[Peace-discuss] Jewish perspectives on divestment

[David Green]

A little out of context, not to mention esoteric, but
New Jewish Agenda was
born of left wing Jewish criticism of Israel in the
70s and 80s.

Message: 1         
   Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2005 11:29:37 -0500 (GMT-05:00)
   From: Benjamin Mordecai Ben-Baruch
<bbenbaruch at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: Perspectives on Divestment  from Peace
Now


While New Jewish Agenda was still active and vibrant,
related issues 
were discussed vigorously.  It was during one of these
vigorous 
discussions that I came to the conclusion that what
really differentiated those 
who favored publicly stating positions for divestment,
against giving 
to the joint federation-UJA fundraising campaigns, and
withholding US 
aid to Israel was biography.

The issue of whether or not NJA chapters could join
local coalitions 
calling for using US aid to pressure Israel was one of
the most divisive 
issues NJA faced and one of the issues that
contributed to its decline.  
The amazing thing, however, was that we all agreed
that the US should 
pressure Israel by withholding aid if Israel continued
to be 
obstructionist.  We disagreed vehemently about whether
or not NJA chapters should 
be allowed to say that.

The difference could be almost entirely explained by
biographies with 
Jewish organizations.  Those who received their "warm
fuzzies" from 
progressive Jewish organizations in the past or whose
connections to the 
progressive movement were almost exclusively mediated
through their 
membership in progressive (and even socialist) JEWISH
organizations were 
opposed to breaking ranks with the Jewish community
over this issue.  
(These are many of the people now in the leadership of
Brit Tsedek and 
still oriented towards building bridges within the
Jewish community and 
still opposed to breaking out of the dominant Zionist
framework of 
political discourse and who still are obsessed with
proving their Zionist and 
pro-Israel credentials to other Jews.)

Those who were active in labor unions and other
non-Jewish progressive 
organizations and who received their "warm fuzzies"
from these 
organizations were in favor of publicly stating the
ways in which we rejected 
the false consensus being promulgated in the Jewish
community.  Many of 
us were people who were continuously rebuffed by
Jewish organizations 
for our progressive politics and critical stances
towards Zionism and 
Israel.

I retell this history of this issue set in NJA to
inform the discussion 
here and to help people understand some of the ways
these types of 
issues have played themselves out in progressive
Jewish organizations in 
the past.

For progressive Jews oriented towards the Jewish
community and 
personally immersed and invested in the Jewish
community, the issue is not 
whether or not divestment is right or wrong but rather
about relationships 
within the Jewish community and between Jewish
organizations -- and 
about identity.  Their aversion to embracing
divestment is also bolstered 
by the correct perception that this is an issue being
defined largely 
by Christian churches and being shaped by politics
within and between 
Protestant denominations and their relations with the
Christian right.  
For mainstream Protestant groups, the issue combines 
1. the symbolism of ceasing to relate to the Jewish
community through 
relations 
    mediated by a foreign state;
2. the symbolism of relating to the Holy Land and the 
Israel-Palestine-Arab conflicts [sic]
    on the basis of Christian values rather than on
the basis of 
politics and political solidarity
3. Values-based opposition to the Christian right and
the Christian 
evangelical churches


Benjy Ben-Baruch
     Agitate!  Educate!  Organize!