The two items below that attack neocons are really the reason I’m blogging. I have tried for years to write about these issues in the mainstream media. They’re not interested, though I think these issues are central to the disaster that is Iraq and the misguided and radical thinking that guides our policy in the Middle East. Our country is in a crisis of leadership. I needed to speak out somewhere about what I know and think. Blog.
My point of entry here is my own struggle with my Jewish roots. Yes I’m an assimilator, but I know that I’m very Jewish in my thinking and approach, and part of my distaste for the neoconservatives has to do with the way that the Jewish presence in American life has changed in my generation.
When I was a kid, Jews were firmly on the left. They were outsiders in American culture—my dad faced antisemitic discrimination in his professional life (science)—and Jews were associated in the 60s with the civil-rights movement and the antiwar movement. And the great leap forward of the meritocracy, of which Jews were the prime beneficiaries (then), meant sharing the wealth of a progressive Jewish tradition, of valuing education and knowledge (as Yuri Slezkine has written) with the rest of society.
In my generation, the prominent Jewish presence in American life is no longer progressive. The meritocracy generated wealth and status, and wealth and status will make any group more conservative. Look around at the political landscape, and Jews can be seen very prominently in very conservative posts. In Commentary (a magazine my liberal Democrat family used to get, it was against the Vietnam War), Gabriel Schoenfeld has argued that the New York Times should be prosecuted for its publication of the illegal wiretap story. The New York Sun, a rightwing pro-Israel newspaper, argued in 2003 that people like myself who demonstrated against the war were guilty of treason. The Sun is funded by Bruce Kovner, the chairman of the American Enterprise Institute, which gave more brains to this administration, Bush once crowed, than anyone (he probably regrets it now!), and by Roger Hertog, who nearly wept at a Manhattan Institute gala a year ago when he described the pro-Israel roots of his thinking. Manhattan Institute brags about turning “ideas into influence.” It has done so.
It is not just the rightwing extremists. This is my point. Kovner gives money to Schumer, a good liberal Democrat who is a leading supporter of the Iraq War. Alan Dershowitz calls himself a Kennedy liberal, even as he justifies torture in the war on terror. Dershowitz’s argument is echoed by Sam Harris, in The End of Faith, an anti-Islam book that NPR finds potable (as the neocons’ ideas are not, for NPR). Joseph Lieberman symbolizes the Jewish establishment, and he is Bush’s lieutenant on Iraq. There are 14 Jewish congressmen from New York and California (as I count them in the Almanac of American Politics). Twelve of them supported the Iraq war in 2002. Including good old Vietnam doves like Henry Waxman and Howard Berman of Los Angeles. As did that other converted dove of the Jewish intelligentsia: The New Yorker magazine.
The argument is made that Jews still vote Democratic, and don’t support the Iraq war, in polls. Walt and Mearsheimer say so in their famous (realist) paper. Bush may have gotten 100 percent of the neocon vote, but only 24 percent of the Jewish vote. We’re liberals.
I would argue that while mainstream Jews are very liberal on abortion and school prayer and Hollywood sex and violence—social issues—they have allowed neocons to represent them—that is to say, Jewish public opinion is a conservative force in foreign policy. Ask erstwhile liberals Waxman (who represents Hollywood) and Lieberman, and watch from whom Ned Lamont’s insurgent antiwar candidacy against Lieberman in Connecticut draws its strength. The antiwar movement is so far a populist movement. Not very Jewish. Though, yes, Hilda Silverman and Dan Ellsberg are there.
I’m not saying the progressive Jewish tradition is dead. But we no longer characterize the force of the Jewish presence in American life. When I demonstrated against the war in the treasonous cold in February 2003, my favorite speaker was Tony Kushner, who’s a lot more Jewish than I am. Kushner is one of the exceptions that proves the rule. There are many of us, including California Congressman Bob Filner, a freedom rider in the 60s who led opposition to the war. But we are the outliers. I’m sure that there are evangelical Christians who depart from the mainstream evangelical Christian view that gays shouldn’t get married. But they’re not working the polls in Ohio. The body of Jewish opinion now licenses the neocons politically. The press routinely characterizes the evangelical Christians as rightwing; and I think the press should characterize the Jewish presence as centrist.
