The message of the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Israel in Washington, DC, Barukh Bina at a J Street conference should be noted. Binah said, “We need you to stand with us. It is as simple as that, and someone ought to say it. Internal activism is a central part of democratic society, but pressures on the elected government of Israel can present us with a problem, when we need you the most. Friends, I urge you to stand by our side as Americans, as members of your community, as Jews. For the sake of our forefathers and our future, we must keep our brotherhood strong.”
Binah further noted, “You may be critical of settlements, but if you choose to show the most extreme, it behooves you to present the greater mass of moderates as well. If you show them [politicians J Street brings to Israel] negative aspects of checkpoints, please show as well the catastrophe and grief of terror victims. If you show them Israel’s failings, show them also our triumphs such as the aliyah of the Jewish community of Ethiopia. I urge you to strive for balance, so that these lawmakers may become friends of Israel who might be critical, and not critics of Israel who are not friends.”
Those who care about Israel must urge Temple Israel of Boston to cancel this event. Jews – on the left and right – must shun extremists who sympathize with Israel’s enemies, as they must be rooted out of the realm of acceptability.
{Contributing to this column were Hank Sheinkopf, CEO of Sheinkopf Communications and a leading Democratic strategist, and George Birnbaum, an international political consultant who formerly served as chief of staff for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu}
