The NEW Four Questions

With the last name AuH2O, or Goldwater, I’m obviously a little bit Jewish. I don’t go to synagogue much or believe in God or anything, but I identify with Judaism because I like the social justice aspect- as a people, we care about people. We’re required to! We’re also required to do good deeds and take care of the world. So not to generalize, but I’m going to generalize: most Jews care about the environment, education, health care (Fuck you, Lieberman), and support a woman’s right to choose. I’m proud of my religion and community for preaching these values.

But then there’s Israel. I’ve lived there, I love it there, and I think it should exist. But I’m not happy with the way it’s existing now. Not when it doesn’t value peace; not when it isn’t working towards a two-state solution. The new plan to build settlements in East Jerusalem, what would be the capital of the Palestinians’ country, is disgusting. Israel already agreed to work towards peace and STOP building settlements in the West Bank, and yet now they’re doing just that. It’s been understood for some time now that WHEN Palestinians have their own country, their capital will be exactly where Israel’s building Jewish settlements, so they’re basically saying the Palestinians will no longer have a capital- if they ever even get their own country. Read more about it anywhere on the internet, or more specifically here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/world/middleeast/25jerusalem.html

I’ve been really, really torn up about this, and as Jewish person, I want to walk away from the religion. I know Israel’s policy is separate from Jewish tradition, but nonetheless I don’t want to identify with a religion that this country is home to. I’ve tweeted and facebooked that I don’t want to celebrate Passover this year and have been told repeatedly that’s stupid, and maybe it is, but I can’t seem to separate the two. Especially when the central theme of Passover is “Jerusalemjerusalemjerusalem! Next year in Jerusalem!”

This article sums up my position well, and if I WERE to celebrate Passover, I’d want to ask my own four questions taken from this:

“‘We can’t be a critic of Israel, we can’t use our strength as a huge economic actor to pressure the Jewish state. Why? Because of Auschwitz.’ I understand this argument very well. Many of my family were killed in Auschwitz. However, this is ridiculous. Europe can’t live indefinitely on the credit of someone else’s crimes to justify a state that creates and commits its own crimes. If Zionism is to succeed as a representation of the original ideas of the Zionist founders, Israel has to become a normal state. That was the idea. Israel should not be special because it is Jewish. Jews are to have a state just like everyone else has a state. It should have no more rights than Slovenia and no fewer. Therefore, it also has to behave like a state. It has to declare its frontiers, recognise international law, sign international treaties and agreements. Furthermore, other countries have to behave towards it the way they would towards any other state that broke those laws. Otherwise it is treated as special and Zionism as a project has failed. People will say: ‘Why are we picking on Israel? What about Libya? Yemen? Burma? China? All of which are much worse.’ Fine. But we are missing two things: first, Israel describes itself as a democracy and so it should be compared with democracies not with dictatorships; second, if Burma came to the EU and said, ‘It would be a huge advantage for us if we could have privileged trading rights with you,’ Europe would say: ‘First you have to release political prisoners, hold elections, open up your borders.’ We have to say the same things to Israel.”

Luckily, I wrote to a few Jewish feminists about my inner struggle, and they lead me to J Street, a “pro-Israel, pro-peace” organization that listed a NEW Four Questions on “Israel and Our Jewish Values.” These make me feel like celebrating Passover again! But not enough that I’m actually celebrating. Anyway, enjoy:

Q: Israel has held a special place for Jews for millennia, both as a
dream and a reality.  What is Israel?s significance to you?  What do
you love and what would you change?

Q: At the core of the Exodus story is the value of “do not oppress the
stranger.”  In what ways is the State of Israel living out Jewish social
justice values, and how could it carry out these values more fully?  In
your opinion, should these values apply to Israeli policies toward
Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza?  If so, how?

Q: Even today, when Jews are as well established as we have ever
been during the last two millennia, real threats exist and many Jews
still fear being hurt or (heaven forbid) destroyed.  To what extent does
the urge for self-protection, or even pre-emptive action, resonate with
you?  When is this a helpful urge, and when does it backfire?  How
does this relate to the challenges of maintaining Israel?s security?

Q:  Which values do you believe should define world Jewry in the coming years?  How
can we safeguard Israel as a Jewish, democratic homeland—in keeping with
our Jewish and American values—for decades to come?

Happy Passover for everyone celebrating!