I appreciate your well-reasoned thought .. but there are a few things missing from it .. most importantly, the Palestinan people. The middle east isn't just about Israel and the United States, it's also about the Palestinian people, the arab world, and the unity of nations.
The Palestinians deserve self-determination as do the Israelis. And I would offer more criticism of the U.S. on that issue. I think we tied Israel's hands when we let Palestine have an election and then didn't allow their government to get on with the business of governing.
I agree that Israel has been on many occasions in recent years unwise in their use of military power, and to their own detriment on the world stage.
The responsibility for Black-Jewish relations does not rest solely with Rev. Wright.
No one said it did. I do not condemn him, but offer a critical view of him as a leader. He does have a responsibility as someone with a following. If he cannot curb his own desire to accuse of a Jewish power monolith, then what will give his followers motivation to individually examine Jewish people, who may hold a diversity of views and personal circumstances?
hence your "gott-dayum, Amurica!"
All I was doing was offering my own imagined interpretation of a soundbite the man was widely condemned for. In a sense, I am going easier on him than most, including Obama, who eventually kicked him to the curb over this statement.
I don't really see how that would have any bearing on my familiarity or reverence for his theological teachings.
"We are concerned that the widespread misconception that all Jews support the zionist state and its actions endangers Jews worldwide."
I could post hundreds of statements from Jewish groups and organizations, some of whom go further than Wright in their condemnation of the state of Israel, and from thinkers like Chomsky and Howard Zinn who also recognize their danger.
Yes, but the thing to remember about that organization's mission statement that they seem to overlook is that in fact most all Jewish people in this country
do support Israel in one way or another, even if they are critical of it.
So, are they supposed to be resented globally because they have an unpopular country associated with their religion? Must they choose to abandon their good wishes for that country if they wish to be regarded as trustworthy and free from association with that country's errors?
It's a double-standard that doesn't get applied to many people from many countries. I never blamed my Chinese friends for Communism, and we all know the governments operating in the Middle East these days do not represent the height of civilization.
It's not accurate to say that there is some kind of sizable majority of Jews who feels comfortable around people who regularly criticize the presence and influence of "Zionists" and treat them as conspirators against America's values and interests. The kind of language that exists in this forum actually would frighten many who are not accustomed to it.
My question to you good brother is do yoiu make the same public condemnations of zionism as you do Wright? The statements of many zionists would make one's skin crawl and they do not further better relationships with blacks or anyone else.
If all you have is condemnation of Wright yet none for the scourge of zionism, then you have your answer to why the divisions and resentment exist.
I just want to suggest that you're reaching pretty far to connect the resentment between the Black and Jewish communities directly to the issue of Israeli treatment of the Palestinians and Jewish American support for Israel.
The answer is probably much more domestic in nature, and while it may on one side have something to do with the economic, social, and political prominence of the Jewish people, and the deprivation of blacks to the same, I think it mostly has to do with plain old ignorance on both sides.
I'm not sure why I need to condemn either Wright or Zionism.
Zionism has already succeeded in its goal of creating a Jewish state. Even Israel's former enemies now recognize Israel will always exist and hopefully alongside Palestine if we can ever get that worked out.
If my objection must be with the institution of Zionism, to label it racist, or to call Israel a pariah and an apartheid state, then I would be putting myself in the position of suggesting that an entire country should disband simply because I may disagree with its philosophical underpinnings (I don't fundamentally in this case).
What right does anyone have to do this to a sovereign nation?
And isn't the core reason why criticisms of Israel are often labeled anti-Semitic is because many critics continue to extend their condemnation to Jewry instead of focusing on the State of Israel, which happens to be a Jewish country?
