Great article Adam. A stronger bond between Israel and the diaspora is essential. Both communities bolster each others.
I'd like to point out that expecting Israel to somehow make its center-right disappear is as realistic as Israelis asking the diaspora to make the antizionist "Jews for the genocide of Israeli Jews" disappear. There are Canadian and American Jews who either politically or actively assist Hamas in their goal of destroying Israel and executing an ethnic cleansing of Israeli Jews from their homes.
You find the Israeli far-right loathsome, and so do most Israelis. But antizionist Jews are another level of loathsome traitors and terrorism supporters. Neither will be going away, and you should be aware of the problems that occur in a parliamentary democracy. Canada is where the Jew-hating NDP was part a governing coalition and where Toronto has an antisemitic mayor. The reason we had an increase of a far-right in Israel, and the ascent of the center-right is because the Palestinians murdered the Israeli left at the same time they murdered a thousand Israelis and wounded thousands more in the 137 suicide bombings of the Second Intifada. The Israeli left, which I was part of, promised that giving up land to the Palestinians will bring peace. Instead, it brought more and more intense terrorism. It was very odd to discover that the Israeli center-right were correct assessing the existential threat in believing the Palestinians. And the Palestinians proved the Likud right.
Besides that, please don't compare diaspora Jews finding out that their progressive friends aren't their allies, but rather active Jew-hatrers, to the 815 Israeli civilians murdered, 200+ abducted and tortured, 960 Israeli security service members killed, and over 22,000 wounded civilians and security service members. The impact of this war is massively more significant in Israel. We in the diaspora have just woken up from the delusion that we had a place in the progressive left, and found out that they're old-school Jew-hating freaks. So it goes in Jewish history.
Thanks for daring to plunge into the middle of this difficult subject. You've framed the issues in a way that allows for ongoing conversations based on respect. That alone is a significant step forward.
As to the comments about Ben G’vir and Smotrich being democratically elected, the singular biggest drawback to proportional representation is that some minority party or parties hold(s) the balance of power. In Canada we have the recent example of the NDP getting its policy priorities enacted to allow the Liberals to remain in power. More currently it could be the Bloc that is also catered to.
In Israel it was usually the religious parties that curried favour to prop up the government. More recently it has been the far right. Neither are ideal ‘partners’ to ensure a government acts appropriately just as the experiences in Canada have demonstrated.
Apart from the intelligence failures leading up to October 7th the singular biggest failure Israel has demonstrated is with hasbara. The Qataris have financed the universities and the media for decades leading up to today and on October 8 the cries of genocide began even before Israel had shot a single bullet.
The diaspora never needed Israel’s support before October 7th (or so we thought) because Jews were secure (or so we thought) in our communities. We now know better. We are united and intertwined so much more than ever that your recommendations make a great deal of sense.
As a delegate to the 39th World Zionist Congress I agree that reform is needed to find a new pathway that integrates representation from Chutz la Aretz into the elements of Israeli legislation that have an impact on world Jewry. Your comments on Israeli's spending a gap year in Jewish communities also resonate. The impact of shlichim and informal educators on Jewish education cannot be understated. Sherut Leumi presence in Diaspora communities should be multiplied many times from its current level.
You have written what most of diaspora Jews are thinking! Still, it is not for us to make demands on Israeli politics unless we “walk the walk” . We do not pay taxes there, we do not serve in the IDF, we do not live in Israel. Israelis must vote as they see fit. If we want to change Israel politically we must make Aliyah. Otherwise, our job is to support them ( or not) whole heartedly.
I agree with you, but we need to keep in mind that much of the division in Israel is between orthodox and non-orthodox. As much as the rest of us want to see the most divisive, difficult members of Knesset take a hike, the number of Haredim is increasing, as are their votes.
Love this and co-sign all! My favorite column from you yet! Did you email it to Bibi & the Knesset?
I’ve been grumbling about Israel’s attitude towards reputation management/crisis PR almost since 10/7. It is reckless to let Palestinianist lies get laundered and jump from fever swamps to newsrooms.
I think Israel should pursue legal action against the worst offenders. The falsities were of a nature that damages can be presumed, but they are also backed by plenty o’evidence.