Why? One thing Kushner understands is that being a progressive in American life, and opposing the war, both these things necessitate a separation from Israel—a slight separation, inasmuch as he’s merely calling for a more evenhanded U.S. policy in the Middle East. The bulk of American Jewry cannot take that step. And so they have been swept to the right.
Shalom,
I understand your concerns but feel you make too much of the Jewish Right. It's not irrelevant that 73% of Jews voted Democratic in the last presidential election, and even Noam Chomsky, whose criticism of Israel is way out of sync with reality, condemned Walt-Mearsheim. Commentary may be conservative but what about Tikkun, which is read widely way beyond the Jewish community. As for neo-coms, we share much the same feelings, but,unlike those who blame Jews for everything – including that allegedly they've become too conservative – they were not the main perpetrators of the fiasco in Iraq.
In general America's gone to the right, a tragic development indeed, but it's not fair to say that Jews as a group have been in the vanguard, and they're far more liberal than most others. On the other hand, I find the anti0-semitism on the left and from Muslims to be dispicable and self-serving. I could go on and on, but please don't give up hope, and if you give up what about everyone else. There is a plethora of constuctive liberal Jewish sentiment still very operant in this country….and in Israel. Suggest you read Haaretz especially Bradly Burston and subscribe to MJ Rosenberg's twice weekly newsletter. Lead rather than follow and your point of view will continue to be right out there. All best, Jack Eisenberg
I think the point here is this — the Jewish contibution to the mainstream is NOT one ideology or the other, but it is the notion of vigorous exchange of ideas and trying to reconcile policy decisions with underpinning values. And I think that is true whether you're Tony Kushner passionately arguing against the invasion of Iraq, or if you're Bill Kristol arguing just as passinately for the liberation of that country.
You describe yourself as an "assimilater" which I'm not sure if that means that you are assimilated or that you actually endorse the notion of assimilating. I do not do so because I believe America draws its strength from the combination of particularist experiences of its immigrant population, and because as a Jew I think my people has a running story now 4000 years old which has much of value to teach us, whether we chose to accept the religious rituals associated with it or not. So I think our people is worth prerseving and I work hard for the health and vitality of the Jewish people so that future generations of Kushners and Kristols can add their voices to the critical matters of the day. Unfortunately, all too many of my copatirots left of the political center seem to find sympathy in their hearts for all the minorities except their own.
I agree with your sentiments and express my own concern/ outrage over how the ultra-right agenda of AIPAC now dominates our communities discourse. As the chosen people and the one who in the not so distant past risked extermination, we owe it to our ancestors and our God to stand up for the human rights- even for those who may be our enemy today, but with hope will be our neighbor. We cannot escape our moral obligation to find a peaceful Palestinian solution in order to fulfill our role as leaders.
Phil
You have beautifully described the process wherein Jews methodically and diligently build Gas Chambers.
Just as in Germany in the 1930's Jews are busy gaining positions of power and influence over the native, indigenous, non-Jewish population. When the critical mass is reached, the people will search for a legal way of limiting Jewish influence over their lives. When they realize that there is no legal way then they will implement the Auschwitz solution. The necessary organization and methodology for operating an efficient genocidal program have not been forgotton thanks to the efforts of Jewish historians and Mr Spielberg.
Once again, history will repeat itself.
How true!The true chutspah of
theIsrealies and their fellow
travellers will soon be open for all. What a pity,it cold of been
so nice wo overreaching.We will
soon lose everything.
With respect to Mike Granoff's comment, I don't think that neocons such as Bill Kristol are interested in a "vigorous exchange of ideas". What they're interested in is providing rhetorical backing for neoconservative ideas. Which would be fine, if they had more than one or two ideas beyond unilateral excercise of US power.
Little Philly Weiss is at it again.
He declares himself an "assimilator" (actually he in no way functions as a Jew) and then goes on to make the ridiculous assertion that he is "very Jewish in my thinking and approach", whatever the hell that means.
He uses his Jewish birthright only to conveniently knock other Jews and attack the state of Israel. He makes socio-economic observations which are completely ass-backward; he actually claims wealth and status are positively correlated with conservative views. Jeez Philly, how do you explain the "red states". Are Mississippi and Idaho bastions of wealth and status?
He pisses on his own people much to the amusement of anti-semites. Witness this piece of fan mail;
Phil
You have beautifully described the process wherein Jews methodically and diligently build Gas Chambers.
