The following letters appear in today’s Age newspaper:
I am not sure which planet the “Jews with diverse opinions” have been living on, but they seem to imply that the mainstream Jewish community has an unswerving and uncritical attitude towards Israel regardless of whatever happens in the Middle East — a premise that is patently false. The Jewish community is comprised of people who routinely articulate a diverse range of opinions, but if it seems that this community is united in its support for Israel then it is probably because there is almost universal rejection of the notion that Israel should lie down and roll over while her enemies plot her destruction.
These “Jews with diverse opinions” are encouraged to express their views when and where they like — but if they don’t receive the support their fragile egos expect, it is not because they are silenced, but because most of the Jewish community essentially does not agree with them.
Alan Freedman, East St Kilda
Who’s being ’silenced’?
Antony Loewenstein is at it again, being printed in every major daily with the self-disproving argument he is silenced. Meanwhile, the names of many signatories to his petition appear weekly in the letters page of the Australian Jewish News. Some silencing! As for his claim that there has been an “overwhelming” response to his initiative, thus far, he has amassed fewer than 150 signatures, out of a Jewish community in excess of 120,000. His views aren’t silenced at all, just unpopular.
Daniel Lewis, Rushcutters Bay, NSW
The right to criticise
The dismissal by Colin Rubenstein, of the Australia Israel Jewish Affairs Council, of critical voices in the Jewish community as “the usual suspects” is a diversion from why more than 100 people have signed a petition calling for more open, and respectful debate on the crisis in Israel/Palestine. As Australians, we are entitled to have views and take actions that are critical of the Israeli Government. Such views do not threaten Israeli security and should not be manipulated for McCarthyite purposes within the Jewish community or in Australian debate on the Middle East. Our views are by and large based on the criticism of Israeli policies and actions which appear in the free Israel press itself. Finally It is a canard that critical supporters of Israel are uncritical supporters of Palestinian terror or duplicitous anti-Semites — as can be seen by the letters and opinion pieces which many of us have had published in the Jewish media and elsewhere.
Larry Stillman, Elwood
Just more of the same
While it’s all very nice to read about this new group, Independent Jewish Australian Voices, aiming to open up debate within the Jewish community, in the broader context this is pretty much more of the same. What is really needed is prominent voices in the wider community arguing the real Palestinian cause — which means putting the case against the legitimacy of Israel, rather than just supporting the kind of two-state cop-out that Antony Loewenstein and his comrades still cling to. Then we might have a genuine public debate about Palestine and — who knows? — maybe one day even some genuine justice for the Palestinians.
Jason Foster, Windsor
And here is a letter I wrote to The Age in response to the twittering of the usual zionist suspects plus a few others - only their letters were published by the paper and mine will not be, which is what my problem with the media is. They don’t like the message - it is too radical - so don’t publish it!
Mannie De Saxe
2/12 Murphy Grove
Preston
Vic 3072
Phone: (03)9471 4878
Email: josken@zipworld.com.au
7 March 2007
In 2005 the Jewish Virtual Library listed 102,000 Jews in Australia, 0.51% of the population.
Colin Rubenstein and his Zionist mates need to get their facts right.
Antony Loewenstein put the cat among the pigeons with the publication of his book, “My Israel Question”. Since then many Jews have realized that they can speak out about Israeli oppression and occupation and get their voices heard.
Daniel Lewis (7 March 2007) gets the Australian Jewish population wrong. He says many signatories to Antony’s document get letters published in The Australian Jewish News (aka Israeli Zionist Times) weekly. What he doesn’t say is that many signatories never get their letters published because the owner and editor disapprove of the views expressed in the letters. This also goes for The Age over letters too critical of Israel of which the editors disapprove.
At the time of writing this letter late in the day on Wednesday 7 March 2007, more than 300 people had signed the document, and more are expected to sign in the next few days and weeks.
And Jason Foster (7 March), many of us do NOT support the two-state cop-out but believe that we need to build the strength of opposition to the Israeli government’s continuing apartheid style oppression of the Palestinian people, issues freely discussed in the Israeli media but silenced for the most part by the Australian media.
Colin Rubenstein has got this issue wrong as ever, but gets his views published in newspapers. Antony Loewenstein has gained a voice for many silenced Jews in Australia by getting HIS and our voices heard.
Mannie De Saxe, Jews Against Oppression and Occupation
Mannie, Those like yourself and Anthony are the backbone of Jewish integrity. Without honesty there is no future for any movement, religion, culture, community or nation. That is because without honesty and truth there cannot be integrity.
One of the difficulties with the sorts of ‘truths denied’ in regard to Israel is that Jewish religion and culture has developed a psychological dysfunction in regard to itself, i.e. the mantle of ‘victimhood’ has been sewn, shroud-tight, to Jewishness to such a degree that many intelligent, informed and ‘good’ people are psychologically and emotionally incapable of objectivity in regard to the Israel-Palestinian issue and to their Jewishness.
To question Israel is to question Jewishness and then to question themselves and their ‘innocence’ and ‘reality’ as victims. In this instance truth becomes not a trowel for tidying the Jewish ‘garden’ but a massive ‘mechanised’ excavator which has the capacity to completely turn over the entire landscape and reveal all that has been buried throughout emotional, psychological, spiritual and literal history.
Nothing terrifies human beings more than to lose their dreams, their fantasies of what they are and in which they believe. People will literally fight to the death to defend a dream which saner people can see has been long-dead. This is not Jewish, this is merely human nature and it becomes even more entrenched when the ‘dream’ is so far removed from any ‘reality.’
To question Israel is to question Judaism and ultimately, one’s Self. For a religious culture so immersed in its own ‘rightness,’ ‘goodness’ and perhaps unconscious, but ’superiority’ this questioning represents the worst of betrayals.
I wish you and Anthony good luck in your noble quest for truth and justice.