak using the Hillel name or under the Hillel roof, under any circumstances.
“Hillel recognizes, of course, that ‘organizations, groups or speakers that as a matter of policy or practice’ violate these guidelines may well be welcomed on campus, according to the policies of the particular college or university. The Hillel on campus, however, may not partner with or host such groups or speakers.
This is entirely within our discretion as an organization, and we have clearly stated our intention to make these important decisions to protect our values and our critically important mission.
“Just as the university decides who will teach classes, and what organizations it will allow on campus, so Hillel will decide who will lead discussions in programs it sponsors and with whom it will partner.”
Consequently, Hillel was criticized for limiting the debate on Israel – as if debating Israel’s existence as a Jewish sovereign state fell within the realm of serious discourse. We have witnessed how the self-proclaimed “pro-Israel propeace” organization J Street has attempted to sell its agenda as the alternative to the “mainstream” and demand that the tent of the Jewish community stretch to include its views. The Jewish community for the most part opened itself to J Street. At least, until we saw the aggressively anti-Israel pro-boycott agenda advocated by many branches of J Street University begin to pop up demanding to be in the “big tent.”
Now we see the even more extreme anti-Israel so-called Jewish Voice for Peace demanding that it be in the tent via its “Open Hillel” campaign. Where does it stop? Does the “big tent” allow those who wish to burn it down in, with flammable liquids and lit torches? The core of the problem regarding the “big tent” philosophy is that it has no red lines; everyone should be included, even at the expense of Jewish identity and survival of the Jewish state.
Israelis who live and breathe in Israel are hardly uniform in their own views, however, even those in leftist circles believe that Israel has the right to exist as a state in some capacity, within the 1949 or post-1967 borders. As such, one can understand why Israelis do not fully understand what is happening in the Diaspora with regard to these matters, as they have never faced the challenge of debating Israel’s legitimacy in the environment we find on North American college campuses and many Jewish leftwing circles.
This is not to say that diversity of opinion and academic freedom should not be exercised. The difference is that there needs to be a differentiation between criticism and delegitimization, and between open discussion and self-inflicted annihilation.
Many, in their naiveté, have no grasp of how they fuel the anti-Israel groups on college campuses, groups like Jews for Justice in Palestine, the Muslim Studies Association and others who use this message to validate their own agendas.
What is even more problematic are those groups within the Jewish community who believe that this kind of “discussion” will further peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Finally, making a case for Israel becomes increasingly more difficult when Israelis and Jews decide to adopt a Palestinian agenda that detracts from the real issue behind the conflict: Mutual recognition of one another. And above all, mainstream Jewish groups have a responsibility to their stakeholders to establish clear lines that they will uphold while affording their constituents a wide range of opinions that fall within the realm of legitimate debate and public discourse. Being a “big tent” doesn’t mean killing yourself to be in it.
yamit82 Said:
Intelligence is a burden for a woman!!!!!
yamit82 Said:
Is there a right man apologies to no one??????????????
@ yamit82:
Its easy to bushwack an animal when you know where he dens!!!! Sleep tight!!!!!
@ yamit82:
Sloppy is the norm here. If men were to be trusted I would have a new refrigerator, Suppers on Darlin,adios
@ yamit82:
Thanks Love want to join me in a dance, bring Jeff,he sounds like fun!!!!!
@ yamit82:
Tx has planted “hillbilly” landmine all over the place! He’s fond of my cookin!!!
@ honeybee:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YMBvpao5jU
honeybee Said:
Only a little? Shirley you jest?
I like my women with a little bit smarts ( a brain/ not bird)
yamit82 Said:
Are you Jeff????? I lost all my music. Can you send the”Season For Love’ by the
Damn computer touchy screen. Are you Jeff?????????????? Lost all my music in the crash especially my favorite belly dancing song, a old hippie tune called “THE sEASON FOR lOVE” BY THE ZOMBIES. Great beat,makes me a moving target.
f
Q@ yamit82:
@ yamit82:
honeybee Said:
Cynic, means only you haven’t met the right man. (Apologies to Tx) 😛
honeybee Said:
You can try but I wear moccasins so you won’t hear me comin.
honeybee Said:
You mean ME??? 😉
Israel urged to send forces to guard Ukrainian Jews
Rabbi asks Netanyahu for urgent protection against a ‘growing wave of anti-Semitic attacks’
@ AbbaGuutuu:
Don’t care for BIG TENTS like small cozy tents,room for one maybe two occupants!!!! Keep the fire outside to scare away coyotes,wolves,bigfoot and porcupines. I also so refute “cost benefit analysis” especially when it come to what I want! And I have learned long ago not to trust when men make promises with fine sounding phases.
The left usually uses high sounding empty words to use a means to achieve their goals. Words such as “Big Tent”; “Affordable Care”; “All-inclusive”;
misusing “equality and freedom of speech” etc. are used in order to mislead the public to gain power. Once, their goals are met, they become real dictators and the most intolerant. If you go to most universities in USA, conservative ideas cannot be tolerated and conservatives are forbidden from making even speeches. Under the so called “Big Tent” can you put benzine and a fire together and expect no destruction to a tent? There were times when I had leftist ideas. Trying to change the world without a cost-benefit analysis result in a disaster and shows ones immaturity. Let us beware of high sounding empty phrases.
yamit82 Said:
He is good looking,but not articulate like West Texans. A little to sloppy religious for my taste. Remember the movie “Body Heat” and the famous line from it,” I like my men a little bit stupid”.
yamit82 Said:
A renown gunfighter!!!!!!!!! He uses silver bullets!!!!
yamit82 Said:
Exactly, nobody else but me!!!!!!!!!!!
