43 thoughts on “Haaretz’s ‘In Praise of Jewish Blogging’ – Tikun Olam תיקון עולם إصلاح العالم
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  1. You spoke too quickly, Richard. You just receivedc your first “talkback” response. And the guy isn’t crazy about you.

  2. Mazel Tov Richard, it’s wonderful to see you get some well deserved recognition. I enjoyed the editorial very much and would also be interested in reading the unabridged version. Reading your editorial led me to be introspective and please humour me by reading a long tract…

    Like many men who turn 40, I realized I was in need for major changes in my life and get serious about solving problems that was causing what was missing in my life. Most prominently, was a lack of serious relationships. Shortly thereafter, I met my wife, fell in love and got married. I didn’t set out to meet a Jewish woman, but that obviously was in the cards for me. Part of those changes turned out to be a spiritual reawakening and I became intersted in practicing Judaism, something I had lost all itnerest in since I was in high school some 25 years previously, I joined a synagogue and had a religious wedding ceremony and continue to belong and participate in a Reform Jewish congregatation.

    Part of what turned me off to Judaism in the late 70’s and contiuing through my adulthood was exactly what Richard described in his Haaretz editorial: a “monotone” of one side of a complex conflict that seemed to drown out all other voices. The position seemed clear to me: Either you are with us or against us, and when it came to those politics, I clearly wasn’t with them.

    I had strong beliefs in Social Justice. I noticed that, in Israel there seemed to be movements like “Peace Now” and other progressive voices speaking what seemed like common sense to me. But all I heard from organized Judaism in the United States seemed to be nonsense. This was a big factor of why organized Judaism had no place in my life.

    All along I maintained a strong Jewish identity. Most of my friends were Jewish and most of my gentile friends’ friends were Jewish as well. I do believe the sense of Social Justice that made me abhor the much of theIsraeli government’s policies towards the Palestinians is based on Jewish ethics. In the late 90’s I became aware of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom and since have been a dues-paying member.

    As I rejoined the Jewish spiritual world, as an Information Systems professional, needless to say I turned to the Internet as part of my education. Both on cultural, spritual, and of course political topics there is so much to be found. But once again, I found the voices that so turned me off 25 years early to be the loudest. Add to that most “J-bloggers”, as they called themselves, were young hipsters young enough to be my son or daughter,

    Fortunately, before I got turned off by all of this, one day doing a google search on some topic, I ran across “Tikun Olam”. The first thing I noticed was an ad for Brit Tzedek. I knew I was at home. In addition to a poltiical voice that matched my own, I found a blog that discussed Jewish Culture (particularly Jewish music, a subject as a professional musician of Jewish heritage, I must confess I lack much knowledge of), occaisional business, tech and even pop culture. And, a voice just a few years older than my own, who also married later in life and began raising children at an age when many have grandchildren.

    So after this long post, I would like to say, “Thank you Richard Silverstein” for all your hard work and excellent writing to give a voice that is so needed. I don’t have the time to read Haaretz and all the other sources you read to pass this much needed information. I certainly can’t read Hebrew so there are an enormous amound of material closed to me that you provide.

    But more importantly, thank you for all that I’ve learned from you. I’ll close with one important point. While I’ve always completely supported Israel and it’s right to exist, I had struggled with the term “Zionist”. Could I consider myself a “Zionist”? I was never sure what that word meant, It seemed like so many – both clearly anti-Israel and on the pro-Israeli Right had a similar definition that clearly was one I could not identify with.

    When I joined my congregration, the dues included a membership to ARZA (The Association of Reform Zionists of America). While I’m sure I could have refused to pay it if I inisisted – I didn’t know if I wanted to make such waves at my schul just as I was joining. It was only a few bucks, so I went ahead paying it, without knowing much of what ARZA was, while wondering whether “Zionist” was a term I could apply to myself.

    But after reading Tikkun Olam, and my private correspondences with Richard, I learned that the word “Zionist” means a lot of things to a lot of people. And absolutely a progressive who is a “card-carrying member” of Brit Zedek v’Shalom, who abhors war, is shocked by the strong armed tactics of the Occupation, (and on and on) can absolutely be a Zionist without any of the baggage that the neo-cons and their fellow travelers would like to apply to the term.

    “Toda” Richard, and as the saying goes in Latin “Non illigitamus carborundum” (I wish I knew the Yiddish equivilant!)