Just as in Germany in the 1930's Jews are busy gaining positions of power and influence over the native, indigenous, non-Jewish population. When the critical mass is reached, the people will search for a legal way of limiting Jewish influence over their lives. When they realize that there is no legal way then they will implement the Auschwitz solution. The necessary organization and methodology for operating an efficient genocidal program have not been forgotton thanks to the efforts of Jewish historians and Mr Spielberg.
Once again, history will repeat itself.
Posted by: Ludwig von Schaffner | May 31, 2006 10:16 AM
We cannot help thinking that this is an ahistorical distortion: were pre-acceptance era Jews, gripped by the surely greater hostile pressure to conform and not stick out necks, really all marching with MLK?
And it goes the other way, too. Before the neocons Henry Kissinger and several millenia of Court Jews and collaborators lent support to the very forces they should've despised, although the peculiar swarming of the neocons is a very aberrant unspeakable truth. Has there ever been a more numerous, solid or uniform encysted representation of any other interested party of any minority as extremist Zionists in the present administration?
We are tempted to say that the speakers of truth to power are always a minority. They are also always simultaneously explained as representative and not representative of whatever group they were born into. The claspers of temporary apparent comfort are always the majority, as long as they think they have something to lose. Thus you are not carrying on the legacy of "The Jews" (who the hell wants that?), but of individuals like Chomsky, Spock, and Zinn.
Hah! When the rest of the world gets wind of what those zany Zionists and that wacky AIPAC are doing in the name of the Jews, they won't be able to build the crematoria fast enough!
I feel your pain. The thing that has rotted the progressive and ethical core of our Jewish culture is not affluence. It is zionism — a virulent strain of nationalism and relgion. What else could have turned the most progressive people whose consciusness of and antipathy toward oppression was so keen into a bunch of "good Germans" unquestioning in their support of a state based on ethnic cleansing and human rights abuses?
Zionism has created anti-semitism where it never existed and exacerbated it in its former strongolds. It will, I fear, backfire on us all. I am always gratified to find Jews who recognize and condemn the poisonous effects it has on our moral base. Maybe there's hope for us yet.
The wise king hit the nail on the head. There is 3200 year tradition being of Phil's people being the most accomplished people on earth and instead of being proud and carrying on that tradition, he whines and comes up with selective, obtuse generalizations about Jews. It's obvious that he knows nothing about the Talmud and the foundations of Jewish thought.
I also feel your pain. I have lost old Jewish friends in the last few years over Middle East and Levant affairs – and I'm in Canada, where everybody is slightly to the left of everybody in your country. Your consolation has to be that you are atracting the sarcasm and ire of both neo-Nazis and truculent Jewish patriots – you must be doing something right!
Gentile intellectuals have learned the hard way over the decades that jingoism is a dangerous temptation — 1914 and all that. In contrast, Jews outside of Israel typically were not in a position in the 20th Century where they were tempted by jingoism.
But now they are, and the neocons have succumbed to it. But the neocons have a hard time realizing it because they assume — "We can't be jingoes — we're Jews! If we're for a war, then it's got to be justified, like WWII." Well, unfortunately, there's a first time for everybody.
While it's tru many Jews were not in favor of the civil rights movement and were not active in opposing the Vietnam War these movements had a distinctly Jewish shading. So many Jews were active from the leadership on down to the rank and file. Today that's much less the case.
While 73% of Jews vote Democrat it's also true that the most prominent Democrats are if anything to the right of Bush when it comes to Iraq, calling for more troops, more weapons, more money. The Democrats are not the party of FDR. They're not for building public housing, passing union enablng legislation, establishing realistic minimum wage laws or edning the illegal status of 9 million workers in our midst.
The forty year run of conservatism in the usa aligned with the ascendancy of israeli-americans is coming to a close. This is if history repeats itself as von schaffer postulates. The last age of liberalism lasted from the great depression to the 1970s and was the age of roman catholcism. The pope first on satellite tv, boys town and mccarthy witchhunt, vietnam(clean up the french mess), and the flying nun. Versus now, burnt offering museum, schlinder's list, feingold witchhunt, Iraq(america's west bank occupation). yes this is the age of conservatism/judaism and could end in a way, depending on who blinks, that makes the 1960s look like a barroom brawl. thank you mr weiss and your tribe for sharing this progressive tradition and love of knowledge. hashem have mercy hashem have mecy
Can sombody give me three reasons why they care about Arabs?
