In Support of Israel

By Jacob Shapiro
List College / Columbia University

Following Israel's operation in Gaza and the inauguration of President Barack Obama in January, Israel has weathered a steady increase in the amount of criticism it is receiving from the American Jewish community. But unlike past situations, individuals and organizations alike are blurring the lines between criticism of Israel and anti-Israel rhetoric.

In recent years, American Jews have felt increasingly comfortable in criticizing Israel's actions and overall strategy. Just as Israelis themselves fiercely argue the merits of every governmental action, so too it is acceptable for Jews in the United States to debate and discuss Israeli strategy. Being a Jew and/or a supporter of Israel in no way requires a person to blindly support every action the Israeli government takes, and it would be irresponsible to support Israel's actions without question.

But this issue becomes highly problematic when individuals and groups mask certain positions that are fundamentally anti-Israel and anti-Zionist in the cloak of honest criticism. This semester, various events are taking place on campuses across the country where the program—which is marketed as an honest assessment of Israeli policy—quickly turns into an anti-Israel presentation that advocates for such items as economic boycotts of Israeli products. When an event encourages the audience to take detrimental actions towards Israel, it most certainly crosses the line and can no longer be categorized as "honest criticism," let alone, "pro-Israel".

As Conservative Jews, we have supported Israel since her founding and have always accompanied our religious practices with thoughts and prayers for the safety and security of our brothers and sisters in Israel. But aside from the complex nature of contemporary geopolitics, we face a challenge from within, and it is our responsibility to ensure that no lines are blurred.

Our community must heighten our awareness and be especially cognizant of ourselves and of our involvement in certain organizations. It is not difficult to be right or left wing and pro-Israel simultaneously. Critiquing Israel from those perspectives is valid and healthy. But when something advocates for detrimental action against Israel, it is also our responsibility to articulate that point.

By focusing on Israel's blemishes and framing programs as honest criticisms, our detractors have engaged many members of our community and become quite clever. Our Hillels and campus organizations have the duty to include the most diverse opinions available, but when it comes to being "pro-Israel" there is a clear line between two ideologies. When a football player runs down the sideline it is up to the referee to decide if he is in or out of bounds—we must be that referee.

Jacob Shapiro is a senior at Columbia University and The Jewish Theological Seminary. He served as the President of LionPAC, Columbia's pro-Israel organization, from 2007-2009.

[Posted 11/16/09]