er
,
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ay
terrorism, both at home and in Israel.
Renewed Advocacy
The empathy for Israel seemed to infuse and re-ener-
gize the Jewish community's advocacy on its behalf
This would help Israel garner stronger support from
somewhat surprising sources: the Bush administration,
conservative Republicans and evangelical Christians.
Yet Jews were immediately thrown on the defen-
sive by the outlandish charge that the Mossad, the
Israeli intelligence agency, was behind the attacks.
The charge gained credence among Internet conspir-
acy theorists and throughout the Arab world.
A more serious image problem for pro-Israel advocates
was the question many Americans asked after Sept. 11:
"Why do they hate us?" The news media dutifully put
the question to local Arab-American leaders, who
responded — often unchallenged — that the Arab
The roundup triggered a debate that would contin-
world's hatred of America was derived, in large part,
ue
all year in the Jewish community and the society
from perceived U.S. support for Israel at the expense of
at
large:
How to strike a balance between enhanced
the Palestinians.
security and protection of civil liberties?
Some American analysts and pundits, desperate to
"The war on terrorism is confronting
assign blame for the catastrophe, went
Smoke billo w s from the some pretty important civil rights and lib-
along with it.
erties issues the Jewish community has
towers of the World
Trying to pin it on Israel, though, was
championed for decades," said Hannah
not enough to stave off a frenzy of attacks, Trade Center in New
York on Sept . 11, 2001 Rosenthal, executive director of the Jewish
both verbal and physical, against Arab-
Council for Public Affairs. "Where do you
and Muslim-American individuals, shops
draw the line between people's right to live
and mosques nationwide. One Sikh man,
in freedom? You have to constantly remember that we
mistaken for an Arab, was murdered.
can't protect or defend our values as Americans, and as
A dragnet by U.S. immigration and police officers
Jews, by subverting those very values."
ensnared some 1,200 Arab-looking residents. In the
Despite the clampdown, many American Jews still
process, it also scooped up 60 Israelis on visa viola-
tions, many of whom subsequently were deported.
TERROR on page 44
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9/ 6
2002
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