Obama’s Antipathy Towards Israel
In I Maccabees, Shimon is reported to have said, “We have neither taken foreign land nor seized foreign property, but only the inheritance of our ancestors, which at one time had been unjustly taken by our enemies. Now that we have the opportunity, we are firmly holding the inheritance of our ancestors.” (I Maccabees 15:33-34)
The New York Observer today published my piece, which attempts to explain why Obama would go ahead and anger his allies such as Charles Schumer and Alan Dershowitz, and also provoke his successor, who could now prioritize dismantling the Obama legacy.
Excellent analysis-the question now remains on the table-why are we quiet? Where are those who chain themselves to the White House while wearing Talesim? Where are our marches to Washington and an Asifas Tehilim? When one watches the reaction in the Security Council to the abstention last Friday and Kerry’s speech which had the dual stench of appeasement and “peace in our time” and a complete lack of appreciation of the boundaries of pre 1967 Israel ( there was no sovereign territory that was “occupied in 1967) , it is evident that such arguments now resonate within the highest echelons of the now learning very LW Democratic Party. One looks in vein for anyone in the Democratic Party who is a domestic liberal, strong on national security issues and a friend of Israel. Unfortunately too many of us know relatives and acquaintances who confuse PC liberalism with Judaism and they will conjure up any excuse to rationalize the events of the past week. History will not be a kind judge for sitting silent against the actions of a President because we did not want to be accused of appearing racist in our criticism of a profoundly mistaken and naive President who represents what happens when the John Lennon school of foreign policy ( “Imagine”) combines with the historical antipathy of the State Department to israel and views Israel’s stances as the obstacle to peace.
When Obama ran in 2008, he consulted with and received “advice” from none other than Daniel Kurtzer , a YU grad and former dean of YC ( but who walked out of a presentation when Menachem Begin ZL was honored at YU) lifetime Foreign Services officer who was harshly critical of Israel while ambassador to Israel and whose public pronouncements since returning to the US have a decidedly pro Arab, if not totally Arabist sounding aroma. Obama and Kerry’s recent strategy and pronouncements seem very similar to what can one can easily find in Kurtzer’s playbook of critiques of Israel over the years.
Your published article ends with a question; is it revenge? A tantrum? Or inherent anti-semitism?
Is Kerry a partner or a tag-along? I would like to hear your thoughts. Thank you.
I would claim my article ends with a statement!
Jack Lew, Secretary of the Treasury, is the one person I expect to publicly stand up against this outrage. Why is he not speaking out? In three weeks he will be looking for a new job anyway.
כי אם החריש תחרישי בעת הזאת רוח והצלה יעמוד ליהודים ממקום אחר ואת ובית אביך תאבדו
Likewise, it is time for all past supporters of President Obama within the Jewish community to do the same, and acknowledge their failure to recognize the long-standing animus R. Menken so clearly details.
I’m not so convinced Schumer would get angered over this anymore.
3 points:
1) neither you nor I know what Jack Lew has or will do or what other calculations he might be making.
2) i assume Mr. Lew will not look for your help in choosing where he will work next.
3) you totally missed the meaning and context of the passuk where Mordechai judged that Esther, as opposed to Lew, was in a unique position to help. while we pray for the first part of the passuk, applying the end to anyone, might be above your paygrade.
dr. bill-
Read the Malbim on the word תאבדו, “אחר שמציאותך במעלה הזאת יהיה אז לבטלה “. Lost opportunity, and the term is ending. That was my point.
dr. bill-
Read the Malbim on the word
תאבדו
אחר שמציאותך במעלה הזאת יהיה אז לבטלה.
Lost opportunity, and the term is ending. That was the point.
It’s a good article, though I think the comparison to the Holocaust goes too far.
As far as angering allies goes – I don’t know about Dershowitz, but Schumer is just as bad as Obama is. He has gone as his party has gone. He wrote one little tweet over how “confounding” – his actual word – it was for the administration to do, but quickly went back to tweeting his usual nonstop typical democrat fare. And that was it. He’s said nothing since, much less actually done anything. He loves to use his last name to call himself שומר ישראל, believing Jews are dumb enough to fall for such antiquated shtik. But his connection to Judaism died a long time ago. He’s made it very clear where his allegiances lies, and it’s not with Israel. If his way of showing anger is a silly little tweet, he’s an “ally” Obama could well afford to anger.
Schmumer has claimed to be the so called shomer but his rationalizing of Ellisons stances are inexcusable