Plenty of Room for Dissent, No Room for Hate

There is PLENTY of room in ISRAEL for dissent, opposition, and dialogue within the context of its robust democratic culture. That openness to discussion extends to Jewish communities worldwide. This is the case, despite some seriously different ways of seeing things and the high passions that frequently accompany it!

Virulent anti-Zionist propaganda, however, can never be elevated to the status of "another perspective." The moment that line is crossed, the normalization of hateful ideology becomes a stepping stone for avant-garde violence. When you affix a social justice label to run-of-the-mill antisemitic thuggery, you are debasing justice AND mainstreaming bigotry.

This week's surge of violent attacks on Jews across the country saw the sad debut of nascent demagoguery decked out in its co-opted social justice couture.

This has been driven by a chilling form of collective character assassination. This is an insidious MO in the ways it aims to pit one against oneself. This form of emotional terrorism enlists one's targeted prey as a proxy against their own self. The hoped-for erosion of a sense of intrinsic goodness is simply the first step leading to a voluntary and gradual forfeit of soul and self.

Ironically, this devastating form of psychological abuse that targets one's sense of conscience only works against people who have one to begin with.

My fellow Jewish activists: It's time to bring your admirable and energetic passion back home. Don't get me wrong. I'm not asking you to pretend that you like things you dislike. To the contrary, I'm encouraging you in my capacity as a Jewish leader and teacher to work on it until it works for you. But that offers me the leverage to challenge you in return: to scrutinize everything with at least the same objectivity, if not more, including the doctrines of intersectionality that seemingly would love nothing more than a blind acquiescence to its underlying and blatant inconsistencies.

And by the way, what's up with all this? Since when do you or I roll that way?

If you don't subscribe to this message then... nu nu... as we say in Yiddish :)

I would ask you to at least hear me out in this: I know you! You are GREAT! Not perfect... but then again who is?

What are you ashamed of? If you are Jewish and hearing this... then trust me when I tell you that you are the holiest Jew I know! And while we are at it, I think you should be proud of whoever you are. That includes being proud to be a Jew.

Do not let anyone tell you otherwise: you should only allow others to measure you if you plan to buy a suit from them.

That being the case: hold your head up high, dear brother and sister! Remember this. If someone has hatred in their heart, it's not about you. Don't accept anyone's narrative if it requires any degree of hating on yourself.

Not now. Not tomorrow. Not ever.

To be continued... maybe...

But till then, sending each of you love, radical acceptance, and zero judgment... which if you think about it, is very much a Shabbat thing.