American Jews

In the "strange bedfellows" department, one of the oddest pairings on the current political scene is American Jews and the Christian right. Yes, both groups back Israel. But their long-term visions for its future are miles apart. Consider the following quotation from the Web site of Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network, a strong supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's recent actions: "Indeed, there will finally be such a fullness of Israel when their hardness and blindness to the gospel is overcome as to vastly enrich the whole world.

They were packed into the ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria, 1,400 cheering Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces. When Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert vowed to destroy Palestinian terrorism, he got an ovation. But one businessman, whose family donated $88,000 to the cause, was wringing his hands over Olmert's vow that the army would conduct itself honorably. "I believe we should not hold back," said Ronald Edelstein, belittling "this nonsense of morals, when our Arab colleagues have none."

Every day, I receive anguished letters, e-mails and phone calls from members of my congregation and others who have been tagged with the label "self-hating Jews." Why? Solely because they've raised questions about Israel's policy toward Palestinians. There is something deeply hurtful about that term and about the way the Jewish community is treating its dissenters, something reminiscent of the cultural repressiveness of 1950s McCarthyism and its labeling of dissidents as "anti-American."

Re "The Palestinian Side Must Be Told," Commentary, April 23: Robert Scheer's parents must sleep well at night knowing they brought up a son who is so full of self-hate that he brings it on his own people. At a time when many Europeans are anti-Semitic (not anti-Israel), Scheer proudly bolsters their hatred with his claim that American Jews are in denial about "the brutality of Israel's recent actions" and, therefore, "damn those who report the truth." To what truth is Scheer referring?

Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg is a founder of Americans for Peace Now, formed more than 20 years ago to pressure Israel into withdrawing from the Palestinian territories. As such, he is firmly aligned with the liberal wing of American Jewry. But these days, the 80-year-old scholar of Jewish studies finds himself in an unusual place, foursquare behind Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his hard-edged approach to the Palestinian conflict.

Re "Conservative Jewish Groups Have Clout," Opinion, March 10: Michael Massing states that lobbying groups that support Israel have the support of the Bush administration. As Michael Ramirez pointed out in his perceptive cartoon (Commentary, March 9), Europe supports Iraq against U.S. policy (and supports the Arab position against Israel) because of its dependence on oil. The most repressive regimes in the world and the U.N. overwhelmingly support anti-Israel resolutions. Massing seems to feel that President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice (all strong supporters of Israel)

The delayed reaction of the Bush administration to the peace initiative floated by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah has left many perplexed. With violence in the Middle East escalating daily, officials in Europe and the Arab world had beseeched Washington to intervene. The Saudi idea, which offers Israel normalized relations with the Arab world in return for a pullback to its 1967 borders, strikes many as at least a good starting point for discussion. Yet, the White House, while applauding the Saudi interest, was slow to take concrete action, waiting until Friday to send its special envoy, retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Anthony C. Zinni, back to the region.

Irv Rubin, 56, the national director of the Jewish Defense League, today sits in solitary confinement at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. He is being held without bail on charges of plotting last fall to bomb a mosque in Culver City, the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles and the Orange County field office of U.S. Rep. Darrell E. Issa (R-Vista), whose origins are Lebanese. Rubin casts himself as the protector of American Jews, but to date not a Jewish leader, political activist, rabbi or organization has stepped forward to offer him support.

The abrupt dismissal of the Anti-Defamation League's regional director here has illuminated the growing power struggles between East and West Coast Jewry, as the fulcrum of influence over American Jewish life shifts from its historical center in New York. David Lehrer, the regional director who helped knit together Los Angeles' disparate communities during 27 years of wide-ranging human relations work, was dismissed from his post Dec. 21 by National Director Abraham Foxman in New York.

The question still roils the Jewish community: Is reconciliation with Germany possible or even desirable after the slaughter of 6 million? Some believe relations were poisoned forever by the Nazis' campaign to wipe out Europe's Jews. To them, "Never forget" means refusing to buy German products, travel to Germany or having anything to do with Germans. But more than five decades after the war, political realities are challenging unbending attitudes.