Here are three for the Jews:
1. 120 Nobel Prizes
2. Gave the world the foundation of the two largest Religions (Christianity and Islam).
3. Took out Iraqs nukes in 1981.
A nice essay, though the navel gazing gets tedious.
As for the comment by Excel:
This is the most excessively stupid note I have read in a long time.
The Arab world has to its credit the preservation of the knowledge of antiquity, as well as much beautiful poetry, and general support for human decency. But your quite amazing stupidity lies in the notion that millions of individuals and communities can all be written off by a single label.
As for your Jewish list:
1. We all know quite as many Jewish idiots as brilliant Jews. The individual does not characterize the group.
2. About time you recognized religion as superstition and a curse. Truth is not a popularity contest.
3. A celebration of unprovoked aggression? How about destroying all of Israel's nuclear facilities, you nasty little Nazi-Jabotinsky?
May your name disappear from the world.
Please name a few:
"The Arab world has to its credit the preservation of the knowledge of antiquity, as well as much beautiful poetry, and general support for human decency."
Support for human decency?
Hardy har har.
"A celebration of unprovoked aggression?"
Destroying Saddam nuclear capabilites a mistake?
We see where your coming from tough guy.
Heh, heh. I must start advertising myself as a moron magnet.
My dear anonymous, I see that you are a recent immigrant without the benefit of much knowledge of history or even basic English. If you care to post your address, I am sure that many will be happy to help you.
It is enough to point out here that simple denial is not a form of argument.
Personally, I don't much care for Christians, and I think it probable that some of the loonier Muslim faithful would happily whack my head off. But I am quite, quite certain that kippa and talith would be no protection against Zionist loonies.
Sei doch a mensh, and let's leave group judgments to the feeble-minded.
Spielberg would die for israel! what a joke He would have to do a little bit better like open his wallet more if our generosity to the tune of $2-3 billion a year plus loan guarantees dried up. that's $500 per each man woman and child-not bad considering the hit the middle class in this country is taking. i imagine without these handouts israel would be just another third world failed state unless spielberg and ilk wallets were flattened so dont be ranting on about how great that welfare state is for the usa if anything israel's conservatism is to the neocons of the us as fascist italy was to nazi germany in prior times. west bank and gaza are the ethiopia of today thats all.
Eugene Weixel makes a key comment:
While 73% of Jews vote Democrat it's also true that the most prominent Democrats are if anything to the right of Bush when it comes to Iraq, calling for more troops, more weapons, more money. The Democrats are not the party of FDR. They're not for building public housing, passing union enablng legislation, establishing realistic minimum wage laws or edning the illegal status of 9 million workers in our midst.
Today's Dem party is not the party of FDR. Hell, Nixon's GOP party was to the left of today's Dems.
(As to the anti-Islam provocation by the misnamed troll 'Excel', he has obviously never heard of maths, medicine, science, or that when Moishe ben Maimon sought refuge from rabbinical persecution, it was to Islamic Cairo he went, where he was given a court position and high honors by Salah ed-Din.)
Phil,
You make a very important point when you said that "being a progressive in American life, and opposing the war, both these things necessitate a separation from Israel—a slight separation, inasmuch as he's merely calling for a more evenhanded U.S. policy in the Middle East. The bulk of American Jewry cannot take that step,"
This is precisely the reason that the Major Jewish Organizations (MJO) are organizing around the issue of Darfur. Namely, they have flushed their progressive creds down the toilet and are looking for an issue to reestablish those creds particularly with the African American community. At the same time they seek to continue vilifying Arabs and need to create a diversion against anti-Iraq war organizing. I dont think it will work though, it looks like the MJO's jumped the shark with pushing the Iraq War down America's throat.
ZFK
As you say, Jews are no longer liberal because they have allowed their leaders to go along with settling in the West Bank, (against the Fourth Geneva Convention which forbids settling in conquered territories.)
This has resulted in having to demonize Arabs (Christian and Muslim) in films and commentary. This has resulted in war between the US and Arabs which has morphed into a war against Muslims. Jews cannot face what they have done to their "host" country and so the obfuscation and self-degradation continues.