I particularly like the idea of diaspora representation in the Knesset - hopefully, it would be possible Jews who aren’t Adelson-wealthy & connected to run. Would those seats be elected by the diaspora or by Israeli voters?
The State of Israel is the greatest project of the Jewish people in the last 2,000 years. It is a joint project, a partnership. We have seen over the last two years the interconnectedness of Israel and Jews who live outside of it. Our lives and destinies are intertwined. As such, we who live outside of Israel very much have a right to express our views, even if they are critical (I dare say, especially if they are critical) if they come from a place of love and caring. You can love something and be critical of it. As Bruce Springsteen has said, criticism can be how you show your love. In fact, if you believe Israel is going down a bad path (or a path of self destruction), I would argue you have an obligation to say it. In the same way that people have the right to criticize and challenge Adam for what he wrote, we have the right to criticize and challenge Israel even if we live outside of Israel. Many Israeli politicians come here and say that Israel belongs to all of us. That is true and that enables us to speak up for its welfare, even if we don't live there.
Adam, this is brilliantly written. Ben Gvir and Smotrich were indeed elected but they were added to the coalition to ensure this government could take and stay in power. While in the coalition they have made demands that other Israelis did not vote for.
I agree fully that it is time for Israel to “reset” and start a strategic process to plan for the next stage of life in Israel enabling the Zionist dream to be framed in a way that will ensure her long term existence, growth and development as a global partner. Israel’s existence should no longer be the subject of hate mongering and in the hands of Anti-Semites. Israel’s is here to stay for eternity. Nobody has the right to say or demand otherwise.
Your article is an important piece in this forward thinking process.
We don’t have the right (you asked for comments instead of unsubscribing)
Those you ask to be removed were democratically elected. We don’t always get what we want in a democracy. As for the rest of what you wrote, for the sake of brevity, we don’t have the right to anything as diaspora Jews except overwhelming gratitude and support for the sacrifices of the IDF and Israelis on behalf of all of us. If you want change make Aliyah and vote. It’s easy to judge from the outside from the relative comfort and security we have.
Thanks for your comments, and for sticking around. I appreciate it.
Just to be clear, nowhere was I calling for the government to be overturned or elected representatives to be tossed out of government. Ben Gvir and Smotrich were elected to the Knesset, but they don't have to remain in the Cabinet. That is the PM's move, and they weren't elected to their Cabinet positions. Similarly, nowhere am I asking for the government to be overturned, I just believe it's time for new elections in this moment. If the current parties and PM win again, fine, at least we know where the country is, and we will of course respect that.
Agree. Large parts of your post sound like you want to interfere in Israeli politics and policy. I, too, have some criticisms but that is different than intervention. If you have dual citizenship then fine. Otherwise I don’t think that is possible or even desirable. What would you say to an American who told you that a different party should be in power in Canada?
This is a tendentious piece of writing that is wrong in so many respects, but I will simply comment on the slander you have exhibited towards Messrs Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, two members of the Israeli government who have provided the backbone necessary for victory in Gaza and preserving security in Judea and Samaria. Mr. Smotrich's efforts especially with respect to the direction of finances and settlement in Judea and Samaria have done wonders for enhancing Israeli security. The constant smuggling in of weapons to the Negev and Judea and Samaria, not to mention Arab Israeli towns, makes it all the more imperative that changes to the police and border patrol were necessary; and Mr. Ben-Gvir has pushed for that. Dismissing these two ministers as extreme right-wing is pure folly; and the fact that left and right in Canada and elsewhere have no problem uniting on hating Jews ought to open your eyes to the uselessness of understanding contemporary issues along the right-left axis. We have a Canadian Prime Minister who promotes antisemitic policies (arms embargo on Israel, assertions that Muslim values are Canadian values, etc.) yet proudly wears the Liberal moniker and for whom many Jews still voted. You could help Israel by getting Jews to stop doing that.
The current government, cobbled together in fear and cynicism, does not reflect the will or the moral standing of the Jewish people.
The Israeli government does not need to reflect the will or moral standing of anyone not an Israeli citizen. Its a modern nation-state who's responsibility is to the Israeli people, Jewish or not.
Great article Adam. A stronger bond between Israel and the diaspora is essential. Both communities bolster each others.