  3. Mazal tov. The article is good but a little short on insight into the Palestinian society.

    Why have you not dropped a few ctitical words on the W-M israel lobby unresearch?

    It is good to read dan sniderman’s confessions. holding some secrets can be beneficial.

    It is disturbing how people seek spiritual content along the empty old lines.

    The course has been changed by Spinoza and Kant, but American Jews were raised on Eastern European myths.

    The Western European Jews have had a better chance to get secular.

  4. Just a negative remark on Obama.

    Contentless.

    Not from me. From Leon Wieseltier.

    Give up on Obama!

    PS If you seek integrity, vote JRE!

  5. Hi Richard,

    I would just like to say that I am happy that I discovered your website. I am an American Muslim and its refreshing to know that Jewish people care about peace and justice. Thanks.

    AJ

  6. Richard, I’m so glad that Ha’aretz finally published you, because I’ve found your blog! Congratulations on your by-line, and may there be many more.

    I’m a subscriber, and look forward to being a regular.

  7. Congratulations! (I am green with envy…)
    You do so deserve it. They should also (if they didn’t yet) get to quoting some of Philip Weiss’ musings on his blog.

    Apropos nothing…
    Incidentally, what is Haaretz’s policy on printing material written by one of the unwashed horde of goyim? Apropos nothing, no reason for asking… 🙂

  8. Mr Sniderman, re your question: “I had struggled with the term “Zionist”. Could I consider myself a “Zionist”? I was never sure what that word meant(…)”.

    Zionist is a loaded word. When you say “zionist” around the world, that means support of Israel and its actions no matter what. That means bombing of Lebanon’s high rises, killing tens of people to get one guy, supposedly located in one of the apartments. That means hundreds, thousands of Palestinians in Israeli jails. That means street checkpoints in the West Bank, settlers with Uzis taunting Arabs, Israeli settler kids throwing stones at Palestinian children while an IDF soldier looks on bored.

    I believe that the term you are looking for is a – qualified – supporter of Israel. A person who wants what’s best for Israel and its people. And that means that you are not a zionist.

    Take my opinion with a grain of salt, as this is coming from a dirty, unwashed goy who doesn’t know his place in the world and speaks too much before he is slapped down into his place 🙂

  9. Congrats Richard. That’s wonderful recognition.

    Americangoy – Why do you refer to yourself in that manner and why you make the comment “this is coming from a dirty, unwashed goy who doesn’t know his place in the world and speaks too much before he is slapped down into his place :-)”

    What is up with that?

    As a “zionist” who supports Israel, but doesn’t support many of Israel’s policies (many of which you listed), who wants a viable independent state for the Palestinians, and who would be more comfortable at an anti-war rally than a ZOA meeting, I don’t really appreciate you defining for me or others what a zionist is. This is not meant as a “slap down” as you put it, but just as I wouldn’t have the arrogance to tell Palestinians what they should be and believe, grain of salt or not, you might consider broadening your understanding of the range of thought that exists amongst zionists.

  10. Good work Richard, and congrats. I echo the sentiment above about Phil Weiss too – you are both doing justice to the best of the Jewish tradition, unlike those who oppose you.

  11. OK to make it clear…

    Around the world, a zionist is a loaded word, just like the words: anti-semite, fascist, nazi, communist, are loaded words which bring with them immense baggage and pre-conceptions. about a person.

    Is it easier to understand now?

  12. Americangoy – Do you understand that there is a fairly wide range of perspectives within zionism? All zionists believe that Jews, like every other group that defines itself as a people, have a right to self-governance and statehood. Some zionists possess religious beliefs that posit that Jews are entitled to the entire land of anciet Israel. Many zionists don’t share this belief. Some zionists don’t want there to be an independent Palestinie state, many very much do. Some zionists recognize the humanity of both jews and arabs and seek to create a way to share the land so that both groups of people can actualize their humanity and prosper. Some don’t. You and I share the same disdain for those zionists that don’t recognize the humanity in the other and who refuse to grant to other what they demand for themselves. To use the term zionism as if those narrow minded people are the sole representatives of it is the equivalent of saying that all Muslims are represented by Al Qaeda. I take offense at both generalizations. I’m guessing that if you think about it the same way you too would take similar offense. Am I wrong?

