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The official anti-Semitic incitement of the PA continues unabated.
As the Israeli mother of a suicide bomber’s victim said
a few years ago: “Until Palestinian mothers love their children
more than they hate us, there can never be peace.”
As an Israeli, I feel the government must allow the military
and security forces to defend the country with every available
resource. The priority placed on the defense of our citizens
is the reason Israel has survived and prospered despite seven
decades of war and terror.
But Israel’s lack of preparation to fight this new war is
incomprehensible. This war poses an existential threat no less
lethal than the Iranian nuclear threat. Israel has no international
platform to combat this threat. Israel is portrayed as a relic of
the colonial past. Supposedly objective news sources such as
CNN, BBC and Reuters have joined Arab-owned outlets such
as Al-Jazeera in using monikers like “war-mongering,” “triggerhappy”
and “racist.” Lost in this landslide of Israel bashing is
the fact that Israel is based on the rule of law, democracy and
freedom and serves all of its citizens. Yes, more could be done
for certain groups, but Israel is fundamentally a state of equality,
which is perhaps what makes us so unwelcome in this region.
Rockets fired on Israeli civilians from Gaza to provoke
Israeli retaliation, the organization of flotillas to Gaza or
incidents like the one in the Jordan Valley are all part of this
new effort to damage Israel’s image. Unfettered access to global
media is eroding the crucial pillars of support on which Israel
depends.
Last year, British Prime Minister David Cameron’s comparison
of Gaza to a prison camp prompted Jerusalem Post columnist
Jeff Barak to write: “The greatest threat to Israel right now
comes not on the battlefield, but from the diplomatic assault
on Israel’s legitimacy and the country’s sovereign right to act in
self-defense. The understanding for Israel’s position that world
leaders displayed immediately after the end of the Gaza operation
has evaporated over time … but even so, the description of
Gaza as a ‘prison camp’ is not the rhetoric Israel is accustomed to
hearing from the leader of one of the European countries more
friendly to Israel.”
Like most Israelis, I certainly know how to complain about
a problem. The key is to propose a solution. In my next column,
I will outline what I believe needs to be done by Israel to meet
this challenge to our survival.
Mylan Tanzer is a Portland native who moved
to Israel in 1981. He was the founding CEO of
the first Israeli cable and satellite sports channel.
Since 2005, he has launched, managed
and consulted for channels and companies in
Israel and Europe. Tanzer lives in Tel Aviv with
his wife and five children. He can be reached
at mylantanz@gmail.com.
Oregon’s Original Sephardic Synagogue
• Services conducted
in the Sephardic and
Israeli Custom
• Welcoming Jews of
all background
• Friday evening services
every week at sunset
• Shabbat morning
services at 9 am,
followed by Kiddush
and a festive lunch
Join us for the following
Shabbat discussions:
June 30 - Independence Shabbat: Just how
influential was Judaism in our nation’s
founding
July 7 - Mourning for Jerusalem: Is this still
relevant 2,000 years later
July 14 - Rabbinic Judaism: How the aftermath
of the Temple’s destruction forever
changed how Judaism is practiced.
July 21 - Remember thee Zion: Who was
responsible for the Temple’s destruction
(Hint: He’s a rabbi of the Talmud)
July 28 - Rebuilding from the Ashes: Can we
still reach God without a Temple
Tuesday Classes
Join us for these classes:
6:00pm— Hebrew Reading Crash Course
7:00pm— Sephardic Traditions and
Customs
Congregation Ahavath Achim
3225 SW Barbur Blvd
Portland, OR 97239
www.AhavathAchim.com
Rabbi Michael Kaplan
Office: (503) 227-0010
Cell: (503) 610-3850
rabbi@ahavathachim.com
OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JULY 2012 59