Mondowiess is furious that J Street is against the anit-Israel boycott movement. Is this a tempest in the far-left American Jewish teacup, or is it a rant by the pedigreed loonies against a group that's disappointing them by staying within the general consensus? We need to know more about J Street than we presently do to be able to answer that.
Meanwhile, back in the mainstream, The Forward has published its annual "50 Top American Jews" list. It may take you half an hour to read, but I recommend. It's fascinating. It also shows a vibrant, diverse and creative American Jewry.
Ah, and there's Michael Oren, of course.
One simple guideline when deciding on a position in politics is that if a position pisses off the far left and the far right, it is a good position. Mondoweiss is definitely on the far left hence anything they are mad at is good.
ReplyDeleteNot all positions are equally "good," even though they may equally upset extremists on left and right. For example, adopting Sharia law as the national law of the US would upset the communists and the right-wingers equally, and only fundamentalist Muslims would be happy (I suppose we can consider them to be "right wingers," but non-Muslims on the far right would be furious.
ReplyDeletePositions are good or bad on their own merits, not on the basis of who opposes them.
But it is sensible to oppose boycotts against Israel. The boycotts unjustly single out for punishment the only truly democratic state in the region and the only Jewish state in the world. The boycotters make it clear that they do so not in order to force a change of policy, but rather in an attempt to destroy that state economically.
-Zvi
I think pro Sharia law Muslims are on the far right. And people on the left who appease to that are on the far left. Of course my guideline is too simplistic, but most of the time, if you are pissing off the far left and the far right, you've got to have been doing something right.
ReplyDeleteLet's see who boycotts Israel, far right totalitarian Arab regimes, and far lefties in the West.