I'd like to point out that expecting Israel to somehow make its center-right disappear is as realistic as Israelis asking the diaspora to make the antizionist "Jews for the genocide of Israeli Jews" disappear. There are Canadian and American Jews who either politically or actively assist Hamas in their goal of destroying Israel and executing an ethnic cleansing of Israeli Jews from their homes.
You find the Israeli far-right loathsome, and so do most Israelis. But antizionist Jews are another level of loathsome traitors and terrorism supporters. Neither will be going away, and you should be aware of the problems that occur in a parliamentary democracy. Canada is where the Jew-hating NDP was part a governing coalition and where Toronto has an antisemitic mayor. The reason we had an increase of a far-right in Israel, and the ascent of the center-right is because the Palestinians murdered the Israeli left at the same time they murdered a thousand Israelis and wounded thousands more in the 137 suicide bombings of the Second Intifada. The Israeli left, which I was part of, promised that giving up land to the Palestinians will bring peace. Instead, it brought more and more intense terrorism. It was very odd to discover that the Israeli center-right were correct assessing the existential threat in believing the Palestinians. And the Palestinians proved the Likud right.
Besides that, please don't compare diaspora Jews finding out that their progressive friends aren't their allies, but rather active Jew-hatrers, to the 815 Israeli civilians murdered, 200+ abducted and tortured, 960 Israeli security service members killed, and over 22,000 wounded civilians and security service members. The impact of this war is massively more significant in Israel. We in the diaspora have just woken up from the delusion that we had a place in the progressive left, and found out that they're old-school Jew-hating freaks. So it goes in Jewish history.
Thanks for daring to plunge into the middle of this difficult subject. You've framed the issues in a way that allows for ongoing conversations based on respect. That alone is a significant step forward.
Kol hakavod Adam.
As to the comments about Ben G’vir and Smotrich being democratically elected, the singular biggest drawback to proportional representation is that some minority party or parties hold(s) the balance of power. In Canada we have the recent example of the NDP getting its policy priorities enacted to allow the Liberals to remain in power. More currently it could be the Bloc that is also catered to.
In Israel it was usually the religious parties that curried favour to prop up the government. More recently it has been the far right. Neither are ideal ‘partners’ to ensure a government acts appropriately just as the experiences in Canada have demonstrated.
Apart from the intelligence failures leading up to October 7th the singular biggest failure Israel has demonstrated is with hasbara. The Qataris have financed the universities and the media for decades leading up to today and on October 8 the cries of genocide began even before Israel had shot a single bullet.
The diaspora never needed Israel’s support before October 7th (or so we thought) because Jews were secure (or so we thought) in our communities. We now know better. We are united and intertwined so much more than ever that your recommendations make a great deal of sense.
Some excellent ideas here, Adam.
I love this. I don’t know that I agree with all of it, but I absolutely adore that you’re bringing this into the air to discuss
As a delegate to the 39th World Zionist Congress I agree that reform is needed to find a new pathway that integrates representation from Chutz la Aretz into the elements of Israeli legislation that have an impact on world Jewry. Your comments on Israeli's spending a gap year in Jewish communities also resonate. The impact of shlichim and informal educators on Jewish education cannot be understated. Sherut Leumi presence in Diaspora communities should be multiplied many times from its current level.
You have written what most of diaspora Jews are thinking! Still, it is not for us to make demands on Israeli politics unless we “walk the walk” . We do not pay taxes there, we do not serve in the IDF, we do not live in Israel. Israelis must vote as they see fit. If we want to change Israel politically we must make Aliyah. Otherwise, our job is to support them ( or not) whole heartedly.
I agree with you, but we need to keep in mind that much of the division in Israel is between orthodox and non-orthodox. As much as the rest of us want to see the most divisive, difficult members of Knesset take a hike, the number of Haredim is increasing, as are their votes.
Love this and co-sign all! My favorite column from you yet! Did you email it to Bibi & the Knesset?
I’ve been grumbling about Israel’s attitude towards reputation management/crisis PR almost since 10/7. It is reckless to let Palestinianist lies get laundered and jump from fever swamps to newsrooms.
I think Israel should pursue legal action against the worst offenders. The falsities were of a nature that damages can be presumed, but they are also backed by plenty o’evidence.
