Israel 'must be ready to accept fleeing US Jews'
Source: Newsweek
28 FEB 2017 AT 07:16 ET
Israel's opposition leader Isaac Herzog delivered a startling message to the Trump administration on Monday: Israel must prepare to accept American Jews fleeing the country amid a new wave of anti-Semitism.
The leader of the Zionist Union Partythe main challenger to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus right-wing Likud faction and far-right coalitionwas reacting to a rise of anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S., including the desecration of tombstones at a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia and multiple bomb threats at Jewish centers and schools across the country.
"I call on the government to urgently prepare and draw up a national emergency plan for the possibility of waves of immigration of our Jewish brothers to Israel, Herzog said at a meeting of his party on Monday, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
He stopped short of censuring the Trump administration, which Jewish groups have criticized for its slow reaction to condemn the rising threat. Herzog instead said he was convinced that the American government would do everything it can to harshly and aggressively eradicate this phenomenon.
Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/israel-must-be-ready-to-accept-fleeing-us-jews/
yallerdawg
(16,104 posts)is straight out of biblical prophecy forecasting the end times.
As long as we stay away from 'nuclear armageddon' we'll be alright!
Girard442
(6,083 posts)I was married to my Jewish wife for nearly thirty years and it makes me sad that all those many years, I never really understood the fear of all Jews that your country, no how much you loved it, could turn on you in a second.
Now, I do. I'm glad she didn't live to see this.
karynnj
(59,504 posts)population that has long been an ugly underbelly. Trump actively encouraged these people - who are rw terrorsits in some cases because they were a part of the energy of his campaign. They likely hate everyone who they see as not "them". Liberals, proffessors, intellectuals, journalists, scientists etc Not to mention, Mexicans, blacks, Asians, Moslems, and even Catholics and most mainstream Protestant denominations.
We have seen them before - in the KKK, the Know Nothing party or the John Birch Society, but like many, I thought they were a thoroughly disgraced part of the past.
COLGATE4
(14,732 posts)Whole lot of truth in that.
Behind the Aegis
(53,975 posts)So many like to take the opportunity to change the subject and talk about everyone else. Anti-Semitism is a real problem and has been since the birth of this country. But, for the most part, it is nothing more than a footnote in the history books and in the minds of many. It isn't always "in your face" as the past year, but it is always there, bubbling under the surface. This election simply allowed it to vent.
n2doc
(47,953 posts)who voted for him because he was 'such a friend of Israel'. Well, as the saying goes, you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas. Nazi fleas.
DavidDvorkin
(19,483 posts)n2doc
(47,953 posts)29% voted for somebody other than Hillary. 24% for Trump.
titaniumsalute
(4,742 posts)Sad.
DavidDvorkin
(19,483 posts)The underlying problem is the growth in the Haredi population, which is politically very similar to Christian fundamentalists.
Behind the Aegis
(53,975 posts)Jews are about 2.2% of the US population...all Jews. And 23% of let's say 7 million (again, that's all Jews) is about 1.6 million Jews. Now, how many votes did the current disaster get? Oh yeah...65 million! Yet. somehow, people are convinced Jews who voted for the "president" are to blame for the current spate of anti-Semitism. It never fails when stories like this crop up, there are those drooling at the chance to take their own passive-aggressive swipe at Jews.
MosheFeingold
(3,051 posts)Come on, you're old enough to know that.
DavidDvorkin
(19,483 posts)DetlefK
(16,423 posts)What more could Trump possibly do for the Jews in the US than supporting the state of Israel thousands of miles away?
karynnj
(59,504 posts)These acts of anti-semitism are terrifying and has led at least some communities to rethink their own security systems. However, I seriously doubt that many see the answer for security as fleeing to Israel.
Many also blame the white nationalism/Breitbart/Bannon input in the election and to the administration. Never before has an administration been slower to condemn overt violent antisemetism -- and, as a Jew, I do not agree that "Ivanka and Jared" means they never have to speak out. Because those statements were routine in previous administrations in both parties, my horrifying conclusion is that they fear losing this pathetic - but loud - segment oftheir base. It doesn't help that Netanyahu STOOD silently and without any negative emotion when Trump blew off a question on it.
