The last four years have been an extraordinarily difficult time for American Jews. We watched as Israeli men and women fell victim to senseless terrorist attacks, and many more became accustomed to a new reality, in which fear prevailed over the enjoyment of daily life. We were forced to mobilize, quickly and efficiently, to help our Israeli brothers and sisters with money, political support and friendship.
At the same time, many in the American Jewish community supported the various steps towards peace that Israelis made while the Jewish state was under attack? from the Geneva Accords to the People’s Voice campaign. Israel has always looked for partners on the Palestinian side to discuss the prospect of peace, and there are initiatives that have been developed over the past four years that can be leveraged now with the new constructive atmosphere.
As long as Israel?s right to exist within safe and secure boundaries was threatened, American support for Israel was easier to rouse. But now it gets more complicated. The Palestinians have turned to new leadership, and made constructive steps toward living in peace with Israel. The violence has largely abated, and the focus has shifted to how the region can again know peace.
We watch as Israel makes tough choices, choosing to leave land it has known as its own, displace people and make real sacrifices in the hope of a peaceful neighborhood. The deliberations have been long and arduous, but more Israelis are rallying behind a policy they see as leading to a better future for the Jewish state.
American Jews have tough choices to make as well. We can sit on the sidelines of this debate, afraid that speaking out can hurt our membership numbers or our fundraising dollars. Or, we can actively support Israel in this, a different kind of hour of need.
We must choose the latter. The American government, and the world, will be looking at us. We must show them that we back the people of Israel, and the right of their democratically elected government to make decisions as they see fit.
Making sacrifices is always difficult. And certainly we are concerned that terrorists will see Israel’s withdrawal as a tangible reward for the violence they have perpetrated against Jews for the last four years rather than as Israel?s way to achieve a secure, democratic Jewish state. Israel has made a practical decision that can help its future, and we must stand with them.
In actively supporting the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, we will be speaking for a majority of our community. A poll, conducted by Ameinu in April, found that 62 percent of American Jews support Israel’s disengagement plan. Moreover, it found a plurality of American Jews think Israel should be willing, in the context of a peace agreement, to withdraw from most Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Too often though, American Jewish groups have shied away from taking a real stand on the controversial issues that face Israel, choosing to stifle the majority opinion to spare an influential minority.
But by not actively backing what our community sees as in Israel’s best interest – and what Israel itself thinks is right – we give the erroneous impression that Jews are not supporting the disengagement plan, and are against giving up settlements in Gaza and the West Bank for ultimate peace.
How can we expect our government – and world leaders – to back Israel unequivocally in the coming months, if we are not willing to do the same? Shouldn’t we, in fact, be leading the effort?
Ameinu is giving a voice to the majority of American Jews. In the coming months, we will be building a “Coalition of the Majority,” to actively back the Jewish state in its withdrawal from Gaza. We hope to engage other American Jews groups in efforts to publicly support the Israeli government, and send a positive message that will be seen in both Jerusalem and Washington.
Ameinu can be a bridge between the American Jewish community and the people of Israel. We have a seat at the table in the American Jewish world, and can actively represent our constituency to Israel. And we have strong, ongoing relationships with Israeli political and social leaders.
We hope to show the world that the Jewish people are united in efforts that will bring about a safe and secure Israel and a peaceful Middle East.
For four years, for most of the Jewish community being “pro-Israel.” has meant being against violence, against terrorism, against Arafat. Now, we must redefine the term. Being “pro-Israel” should mean supporting the Israeli people, and their government, as they implement the Gaza disengagement plan and exploit this window of opportunity for a lasting peace in the region.
And we, as American Jews, should be as loudly “pro-Israel” now as we have ever been before.
