A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
Israel As A Spectator Sport

Gil has an interesting post about the halachic aspects of attendance at spectator sporting events. I have commented to that post, and may post further thoughts here once the discussion over at Hirhurim runs its course.

Obviously, I am both a big sports fan, as well as a particular fan of the New York Jets, New York Mets, New Jersey Nets and New York Rangers. I think it's far to say that being a sports fan in itself - i.e., having an interest in watching professional sporting events - is not irrational, but that actually having an emotional interest in whether a group of men wearing a particular uniform wins or loses is irrational. On that basis, my level of interest in the Jets, Mets, Nets and Rangers is quite irrational.

Given that I am a big sports fan, and an irrational one at that, I believe I can sense similar forms of irrationality in others. One such form of irrationality that I have observed pertains to the manner in which many observant Jews in North America relate to the State of Israel's conflict with the Arabs, particularly the Palestinians. I believe many observant Jews view Israel as I view the teams that I root for, and I find this form of irrationality to be both dangerous and offensive.

In light of what the Jewish people went through over the last 2000 years - culminating with the Holocaust - pride, excitement and emotional attachment to the events relating to Israel are perfectly rational. The establishment of Israel and the Six Day War are both seminal events in Jewish history, and Israel's transformation of an empty land into a First World state has been an incredible feat. It would be irrational not to have an emotional interest in what goes on in Israel.

Still, too many people relate to Israel just like a huge sports fan relates to the teams he roots for. They want to win, to defeat the opponent, and to proclaim that "we're number 1." They criticize decisions of Israel's leaders like Jets fans criticize decisions by the Jets' offensive coordinator. There is no sense among these people that real lives are at stake in this spectator sport.

(It should be noted that while in this post I am primarily criticizing observant Jews with far right-wing sentiments, much of the criticism pertains to non-observant Jews with left-wing sentiments.)

On the night that Prime Minister Rabin was murdered, I remember one person saying that "we will get rid of Peres next." That statement is so sickening that I would like to believe that nobody else holds or held similar feelings, though I have reason to believe that a significant minority of observant Jews felt similarly. What is worse, though, is that these are not, generally, evil people. To them, "getting rid of" Rabin is probably not that much different than getting rid of a poor manager or coach, like ex-Mets manager Art Howe, is to me.

I remember attending the bris of a friend's son on September 4, 1997. The bris was in the late afternoon; earlier in the day, a triple suicide bombing by Hamas killed and wounded scores of Israelis in Jerusalem's Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall. While eating the traditional meal following the bris, one person asked whether Prime Minister Netanyahu said that "we are going to go to war." Others agreed with him, that "we have to go to war and show them."

I don't think this was at all unique. Many people in America view Israel as "we" and call on Israel and Israelis to take action because "we" have to show "them".

There is an incredible amount of hypocrisy in much of this. In 2001-02, at the height of the Palestinian terror war (please do not call a terror war an "intifada"), many observant Jews were demanding strong military actions against the PA and Yasser Arafat. Yet at the same time, many of these people declined to even visit Israel, and many had their children studying in Israel fly home to the U.S. "We" apparently has its limits, one of which is that not only do "we" not serve in the IDF or live in Israel, many of us do not even visit Israel when it is deemed to be unsafe.

I know one person who rails that Israel must never make territorial concessions. The Gaza withdrawal is, in his view, practically evil. Yet when it comes to his own children, they are absolutely never to go across the 1967 border. No visits to Gaza, no visits to Hebron and Beit Lehem, no visits - based on the literal demands he makes - even to the Golan or the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City.

I believe there are many people just like this. Of course, not everyone is so simplistic, so hypocritical, but for many, there is no sense that keeping all of Judea, Samaria and Gaza may not be possible for political, diplomatic and demographic purposes; that military operations, while sometimes necessary, have to be carefully considered given that there likely will be casualties; and that war therefore is not a preferred approach unless other options don't exist.

Does this mean that American Jews have no business expressing an opinion on Israel? In some limited respects, I believe the answer is yes. I think U.S. Jews calling upon IDF soldiers to refuse orders is appalling. I believe the recent demonstration in New York against Prime Minister Sharon (even if that was not its intent, that is how - predictably - it was spun by the media) was disgraceful.

For the most part, however, people are free to express their views. But they must do so with some humility. For those of us outside Israel, who are not serving in the IDF or sending our children to the IDF, we must not express opinions relating to Israel based on emotion without very carefully considering all of the costs and benefits, and carefully analyzing the nuances of the situation.

Hillel Halkin once wrote in The Jerusalem Report that most non-Israelis have no business expressing any opinion on Israel. The ones who have a right to state their views, he wrote, are those who are up in middle of the night, tossing and turning in angst over what the best course for Israel to take is. I think Halkin is absolutely right, and I have tried to live up to that standard when expressing my opinion about the issues facing Israel.

Israel is not a sports team, and its conflict with the Arabs is not a spectator sport. Those who are not direct participants in the conflict should take that into account when they root for an Israeli victory in the conflict.
posted on 6/29/2005