Let the Arab World Look to Israel




For the last two weeks we have been watching images of the Arab world on fire both literally and figuratively. The fires of revolution are changing the Arab world in the blink of an eye- governments are falling and old governments are in disarray. What started as a wild mob in Tunisia inspired the would-be reformers of Egypt. Protests are spreading through the Middle East and we are left wondering what the scene will be when the smoke clears. We hear cries for democracy but wonder what “democracy” will look like in countries in which Islamists and secularized Arabs will fight for control.

The events in Egypt remind us just how much these events could impact Americans. A feared interruption in the Suez Canal could bring our oil-based economy to a halt. An Islamic government would have access to the millions of dollars worth of arms that we have given Egypt. Needless to say, these popular revolutions could also put Israel at risk. (Although there may be a temporary upside- if the Arab world is fighting with itself maybe Israel will be a little safer!) One thing is clear- we are seeing the order of things changing in the Arab world- old ideas are dying, new ones are replacing them for better or worse and, yes, way too early to answer that one.

I would like to make one humble suggestion to the Arab world that is about to tear itself apart in search of a new identity. Extremes don’t work—look at Iran- a Moslem country ruled by Islamic law that is brutal and oppressive. Iranians are afraid to talk, to speak out, and to seek freedom. If the newly re-created Arab world does not want to sink into the black hole of Fundamentalist Islam (as I am sure many people do not) I ask them to look at their neighbor Israel.

All of you who have been to Israel have seen the split personality of our homeland. The very religious and the very secular live side by side. Sometimes they hate each other. Sometimes they fight each other. Sometimes it is hard to believe they are brothers! Nonetheless, Israel is one of the most creative countries on the planet. A totally religious Israel would not work- nor would a totally secular Israel. It is this strange mixture of secular Zionism and religious Zionism that makes things work.

Could the Arab world learn this lesson? In the Arab world a lot of people seem to only see black and white- one extreme or the other with two sides at war to reshape Arab society. If such extremes can be avoided the entire planet will benefit! Terrorism, suicide bombers, and jihadists can only be nurtured in a certain kind of intellectual environment. They have a harder time growing in an open society where there is free speech and thought. That is what the Arab world needs to learn from Israel. I am no dreamer- I know many want an Islamist society with the destruction of Israel and America at the top of the wish list. There are others, however, who are tired of violence, who don’t want to raise their children to kill others, who want peace. To them I say, look to Israel. Look to a society that can embrace both the secular and the religious vision of its people.

The Wheels on the Bus…


In my last column I brought you some information about a very disturbing situation- the proposed anti-Israel bus signs in Seattle. From the feedback I received it was clear that my readers took the news very seriously. We all saw through the very transparent veil hiding the anti-Israel (and, I dare say, anti-American) sentiment. At that time I opened with a journalistic understatement “Israel has enemies everywhere.” Now I am happy to be able to say “Israel has friends, well, maybe not everywhere, but in a lot of places!”

When the story began to get national attention many people, Jews and Christians, saw the dangers. The flood of e-mails and calls has forced the city to re-think its policies and put a hold on the signs. Let me share some details of what transpired. Most interestingly, the David Horowitz Freedom Center began a counter campaign and soon contracted with Seattle to put signs on buses that would read “Palestinian War Crimes- your tax dollars at work.” This clearly demonstrated that the place for politics is not on city buses. As a result Seattle City Council put a temporary ban on all non-commercial advertising. The Horowitz Center showed the issuing dodging council that their bus line was no place for the lies and distortions of the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign, which seems to have links to the anti-Israel International Solidarity Movement. Could anyone honestly believe these signs would not foster violence- just an excuse for the crazies to come out of the woodwork. Have people forgotten that it was only four years ago that a terrorist shot six people in the Seattle Jewish Federation building?

At the same time that the merits of the sign campaign were being debated two Christian groups, Christians United for Israel and StandWithUs, began their own efforts against the hateful signs. Happily the sheer force of numbers made the city council rethink it’s policies. So, for now, the anti-Israel signs will not be appearing. Please don’t lose sight that, as in all political double-talk- Seattle City Council is now “reviewing” their policies.