@ yamit82:
Thank for the warning!!!!!!!!!!Sugar,I guess Iam going to have to bushwack you?
honeybee Said:
My gun works fine. Fired often and kept in top condition. I have many admirers of my shooting prowess as well. I always hit what I aim at and sometimes on rare occasions what I ain’t aiming at.
honeybee Said:
Are you asking me or telling me?
honeybee Said:
You!!!
But who is Jeff?
@ yamit82:
You asked me once who I thought was “good-looking” man, how about Gov Perry of Texas?
@ yamit82:
you don’t care for Bush,Reagan,FDR,BB,Ben-Gerion,Golda,Perez,Jeff, Saul,David,Bar Kockba,Judah Maccabee,dweller etc. Have I missed anyone? Who do you admire in the very leastest way?
>:
@ yamit82:
No response???????? Run but you can’t hide!!!!!!!!! May yore gun don’t work none
@ yamit82:
Just had a norther come by,could use to be warmed up!!!!
@ yamit82:
yamit82 Said:
You and what army, yaw; don’t scare me none boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
honeybee Said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO1EwCq4b9w
@ yamit82:
Yamit82 Sweetie Pie, thems fightin words, I challenge yawl. Get yore gun and I will meet you, in any Honky Tonk in Texas. I promise you,yawl won’t be the same man when you leave.
the phoenix Said:
There is a half million Jews living over the old green line due in large measure to the religious nationalists. The Israeli government couldn’t deal with the resettlement of about 10,000 Jews from Gaza and still haven’t. It will cost over 100 billion dollars bankrupt the country, cause massive inflation and cause massive emigration from Israel. All of the economic gains of the past 2 decades will be wiped out.
No Israeli government can handle the fallout social and economic from such a move therefor I don’t believe it will happen. The Sinai evacuation created an economic disaster for close to 20 years and it was only the massive Russian immigration that pulled us out of it. We had up to 23% devaluations of our currency monthly and one year 240% inflation. Black market thrived. Agreements can be made but in this case implementation would be impossible.
We have a real estate bubble today do you have any idea what massive evacuation of Y&S will do to prices of homes and apts?
honeybee Said:
I believe Bush the microbe really believed what he said. He has the brain of a canary.
T@ bernard ross
A Texas character bar-none. As for the Texas sheriffs,” hold your friends close and your enemies ever closer”. Unlike NY we don’t stomp about,we grease people,Darlin!! Remember Bush’s stamen to Putin about “looking into his eyes”. PURE GREASE
honeybee Said:
Is Texas a “nut” magnet?
a talented independent thinker; not a nut.
@ bernard ross:
Read the article, its no big thang,Texas has all kinds of this type of nuts living among us. In Brazoria Cty there once lived one Sophia Herzog MD, look her up. Iam still learning my way about my new computer.
@;dove:
Thank you Dove!!!! All I needed in order to play Groucho Marx was the perfect Margaret Dumont!!!!
@ honeybee:
The catchphrase, or cliché, has become widely used in business environments, especially by management consultants and executive coaches, and has been referenced in a number of advertising slogans. To think outside the box is to look farther and to try not thinking of the obvious things, but to try thinking beyond them.
Think outside the box. Tents are for camping. In the middleast they are for refugees – not appealing.
@ honeybee:
Texas Terror Troubles?
@ dove:
You mean think outside the tent.
So true! Those you insist on being included in the ‘big tent’ need to think outside the box. They do not seem capable of doing that.
@ SHmuel HaLevi 2:
Will these new tents have sanitary facilities?
@ SHmuel HaLevi 2:
The late rabbi kahane, HAD just such a tent as you describe.
He was thrown into jail for that, and his party was deemed to be illegal.
As I see it (from across two ponds) there are three categories that just do not seem to mix. (The good the bad and the ugly)
1. Religious/nationalists. To date, their ‘claim to fame’ is internal strife and no meaningful move towards restoring the land of Israel to be the land of the Jews and to eradicate the musloids, and their shielding NGOs wherever they are.
2. Hard core leftists, well organized, well funded, controlling the media, the education, and generally speaking, bent on removing any trace of Judaism (ya’ani to be a country, like all the others, that just happens to have Hebrew as its official language…)
3. Opportunistic politicians that sway and will vote in whichever direction the wind blows, just to save their seat (pension, benefits etc)
It seems very imminent that major amputations are to take effect including THE HEART of the country…. And …. Nobody is taking to the streets indisgust?
Everyone is ok with this?….
Is a whole country like the 4th son that does not even know to ask???
OK. So lets have the Jewish people set up a tent for the Jews.
Kvetching about the unJews doings is irrelevant. They can do it onto themselves for as long as they want. We have to move on to what it is in our Jewish National interest.