Marc Ellis at Counterpunch understands that the revolutionary youth of Egypt may also save Jews from the delusion of isolation and militarism:
As Egypt struggles what are Jews saying to the world? Empire Jews are saying one thing to the protestors – “We’re going to throw a lifeline to our friend Mubarak.”
Jews of Conscience are saying something else those in Tahrir Square – “You are a lifeline to the world – and to us!”
You see if Israel can only survive if its neighbors are poor and with dictators galore, it also has to be armed to the teeth. Does anyone believe that Jews around the world can escape the same fate? We are armed to the teeth, we need dictators everywhere, whenever we move toward others we are accused of being traitors. Is it any wonder that many Jews don’t feel free to express their aversion to the oppression outside and the oppression within?
What interesting company we keep now. So different than years past. Then we knew what every dictator was up to. We fought them all with our pen and movements for justice, even our prayers. Often we died at their hand.
…Jews of the world, we, too, need our own revolution to bring us back – and forward – to the day when Egyptians and Jews can celebrate a common victory. But clearly the road to that victory runs through a shared Jerusalem, which means Palestinians and Palestine.
Perhaps one day there will be a Tahrir Square in Jerusalem where Palestinians and Jews sit and struggle together. Under the same sun. Against the same empires. Even those that think that they carry Palestine in their back pocket as if they own their people.
