Tuesday, 6th of March, 2007

So the Independent Australian Jewish Voices website was launched a few days ago. I signed up, as did the rest of my family, as we’ve been quite disturbed by the one-sidedness of “Jewish” representation in the media for some time.
Any readers of my blog will know that I’m neither anti-Israel nor a “self-hating Jew” or something, but I am by no means happy about all of Israel’s actions on the world stage. And the trouble is that it’s by no means obvious to the world at large that the Jewish community has multifarious voices (indeed, in Israel itself there is constant vigorous debate, but who would know, from an outsider’s perspective?). Unfortunately when anyone, Jewish or not, criticises Israel in any way — however balance — there is a predictable and immediate uproar from certain prominent sectors of the Jewish community, usually purporting to represent Jewishness, Jews as a whole.

Cue the IAJW launch. The reactions chronicled in this SMH article couldn’t be a better advertisement for why “independent” voices are needed from the Jewish community — and not just those of Antony Lowenstein, who is a signatory but by no means the only voice on offer. Let’s hear the statement from good old Colin Rubenstein of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, always good for an over-the-top quote:

“Some of the individuals are clearly committed to the delegitimisation of Israel,” said Colin Rubenstein, the executive director of the council.

“They’re simply using their Jewish ethnic background. It is clearly a small number of Jewish-born individuals who make their Jewishness known while they are being critical of Israel,” Mr Rubenstein said.

Hear that? “Jewish-born individuals”, what the frak? Somehow I thought that since the Holocaust, all Jewish-born individuals were Jews, all ethnic Jews were Jews. I guess I was being naïve huh? Clearly anyone who wants open discussion of Israel and the Middle East is no longer fit to call themself a Jew.
How disgusting.

Comments are closed.