Are You anti-Israel? Why not?

“You can’t be neutral on a moving train” wrote Howard Zinn in 1994. Did anybody bother to ask him if that slogan applied to his personal feelings about the Jewish state? Seems doubtful he was put to the test, and since he has passed away, it would be unfair to hold him accountable to a question seemingly never asked.

But there are Jewish leaders – historians, authors and peace activists – who are still with us, and who can be asked the question. And certainly this applies to all historians, authors and peace activists: Are you anti-Israel? Why not? How can you be neutral on an issue that has influenced so much of the world’s misery? Didn’t even the late Elie Wiesel say: “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

Jewish Witnesses for Peace and Friends are anti-Israel. We have followed Elie’s lead and have taken sides. We see no right for Jews to invade and occupy Palestine so that Jews can have their own state. Our signs and flags echo our anti-Israel political position every Saturday.

So here’s your task, Mr. and Mrs. Peace Activist:

The next time you attend a speech from Alice Rothschild, Josh Ruebner, Phil Weiss, Omar Barghouti, Ali Abunimah, Andrew Dalack, or anyone else claiming to represent the Palestine liberation movement. raise your hand during the inevitable Q&A and ask loudly:

Are you anti-Israel? Why not?

Let them supply an answer. If they claim neutrality, remind them of the quotes from the two Jews quoted above. If they say yes, ask them to join JWPF next Saturday or start their own Zionist synagogue protest. If they say no, put it to ‘em: demand to know why they have not taken sides. Ask them to state their reasons – for the record – why they feel they are PRO-Israel. Then ask them to leave the movement.

You can’t be neutral on a moving train.

Committee for Open Debate on the Holocaust

This writer responded to a request from my friend Germar Rudolf, representing the Committee for Open Debate on the Holocaust for a video response to the question, “Why do I support open debate on the Holocaust?” The four-minute video is available here.

Comments?

July 16: 4 vigilers
July 23: 5 vigilers
July 30: 5 vigilers
Henry Herskovitz
Jewish Witnesses for Peace and Friends
America First Not Israel
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