Once all the dust has settled, what we have learned? That people are always ready to accuse Israel? No. We knew that already. Will we learn that we always have to look at what our enemies serve up to the public under the guise of “free speech” and “information? No. We should know that by now. Maybe we won’t learn but, rather, re-learn—evil wins if no one stands up for the good. Lies become the truth if no one says otherwise. In this case the truth prevailed (at least for now.) But without all of those who acted the outcome would have been different. If it becomes your turn to act, to speak, to stand for what you believe, don’t hesitate.

The wheels on the bus go round and round- this time they didn’t run over us- but watch out for on-coming traffic!

It is no secret that Israel has enemies everywhere. Some choose guns and bombs as weapons. Some would prefer to use the power of public opinion, using half-truths and one-sided stories to report on Israel’s struggle to exist. Then of course there is the mass-media that never tires of distorting the stories of Israel’s self-defense effort. Of all places, Seattle has become the latest ground-zero for attacking Israel. (Maybe they figure that if they do it there no one will notice!)


All of us who live in urban areas are used to seeing city buses with all kinds of advertising and pictures on them—these “rolling billboards” are really a “no-brainer” to generate revenue. That’s fine- why not use advertising dollars to help public transportation. New signs on Seattle buses are a very different story.

Imagine driving down the street and seeing a sign on a bus that read “Israeli War Crimes- Your Tax Dollars at Work.” Together with the headline the sign displays the obligatory picture of children and destroyed buildings. The group sponsoring these ads is called “Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign.” Their spokesman, Ed Mast, had the nerve to comment “I wouldn’t say it’s an anti-Israel message… we would like Israel to stop violating human rights.” I think I disagree. To portray Israel’s acts of self-defense as “war crimes” can hardly be considered a neutral statement about human rights. (If you would like to see the original report and pictures of the bus signs go to my blog, “yaakovthompson.blogspot.com.” Click on the link “War Crimes Bus Story.”)

As for King County Metro (these are public buses)- they say that the signs do not violate their guidelines. These signs contain no reference to “pornography, alcohol, tobacco, or threaten public safety.” So, as far as King County is concerned, the signs are fine!

I would love to see the list of people who provided the money for these signs. I am sure it would be very interesting reading. I far as I can anticipate there would only be two groups on that list- the first are those who hate Israel, the second would be those who are so blind to the realities of what Israelis face every day that they really believe bogus stories like this. This would be the group that has been convinced that Palestinians have human rights but Israelis don’t.

I think it is particularly insidious that these signs not only present a false picture of the terrorism coming out of Gaza and Israel’s attempt to stop it, but they also insinuate that all Americans share the guilt because it is the American taxpayer that makes these “war crimes” possible. This argument is absurd and of course fails to remind the American taxpayer that the people of Israel can always be counted on as the true friends of America. No, Israel is not guilty of war crimes. Israel is only guilty of self-defense. Any other argument is but a play for public opinion and an attempt to hide the real issues.

If you have to go to Seattle soon don’t ride the bus- call me and I’ll give you the cab fare!

Link To "War Crimes" Bus Story

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Israeli-War-Crimes-signs-to-go-on-Metro-buses-112108154.html 

To The New Year!

How will you remember 2010? It’s usually hard to remember one year from another- the effect of time seems to be to melt all of our memories together into that jumbled recollection that leaves us saying “I remember that but I’m not sure when it happened.” I don’t think any of us will be saying that about 2010! It has been a year to remember – economic crisis that touched everyone, continued polarization of our citizens- politics, policies, and division have taken their tolls on our land. It has been a tough year for everyone- we are more uncertain than ever about what the future will bring. I am not claiming that it has been a year without any good news at all but I think this year will stay in our memories as a time when we said to each other “things can only get better.”


I hope that those words will be the most enduring memory of 2010. It has been a year in which many of us, our families, and our friends have faced real problems and challenges The Jewish community has faced a hard year also- downsizing has become the key phrase in all of our institutions. That will have an impact of Jewish life for years to come. Many of our memories of 2010 may be things that we wish we could forget! That seems like a very sad statement to make but if you are like me you are ready to say goodbye to 2010 with a heartfelt “good riddance.”

As a Jew I am constantly amazed by the history of our people. No matter what history has tossed in our way, we are the people that declared “it can only get better” over and over. We have never given up or given in… the future has always held opportunity to make things better. I wish we had some magic way of sharing that optimism and hope with our fellow Americans. That fact is that, as bad as this past year has been for many of us, we have seen people respond in very heroic ways. Even in these tough times people continue to help each other. In this age of “less is more” and “no frills” we have been reawakened to the values that are most important. That is a very good sign. The lessons that we have learned have been very bitter but we have come out on the other side with a renewed sense of what really matters.

