Yesterday, I listened to "Fresh Air", an interview program broadcast on National Public Radio in the US. Zev Chafets was the guest discussing his recently published book, "A Match Made in Heaven: American Jews, Christian Zionists, and One Man's Exploration of the Weird and Wonderful Judeo-Evangelical Alliance".
Link to the interview - <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6902413>
At one point Terry Gross (the host) asked Chafets for his reaction to a statement made by one of his "allies", an evangelical leader (the fellow's name escapes me). She played an audio excerpt of an interview the minister gave on "Fresh Air" following the destruction of New Orleans. The fundamentalist declared Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath to be the judgment of God upon New Orleans -- both for its many past sins and for what was an upcoming Gay pride parade which, he asserted, would display "a level of sexuality previous unseen."
Sounds like a hell of a parade.
After playing the clip, Gross asked Chafets if he was comfortable being cozied up next to people who blithely dismissed the suffering of many thousands to be, essentially correct in a cosmic sense since all hurricanes "came from God" and also, was Chafets okay with such aggressive homophobia?
Chafets replied that although he didn't agree with the minister's interpretation of Katrina, nor with his homophobia, it was important for Israelis (and American Jews) to understand that since Israel was on the front lines of a global war against "fascism" and her very existence was at stake compromises had to be made for the sake of forming alliances. He briefly brought up the Nazis to make his point.
Here's a relevant bit from the Publishers Weekly blurb posted on the book's Amazon page:
Chafets argues that especially in a time of war, American Jews need to realize that it is "Muslim fascists," not evangelical Christians, who are Israel's enemy.
[...]
And indeed, Chafets made precisely this point to Terry Gross as she pressed him to explain how Israel could possibly benefit from this supposed alliance.
Listening, it occurred to me that although Christian evangelicals and Israelis (at least, those Israelis who, like Chafets, are inclined towards this alliance) are separated by many differences, one of the things binding them together is the apocalyptic idea.
Of course, the return of Christ doesn't figure into Judaic concepts and evangelicals aren't (to my knowledge) talking about Iranian missile technology equipped with still imaginary home built nuclear warheads.
Still, it seems to me that the sense of being embattled -- of being on the verge of extinction, coupled with the obvious religious linkages from Judaism to Christianity -- is creating a sort of self powered, Judaeo-Christian feedback loop of hysteria and 'end of days'-ism.
.d.