  13. Richard, Mazaltov for getting your article “In Praise of Jewish Blogging” published in Haaretz. I would like to see the unedited piece that you originally submitted. Perhaps you can post it here?

  14. I read this article in the Haaretz english edition.
    I would certainly agree with the gist of the article.
    I would also like to advance my own view, and it seems to me that what you describe as Jewish blogging would fit this need to express some of my ideas.
    Being short of knowledge about how to do so, I am taking this oportunity to express some concepts which I think are crucial to the advancement of a solution to our conflict.
    First and foremost is the concept of Turning a new leaf, new day, unclutered by the past which impedes any rational dialogue. Dwelling on all the past wrongs on both sides only exasperates the conflict.
    Second, a rational discussion must put all the protagonist on an even playing field. By this I mean that all the people must have equal rights as established by all for the good of all.
    In my opinion, the Two State Solution to our conflict will never solve it. The fact that we have a substantial “Palestinian” Israeli constituancy introduces an element in Israel which is inherently anti Israel. This is not the melting pot of the USA.
    A one state solution encompassing all of Israel with equal rights for all would certainly resolve most of the conflict.
    A United States of The Middle East would then be a reachable goal with a Democratic Israel as another state in the region.
    David Gutholc January 26 2008

  15. Richard, upon reading your piece in Haaretz – of course, congratulations – and then the numerous mostly negative follow-ups , I was reminded of that droll warning – Beware of what you wish for, it may come true. Almost all, and I do mean almost all, of the commentary consisted of truly ugly ad hominem attacks against you. Was it Emerson who said, “To be great is to be misunderstood.”? As a child growing up in a highly anti-Semitic community, I was often sustained by the belief perpetuated in my extremely secular family that we Jews had a kind of special lock on fundamental goodness and ethics, a sense of justice developed and honed over the centuries as victims who could surely have benefitted from some heartfelt goodness and justice from the society of which we were at least a physical part. In fact, I came to believe that it all could be distilled, basic Judaism, in two words: ETHICAL MONOTHEISM. Having read those various angry attacks against you in reaction to your fairly simple and certainly honest statement, I have mo way of knowing if the attackers are monotheists or not – they would certainly most likely claim to be – but they certainly seem to be thumbing their holier-than-thou noses at the concept of ethics, at least the kind of ethics in which justice has a prominent place, that you, Richard, stress in your blog, an ethics that is not merely a practical convenience but one that truly is and accepts no less than universal application. Again, Richard, congratulations on getting even a somewhat truncated piece in Haaretz, and as to all those ad homineminers, Screw ‘em, full speed ahead!

  16. Richard hi,

    Congratulations for the Ha’aretz op-ed. Will definitely boost your readership.

    I visit your site occasionally.
    By the way, I’m right here under your nose in Seattle and blogging (somewhat intermittently) at assaf.dailykos.com

    Have we met in some demonstration?

    Cheers, Assaf

  17. Congratulation, Richard! Your work to make the world a better place is now recognized in London and Israel as well as the United States.

  18. Asaf: I don’t know whether we’ve met but I do know yr name. Did you attend the Brit Tzedek Combatants for Peace event? I helped coordinate that. I know someone has mentioned yr name to me: either Amir Terkel or Rainer Waldman Atkins perhaps.

    I’m tickled you’re at DK. I personally found it a vile site (at least the True Believer commenters) & was banned by for dissing Armando (it’s a long story).

    I can see that yr DK diaries get a lot of interest & comments which is great. I highly recommend Asaf’s DK diary to readers. You can find it here. You should definitely get yr own blog & I’d give you advice on how to do that if you want any. There are not enough progressive Israelis blogging in English.

    Send me links to anything you publish at DK which you want me to see esp. stories you think aren’t getting covered enough or at all about I-P related stuff. Also, if you find stuff either in the Hebrew press or blogs that deserves being covered let me know that as well.

  19. DKos is all about Obama, Hillary and Edwards right now.
    Everything else gets lost in the partisan hit pieces diaries.
    Perhaps at the end of the whole election circus things will get better.
    Many people have quit DKos, as it is true you get a lot of comments on a diary, but they do not seem of very high quality.

  20. I have numerous issues w. DK. First, it is only interested, as you say, in doing everything possible to help Democrats win elections. Anything not related to that gets short shrift & holds no interest for those who run the site. And believe it or not there are important issues affecting the world beyond that narrow one. For example, Markos wrote a horrid editorial denouncing both sides in the Lebanon war & saying he wanted nothing to do w; the issue & wouldn’t write another word about it. I thought that was beyond reprehensible & a moral abdication.

