Walter Russel Mead keeps writing interesting things (I've cited him previously here and here). I have the sneaking suspicion he's not a Zionist, but when it comes to America, he seems to be what they used to call a realist. This includes realizing that most Americans support Israel and have done for a long time. In this article he comments that the reasons for this support can't be Jewish influence, manipulation or chicanery: there simply aren't enough Jews around to be having the effect they're having on so many people, and anyway, most of the Americans who so support Israel do so more fervently than many American Jews do. (Phil Wiess comes to mind, and Richard Silverstein, not to mention Norman Finkelstein or Noam Chomsky - but he's actually referring to the J-Street sort of Jews, not the nut-jobs). (h/t Goldblog)
Meanwhile, the Divest This! fellow, who obviously is a business-and-numbers chap, looks at the matter from a different direction. Not political belief or religious persuasion, but what people do to make their buck go furthest: in many cases, it appears, they do business with Israel. Heartwarming.
off topic or maybe not
ReplyDeletehere are almost 2 hours of Andrew Sullivan live - I listened only for about 10 minutes - though I have always sided with homosexuals against the straight guys as lots and lots of us girls did long before they could dare to come out - Sullivan to my ear is a whiner and so got me dis-interested (as I'm such a good whiner myself I don't need any brotherly reinforcement.)
Silke
Andrew Sullivan: The politics of Homosxuality
http://itunes.apple.com/de/podcast/the-politics-homosexuality/id202980639?i=81114068
http://lectures.princeton.edu/?p=616
Yaacov, I've been reading up on the Haskalah, and something struck me. One could draw a parallel between the Jewish response to anti-Semitism in Europe, "if only we try harder they'll know just how civilized, patriotic and assimilated we can be", and the Israeli response to anti-Zionism.
ReplyDeleteIt's just a thought, but I wonder if you know of anyone who has examined the dynamics of anti-semitism, with reference to motivations and host-target relationships. Do you know what I mean? Is that too vague?
Many US states have special departments set up specially for encouraging Israeli companies to set up business in their state - where I live, Virginia and Maryland have organizations like these -
ReplyDeleteVirginia:
http://www.viab.org/
and Maryland
http://www.marylandisrael.org/
It seems to me that not enough Israeli companies are aware of this, and it speaks volumes about the respect business and government people in the US have for Israel's high-tech industries and the admiration for Israel here.
I don't think the people in the state governments waste their time reading Silverstein's outpouring of hate, nor those of the other nut cases and Theobald Jews you mentioned.