How did I ever get my little pariah fingers on this thing? A report on "Israel Advocacy," by the "Strategic Planning Subcommittee" of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston says that–are you sitting down?–Israel has a giant image problem in the U.S. Americans feel queasy about the Israel they see in the news. Even Jews are feeling ambivalent, per the focus groups. So what do we do about it? End the occupation? Oppose the settlements now? Come out for minority freedoms in Israel? No: Throw money at Israel public relations: $300,000 for campus work, $300,000 to spend on "influencers," $300,000 on media, and $500,000 for "Israel Advocacy." And that's just per year, in the Boston area. $2.4 million a year. Sorry, I gotta ask: Who has this kind of money? (Admittedly, report was in February '08.)
I'll make about $8 on this blog today. And no I won't keep this up without getting funding, but: Sometimes ideas mean more than money.
Steve Grossman, Hillary's warchest, is on this group, by the way. So is Leonard Fein of the Forward, and Bernie Steinberg of Harvard Hillel, and Jehuda Reinharz of Brandeis. These intellectuals should know better.
