When Israel Bashing Needs to be Confronted with Facts....

We are used to talking about skin diseases.  They come up in conversation frequently.  From basal cell carcinomas to eczema, impetigo to psoriasis…acne to ringworm…we have learned that such conditions can be dealt with medically.  The Torah, however, introduces us to a skin condition with which we are not familiar….tzaraat.  Often translated as leprosy, which it is not, it is treated by kohanim, priests, not physicians.

When the Temple was destroyed and the laws of Tzaraat became obsolete, the Rabbis viewed Tzaraat as a physical manifestation of an inner condition.  In fact, in the Talmud, the precipitating cause of the skin rashes, scales, and discoloration displayed on an individual’s body was believed to be the spreading of slanderous or libelous words about another individual.   Their proof stemmed from noting the skin affliction that Miriam suffered as a result of slandering Moses because of his choice of a wife and his position in the community. 

One of the forms of lashon harah with which we are unfortunately aware is the current Israel bashing which takes place in the media and by many countries in the world.  The bashing goes beyond criticizing aspects of Israeli society which might be worthy of criticism.  It is a pervasive hatred for Israel as the Jewish state. Perhaps you are aware of the existence of a page on Facebook dedicated to expressing hatred for Israel.   The slanderous, hateful language on that site would qualify any of the writers for a major case of Tzaraat.  These days, we don’t depend on our religious leaders to cure outbreaks of lashon ha’rah.  We do however, depend on organizations like the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, and the Simon Wiesenthal Center to monitor hateful speech and hateful actions. 

Although many might disagree with me, I think the isolation of Israel by those who claim to be anti-Zionists, is really a guise for anti-Semitism.  Advocating the destruction of the Jewish state, does not make one a friend of the Jewish people.  It is important to look at the language used by groups that use hateful rhetoric in their attempt to sway public opinion about Israel.

Listen to a statement posted on May 28, 2011 on the Muslim Brotherhood’s primary Arabic-language site, IkhwanOnline: 

"The Jews are in the habit of taking over the media and inflating all the terrible incidents that have happened to them, but they have also fabricated incidents, which they have sealed by giving rise to the story of the 'Holocaust,' which the Nazis perpetrated against them … the main chord played by Jews to gain popular support for their State, and even convince the Jews themselves need to establish their own State."

We have all heard the explanation that Zionism is a racist ideology.  In 1975, the Soviet Union and Arab nations sponsored a resolution in the United Nations equating Zionism with racism. It passed.  It was aimed at denying Israel its political legitimacy by attacking its moral basis for existence.  Although it was repealed in December 1991, there have been numerous efforts to reinstitute this equation within the Arab world.

It is important for us to understand the true meaning of Zionism.  Let me share an explanation provided by the Anti-Defamation League.  One which all Jews should internalize in order to be able to speak out when mistruths are propagated:

Zionism is the Jewish national movement of rebirth and renewal in the land

of Israel, the historical birthplace of the Jewish people. Rooted in the liberal principles

of freedom, democracy, equality, and social justice, Zionism is fundamentally

incompatible with racism.

The yearning to return to Zion, the biblical term for both the Land of Israel and

Jerusalem, has been the cornerstone of Jewish religious life since the Jewish exile from

the land two thousand years ago, and is embedded in Jewish prayer, ritual, literature

and culture. Zionism is an ideology that celebrates the Jewish connection to Israel. It

does not discriminate against or judge other religions or nationalities.

Israel’s Law of Return, which some critics of Israel accuse of being

“racist,” is for Jews a potent testimonial to the safe and free haven they will always have in the State of Israel

after centuries of persecution and isolation. Israel’s uniqueness as a country which

grants automatic citizenship to Jews (as well as their non-Jewish immediate family

members) who seek to settle there is not racist. Individuals ineligible for automatic

citizenship under the Law of Return are eligible for Israeli citizenship under regular

procedures equivalent to such requirements in other countries. Indeed, the State of

Israel is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society, comprised of Jews and non-Jews

from at least 100 different countries from diverse ethnic, religious and cultural

backgrounds.

(ADL GUIDE FOR ACTIVISTS)

It would be so much easier if we could merely identify the spiritual failings of those who maliciously spread hatred for Israel and Jews by the existence of a skin disease that purports their inner intentions .  Unfortunately, that is not the case, and we must arm ourselves to be able to identify the hateful language they use, the lies they disseminate, and the lengths to which they will go to try to delegitimize the Jewish Homeland.

Come on Tuesday evening to show your love and support for the State of Israel as she turns 65 years old!

Shabbat Shalom,