Time to Double Down, Not Stand Down

As a liberal Zionist, I have found myself of late returning to the so-called Chinese curse: “May you live in interesting times.” To be an ardent Zionist, to be attentive to the condition of the stranger in our midst, to believe in the two-state solution – these values are givens in my self-definition as an American Jew. Indeed, the most interesting thing about publicly affirming these values individually and collectively is the painful realization that such a patently obvious set of values is in need of affirmation. Yet here we are living in interesting times: American Jews living in the narrow straits between two administrations, witness to dramatic events impacting Israel, engaging in what I believe to be a massive values clarification exercise regarding our commitments as Americans, as Zionists, and as historic champions of prophetic causes. The liberal Zionist community, of which I consider myself a proud card-carrying member, is being forced to ask whether it can keep its value system intact, or whether it is time, as some would counsel, to discard our liberalism or our Zionism for fear that the holding loyal to one value precludes the possibility of holding fast to the other.

Let me break it down. As any recent study of American Jewry will attest, the majority of American Jews a) are committed to working towards justice and equality, b) believe in a two-state solution, and c) voted for Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump’s election has prompted a soul-searching journey for this majority of American Jews. Under normal circumstances, farbrente support for Israel by an incoming administration would be cause for celebration. And yet, any such jubilation has been altogether muted, for one of at least two reasons. First, the incoming administration has thus far indicated that it will stand in opposition to a series of progressive values, including, but not limited to, immigration, health care reform and gun control, not to mention ongoing concerns regarding its inability to disassociate itself from the alt-right, anti-Semitic and otherwise unseemly elements of our nation. The same administration that views Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel, the same administration suspect of the Iran deal, is the same administration whose public tweets stand in opposition to the progressive civic religion of American Jews. How can I, asks the liberal Zionist, support this agenda? How can I not? It is a disorienting state of affairs for American Jewry, to say the least. 

Second is the fact that for progressively minded Zionists, our love for Israel is not the same as blanket support for every policy of Israel’s government. There are times – be it on matters of religious pluralism (a subject to which I will turn to next week) or in the case of the last few weeks, the settlements – when American Jews believe that the present policies of the Israeli government run counter to the long-term interests of Israel. I personally found the one-two combination of America’s abstention at the UN and Secretary Kerry’s speech to be deeply problematic. A public breach between allies in a hostile UN context. An alarming, untrue, and hypocritical condemnation of Israel as the primary obstacle to peace while Aleppo burns, Libya unravels, Iran and Russia destabilize their regions, and most importantly, a Palestinian leadership has yet to perform the basic act of recognizing Israel’s right to exist. A last-minute and reckless gambit that will result in a hardening, not softening, of positions. And yet, there remains the simple reality that the settlements are an obstacle to a two-state solution. So for those who believe that a two-state solution is in Israel’s, the Palestinians’ and the world’s best interests, how exactly does one oppose settlement expansion without being labeled anti-Israel? In the mind of the liberal Zionist, criticism of Israeli policy in the territories – by American Jewry or even the American administration – is an expression of love for Israel and not, as some would argue, a betrayal of the Jewish people. As the Lubavitcher Rebbe once said, “A blessing with advice is always better than one without advice.” Liberal Zionists are caught between a rock and a hard place, forced to choose between writing Israel a blank moral check or being labeled anti-Israel or even worse – a self-hating Jew. It is a terrible choice that has left a large segment of American Jewry reeling.

The other end of the political spectrum is just as prickly. As the liberal left has coopted the cause of the Palestinians, American Jews have found themselves unwilling or unable to find common cause with the historic allies of their progressive sensibilities. The decision of the Black Lives Movement to use language of apartheid and genocide in reference to the Israel-Palestinian conflict prompted appropriate outrage by the liberal branches of American Jewry. With banners proclaiming “From Ferguson to Palestine, Occupation is a Crime,” is it any wonder that of late Jews have been keeping an arm’s length from progressive causes. In speaking to the leadership of one of the Jewish community’s most progressive organizations, I asked why they were not listed as a cosponsor of the upcoming Women’s March in DC. My colleague explained that they cannot predict what will be said or done that day, and they simply could not risk being a cosponsor of an event where an Israeli flag might be burned, or worse. From the left, from the right, it is an awkward time to be a liberal Zionist. In the waning days of one administration, in the run-up to another, a significant percentage of American Jewry is anxiously seeking to get its foothold in an uncertain and shifting terrain.

This is the hand we have been dealt, these are the times in which we live. In the face of such developments, it would be altogether understandable for the liberal Zionist community to grant itself a time out, tread lightly, and proceed with caution. There is too much uncertainty, the landscape and leadership is in flux, now is the time to lay low on the battlefield; discretion, we may tell ourselves, is the better part of valor. And because such a response is so understandable – perhaps even to be expected – today I want to share with you my belief that keeping quiet is exactly what we should not do. Here and now, as positions are being staked out on the left and on the right, as Jews, as Americans, and as Zionists, now is precisely the time to mark out the territory of the sane center and have our voices heard. Now is the time to double down on our principles, not stand down. As the discourse is being set, as decisions are being made, now is the time to make our case known.

In word and in deed, liberal Zionists must flatly reject the contention that it is somehow a contradiction to be both liberal and a Zionist. Likeminded communities, ours included, must disabuse the world of its mistaken belief that to be for a two-state solution is to be anti-Israel. Fifty years after ’67, as annexation legislation is being forwarded in the Knesset, as shifts in American politics serve to embolden the Israeli right, now is the time for our voices to be heard. Likewise, at the very moment that Israel sits unfairly in the dock of world opinion, now is the time for the liberal Zionist community to be most vocal in its support for Israel. I want every justice-loving, left-leaning, rights-giving, BDS-thinking progressive organization to know that Israel is the first, last, and best hope for liberal democracy in the Middle East. Its imperfections, whatever they may be, are both on an absolute and a relative basis the finest expression of, not antithetical to progressive values. Liberal Zionists must reaffirm our commitment to the prophetic and progressive causes that have been our historic patrimony. We must do so because the measure of our principles is to be found not in their convenience, but rather in the moments in which they are tested. We must do so, because we dare not allow it to happen on our watch that Israel ceases being a state that is both Jewish and democratic. Most of all, the liberal Zionist community must quickly and confidently find its stride because the values for which we stand are just, are worth defending, and will prove to be the glue that keeps American Jewry together, Israel together, and yes, maintains the all important bridge between the two. To repackage Ben Gurion “We must defend Israel as if there were no settlements, and we must advocate for a two-state solution as if there was no UN.” Will there be people who label liberal Zionists as misguided? Of course. Liberal Zionism isn’t easy. Liberal Zionism is advanced citizenship. You’ve gotta want it bad. But given the choice between my liberalism and my Zionism, I choose to reject the choice as a false one, fight for what I believe in, and let the chips fall where they may.

The enduring image from this week’s haftarah is that of the prophet picking up two sticks up from the ground, bringing them close to each other and joining them together in a one hand – an act meant to symbolize the unification of that which would otherwise stand apart. Ours is a time when we, too, must grasp onto that which others believe to be incompatible, declare it be otherwise, and then live our lives proving the naysayers wrong. My love for Israel, for the Jewish people, my love for humanity is simply too strong to sit out this round, or any round. The heroic calling of the hour implores us to draw near, not walk away from the principles we hold dear. May we rise to this calling, support and defend those who would do the same, and together, labor towards building a future befitting our highest hopes for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren.