The wrong way to start a dialogue
I can’t possibly express how confused I am after watching Rabbi Dovid Weiss, a member of Neturei Karta, a small international anti-Zionist Jewish sect, speak at ASU Sept. 16.
Weiss, an Ahmadinejad sympathizer, wagged his finger at Zionism, while at the same indirectly declaring that 95 percent of Jews on the ASU campus are not real Jews. I’ll save you the details of his long-winded rant, and leave it at this: Were I in the practice of determining if anyone other than myself was Jewish, I might have wagged my finger back at him. I wouldn’t be alone, either. Numerous efforts to excommunicate Neturei Karta from Orthodoxy, Judaism and/or Israel have been documented.
My confusion doesn’t stem from my stance on Neturei Karta. I am, however, somewhat concerned about the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), the student group, which, along with the local chapter of Coalition of Arabs and Muslims in America (CARAMA), brought Weiss to campus.
SJP has told me repeatedly that the ultimate goal of bringing Weiss to campus is to start a dialogue between the Jewish and pro-Israel groups on campus, and the Arab and Muslim groups on campus. The idea is commendable. But like ASU Hillel Executive Director Rabbi Barton Lee said, “You don’t start dialogue by bringing somebody who is rejected by 99.9 percent of Jews … into the middle of a campus.”
That means one of two things: Either SJP is lying and they have a completely different agenda, or they have absolutely no idea how to start a dialogue.
For the last six months or so, SJP has treated Jewish News as an ally. And we’re not the only ones who feel that way. Oday Shahin, SJP’s head of public relations, informed me that he personally invited both AIPAC and the ADL to attend Weiss’ talks. This was confirmed by ADL Regional Director Bill Straus, who like me, was baffled by the invitation.
I honestly believe that, despite its skewed political opinions, SJP’s heart is in the right place. Why else would they waste their time reaching out to Jewish News, AIPAC and the ADL? We’re not talking about a highly political governmental organization that needs to pull strings in the press to keep its opposition off its back. We’re looking at a student group that, thanks to the First Amendment, is able to clearly represent its aims and ideals on campus, with or without the support of the Jewish News and the ADL. The problem is, their ability to find viable common ground to begin dialogue is no better than Dick Cheney’s hunting prowess. But at least they’re making an effort.
If two separate parties can’t agree whether or not the sky is blue, what can they agree on? And since this is clearly the case between Students for Justice in Palestine and Sun Devils for Israel, the pro-Israel group on campus, where do we go from here?
For the news story, check out Anti-Zionist rabbi speaks at ASU amid quiet protest.
23 Sep, 2009 >
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I realize this is a little dated, but this was a good article. After attending the event hosted by Christians United for Israel last night (10-18) it is especially poignant.
Dennis Prager said (loosely), "Out of the 220 civilized nations in the world, what is it about a country the size of New Jersey that draws so much ire?"
I find events like these hosted under the guise of dialogue a complete farce. No one in their right mind comes to the table willing to talk with such a loaded, and controversial talking point. Events like these, presented as dialogue, should be called what they are: racist.
Jason Philo - 19 Oct, 2009 - 08:31:05
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