By Philip R. Scheier, , Shoreline
Your Feb. 10 article by Emily K. Alhadeff, “Moving beyond the one-trick pony,” where the University of Washington’s Stroum Jewish Studies guest speaker Simon Greer alleged one of his goals is to change the tide of American Jewish politics from Israel-focused to America-focused, is patronizing and insulting to all Jews. Particularly to this Jewish World War II Air Force veteran with two overseas combat tours with his bomber crew in Europe.
Greer, described as the former head of Jewish Funds for Justice, before he lost that post when the group was merged with some other groups, proudly reported with an air of discovery that a poll shows 83 percent of Jews don’t vote based on Israel alone. Like other Americans, the article reported him saying, they vote with other concerns in mind. This includes the economy, education, the environment, and other domestic matters. Well, obviously. We always vote with many concerns in mind. But a big concern to all caring Jews and non-Jews alike is the survival of Israel, which faces daily rocket, artillery and bomb attacks.
What is puzzling, however, is Greer’s quoting his apparent big source of his strange mind-set.
Because the poll cited by Greer and which, it appears, he depends on for moral guidance, was taken by the infamous, secretly funded J Street lobby, which claims it is pro-Israel, a claim rejected by all Israeli leaders, including Bibi, along with most observers, who have all turned down many invitations to address the J Street lobby.
Most telling, Greer hailed President Obama as a true friend because “he has challenged the portion of our community that has the view that the Israeli government is our friend right or wrong in all circumstances. He (Obama) said that’s not a road to security, nor a road to peace and so he won’t tolerate it.”
Then with a virtual wink-and-nod backing of Obama’s widely condemned one-sided pressure on Israel:
“In a mock stage whisper, he added, “˜He’s right.'”
Amazing that the esteemed UW Stroum Jewish Studies program hired this J Street-type thinker who urges Jews to pull back from supporting Israel.