I get taken to task
I got an email from Michael Fenenbock (which I have permission to share with you) in which he took me to task for drawing substantive conclusions about American support for Israel, particularly by Evangelical Christian, from poll numbers. Carl,Call me whatever you want. But I probably should get a little more experience at it first. No one has compared me to Rush Limbaugh or Howie Carr yet.
You’re reading this as “support for Israel” and that’s backwards. You’re interpreting impersonal poll numbers through your personal prism. My friend Carl’s viewpoint is naturally Jewish centered. An Israeli centric point of view.
Drawing substantive conclusions from poll numbers can be inadvertently deceptive.
Based on a misreading of poll numbers, a Boston Globe columnist recently wrote ecstatically “Americans love Jews.” Silliness.
A Jewish academic with a commentator’s megaphone joined the chorus and trumpeted the same theme, “Americans love Jews.” Absurd.
“We love the Jews” is not what the poll respondent is saying. The poll numbers don’t reflect some heart warming fuzzy feeling for Jews. On this topic polls in America reflect the other side of the equation.
Americans dislike what they see and hear from the Muslim world and this barrage of negative images of Islam reflects in polls. An honor killing here, a plot to blow up subways there, Afghanistan, Ft. Hood, the Christmas Day bomber, a noisy and possibly nuclear Iran . . . America is assaulted hourly by charged images from the Arab and Islamic world.
The pollster forces a “this side or that side” choice. Jews or Arabs. When they choose Jews they’re saying no to the bad guys. To conclude from a “no to the bad guys” response that Americans love Jews is way off base. And, I argue, illusory and dangerous.
For Jews it’s always dangerous when we think we are not on our own. We are on our own. Our fate is in our hands. That proposition hasn’t changed in thousands of years.
We can depend only on ourselves. That is our burden and our responsibility.
Wanna take a guess at how Americans respond to more pointed questions. Strong support for a two-state solution? Jerusalem has equal significance for Jews and Islam? The State of Israel was created to deal with Jewish question after World War II? Should America be even handed? Is Iran an Arab country?
From the current political perspective, support for Israel from Christians is welcome but it’s ephemeral. I know the history of my people. I know in the end we can rely only on ourselves.
At the moment the American political divide has Republicans and conservatives supporting Israel. Not out of love for Jews, but because they view terrorism and the threat of radical Islam as a political priority. Democrats and lefties are vulnerable to charges of soft on terror and apologetic to Islam.
For the “right” in America, it’s a political position. It’s not love.
There is a story about the guy planning his escape from the Warsaw ghetto. Ghetto leaders and friends gathered as he prepared to go over the wall. “Tell the Americans,” they instructed. “Tell the Americans what’s happening here.” How’d that work out?
We can depend only on ourselves.
MF
PS - Lastly, I wonder. . . did the pollster talk to Presbyterians?
FYI. The columnist is Jacoby. A good guy but mistaken on this. The academic is Barry Rubin. Please save me from academics who think they know something about politics. The “pointy headed professor” was invented for these guys.
Do we now refer to you as “Mr. Radio Personality?”
Hmmm.
I still think it ironic that God (who controls the world - think about the Purim story) is using the Evangelical Christians to press for American support for Israel at this time.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:48 PM
5 Comments:
The poll tells us nothing more than we choose to see because what we have seen in the past is so horrifying.
Any time we take the mere words "I support Israel" as a barometer of real support, we become more gullible.
There are plenty of people both liberal and conservative who have inherent antisemitism or at the very least, feel nothing nor possess any responsibility to "never again."
Everyone has their agendas. We as Jews have been unwilling beneficiaries of them (Period)
Again, for all those who wore the double lapel pin, few took Bush to task concerning his broken promises and caving to those forces who seek our destruction.
We must be stronger. It is easy to see what is going on in the hard left camp but we are stupid if we fail to see the wolves in sheep's clothing among us.
To this moment there are only a handful of blogs who claim to be friends of Israel who express dismay at the straw poll taken at CPAC. There are few blogs who are willing to remind us what the John Birch society meant for American Jews back in their hay day. And worse, the fact CPAC and John Birchers are close cousins, go unspoken.
As a Jew do you want Ron Paul president of the United States? Do you trust the John Birch society? Do you believe any republican is better then any democrat?
We have more power and strength sitting outside 'politics as usual' then merely going along with it just because.
Beware: Partisanship causes grave blindness.
While there is truth to what he says, it is not the whole truth.
American and Christian support for Jews and Israel is not solely based upon a beuty contest against the Islamic world.
Tens of millions of Evangelical Christians believe that it is their commandment (curse them and I curse thee, bless them and I will bless thee) to support Israel and the Jews.
There are a subset of that group that does want to convert us in the here and now and just just at the end of days in their theology. To distinguish, you need to ask whether the Christian at issue supports the dual covenant theology or replacement theology.
Pat Robertson, John Hagee and their followers subscribe to the dual covenant theology, whereas Jerry Falwell (at least he used to) was a replacement theologist.
At the end of the day, yes we should look out for ourselves, but we should not shun or fail to use allies.
*Evangelical* Christian support is *not* "ephemeral" but unwavering, which is why I do not think the poll reflects much increase in support from evangelicals...from professing Christians, yeah, o.k., but from evangelicals, no...we always support Israel....nor is our support surprising, since evangelicals, unlike tradition-based "Christians", take the Bible literally, & your own scriptures clearly promise the land for the Jews & curse those who try to usurp that promise.
Orde said...
but from evangelicals, no...we always support Israel....
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CUFI’s Robert Stearns warns of Evangelical shift to the Left
My two cents. I am a Christian and feel it both a moral obligation for Christians to support the Jewish people from their own respective countries and have their democratic governments, most especially the United States, work with Israel in our strategic alliance. Among other things, we of the West share the same enemies.
As for Biblical instruction, I also believe that G-d's Word, from Genesis to the end of the New Testament,is eternal Truth, He transcends time. The Jewish People are G-d's Chosen People. You still are in His heart and unfolding plan for His creation.
I'm mindful also of "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you." In that context, I also see Judaism and Christianity as Mother and Daughter. We have a family responsibility towards one another.
Nor do I personally feel the need to proselytize to my Jewish brothers and sisters. I can't speak for others but it's all I can do to try to live my life as a decent Christian. I fail at that so often that I'm aware of my own frailties. I see every Jew and every Christian's faith as between that soul and our Creator.
Nobody can or should deny the lessons of history, that Christians have much to feel shame and horror over past treatment of Jews. All we can do now is acknowledge that and learn the lessons of history from it. We can't change the past, only resolve to do better in the present and future.
Today, in the here and now in which we live and act,we Christians and Jews should consider and act towards each other as brothers and sisters. What we share in common infinitely dwarfs our differences.
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