I will be very happy to welcome the new year as a new chance to make things better- to see people struggle less, to worry less, to get back to living with joy. I don’t know how quickly that can happen but I do know that if we reflect on what we have learned in 2010 we can welcome the future rather than dread it.

The Genie is Out of the Bottle


Most of us don’t really understand how the internet works. How is it that your kids or grandchildren can send you pictures or letters from anywhere in the world and (like magic) you see them on your screen! Does it work like TV? Well, maybe like a car- I don’t really know how it works either but when I turn the key it takes me where I’m going. For all of us who don’t really understand how those things work one thing is certain- the internet does work and it is a Genie that will never go back in the bottle! Yes, the internet does great things for us- human beings have never had access to so much information before. The only thing I worry about is how long it will take us to understand the difference between information and wisdom.

The flurry of stories about Wiki leaks is multiplying faster than I can read them. The details are pretty simple although the issues are much more complex. Does anyone have the right to steal secrets and then publish them? What pertains to governments also pertains to people. If we assert that the internet should not be censored then there is really nothing you can do if I decide to uncover and make public anything I want, like your credit card numbers or your social security number or anything else I choose.

Mr. Assange (the Wiki leaks guy) thinks he is doing the world a favor by revealing America’s “dirty little secrets.” In truth he is committing a crime against every American citizen (which, I believe, is closer to his intent.)His intentions have become even clearer as he states his threats against us- should he be arrested or killed there will be a flood of information that will be released. This is his “insurance policy.”

Does the age of the Internet mean that cyber-spying or cyber-terrorism should go unpunished and unanswered for the sake of “freedom-of-information?” I think not. We are now engaged in a war of wills- who will submit first? Those who have acted against Wiki leaks have seen their own websites attacked (MasterCard, PayPal.) Threats have been made to insure that these cyber-pirates stay in business. In one sense we are powerless- the internet has a life of its own somewhere out there in the flow of electric information- but behind that borderless flow of information are real people who choose to act as they do and should be held responsible. The Genie is out of the bottle but maybe a jail cell would be just the right size!

Don’t Underestimate the Power of One Candle




As we gather throughout the nights of Hanukkah one ritual draws our attention: the lighting of the Hanukiyah, the Hanukkah menorah. Each night we add a candle until we reach the last night and have all eight candles burning. In essence each day of the festival is represented by one candle, a rather meager representative by today’s standards!

Have you ever seen one of those space photos taken of the earth at night? What we see is an entire planet that seems aglow by electricity. Major urban areas can be identified by the big “blob” of light that can be seen even from space. In this age in which our planet is aglow with artificial light it might seem that one small candle doesn’t really mean much. Perhaps it doesn’t if the only measure we use is the amount of light that is added to the darkness of a winter night. In fact that one small candle adds much to the winter night – it adds the light of community. A sense of community in numbers- that one light that I burn adds to the light that you kindle. Then we can multiply that by the number of Jewish homes in which small solitary candles begin to add up to a massive number- candles are lit across the globe. No, you might not be able to see them from space ,but you can certainly see them as you pass proud Jewish homes in which a great miracle is being recalled and celebrated.

More importantly I think we might underestimate how important one candle can be if we failed to consider the impact of this very easy ritual. Our people have a long history, one that has defied the normal expectations of historians and the common life cycles of nations. Through the millennia nations have come and gone, empires have been won and lost; wars have brought destruction to cultures and entire peoples. Yet, through it all, our people survived. The occasion of Hanukkah begs that we ask the question. An often quoted verse is “Not by power, but by the spirit.” Those few words say volumes about our people and even more about the significance of “one little candle.” We have survived because of the power of our rituals. We have survived because of those special acts that unite us as a people, unite us as a community, and unite us to a past that we never experienced directly but is a part of our “sacred present.” It is the power of this very “small” ritual that ties us to the past and the future.

Often the word “ritual” is considered to be something bad- an empty act that is simply done because someone said you have to do it. Rituals are considered just empty actions but they are not- they are the symbolic actions that focus our minds and bodies on spiritual truths. Lighting one candle may shed a tiny bit of light but that same candle can light the spirit of an entire people.