“The two largest communities of Jews on the planet disagree on a historic deal that will change Israel forever.”
It is with a heavy heart and a deep sense of embarrassment that I write this today. It seems that “the deal” has had more disastrous unintended consequences than I could have imagined. It concerns this generation, my generation, of Jews. I recently read a survey from a well-respected source. Under the heading “it is possible to be shocked but not surprised,” it revealed that a majority of American Jews support the Iran deal while Israeli Jews oppose it. There it is. The two largest communities of Jews on the planet disagree on a historic deal that will change Israel forever. Soooo, what’s so terrible? Jews disagree all the time about everything.
The 1st lesson is that Israel now knows, for sure, it cannot count on American Jews for support. It gets worse. American Jews support the deal in a greater percentage than the nation as a whole. Worse still, among those who see Israel as being endangered, 20% (yes, a full 20%) still support the deal. Even among those who claim they are “emotionally attached” to Israel, 51% want congress to approve it. OY!!
So, what’s going on here? On the surface, its simple. 70% of American Jews voted for Obama. Therefore, they will support and believe him. Therefore, the deal is good for Israel’s security, now and in the future. Therefore, they can support it with a clear conscience. Feel better now?…….Wait!
I forgot to mention one little detail. Another problem has surfaced. Not only do American and Israeli Jews disagree, but American and American Jews disagree. I know, I know. Jews disagree about everything, every day.
Here’s my concern. It’s that history thing again and the failure to learn from it. History tells us that the Romans destroyed the 2nd Temple in 70CE. WRONG! The 2nd Temple was destroyed because of Jewish hatred for each other (just trust me on this). I don’t mean “gee, they just didn’t get along.” That’s inherent in any group. I mean they turned on each other- violently. Differences were no longer the issue. They took on a life of their own and became more important than the overall good.
Today, one side says “oppose the deal and you risk American lives and war.” The other side says “support the deal and you risk Jewish lives and Israel itself.” OY!! I’m concerned that my generation of American Jews are on an inevitable path to insisting they no longer identify with Israel. Nor does Israel represent their interests. If that happens, AGAIN, if we forget we are brothers, AGAIN, it’s just a matter of time before we destroy ourselves……. AGAIN! Jews and Judaism (and the Temple will be rebuilt) will continue when each Jew remembers that his brothers and Judaism are more important than any deal!!!!
