Opinion

A MIX OF IDEAS

Editorials are posted and archived on JNonline.us .

Editorial

United Against Hate

ews should be at the forefront of
fighting bigotry against Muslims
-- and we are.
Amid the global outrage at Muslim-
rooted terrorism lie fraying threads of
Islamaphobia — hatred of all Muslims
simply because of their faith.
Jews, of course, know better: We're the
quintessential victims of religious per-
secution. We know what happens when
people are silent. We know why religious
tolerance and coexistence is so important.
Rabbi David Saperstein, director of
the Religious Action Center of Reform
Judaism, put it well in convening an emer-
gency summit of Jewish, Christian and
Muslim leaders in Washington: "We have
to speak more directly to the anti-Muslim
bigotry in America today"
The September summit also included
representatives of the Jewish Conservative
and Reconstruction movements, the
Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the
Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.
The summit's broad base underscores
that people of different backgrounds and
beliefs can work together — and will take
the initiative to do so — on causes that
matter in this great land of ours.
Contempt for Islamists — Muslims
sworn to terror in Allah's name — should

tip

not be directed at the vast majority of
Muslims, who are law abiding and who
embrace American values.
In that spirit, in this month of the
ninth anniversary of 9-11, we applaud the
Jewish groups who have joined with good-
hearted people of other faiths to counter
anti-Muslim prejudice. A united effort
will show Muslim Americans that fellow
citizens can and do differentiate between
Islamists and. Muslims.
Notably, the Anti-Defamation League
has stepped up in a big way despite its
opposition to the highly controversial
Islamic mosque, health club and commu-
nity center, Park51, planned near Ground
Zero in New York. The ADL will create an
Interfaith Coalition on Mosques, which
will monitor and respond to cases of anti-
Muslim bias in attempts to build new U.S.
mosques. The ADL opposes the Park51
Community Center on the grounds that it
would be insensitive to families who lost
loved ones in the Islamist-driven 9-11
attacks on America, including on the twin
towers of the World Trade Center in lower
Manhattan.
The mission for the coalition seems
sound: The ADL will evaluate the chal-
lenges to planned mosques, decide if
bigotry is a factor and determine if pub-

Dry Bones TEWISH CONTINUITY

OUR Jaen*
JEWISH SAGES
WROTE THAT

"NOT IN ONE
BUT IN EVERY
GENERATION"

lic or legal
responses
are mer-
ited.
Coalition
charter
mem-
bers will
include an
array of
religious
scholars
and lead-
ers.
The U.S.
govern-
ment plans
a parallel
initiative
to combat
anti-Islam
beliefs.
Our rush
to judgment in doing what is right to pro-
tect legitimate Muslim houses of worship
must not overshadow the terrorists who
use Islam to justify hatred and violence
against "infidels" like Jews and Christians.
Take heed: Jews still lead Muslims as vic-
tims, according to the latest FBI list of hate
crimes.

DryBonesBlog.com

Muslims have a right to build mosques;
no question about that.
But that right does not override the
obligation of decent people of all faiths to
monitor mosques, churches and, yes, syna-
gogues to assure none preach loathing.

Time's Twisted Tale

T

he cover of Time magazine's Sept.
13 issue features a Star of David
composed of daisies, the flower
that symbolizes and connotes innocence,
purity and cheerfulness.
In the center of the star, Time reports:
"Why Israel Doesn't Care About Peace
The first reaction is one of "Huh?"; they
have to be kidding. Then one wonders
how the magazine came to that conclusion
for a country that has worked, yearned
and prayed for peace continually during
its more than 60-year existence.
Well, the reporter, Karl Vick, "proves"
the point in a four-page article by citing
Israel's booming economy, that the beach-
es are packed and by the use of anecdotal
quotes which, at best, are meaningless or
could be interpreted to mean just about
anything.
Some samples:
"They watch less and less news. They
read political sections of the newspaper
less. They say, `It spoils my day, so I don't
want to see it.'
Or consider the following as "proof":
"Me, myself, I don't believe in this era we'll

their leader, the late Yasser
achieve peace with our neigh-
Arafat, started the second inti-
bors. So now we concentrate
fada [uprising].
on what we can do, how we can
Vick may not have recognized
improve our lives."
it,
but the story he wrote was
And so it goes sentence after
about
a country that, despite hav-
sentence, taking isolated quotes
ing
to
live
daily in fear of its very
from people on beaches and
existence,
has succeeded beyond
business people who are enjoy-
what
could
have been expected
ing good times.
_
_
given
the
threatening
environ-
Not a word about all the
Berl
Falbaum
ment
and
the
resources
Israel has
security measures — official
Community
had
to
devote
to
security.
or civilian — Israelis live with
View
If one accepts Vick's analysis,
daily.
then
it follows logically that
Not a word from parents
Israel
would
prefer
to continue to live with
who continue to worry daily — even if
threats
to
its
existence,
and would prefer
they did not express it to Vick (if he inter-
warfare
and
the
blood
of
its children on
viewed them) — about the safety of their
the
streets.
Anyone
ever
suggest,
by impli-
children and grandchildren.
cation,
something
so
vapid?
Not a word that quotes such as those
In reaction to the story, Phyllis Chester,
cited could easily be interpreted as simple
an
emerita professor of psychology and
frustration. That while Israelis thirst for
women's
studies at City University of New
peace, many have come to the conclu-
York,
wrote:
sion that it may never be achieved, given
"Here is what Vick utterly fails to com-
all the failed efforts, especially after the
prehend.
The Israelis are actually showing
Palestinians, at one point, were offered
the
entire
world how to embrace life, even
more than 90 percent of their demands.
as
they
live,
trembling, in the shadow of
Not only did they reject the offer, but also

death. They are teaching the world how to
`love life more than they fear death.'"_
After some contemplation on how and
why a "sophisticated" magazine would
publish such insipid journalism, one
comes to the conclusion that some editor
at Time suggested a cover story that Israel,
given its success, doesn't care about peace,
and Vick went out to prove his boss cor-
rect.
The reportorial process of working to
support a preconceived "angle" of a story
happens often — too often. It seems to
have happened in this instance; nothing
else explains such an inane interpretation
and portrayal of Israel.
What's more, Vick contradicts his four-
page analysis with one paragraph in which
he reflects on a couple seeking an apart-
ment. He writes at the end of the piece:
"Sixty-three years and eight wars later
(they) have seen enough to know that for
all the surf breaks, the palms and the cof-
fee, the conflict is never truly done, never
far away; that it shadows the good life like

Twisted Tale on page 35

September 23 a 2010

33

