AIPAC Dinner
December 18, 2007Tonight I crossed my first picket line.
It was a rather anticlimactic experience, actually. I had envisioned an angry mob of protesters waving their picket signs and struggling against the barrier; instead, there were a few sad-looking women holding Jimmy Carter quotes in the air and someone off in a corner with a Jordanian flag that nobody else seemed to want to associate with.
The actual gathering was enough to give heart to those lamenting the shrinking American Jewish community; I saw more yarmulkes this evening than I did in much of Israel. As a youth table, we and the JCHS delegation were put as far in back as possible to make sure we didn’t interfere with the proceedings and weren’t accidentally served wine. Even there we had a decent view of the stage.
After the obligatory introductions of major donors and visiting dignitaries (including a consul who affirmed Israel’s commitment to a two-state plan) the speeches began. There were two speakers: the first spoke eloquently and passionately about the legacy of the Holocaust and of the importance and power of a Jewish state in the modern world; the second sputtered angrily about Iran. It is a contrast emblematic of the present situation of the global Jewish community: we are a powerful lobby and a force to be reckoned with in the Middle East, and at the same time are still extremely vulnerable and still very, very scared.
I still don’t really know how I personally feel about all this, aside from asserting that I am a Zionist and in favor of a two-state solution without as good an understanding of the complexities of either position as I should really have. Given the nature of the fund raiser, I was expecting a lot more rhetoric-spewing, flag-waving and calls for the blood of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and all the little children in Palestine this evening; instead I found a room full of people who just want to make sure their children don’t have to live through what their parents did. It’s a complicated world.
well put, amigo! good to see you!
Josh Neuman — December 18, 2007 @ 5:41 pm
i agree!
Aliza עליזה Sarah Zangwill — December 18, 2007 @ 10:52 pm
i agree about the kippot – and for a "kids' table" we didn't have it half bad. I want the Pinot Noir next time tho!
Jacob Raskin — December 19, 2007 @ 3:36 am
sounds like it was a good event. i wasnted to go, but was busy.
Ben Odenheimer — December 20, 2007 @ 4:11 am
When you say you are a Zionist, what do you mean by it? Do you support the stated goals of AIPAC, for example?
Melinda Széll — December 20, 2007 @ 2:44 am
I would say that I am ready to support the Israeli economy and go to Israel and study and work/volunteer there. But please don't infer that just because people are Israel supporters that they are "Zionist" (and of course I realize how broad the implications/definition of "Zionism" are). No where above did anyone mention Zionism. Dictionary.com's first definition of "Zionism" is: "a worldwide Jewish movement that resulted in the establishment and development of the state of Israel." Clearly, the modern interpretation of the meaning of the word is different.
Jacob Raskin — December 21, 2007 @ 2:35 am
I would disagree, actually; an Israel supporter is, by definition, Zionist. While the word was certainly more loaded when the Zionists didn't have control of Zion, my understanding is that it's come to mean anybody who supports the continued existence of the state of Israel.The important distinction to make is between supporting the state of Israel and supporting its government. I have some very serious objections to the way Palestinians are treated not only by Israeli government but by society, but I also have faith that things are moving in the right direction and I will always support there being an Israel right where it is now, regardless of what its government's policies are.And if it needs to be made a little smaller to let that happen, so be it.
Jacob Andreas — December 21, 2007 @ 10:52 am
Here, Here, Mr. Andreas! Thanks always for being the voice of reason. Todah! Shavu'ah Tov!
Jacob Raskin — December 23, 2007 @ 4:11 am