Readers may recall blogger Ralph Seliger’s concerns about this event, obliged to move from one Manhattan synagogue to another. It took place on the evening of April 4.
Reports indicate an attendance of about 150 to 200, constituting a standing-room-only crowd in Congregation Beit Simchat Torah’s modestly-sized sanctuary. Many if not most of the attendees were from Jews Say No and the Jewish Voice for Peace — groups with which many (but not all) of the organizers are affiliated.
But the event itself went off rather tamely. We link here to two accounts:
- One is by Doug Chandler, a correspondent for New York’s Jewish Week newspaper.
- This second one is by Alex Kane, writing for the well-known anti-Israel website, Mondoweiss.
These reporters fail to note that the speakers failed to spend equal amounts of time denouncing ethnic and religious discrimination in each country where it exists worldwide, and rather focused primarily on ethnic and religious discrimination in Israel, thus proving they are biased.
Ralph alerted us to this likelihood, and it seems he was right. We can safely assume of course that every Meretz USA meeting and event devotes equal amounts of time to discussing oppression and justice in each country around the world. Consistent with that philosophy, Ralph is promoting a petition asking people around the world to help resolve the crisis of African refugees in Israel, because, as we all know, it is unfair to demand that Israel end its despicable and racist treatment of African refugees in Israel by complying with international guidelines for the treatment of refugees worldwide.
Ted
This is getting old, Ted. You know very well that I don’t suggest that we only discuss Israel’s shortcomings if we also mention all other countries with ethnic or religious discrimination.
It is very valid to note, however, that many (probably most) countries favor a founding ethnic or religious group in some way. Israel’s imperfect record in defending the rights of its minorities may in fact be superior to that of any other country in the Middle East; all of them privilege their Muslim or Arab majorities, and often violently persecute their minorities.