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ample, Israelis mainly feel that when you sit in your comfortable homes and
don't get stones thrown at you and your cars are not burned, and there are
no attacks on your beach, you somehow do not have the moral right to tell
us what to do. But that's a controversial question, because
if
you are part of
the same Jewish people, the Jewish nation, then you should have the right to
say what you think about Israel. So it isn't an easy question, and it is an
emotional one. When people think about it, they say that you can't ask the
Americans to give money and not to give their opinion. Yet you can't expect
the Israelis to sit down and ask the Americans what to do and then do it.
The antangonism to the Lubavicher is an example: you very often hear,
"Okay, but he's sitting in Brooklyn and then suggests that we should fight in
the West Bank."
DM:
But it's mostly the left in America that speaks up about Israel. The
Lubavichers are the only vocal right-wing voice. And they certainly don't
speak up about the territories. They don't sign petitions that appear in
The
New York Times .
RB-J:
I am not talking about those who sign the petitions in
The New York
Times.
People are very angry about that.
DM:
They are very angry in Israel?
RB-J:
Yes, very.
Deborah Rosenthal:
You know, of course, that Americans feel the need to
af–
fect American foreign policy, which is implicated in Israel. It's also that
American foreign policy
is
involved and that left-thinking Americans believe
they should affect that policy.
RB-J:
Okay, I said that it is a very complicated question. You said something
else about loyalty to Israel. I talked about what is suggested to Israel. These
are different issues. I don't think that all Israelis understand that American
Jews are Americans. Many Israelis look upon American Jews as not really
having the right to be Americans. And even the committed Zionists are
Americans and see themselves as Americans, so as you say there is a
question ofAmerican foreign policy. I don't know whether you can separate
being an American and trying to influence American foreign policy from
what you are telling the Israelis. But that's the problem ofAmerican Jews, of
what it means to be Jewish, to be pro-Israeli, to be American. I don't think
that we should give you advice on solving that problem. I don't think we un–
derstand it
WP:
One more question from the floor.
Elizabeth Daltan:
You said earlier that you would say something about peace
and the Intifada
if
someone asked you.
RB-J:
That would be a long, long answer.
WP:
It
seems strange to have a meeting on Israel and not to talk about what
everybody talks about.
RB-J:
That's why I did not.
