Reflections on the state of Israel

Dr. elsewhere's post below, "The state of Israel," aroused much controversy. She can defend herself admirably; even so, I thought I would add a few words of my own.

First, I am stumped as to why we commonly refer to Israel as a "state" and not as a "nation." This oddity never came to my notice before a commenter pointed it out. On the other hand, I'm not sure why some American states are called "commonwealths." Linguistic convention often conflicts with rationality.

Dr. elsewhere made reference to the fact that she has Jewish relatives by marriage, which led one commenter to infer anti-Semitism on her part. Infuriatingly, said commenter compared her biographical revelation to the once-familiar phrase "some of my best-friends are Negroes," which is now considered condescending.

First, a few words on the latter phrase.

I'm old enough to recall when white people really did say, without any self-consciousness, "some of my best friends are Negroes." As some of you may recall, I grew up in a jazz-loving household -- and back in the mid-1960s, one of the likeliest places for blacks and whites to get to know each other was in the jazz club. In those days, a legacy of intolerance left a massive wound in the body politic. That wound is still there and still poses a threat -- but back then, it was much deeper and much more dangerous. Times were bad.

Yes, I can understand why a dopey, socially clunky white guy of that time might have sounded condescending when he announced that some of his best friends were black, but that pronouncement had a purpose. Back then, the most problematical individuals -- by which I mean, the folks who cheered for Bull Conner as he turned the water hoses on civil rights protestors -- did not have and did not want any black friends. If you regularly broke bread or went out for beers with someone of a different race, you might still have been a dopey, clunky, awkward, self-conscious, even somewhat prejudiced white guy -- but at least you weren't like that.

Friendship, acquaintanceship, family relations -- these things do mean something. Ultimately, they may be the only antidotes for the toxin of intolerance. It's easy to hate gays when the only ones you see are on television; less easy, when a friend "outs" himself or herself.

Similarly, if you've never met any Jews, it's easy to see them as either God's impossibly noble Chosen People or as demonic Schemers Against All That Is Good. Fundamentalist Christians who live in areas of the country where Jews are rare tend to cycle (perhaps understandably) between one stereotype and the other.

That's why I -- without any apology -- will say that I grew up with a Jewish stepfather. He is a somewhat well-known individual in his field, and after his passing I will have much to say about him. He possessed enormous talent and intellect; he was also an addict and a manipulator whose world-view reflected the hoods he used to know. I hated him. (To paraphrase Churchill, history will be unkind to him, for I intend to write it.) On the other hand, his mother and other relatives were the only members of my extended family that I truly liked -- and I'll never forget the day that sweet, grey-haired lady asked my mother point blank: "What on earth do you see in my son?"

In the years since, I've had Jewish friends, Jewish bosses, Jewish roommates, and one Jewish girlfriend. I've been to a number of seders -- and the few Jewish religious services I've attended probably outnumber the Christian services. The historical personage I admire more than any other is Gustav Mahler, one of the music world's more notable victims of racism. Austria never let him forget his Jewish ancestry, despite his conversion and his marriage to an anti-Semitic bitch -- not to mention a diet that, for some years, consisted largely of ham sandwiches.

(Side note: I recently learned that a young Adolf Hitler loved Mahler's conducting. That factoid can fry a few brain cells.)

What have I learned from my interactions with Jewish people?

Jews are people.

I can't see them as either the Chosen or as demons. They are people, just as capable of nobility and of baseness as are any other individuals. Mark Twain once said something along these lines: "Don't talk to me about a man's race; it's enough to know that he is a man. The news can't get worse."

My Mom was a daughter of Sicily, and I learned early on that the Italians gifted the world with Leonardo, Dante and the Renaissance. A little later, I learned about Benito Mussolini and Al Capone. My personal theory is that, over the course of (say) 50,000 years (should civilization last that long), each and every culture will have the opportunity to play the role of the oppressed and the oppressor.

Yes, it is my belief that the Jews, oppressed brutally for centuries, now count among their number quite a few people willing to countenance bullying. The abused child often grows up to become an abuser, and Israel has conducted itself in an unpardonable fashion that can, should and must be compared to Nazi Germany's behavior. Frankly, if any group other than Jews controlled the Israeli government, the rest of the world would have obliterated it years ago.

It is also my belief -- after reading Deuteronomy and Joshua while freed from any childish adherence to tribal mythologies -- that no Jew in history ever had a right to that particular piece of real estate. Not Solomon, not David, not Jesus, not none of 'em. Similarly, I have no right to park my ass on Chumash territory. Nevertheless, I'm not going anywhere, just as most of the Jews now in Israel aren't going anywhere. Some sort of rational accommodation must be found before a squabble over territory leads the world into war.

It is also my belief that anti-Semitism remains a genuine danger -- as was proven not long ago, when a commenter on this very blog left a "naive" recommendation of the Protocols. I have long feared that America's Christian fundies, who now support Israel so fervently, may one day revert back to the mind-set they were in when Leo Frank swung and Gerald L.K. Smith built his statue of Christ. Nevertheless, the myth of an all-pervasive anti-Semitism -- the paranoid belief that every goy on earth is a secret stockpiler of Zyklon-B just waiting for Der Tag -- allows otherwise good-hearted Jews to rationalize support for Israel's atrocities.

No doubt about it. We travel in tricky waters.

Even so, I'm going to continue to criticize Israel, and will continue to scoff at anyone who calls me a Jew-hater. Yep, I'll say it: Some of my best friends are Jews. More than that: Those unafraid to point out Israel's sins will one day be counted as the best friends the Jews ever had.