I particularly like the idea of diaspora representation in the Knesset - hopefully, it would be possible Jews who aren’t Adelson-wealthy & connected to run. Would those seats be elected by the diaspora or by Israeli voters?
Adam, this is brilliant.
The State of Israel is the greatest project of the Jewish people in the last 2,000 years. It is a joint project, a partnership. We have seen over the last two years the interconnectedness of Israel and Jews who live outside of it. Our lives and destinies are intertwined. As such, we who live outside of Israel very much have a right to express our views, even if they are critical (I dare say, especially if they are critical) if they come from a place of love and caring. You can love something and be critical of it. As Bruce Springsteen has said, criticism can be how you show your love. In fact, if you believe Israel is going down a bad path (or a path of self destruction), I would argue you have an obligation to say it. In the same way that people have the right to criticize and challenge Adam for what he wrote, we have the right to criticize and challenge Israel even if we live outside of Israel. Many Israeli politicians come here and say that Israel belongs to all of us. That is true and that enables us to speak up for its welfare, even if we don't live there.
Adam, this is brilliantly written. Ben Gvir and Smotrich were indeed elected but they were added to the coalition to ensure this government could take and stay in power. While in the coalition they have made demands that other Israelis did not vote for.
I agree fully that it is time for Israel to “reset” and start a strategic process to plan for the next stage of life in Israel enabling the Zionist dream to be framed in a way that will ensure her long term existence, growth and development as a global partner. Israel’s existence should no longer be the subject of hate mongering and in the hands of Anti-Semites. Israel’s is here to stay for eternity. Nobody has the right to say or demand otherwise.
Your article is an important piece in this forward thinking process.
We don’t have the right (you asked for comments instead of unsubscribing)
Those you ask to be removed were democratically elected. We don’t always get what we want in a democracy. As for the rest of what you wrote, for the sake of brevity, we don’t have the right to anything as diaspora Jews except overwhelming gratitude and support for the sacrifices of the IDF and Israelis on behalf of all of us. If you want change make Aliyah and vote. It’s easy to judge from the outside from the relative comfort and security we have.
Thanks for your comments, and for sticking around. I appreciate it.
Just to be clear, nowhere was I calling for the government to be overturned or elected representatives to be tossed out of government. Ben Gvir and Smotrich were elected to the Knesset, but they don't have to remain in the Cabinet. That is the PM's move, and they weren't elected to their Cabinet positions. Similarly, nowhere am I asking for the government to be overturned, I just believe it's time for new elections in this moment. If the current parties and PM win again, fine, at least we know where the country is, and we will of course respect that.
Agree. Large parts of your post sound like you want to interfere in Israeli politics and policy. I, too, have some criticisms but that is different than intervention. If you have dual citizenship then fine. Otherwise I don’t think that is possible or even desirable. What would you say to an American who told you that a different party should be in power in Canada?
This is a tendentious piece of writing that is wrong in so many respects, but I will simply comment on the slander you have exhibited towards Messrs Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, two members of the Israeli government who have provided the backbone necessary for victory in Gaza and preserving security in Judea and Samaria. Mr. Smotrich's efforts especially with respect to the direction of finances and settlement in Judea and Samaria have done wonders for enhancing Israeli security. The constant smuggling in of weapons to the Negev and Judea and Samaria, not to mention Arab Israeli towns, makes it all the more imperative that changes to the police and border patrol were necessary; and Mr. Ben-Gvir has pushed for that. Dismissing these two ministers as extreme right-wing is pure folly; and the fact that left and right in Canada and elsewhere have no problem uniting on hating Jews ought to open your eyes to the uselessness of understanding contemporary issues along the right-left axis. We have a Canadian Prime Minister who promotes antisemitic policies (arms embargo on Israel, assertions that Muslim values are Canadian values, etc.) yet proudly wears the Liberal moniker and for whom many Jews still voted. You could help Israel by getting Jews to stop doing that.
This is great, but I disagree with the following:
The current government, cobbled together in fear and cynicism, does not reflect the will or the moral standing of the Jewish people.
The Israeli government does not need to reflect the will or moral standing of anyone not an Israeli citizen. Its a modern nation-state who's responsibility is to the Israeli people, Jewish or not.
Fair!