Daniel Rosen wrote an excellent letter. “The Call for One Network To Combat Anti-Israelism (Zionism) and Antisemitism” (The Jewish Link, May 23, 2024). This was also echoed in my letter immediately preceding it in which I also expressed the need for greater coordination among Jewish groups to form a more united front. Obviously this seems to be a good idea whose time has come.
Some of us in our local Highland Park-Edison area were actually starting to embark on such an effort when we ran into a major roadblock. Coordination of efforts between diverse community organizations is admirable, but is only a means to an end. The problem we faced was in trying to ascertain the objective. What is the goal? What are we trying to do?
Our pro-Palestinian antisemitic adversaries are well funded, well organized and have the media and the establishment in their corner. As we’ve seen on campuses, they have no hesitation to destroy property, completely disrupt activities for days and weeks on end, and engage in violence if necessary, all while knowing they will suffer no consequences from the friendly administrations. Eventually the police are brought in, break up the “demonstrations,” make a few token arrests and, having made their point, move on to the next target.
We Jews cannot adopt the same tactics for two reasons. First, wanton violence, vandalism and disruption are not Jewish traits in trying to accomplish our goals, (although maybe they should be). Secondly, while officials turn a blind eye to those demonstrating against Jewish causes, if Jews engaged in the same behavior officials would probably mobilize the National Guard equipped with tanks and machine guns to crush such “insurrections.” Also the media would have apoplectic fits condemning the violent Jewish radicals.
This letter therefore, is not being written to offer any solutions, but rather as an attempt to solicit ideas as to what we should be coordinating our efforts against. Exactly what do we want to do?
“To ask the right question is already half the solution to a problem.” — Carl Jung
