By Rabbi Yitzhak J. Miller
The timing of Marty Cheek’s column published in The Free Lance
on Aug. 19 was incredibly ironic. That same Friday, Congregation
Emeth, the South Valley’s Jewish community, held Sabbath services
at Chitactac-Adams Heritage County Park.
The spirit of the Ohlone Indians imbued our worship with great
unity. We, too, discussed the Gaza Strip settlers’ relocation.
The timing of Marty Cheek’s column published in The Free Lance on Aug. 19 was incredibly ironic. That same Friday, Congregation Emeth, the South Valley’s Jewish community, held Sabbath services at Chitactac-Adams Heritage County Park.
The spirit of the Ohlone Indians imbued our worship with great unity. We, too, discussed the Gaza Strip settlers’ relocation. None of us agree with the settlers’ extreme politics, but we were in awe that this relocation took place without bloodshed. I wonder what would happen if similarly ultra-nationalist Americans were asked to return portions of Texas to Mexico?
I agree that a two-state solution in the Middle East is the only way to facilitate peace. I know Mr. Cheek had only the highest intent of calling to attention the legitimate plight of the Palestinian people. However, there are numerous items in the column that emanate from the Palestinian extremists’ public relations machine rather than from historical fact. Spreading these inaccuracies, even unintentionally, hinders the efforts of all of us who seek a Palestinian state side-by-side with Israel. To wit:
n Comparing Israel’s actions to the colonialism against the American Indians is a gross misrepresentation of history. It is part of the effort to deny that there were also indigenous Jewish populations in this area for the last 3,000 years, and instead paints the Israelis as white men coming from afar to colonize the natives.
n Theodore Herzl never advocated for a Jewish state on the religious grounds you cite. Herzl’s Zionism, which simply sought to secure a safe haven for Jews persecuted in the late 1800’s by Russian “pogroms,” gained Western governmental support following Adolf Hitler’s systematic murder of one third of the world’s Jews. Herzl’s goals were so non-religious that he even advocated to accept Britain’s proposal for a Jewish homeland in Uganda. The “manifest destiny” claim you present is called Religious Zionism, representing only the most ultra-orthodox Jewish minority.
n The refugee camps you mention in the Gaza Strip and West Bank were created in 1948 by the Jordanian and Egyptian governments that controlled those areas at the time and turned Palestinian immigrants away at gunpoint. Israel inherited these camps after the 1967 war.
n The most serious error in your column is the horrific claim that Israel started the 6-day war. By June 4, 1967, the Arab League had expelled the United Nations from Sinai, blockaded Israel’s southern seaport, and positioned 250,000 troops and 2,000 tanks on Israel’s borders. Palestinian Liberation Organization spokesperson Ahmen Shukeiry was interviewed on June 3, 1967 concerning the clearly impending invasion of Israel. The interviewers asked: “What will happen to the Israelis if the Arab attack succeeds?” He replied: “Those who survive will remain in Palestine. I estimate that none of them will survive.”
From Sept. 11 to Oct. 23, the South Valley Islamic Community and Congregation Emeth, together with Gavilan College, will be hosting “The Art of Peace -Dialogues for Change” – programs dedicated to increasing the knowledge and cooperation of Judaism and Islam. Sept. 25th’s session: “What Everyone Needs to Know about the Middle East for Successful Dialogue,” is specifically focused on myths and misconceptions such as those highlighted by your article.
Also, this fall, I will be teaching an Adult Education series at Emeth called: “Things You Won’t Learn about the State of Israel from CNN.” All are invited.
I would very much like to work with Mr. Cheek to fight the injustices of the world, including righting great injustices to the Arab people:
n From 1948 through 1964, 3,500 Arabs were forced from their homes in Algeria, 3,880 from Afghanistan, Syria: 26,000, Tunisia: 30,000, Libya: 35,000, Turkey: 37,000, Iran: 39,000, Yemen: 54,500, Egypt: 75,000, Morocco: 120,000, and 123,000 from Iraq. Please note that all of these half-million Arabs mentioned were Arab Jews who were forced from their homes in response to the founding of the State of Israel.
n Israel is the only place in the Middle East where Arab women can vote; the only place in the Middle-East where Christians, Jews and Muslims all serve in the federal and local governments; the only place where synagogues, mosques and churches even exist, and in fact are governmentally protected.
n And the last 38 years, under the sovereignty of the state of Israel, is the only time since Jesus’ time that Jews, Muslims and Christians have all had access to their Jerusalem holy sites.
Mr. Cheek, your column indicates a clear desire to rectify the injustices of the world, and I applaud and support your efforts. Unfortunately, there are extremist elements in this world who consistently use false descriptions of history to manipulate Western good intentions. I invite your continued dialogue, so that we may work together for peace based not only on good intentions, but also on historical fact and achievable reality.
B’shalom (with peace).
Guest columnist Rabbi Yitzhak J. Miller responded to a published column on behalf of Congregation Emeth and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Silicon Valley. Anyone who would like to write a quest column can contact Editor Conan Knoll at [email protected]
