By Leyna Krow, Assistant Editor, JTNews
Conversations about Israel are never simple. For those who consider the nation near and dear to their hearts, or for those who vehemently believe it never should have been granted statehood in the first place, even the most basic of questions or observations can strike a raw nerve. As a result, many in the Jewish community shy away from engaging in discussions about Israel, even when they feel they have an opinion to contribute.
That was the premise behind an Israel advocacy training session hosted by StandWithUS Northwest on Tues., Sept. 26.
The aim of the three-hour long event, which took place at Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation, was to equip Israel supporters with ways to talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in what was billed as an educated, rational and non-confrontational way.
“We wanted to give people something to say when the topic of Israel comes up around the water cooler,” said Rob Jacobs, director of StandWithUs Northwest. “It’s a highly emotional issue, and a lot of folks don’t want to talk about it for fear of putting others off.”
The event featured speakers Roz Rothstein and Roberta Seid. Seid, director of research for the national StandWithUs organization, opened the discussion with a brief history of the conflict, beginning with the British Mandate and going through the Six Day War, although much of her talk focused on the results of the War of Independence. Her goal was to clear up common misconceptions about the nation’s recent history that are often used in arguments against Israel’s right to exist.
“Wars create refugees. It was the risk the Arabs took when they started the war,” she said. “If they had accepted the partition in ‘47, there would be a Palestinian state alongside Israel celebrating its 60th anniversary.”
A good deal of Seid’s talk dealt with providing evidence that Israel’s Jewish residents have suffered just as much as its Palestinian refugees, and, as a result, should not be viewed as the sole aggressors in the conflict.
“The Palestinians were not the only ones who had a Naqba [catastrophe]. So did the Jews. It’s important to remember that a lot of Jews were forced from their homes during the war for independence, as well,” she said.
Rothstein, the national director of StandWithUs and the daughter of Holocaust survivors, focused primarily on the many roadblocks that have prevented peace in the region.
Rothstein placed much of the blame for the failed peace process on the region’s inability to “teach peace.”
She insisted that the messages the Palestinian people get concerning the Israelis are almost exclusively negative ones that promote violent actions, and compared the “hate training” Palestinian children receive to the kind of anti-Semitic rhetoric used by the Nazis.
“The Nazis didn’t just wake up one day and decide to have the Holocaust. It took years of indoctrination to make that happen,” she said by way of a warning.
According to Rothstein, it is also crucial to provide an accurate portrayal of Israel to the international community. It is for that reason, she stressed, that the StandWithUs training event was so important, as it armed those in the room with the tools to debunk the myths that make Israel unpopular in many American political circles. Each attendee received a packet of brochures touting Israel’s contributions to science and the environment as well.
The event was co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. Jacobs noted that he was pleased to have the Federation’s support for the training session and hopes to continue to partner with them in the future.
“The way we look at Israel advocacy, the only positive way to do it is to collaborate with other organizations,” he said. “Anytime a community speaks, it’s just that much stronger with more voices.”
Kim Greenhall, outreach coordinator for the Jewish Federation, seconded Jacobs’ enthusiasm for the collaboration. She was quick to point out that the Jewish Federation would also be happy to partner with other organizations on the other end of the political spectrum, such as A Jewish Voice for Peace, or Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, were they to approach the Federation with such a request. However, she noted, she did not feel that Tuesday’s event reflected any particular bias.
“I think everyone came away with sense of open dialogue,” she said. “No one was really picking sides. For example, Roberta just talked about what happened in history and answered questions honestly. Did she pick one side over the other? No.”
David Basior, who has been a member of the anti-occupation advocacy group A Jewish Voice for Peace for the last two years, was in attendance on Tuesday night. He did not agree with Greenhall’s contention that the event spoke to the sensibilities for those on both sides of the political spectrum.
“I think they’re fooling themselves if they think that’s true,” he said.
Basior said he felt that the StandWithUs speakers were more interested in rationalizing Israel’s actions than providing keys to open up dialogue.
“The one thing that struck me was when Rothstein said that only way for there to be peace was for peace to be taught. But I didn’t get the sense that StandWithUs was teaching peace — they were teaching who’s at fault,” he said.
However, Basior noted that the differences in beliefs between himself and the StandWithUs presenters would not prevent him from attending similar events in the future, acknowledging that it’s nearly impossible to speak about Israel in a neutral manner.
“Anytime people are talking about Israel, that’s coming from a very emotional place, not a rational one.” Basior admitted. “It’s a hard conversation to have without bias.”