Exile and the prophetic: Jump-starting the prophetic

This post is part of Marc H. Ellis’s “Exile and the Prophetic” feature for Mondoweiss. To read the entire series visit the archive page.

Predictions about who will go all-in or leave the Israel/Palestine playing field when the going gets rough are tricky.  Sometimes I’ve been right.  Sometimes I’ve been wrong.

Usually the tipping point has to do with the individual.  For some Jews there’s a prophetic trigger.  The prophetic has to come out.   Too frequently the prophetic is held back.  There’s more at stake than conscience.

There is only one way to judge Jews on the prophet scale today – their stand on Israel/Palestine.  Everything else is like a gimme putt – a shot so easy that other players agree can count automatically without actually being played.  Just pick the ball off the green and walk to the next tee. 

Jewish gimme issues: generalized stances on war and peace, protesting America’s global reach, global economic justice, African-American freedom and feminism.

Don’t get me wrong.  These issues are important.  They’re just too easy.

On Israel/Palestine, Jews often need a jump start to get the prophetic going.  Jump starts come from other Jews and the community beyond.  Especially if you’re a writer and public speaker, audiences have a power of their own.

So at some point it’s possible that Peter Beinart will speak without his protective “I Love Israel” mantra.   Time will tell.

To be honest, though, time has already told.  “I Love Israel” was wrong from the beginning.  Not because Israel is worse than other states that came into existence through power and war – which is more or less all of them.  Or that Israel does what other states don’t when they have the chance.  Loving a state is always and everywhere misplaced.

Yet Beinart still has a constituency – the dwindling progressive middle.  Even so, he straddles that line.  Since the progressive middle cannot hold, Beinart as he presents himself now is a passing phenomenon. 

My judgment call:  Beinart’s bread is buttered and his future career assured in a larger arena.  I doubt his love of Israel will mandate giving up the upward mobility he enjoys.

Being all-in isn’t easy.  To wit, Michael Lerner and Tikkun.  Though Lerner keeps expanding his criticism of Israel – I’m not sure if he’s finally dropped his “I Love Israel” set-up or not – he never foregoes Jewish ascendancy.  Lerner is stuck in a romanticized world of meaning and new-age Jewishness that, among other things, allows him a self-proclaimed status as Rabbi.

I knew early on that Lerner wasn’t going anywhere except deeper into a Judaism and Jewishness that can only be defined as narcissistic.  When you get through the glossy pages and artwork of Tikkun, you are left with, well, gloss and a narcissistic Jewishness.  (If you want a snapshot of narcissistic  Jewishness check out Lerner’s Tikkun round table in 2010 – http://www.tikkun.org/nextgen/is-bds-the-way-to-end-the-occupation – and his 2012 interview with Peter Beinart  – http://www.tikkun.org/nextgen/building-a-jewish-and-democratic-state-a-conversation-with-peter-beinart .)

When I met with Naomi Klein’s parents a few years ago in their home in Canada, I predicted she would stay on the fringes of the Israel/Palestine discussion.  After all, Klein has built up a career on the Left with her substantive critique of disaster capitalism.

I was wrong about Klein.  I was wrong about Judith Butler, too.  Though the question remains:  Why did it take them – and many other Jews – so long to come out on Israel/Palestine?

True, when Klein did come out it was big-time and galvanizing.  She even apologized for being late.  Butler’s recent book was quite something, too.  Credit where credit is due.

I have a hunch about the length of time it took.  It may be a key to understanding contemporary Jewry and the prophetic.

Think of Klein and Butler as having constituencies, more or less like politicians.  Or a fan-base, more or less, like rock stars or actors.  On the Left, Klein and Butler are celebrities. 

Those who have a fan base don’t want to lose it.  I can only imagine what it’s like to have fans and see them fade away. 

The ground is littered with Jews who’ve had a fan base and seen it wither away.  Does anyone remember the Peace Now Jews from the 1980s and 1990s?  The Quakers and every other peace group trotted them out for decades as “authentic” Jews on the Left.  This meant they were Zionist, Israeli, liberally religious and born and raised Americans to boot.  They sported full beards.  Their heads were topped with multi-colored kippot.  They knew Hebrew.  They looked so Jewish!

Looking and talking Jewish were crucial to build “partners” in the Jewish and Christian communities – at least these peace loving groups were convinced.  If we could just show the mainstream Jewish community that a Palestinian state was a gesture of love for Israel, too – then we’d be at the gates of “our” heavenly Jerusalem.

The failure is obvious now.  Wasn’t it obvious then?

Klein and Butler moved when they and their constituencies were ready.  Today, it is almost impossible to be on the Left and remain guarded on the issue.  If you’ll notice, Klein and Butler slipped into the cold Israel/Palestine waters a little bit at a time. Now they’re completely in.  

Notice, too, that the BDS movement, which largely emanated from the Palestinian community and international activists, was the occasion for both Klein and Butler to finally come all-in.  BDS presented a radical credentials challenge that neither could avoid.

Others helped Klein and Butler find their own voice.  Credit to them for speaking.  Credit to those who helped that speech emerge.

In the Diaspora, Jews are a minority – with a stake in a larger non-Jewish society.  Some Jews have a fan-base.  There’s a stake there, too.  Sometimes the prophetic needs a nudge from outside.  Then our internal prophetic kicks in.

The prophetic isn’t automatic.  Even Jews who know that the prophetic is the essence of what it means to be Jewish and are known for their stands on justice issues can’t to be trusted on issues close to home.  There’s too much at stake. 

Jump starting the prophetic is more than important.  It’s necessary.