)oints of view

Commentary

To Help Israel, Jews Must Broaden The Tent

Tel Aviv/JTA

A

mid global events of the
past few years that are
changing the world — the
rising power of the BRICs economies
(Brazil, Russia, India and China), the
global economic crisis, the rise of
social networks and, most recently,
the popular uprisings in the Middle
East — Israel and the Jewish world
are facing a uniquely difficult chal-
lenge with the ongoing assault on
Israel's right to exist.
This year, the assault coincides
with the Palestinian campaign to
secure U.N. recognition of state-
hood.
The assault on Israel's legiti-
macy, which is attacking the Jewish
people's right to national self-deter-
mination, is being waged by a rela-
tively small number of ideological
organizations from the radical left
and fundamental Islam.
While these "eliminators" are usu-
ally a peripheral force wherever they
operate, the hallmark of their suc-
cess has been in their ability to cre-
ate a zeitgeist — a spirit of the times

Dry Bones

THOUSANDS OF
ISRAELIS HAVE TAKEN
TO THE STREETS
PROTESTING THE
COST OF LIVING.

— of increasing hostility toward
Israel. Moreover, their effort to
brand Israel as the "new apartheid"
has made inroads in alienating Israel
from liberal and progressive circles,
some of which have often
unknowingly fueled the
political assault on Israel
by engaging in "acts of
delegitimization."

Zionist Polarizing

In the context of the cur-
rent political challenges
and a declining sense of
cohesion in the Jewish
world, Israel in a number
of Jewish communities
has turned from a unify-
ing issue into a polarizing
one — even into one that is no lon-
ger discussed. The result is that an
increasing number of Jews becomes
agnostic toward Israel.
Furthermore, for many — espe-
cially among younger generations —
Israel is not a crucial aspect of their
identities, nor does it play a role in
their day-to-day lives. Ultimately,
the assault on Israel's legitimacy
has exploited
existing
dynamics
to further
drive a wedge
between
many Jews
and Jewish
communities
and Israel.
The instinct
of some
Jewish com-
munal orga-
nizations to
justify Israel's
actions at
all times in
reaction to
the politi-
cal assault
on Israel has
only back-
fired. These
organizations
at times have
pushed out-
side the com-
munity's tent
those groups
that did not
unreservedly
support all of

DryBonesBlog.com

34

September 1 • 2011

Israel's actions.
Such a closed-tent approach has
alienated those concerned with spe-
cific Israeli policies. With no room for
them in the community's tent, these
critical voices have sought
alternative forums in which
to air their concerns.
It is in the past year, at
this fragile time in Israel-
Jewish world relations, that
the Palestinian campaign to
secure U.N. recognition of
statehood has emerged. It
remains unclear how events
in September will play out.
What is clear, however, is
that if Israel is perceived to
be standing alone against
the world, the rift between
Israel and Jewish communities world-
wide is likely to widen.

We need to have a
broader Jewish tent,
including all those
willing to stand against
the assault on Israel's
legitimacy and for
the Jewish people's
right to national self-
determination based
on the principle of two
states for two people.

Common Ground

Indeed the penetration of this
debate to the heart of some Jewish
communities creates a unique chal-
lenge for Israel-diaspora relations
in the year ahead. This is especially
the case within progressive Jewish
communities, in which it is already
harder to support Israel.
There is a broader imperative
that underlies the need for a unified
global Jewish response. The assault
on the right of the Jewish people
to national self-determination chal-
lenges the most basic components
of Jewish identity and the notion of
affiliation. In an era of individualism
and globalization, many Jews are
searching for the common strands
that underlie the experience of
Jewish peoplehood.
Therefore, a focus on standing
together to confront a common
threat is also an opportunity for
Jewish communities to reconnect
across dividing lines and re-engage
with Israel in new ways.
In order to win this fight, the
diversity of the Jewish people
should be embraced. This diversity
has been a secret of survival for the
Jewish people.
Standing together does not mean
uniformity, but unity. We need to
have a broader Jewish tent, includ-
ing all those willing to stand against
the assault on Israel's legitimacy
and for the Jewish people's right to
national self-determination based
on the principle of two states for

two people. Those in the tent should
be expected to at least show a sin-
cere "sympathy" and "empathy" for
Israel, give it the benefit of doubt,
and work to create a constructive
discourse on Israel.

Tent Wise

Broadening the Jewish tent is
our opportunity to drive a wedge
between those whose ultimate goal
is Israel's demise and those who
hold legitimate criticisms of Israeli
policies.
Critically, a broad tent is not an
open tent. There are boundaries
between legitimate criticism and
acts of delegitimization. Local com-
munities, synagogues, communal
organizations and grassroots orga-
nizations need to grapple with the
question of setting these red lines
through a bottom-up deliberation
and on a contextual basis.
The red lines are not aimed at nar-
rowing the discourse on Israel but
rather the opposite: to create a code
of conduct that increases the toler-
ance for diverse opinions on Israel.
Responding to threats by seizing the
opportunity within is the main chal-
lenge for the Jewish people in the
year to come. I I

Eran Shayshon is director of the national
security sphere at the Reut Institute, a

nonpartisan, nonprofit policy team designed

to provide strategic decision support to

Israeli leaders and decision makers.