    But if you criticize Armando or Markos for anything you will get crap rained down upon you by their minions. Hundreds of comments of the worst, most vitriolic sort. It’s ugly. And then I was banned, which is why I have a proud graphic in my blogroll noting I was for mentioning Armando’s name.

  21. Hi Richard,

    Thanks for replying. If you mean the event that took place in an office downtown, yes I was there together with a couple of Israeli friends. I know Amir Terkel from Courage to Refuse, and know even better Rainer from around here 🙂

    I’ve just finished my Ph.D. in statistics here at UW, and have started a post-doc at the Hutch.

    I identify with your sentiments about DK. My attitude towards the site runs in cycles, and I did get a diary “troll-rated” in November 2006 for daring to criticize some Carl Levin for taking a “blame the Iraqis” approach to Iraq.
    But coming from Israel I am perhaps more used to vitriol, which is a way of life over there in that country. I’m too lazy to set up my own personal blog, and am also doubtful about the merit – but I have just started a blog for an Israeli human-rights group I’m affiliated with: look up http://villagesgroup.wordpress.com, it has a Hebrew mirror as well.

    The article I have right now at Daily Kos, I’d be happy if you take a look at it as well. again, my address there is just assaf.dailykos.com

    I think there are actually many progressive Israelis blogging in English as well as Hebrew, but we are not good about networking ourselves. Besides, there are excellent NGO websites into which people put their energies (see my blogroll at DK, but you are probably familiar with most). I do a bit of work for the Yesh Gvul site, on their “page of shame” feature (which has slowed down recently). An annotated version is at http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/9/28/16411/5273/958/391622

  22. A follow-up, to explain why I continue posting at DK. Sure, the site has its drawbacks and a questionable culture (privately-owned democratic revolution? Kind of an oxymoron), but it is still a major meeting place for progressive-minded Americans. This is the audience I’d like to start paying more attention and becoming more informed about Israel-Palestine.

    I reject the knee-jerk approach of many Israeli and Jewish activists, who think we should work mostly with the Jewish communities. It’s a brick wall over there. The Jewish communities in America will be pretty much the last people to come around. Besides, Israel-Palestine is everybody’s business not just the Jews’.

    So I grit my teeth at the vitriol and the “pro-Israel” jerks (there are also some “pro-Israel” non-jerks with whom you can have a civil debate; I’ve noticed a few of them have budged somewhat leftward over time!), and hope for a cumulative effect. Isn’t that what the blogosphere is about?

    By the way, check Ye’ela’s site there yeela.dailykos.com. She is a single-subject diarist about Negev Bedouins. She works with RCUV, the committee of unrecognized villages. She is way more determined than me and never seems to get to worked up at malicious comments.

  23. If you don’t mind me butting in one more time (sorry), I think that Mr. Asaf raised a valid point although it seems that he has it wrong.

    Namely, that this is an intra-Jew conversation, whether Kristol visiting Jon Stewart, or talking on this blog.
    As a non Jew American citizen, I feel almost left out of the whole power loop, as if I didn’t have any voice or choice in the matter. It is simply a “Jewish only”, and however it will be decided, it will be decided by AIPAC, progressive Jews like yourselves and centrists, to be swayed by either side. But to be a bit callous, it is my tax money going to Israel, it is my country’s agenda being kidnapped by (in my opinion) AIPAC fanatics… I simply do not see non Jewish Americans involved in this conversation at all – either unaware of it or simply scared?

    And this Jews-only zone is weird as what you are all discussing here affects US foreign policy, which affects the whole world’s geopolitical structure. It is not by mistake that Indonesian moslems hate USA – they simply see TV reports from Palestine, perhaps even off Al Jazeera. This issue is THE defining issue of the world (no, I do not think I am exaggerating) and is similar to the Balkans being the trouble spot pre WW1…and we all know how that situation ended.

    I know that there are people who are non Jews involved in this issue, from Rachel Corrie for example who got literally rolled over by an IDF bulldozer, to the so called christians in USA who support Israel for some nutty religious reason.

