I had intended to stay in hiding until I could behave like a rational and intelligent human being again, but realized over the weekend that if I were to wait for that I might as well take the whole thing down now and call it a day. No, instead I am going to continue with my uninformed and overly emotional ranting.
Recently, the Presbyterian Church issued an overture encouraging the peaceful resolution of the problems in the Middle East. We were informed of this overture on Yom Kippur, and after 20+ hours of fasting, it’s easy to misinterpret this document, and if one is already prone to over-reacting (me, reactionary?), it’s even easier to jump into the fray with both guns blazing. But I did something unprecedented today. I actually went looking for more information before forming an opinion. Read the Overture here, and the addendum here. Upon second reading, it doesn’t state Israel is solely to blame, although it’s not kind to Israel, either.
Part of the reason Jews, at least Jews in academia who pay attention to these things, are concerned about this is because of the rising tide of anti-Semitism in western Europe and the fear it will find a home here in the states. So, I went to the religion instructor and asked if he felt there was a legitimate threat. Having studied in Germany for his degree in theology, he has some foundation upon which to speak. He said it is hard to put into words that amount of anti-Semitism that still exists in Germany and France, but I have no problem believing it. Anti-Semitism is a part of the cultural make-up in Western Europe and even the atrocities of WWII cannot change a worldview that is so pervasive and ingrained as anti-Semitism in Europe. That’s like saying the Civil Rights movement in the 60’s eliminated racism. But, what about here? He believes it could be a step towards a display of anti-Semitism in the states, but not necessarily the cause. I then went to my Presbyterian friend, who tried to defend her church by saying that they do a lot of mission work in Palestine and feel that something needs to be done, especially for Palestinian Christians who see the hate from both sides. Okay, I get this.
I get impatient with Jews who believe I have to whole-heartedly support Israel, just because it is Israel. It’s a democratic state, and her citizens have the right to agree or disagree with their government just as we do. I don’t agree with Sharon’s policies. I don’t agree with building a security fence or military attacks in response to a single suicide bomber. And I most certainly don’t agree with the terrorist activities of the Palestinians. But it’s easy for me to say in my relative safety that I disagree with their tactics. How would I feel if I woke up everyday wondering if the suicide bomber will visit me today, or if they will blow up my child’s school bus, or if the tanks are going to roll into the settlement because my idiot neighbor decided to kill himself while trying to annihilate a couple Israelis? I appreciate the fact that the Presbyterian Church has some knowledge base for this overture, but is it really their place to enter into this political struggle? Is it even fair to call it political? It’s surpassed politics and even religion.
I think I’m going to spend some time over the next few months educating myself more on this subject, and I would really appreciate some feedback from those of you more knowledgeable than I.