Arendt and Zionism

Have any Zionist leaders really advocated policies that protect Jewish people in Israel? So far, Israel's policies have been unable to protect its citizens from violence. It is ironic that Jews, who founded Israel seeking protection from the European systems that marginalized them because of their religion and ethnicity, now rely on a political system that discriminates based on religion and ethnicity. One writer who took note of Zionism's contradictions was the German-Jewish political theorist Hannah Arendt. A number of her books are being re-published this month and the below article from the London Review of Books includes information if you're interested in reading them. While most students of politics are probably familiar with her great work The Origins of Totalitarianism, many might not have been assigned her more controversial writings on Zionism.

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v29/n01/robi02_.html


She also co-authored in 1948, along with many prominant Jewish intellectuals (including Albert Einstein), a letter to the New York Times protesting the visit of the leader of the Herut party, to the U.S. The leader, who by the way was future Israeli prime-minister Menachem Begin, had been linked to several massacres of Palestinian villages during the 48 war. It is important for all of us to remember the Jewish voices from the past to remind us that there is a history of alternative Jewish opinions about Zionism. The letter is a quick and interesting read.


http://www.globalwebpost.com/farooqm/study_res/einstein/nyt_letter.html

Christmas in Bethlehem

I watched the Trinity Broadcasting Network (Channel 45) on Christmas Day and not one of the Evangalical preachers spoke of the economic and political hardships of their coreligionists in Bethlehem. They only spoke about the immoral culture promoted by Hollywood, God's laws and miracles. Many have argued that evangelicals with dispensationalist leanings are fueling the fire of the Mideast conflict because they believe in a literal reading of scripture. Basically, they believe that in order for Jesus to come back and bring about the messianic age, there needs to first be Jewish sovereignty over the Holy Land. Of course, they don't mention to their new friends in the Israeli government and major U.S. Jewish organizations that when the second coming happens, the Jews will either be forced to convert to Christianity or burn in hellfire for all eternity. What would Jesus say if he came and witnessed the inequalities in Palestine/Israel?

This website challenges the theological doctrine behind Christian Zionism:

www.christianzionism.org

And here are some beautiful pictures of Christmas in Bethlehem:

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article6305.shtml

The Palestinian Jewish Initiative for Justice and Peace consists of Palestinian-Americans, Jewish-Americans, Arabs of other nationalities and allies working together to provide an alternative local perspective on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in South Florida. Palestinian and Jewish Americans who share certain core beliefs about the conflict founded the group in order to link our local community to the national and international movement to end the Israeli occupation. Although our members identify, either ethnically or religiously, with both parties in the conflict, we are not a dialogue group, and do not focus our work on bringing people with opposing views together in order to humanize one another. Our identities, both for our Jewish and Arab members, deeply inform our work. Those of us who are Jewish reject the idea that the Israeli government or major Jewish organizations in the U.S. speak for all Jews. We reject the assertion that it is "necessary" to subjugate Palestinians in order to keep Jews safe and feel that it is impossible to solve the problem of world wide anti-Semitism through the oppression of another people. As Palestinian-Americans, we also feel that Arab and Muslim heads of state don't have the right to speak for the Palestinians, or leverage the Palestinian cause for their own ends. We see that it is possible to both acknowledge the Jewish connection to the Holy Land, while at the same time insisting on equal rights and dignity for Palestinians. We see an end to the Israeli occupation and the assertion of Palestinian rights to be crucial components to solving the conflict. We aim to express solidarity with Palestinian and Israeli organizations working together to non-violently resist occupation and injustice by exposing our local community to their voices. We also hope to support the work of organizations working for civil rights for Palestinian citizens of Israel. We will be hosting many events in South Florida. Please join us for progressive Israeli and Palestinian films, speakers, creative holiday events and more. Our events will be open to the public, but we ask that people who wish to organize with us share our points of unity. If you have questions, please email us at pjinitiative@gmail.com.
Kol Tuv and Ma’a Salaam!