    But really, there are no blogs I know of of any importance (and my blog is certainly very small stuff, amateurish) that deal with this issue and are not made by Jews. The only stuff online that I can see is the fundamentalist christians, and reading those makes me physically ill. And of course DKos, Crooks and Liars, Thinkprogress would sooner disconnect their servers than publish anything critical of Israel…

    Again, just my $0.02, sorry for butting in.

    Edit: Well, there are Palestinian blogs on the web of course, but it again harps to my point that there is no specific American mainstream blog/web page dedicated to this issue, taking a fair look at it. Of course we have radical christians on one side and the KKK/der sturmer brigade on the other…..

  24. Dear AG,

    Thanks for your insight.

    I definitely agree that the whole Israel-Palestine issue has become a navel-gazing exercise for American Jews. Most of them really don’t count non-Jewish opinion. Again, I’m trying to strike a different path.

    Actually, on DK there are at least a couple of non-Jewish progressives consistently blogging on the subject. See for example heathlander, who has both her (I think it’s a she) own blog http://heathlander.wordpress.com/ and a mirror on DK.

    Also, don’t let the loud noise made by a handful of “pro-Israeli” commenters there fool you. The rank and file – even if you only look at those who bother reading I-P diaries – are split at least 3 to 1, our favor. Anytime there’s a poll put out on a diary this becomes evident.

    All that being said, the political blogosphere…. the Jewish-American enclosed self-referencing “debate”…. what is the use of them? I’d be surprised if anything good comes out of it.

  25. the political blogosphere…. the Jewish-American enclosed self-referencing “debate”…. what is the use of them? I’d be surprised if anything good comes out of it.

    If I understand you correctly, Assaf, I disagree. We’ve got to fight the good fight to move the American Jewish community in the right direction & oppose the machinations of AIPAC. It’s one of the primary raisons d’etre of this blog.

  26. “Actually, on DK there are at least a couple of non-Jewish progressives consistently blogging on the subject. See for example heathlander, who has both her (I think it’s a she) own blog http://heathlander.wordpress.com/ and a mirror on DK.”

    Just for accuracy’s sake: I am Jewish and I am a ‘he’ (and I’m also an Israeli citizen, at least technically).

    Congrats on the Ha’aretz article, Richard. You’ve done a lot of good work trying to encourage people to debate and get involved in the issue – this article, the I/P Forum, etc. – and it is very commendable. And I’d certainly add my endorsement of Assaf’s and Yeela’s diaries at Daily Kos. Together with http://jon-the-antizionist-jew.dailykos.com/, litho.dailykos.com (although he has written less about I/P lately) and a few others (mainly commenters as opposed to diarists), they are one of the few points of light in what is otherwise a thoroughly depressing experience.

  27. Mr Silverstein – of course a blog about the Palestinian-Israeli issues, of the progressive slant, run by a Jew, read by Jews, made famous by an Israeli (dare I say Jewish) newspaper is a good thing. It is a great thing.

    But, it is still, like DKos, a (pardon the language) circle jerk, an echo chamber if you will.

    The trick is to confront the millions and millions of Americans, of the goyim variety, who have never heard of AIPAC, who have all the news they need from FOX and CNN, who know what the world outside US borders looks like from the Simpsons’ series, and present them with just the facts.

    Here is the story of AIPAC and its influence, here is how much money is going to Israel as opposed to, say, Africa or Latin America, here is how things in the West Bank really are, here is the (almost) humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

    That is the trick…

    No offense Mr. Silverstein, nor any dig at your wonderful blog, of which I am a great fan.

  28. a blog about the Palestinian-Israeli issues, of the progressive slant, run by a Jew, read by Jews, made famous by an Israeli (dare I say Jewish) newspaper is a good thing. It is a great thing.

    My blog is read by Jews and non-Jews. It is read by Arabs & even some Palestinians. I’d like it to be read by more. If you know of any non Jews you think should be reading this blog pls. introduce them to it. It is true that I don’t have as much impact as I would like among both Jews & non-Jews. But hopefully that can change over time.

    My work has also been published by The Guardian’s Comment is Free blog which reaches a mixed Jewish & non-Jewish audience. I’ve been interviewed by publications that reach both Jewish & non-Jewish audiences.

    My strategy here is to aim my work at a Jewish audience but to assume that it will have relevance to a non Jewish audience esp. one interested in the IP conflict.

