THE SOCIAL JUSTICE WORLDVIEW VS. THE ISRAEL WORLDVIEW
by Kung Fu Jew

Jew School
ocial-justice-worldview-vs-the-israel-worldview/
J une 12 2009

Jewschool is co-sponsoring Love, Hate and the Jewish State: A
Conversation on Social Justice and Israel, with Makom, the New Israel
Fund, and 16 other minyanim, arts & culture, and social justice orgs
(see below).

This is the internal conflict that is already defining our generation
of Jews. Two worldviews that are deeply Jewishly informed and yet at
odds with each other: social justice vs. Israel.

Social justice is a worldview of "all helping all" and more
specifically the stronger helping the disadvantaged, the weak helping
the weak, the weak helping each other. It’s about fighting against
entrenched power which resists giving up unfair advantage. The most
concise definition of "social justice" was told to me by a Catholic
youth minister: "a state of right relationships." Rightness in conduct
and healthy relations between employer/employee, government/citizen,
Jew/gentile, and state-to-state.

The Israel worldview, regardless of whether you are right or left,
is one defined by "Jews helping Jews," each ethnicity looking out
for themselves, and the weak nation becoming strong (and maintaining
deterance). It’s about apportioning power by nationality, ethnicity
or religion — and a heirachy of their comparative greivances. Israel
becomes important as the national liberation project of the Jewish
people. It defines success as the safety of one group among others
(even if other groups happen to benefit, theirs can be secondary).

The conflict becomes:

Many people who support peace in the Middle East will not engender to
spend time on Israel — and why should they? There are worse conflicts
in the world, like genocide in Darfur. Even if you are left wing,
paying special attention to one’s own ethnicity is still a parochial,
inward-focused conversation. These people might feel more comfortable
helping all people, regardless of ethnicity in ways that cut across
socioeconomic status: health care for all, ending racism against
all, collective bargaining rights for all, housing rights for all,
international rights for all, et al.

Many people who see a relevance for Israel’s existance (of one
version or another) are uncomfortable christening underdogs and
painting all holders of power with the same brush. A worldview that
doesn’t validate the historical travails of the Jewish people or
seeks to pave away nationalisms or ethnic prides entirely is also
uncomfortable. Anti-Semitism is subsumed into just another racism,
where many might feel it has special, and specially personal, perils.

This conflict cuts many other directions: Some who do both social
justice activism and Israel activism must compartmentalize their
value systems, keeping them separated, balanced. A rare few manage
to integrate them fully. And plenty — tragically a great many —
do neither.

It has serious effects on our Jewish communities:

While it aims to benefit all peoples through its work, the
Anti-Defamation League created permanent schisms by opposing
Congressional recognition of the Armenian genocide — leading to staff
quitting in protest, the loss of Armenian partners in anti-racism
projects, and accusations of hypocrisy.

Social justice organizations like Jewish FundS for Justice and
American Jewish World Service must keep their distance from Israel
matters to avoid the pitfalls of how their differing supporters
proportion "justice" between Israel and Palestine. They are lambasted
unfairly for not having a stance on an issue thousands of miles away,
tangental to their core missions. Their distance can prevent their
involvement in many worthwhile projects in which Israel, however
briefly, is addressed.

The New Israel Fund is one of the few organizations that manage to
integrate Israel and social justice via social justice for all members
(not just citizens) of Israeli society. The Progressive Jewish Alliance
takes local, global and Israel justice stances. Both lose the valuable
support of constituents who have an Israel (pro or con) litmus test.

Our minyanim and shuls have "Israel committees" and "social action
committees" — but who ever has seen an "Israel and social justice
committee"? Or who has seen an Israel committee take up the issue
of gay rights in Israel? Or a social justice committee tackle
anti-Semitism on the left?

Can we integrate the two? Are they neccesarily exclusive? Are those of
us who feel this way really so many? Can we envision Jewish communities
that manage to blend them without rancor?

Next Thursday’s event proposes no answers, but offers a chance
to explore this topic in a safe space, guided by experienced
facilitators, and designed by activists who seek also a healthier
conversation. Please join Jewscool for Love, Hate and the Jewish State:
A Conversation on Social Justice and Israel on Thursday, June 18th
at 7 pm – 10 pm, at the JCC in Manhattan. And hey, Yisrael Campbell
emcees and afterwards there’s alcohol and JDub DJ Joro Boro too.

This event is brought to you by Makom and New Israel Fund, in
partnership with AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps, Encounter,
Foundation for Jewish Culture, The JCC in Manhattan, Jewcy.com, The
Skirball Center for Adult Jewish Learning, The Union of Progressive
Zionists, and the following co-sponsors: Bnai Jeshurun’s Tze’irim,
Brooklyn Jews, JDub Records, Jewschool.com, Just Vision, Kehillat
Hadar, Kol Zimrah, Rabbis for Human Rights-North America, Romemu,
and Zeek.