Contrast this with various RW Jewish leaders in Israel and here routinely calling Obama antisemetic and often pro-Moslem (which I often thought in some cases was a dog whistle to say he was Moslem). Secretary Kerry was attacked the same way. In reality, the US is the ONLY major country that nearly always stands alone with Israel - meaning that there is no way we tilt towards the Palestinians. At most it means that we worked to be closer to an honest broker.
Tom Friedman of the NYT has written of Israel since the 1980s - when he was bureau chief in first Beruit and then Jerusalem. At Davos, he did a far ranging interview (that in some ways was more like a chat) with Secretary Kerry. The most compeeling comment in that discussion was Freidman saying:
QUESTION: Just quickly on this, that if Trump actually appoints his bankruptcy lawyer as ambassador, for the first time Bibi will have an ambassador from America thats to his political right. I mean, weve never had an American ambassador anywhere near there. And I dare say he will miss you a lot, because I suspect (laughter) he goes into many cabinet meetings saying to the far right there, Look, Id do this, but John Kerry, that he and Obama I mean, I would do this, of course. But theyre not going to have you as an excuse anymore. And when the debate was around two states, the debate within the American Jewish community was right/left you think the line should be here; I think it should be there. But when it moves to one state, the debate will be right/wrong. And when that happens, you will fracture every synagogue and every Jewish institution in America, and, I would suggest, all over the world. And I think were close to that. So thank you on behalf of this one person for drawing that redline.
I have been active in synagogues in both NJ and now VT -- and this is rings very true to me. In VT, it is also the elephant in the room as our synagogue and many churches and a local mosque greatly increase interfaith activities and political actions. It could be that, as some to the left of me have said, that the "two state solution" was always more a veil designed to hide the facts of a now 50 year occupation.
All I can say is that an Israel, moving to be overtly an appartheid state, is unlikely to be a place where Jews would consider fleeing to. I would prefer Canada - if it would take me. Less than two hours away, where the culture and language is closer and Montreal is beautiful. Even with waves of anti-semitism, the risk of being harmed is FAR higher in Israel than in the US. Not to mention, I disagree with almost everything Netanyahu's coalition is for. At this point, Israel is not even on the list of countries I will vacation in.
https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2017/01/267073.htm
Response to karynnj (Reply #5)
longship This message was self-deleted by its author.
karynnj
(59,504 posts)longship
(40,416 posts)I am also shocked by many of my typos and misspellings.
Editing is your friend. As am I.
Response to longship (Reply #9)
karynnj This message was self-deleted by its author.
cstanleytech
(26,317 posts)what word I wanted *sigh*
lark
(23,147 posts)As long as his murdering and law breaking is tolerated, he doesn't care about anything else that Drumpf might do, even if it hurts Jews. As long as the billions of $$ continue to flow his way, he's totally OK with Drumpf.
Behind the Aegis
(53,975 posts)He basically implied the new administration and acting "president" are impotent when it comes to anti-Semitism. This was also a shot across the bow of the right-wing parties in Israel for not saying much and twiddling their thumbs in regards to recent attacks in the US.
The recent uptick and highly publicized (which is new) acts of anti-Semitism are shining a harsh light on anti-Semites and their apologists and enablers. The "president" is both an apologist and enabler, but he is only part of the problem. It is the enablers and apologists who distract with rants about Israel, screeching about right-wing Jews and the 24% of Jewish dogs with fleas who are enablers (they are, but often so are their accusers), and the "good" Jews who never miss an opportunity to tout their Jewishness, all the while ignoring the anti-Semitism and kvetching about the issues already mentioned.
Anti-Semitism should be rooted out wherever it sprouts its hatefulness.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Bloom off the rose already?
Behind the Aegis
(53,975 posts)That is to say, there does exist a variety of opinions and do not make the mistake of thinking all Israel is one way or the other, any more than America is all in for the "president"!
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Which Herzog was speaking on behalf of...
Behind the Aegis
(53,975 posts)...the Israeli government is also not monolith.
bora13
(860 posts)to Israel. They will continue to put the fear into the hearts of good people until
they get a close match to the revelations production.
Some friends of mine who were Jewish were prepared to move to Canada during the bush regime.
I can't imagine how bad they must feel now.