  29. Richard,

    Sorry if a different impression was created: I greatly appreciate your work. The more people do, write, etc., the better. You focus on Jewish audience but also get others to read you. I focus on general audiences (except when writing in Hebrew of course), but do not mind if Jews read and are affected as well. The different efforts complement each other. I wish I had your perseverance and daily commitment.

    Hopefully, at some point these little seeds we plant in different places of this political desert, will bloom.

    JamieSW,

    So you are the Heathlander? Cool. What does the name mean?
    Do you agree with me that in princple 3 out of 4 DK readers have their heart in the right place, but the handful of AIPACists there are turning any I-P debate into such a mudfight that the reasonable people get turned off?

    Cheers, Assaf

  30. By the way Richard,

    You asked about other sources to read in Hebrew. On the website hagada.org.il, there is Haim Bar’am, who’s been writing an influential column in Jerusalem’s alt-weekly Kol Ha’ir for over 25 years. I remember reading him in the 80’s and thinking “what a crazy leftist”, in the 90’s thinking “he’s got a good grasp of things, but why is he so pessimistic about the Oslo process?”. In short, he’s got it. What is amazing is that this alt-weekly is ready by EVERYONE in Jerusalem, not just secular-leftists, and Jerusalemites have respect towards Bar’am even though most of them are worlds apart in their opinions. Hagada.org.il brings an e-copy of his columns every week. Also featured there is veteran human-rights activist Gideon Spiro, who writes a similar column in Tel-Aviv’s Ha’ir weekly.

    Assaf

  31. Assaf: I wasn’t responding to your comments at all. I was responding to American Goy. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

    I too think it’s important to address non-Jews and agree that it’s often hopeless expecting American Jews, especially our dinosaur leaders, to change their spots & become advocates for real change regarding the IP issue.

    I remember Haim Bar’am from my days in Israel in 1980. I think he was then on the left of the Labor party & we had a friend or two in common though I don’t think I ever met him.

    Hagada’s site is also in English & I tried to feature it at my blog aggregator but their feed was hinky if I recall. But I didn’t know Baram was featured at the site. Thanks for that news.

  32. Richard: cheers!

    Assaf:

    “Do you agree with me that in princple 3 out of 4 DK readers have their heart in the right place, but the handful of AIPACists there are turning any I-P debate into such a mudfight that the reasonable people get turned off?”

    Well, the poll results seem to support that view. So for example, this recent diary ended with a poll asking whether the U.S. “should end its support for Israel”. 65% of 89 respondents said “yes”. It was badly worded (‘support for Israel’ can mean anything) but it gives an indication of where the broad feelings of the community lie. Other polls with more respondents usually turn out even more strongly in favour of our side.

    So yes, that’s an important point – despite the vocal clique of “pro-Israel” commenters, the silent majority is actually quite supportive of the ‘pro-Palestinian’ viewpoint. The problem is that this support doesn’t seem to translate into anything useful, or any political action at all.

  33. Hi Richard,

    I think you refer to Haim Bar’am’s older brother, Uzi, who was even a minister in Rabin’s second government. Haim never went to politics. He is a journalist who has two columns – one political and one about football (he has a similar “radical” approach, very amusing one, to that sport).

    He was always quite to the left of Uzi and more outspoken, but Uzi too probably had his heart more to the left than his party affiliation could allow. He was an OK politician all in all. They were also our neighbors for a while. Their father Moshe Bar’am was an old Labor Zionist leader who was minister for many years (under Golda, etc.).

    The Hagada.org.il English site is not worth much yet, they just started it and don’t do a good job of consistently translating articles. Try http://www.kibush.co.il for a more steady stream of English-language news and articles form the Israeli anti-Occupation community. The site both brings articles from places like Ha’aretz English, and translates or even posts English originals. Of course, they also have a Hebrew site (and Arabic and Russian!).

    Assaf

  34. Your efforts to help inform us on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are especially important to Americans as we so seldom hear anything critical of Israel. Many of us see that there are two sides to the problem but are afraid to criticize Israel for fear of being labeled an anti-Semite. I see by the comments at Haarratz that Jews are also vilified. Thanks for your courage — each voice helps to break the silence.

  35. Richard,

    I’ve been meaning to congratulate you for some time now. Just get buried in email, though. I know it may be discouraging sometimes, between the paradigm shift we would like and the vile personal attacks, but you’re doing a good ad useful thing. I’m glad I reconnected with you. (And hope that this post gets through your spam filter)

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