I don't know whether the link will work after today, so I paste the
text:
Tuesday, August 5,
2003 12:00AM EDT
In lockstep with
Israel
Regarding the July 29 Point of View
article "Abbas has much to do for peace" by Todd Young of the Community
Relations Council of the Raleigh-Cary Jewish Federation:
As a Jew and Israeli citizen, I am dismayed by the vociferous support
for Israel given by representatives of local Jewish organizations. I am
dismayed also by remarks by several Jewish acquaintances that they would
like to criticize Israel but are afraid of alienating other Jews.
Jewish organizations have become very highly organized and active both
in policing thought within their communities and in scripting public
demands for uncritical support and massive U.S. taxpayer subsidies for
Israel. Their positions are neither consistent with the teachings of
Judaism nor fairly representative of American Jewish people.
Over the years, many leading Jewish artists and intellectuals have been
sharply critical of Israel, including Martin Buber, Yehudi Menuhin,
Alber! t Einstein, Noam Chomsky and Daniel Barenboim. A large proportion
of orthodox Jews in Jerusalem, whose families lived there in harmony
with Arab neighbors before Zionist settlements began, are opposed to the
state of Israel.
It is not anti-Jewish to criticize Israel. On the contrary, any increase
in anti-Semitism is more likely to spring from resentment of the
blatantly racist character of Israel and of the support that American
Jewish organizations give it.
In 1979 I left Israel, opposed to the colonial occupation and apartheid
system. I should like to return, but not until there are equal rights
for all people living in Israel and Palestine.
Andrew Silver
Hillsborough
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