Israel Matzav: Talking back to Rabbis for Human Rights

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Talking back to Rabbis for Human Rights

Kesher Talk has an interesting account from four people who are not from the Kumbaya crowd who went to a session with 'Rabbis for Human Rights' last Thursday night.

There were 4 of us: Coretta, David (NYICE), myself and [Mr Anonymous].

So-o-o glad we were there as all the others (maybe only 15 or so) were the touchy-feely-kumbaya crowd. After 45minutes or more of Nava recycling all the same talking-points and buzz-words:

Peace is all she cares about. Teaching the Israelis to love Peace, etc (huh?) And lots of referencing :"The Other" (I never heard this before.) She never used any other word to describe the aggressors against Israel. Just "The Other".

She's religious. She's a Zionist. Her mission is Peace in our time by DIALOGUE. We need to learn to TALK so there will be no war. (Kumbaya my Lord...) So the Israelis can learn to understand the Palestinians.We must educate the youth....(zzzzzzz)

But, "The YOUTH" who need that (re-) education (ie: indoctrination) were always the ISRAELI youth. Teach the youth of Israel that WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER. Then we'll have NO MORE WAR (Why didn't we all think of that?)

All the poor Palestinians want is to live in their homes (peacefully). The homes they have scraped and saved to build for their LARGE familes (20 to a home) ...that somehow translates into 200,000 displaced Palestians. (math is not my strong-suit) And Israel is turning them all into SUICIDE bombers by destroying their homes.

It's ALL politics. The borders are ALL politics. The borders are all arbitrary. Land-grabs.

And the Israelis kept those borders a secret from those poor, trusting Palestinians. Let them build within those borders. Gave them utilities and then told them, "You can't build here". (Those greedy Israelis tricked them.)

NOTHING being done by the Israelis is motivated by anything other than POLITICS.

And of course, Nava was such a NICE person. (They all are) We're the bums.

Floor opened to questions. Of course ALL we had heard was a one-sided presentation so Coretta got up first and nailed her. I don't have those questions but each ended with "What are you going to do about that".

You could hear the room of apologists start russling. You could feel their panic (it was palpable) And Coretta was shut-down. She was excused from the mike in a rush.

Nava answered nothing and we were lectured by a young woman. She said: "Now we want you ALL to leave here happy. happy that you were able to ask your questions. We don't want anyone to go home unhappy. But, please remember to phrase your questions in a manner that embraces your curiosity; not a challenge"

Read the whole thing.

And for those of you who have been living in a cave for the last forty years and have no idea what Kumbaya is, here's the way it's used when I mention it:

Reference is sometimes made to "Kumbaya" in a satirical context, to denote a blandly pious and naively optimistic view of the world and human nature, insufficiently grounded in real experience. In a satirical television spot for the 2006 Congressional elections, made by David Zucker, an actress playing Madeleine Allbright serves cookies and milk to a group of terrorists: when she notices gunmen and suicide bombers emerging from the basement, her guests distract her and allay her suspicions by picking up a guitar and breaking into a chorus of "Kumbaya".

That's a pretty accurate description (although I have not seen the commercial referenced).