US Jewish opinion on Israel has changed drastically over the years. There's been a lot of maturing, in my view, for the better. You don't necessarily see that in leadership circles. But they've never been the best place guage community opinion anyway.
I'm always in favor of hearing non-Jews discuss our political problems, even if I take issue with them. Solidarity is important. I'm pushing that line lately, because of the age-old tendency, identified with the Israeli right, to reject universalist discourses.
Thanks on LBO. Sure, lets chat.
Best, Joel
On May 26, 2010, at 5:36 AM, Chuck Grimes wrote:
> Hey Joel,
>
> Very cool, and very fast. Thanks.
>
> You know of course that this is a burning issue that is killing off
> the liberal to left Jewish community in the US. It has reached barely two feet
> next to me and my downstairs neighbor. We talk and don't talk about it all the
> time. He's from Philly, nearly my age, and it feels like old times in American History.
>
> Anyway, I would like both you and Doug to consider writing something for
> the LBO newletter.
>
> It feels creepy as a non-Jew to talk about this---and such an article would
> help a lot.
>
> Chuck
>
> ps. I spend most of the day trying to find the review on The Daily Jewish Foreward---which as I read through its columns looks like a good newspaper on American Jewish affairs (good = liberal-left). It needs more circulation to counter the terrible rightwing. Technically, I think the problem is Shalit is also the last name of the IDF soldier held by Hamas... That's my best version. The darker one is that the establishment Jewish orders have done a censorship job. This is another aspect to local politics in SF and Berkeley as you probably know.
>
> Not to wax sentimental---yes to wax sentimental, and why not?---but guys like Bryan Atinsky need to know, the real US, has not forgotten. These are dark times, and the solidarity helps.
>
> Never mind. I am sure we have our differencces. It's our solidatity that counts.
>
> Shalom, or l'chaim, these used to be the equivalent of Comrade, drunk at 8:32pm this very evening on Enlish giin---a curiously neutral territory where religion, culture and empire dissolve---along with intelligence.
>
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