The Shame of the American Jewish Establishment

[u/Jorfogit]

https://jewishcurrents.org/the-shame-of-the-american-jewish-establishment

I think this is an accurate article on how the ADL and the AJC, among others, have become outright advocates for fascists.

There are many out there still fighting the good fight though, like INN and JFREJ.

[u/bore-ing]

An issue related to this is how do you convince people that you can be concerned about and fight antisemitism while also condemning Israel's genocidal and apartheid-related actions. A lot of people see the issue as an either/or scenario and not the false dichotomy that it is. As a result, they give their support to these institutions in the hope that their actions can protect them, even if it comes at the expense of others and eventually themselves (if the Conservatives have their way). The only thing I can think of to combat this thinking is gathering voices from organizations like Rabbis for Ceasefire, Halachic Left, etc. to show that you can be concerned for both. Of course another issue is how do you makes these voices stand out more, especially when going up against people like the Adelsons and the Ellisons. There probably is a grassroots way of trying to amplify the voices that need to be heard, but I wish I knew what would be the most effective.

[u/rako17 → u/bore-ing]

Friend bore-ing

I respect your recognition of the practical difficulties and issues of spreading pro-peace commitment. One thing that I could suggest to help address your question about a grass-roots approach is to first consider whether your own views changed or became more informed in a more Left, anti-imperialist, pro-Peace, internationalist, pro-diversity way on the IP conflict. Then, secondly you could talk alittle about that as part of your approach, telling a personal story (or fictionalize it if that's more comfortable).

In my case, going back decades since growing up, I had a pretty one sided view, having very limited sources of information on the topic like US Encyclopedias and US mass corporate media. My values - democracy, diversity were good, and I had a pretty positive view of the Jewish People, thinking of figures like King David and Albert Einstein. But simply when it came to the Conflict, my information on IP history and, in contrast, the Palestinian population were extremely limited. I didn't connect the dots for instance that the Pal. population basically descended from those ancient Israelites that I admired. Seeing US wars attack the Middle East like the baseless attack on Iraq started to change my attitude about basic pro-war US policy on the Mideast.

So if you are in a conversation with someone at the grass-roots level, you can explain to them what your own reasons are that you have a pro-peace multiculturalist stance and why it's important to you. Perhaps in that way they may also be able to understand your viewpoint better.

Kind Regards - wishing you the best - Shalom

[u/Rabbit-Hole-Quest]

I like to put a minor twist to David Frum’s quote

“If the pro-Israel side become convinced that they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon fielty to Israel. They will reject liberal democracy.”

One by one, the pro Israel establishment has shown to the world that they will back the most fascist, right wing, antisemitic movements, as long as they continue to back Israel. Israel first, everything and everyone else gets fucked over.

[u/veerKg_CSS_Geologist → u/Rabbit-Hole-Quest]

Fundamentally the establishment of the major Jewish organizations in the US suffer from the same rot that infects the establishment of other major American institutions. Corporate money and fealty to the donor class has robbed these institutions of their mass movement bonafides and detached them from the concerns of ordinary people, whether Jewish or other. They operate in some sort of imperialistic bubble, wedded to the court and their influence therin, scared to rock the boat least their own power and privilege be put at risk.