This is a guest post by Micky.
Among the more shocking silences in the wake of Saturday’s hateful attack upon a Tel Aviv gay center is that of American Jewish organizations who claim to be dedicated to human rights and dignity and Israel’s safety.
The ultimate hypocrisy is that they present themselves to be fully and passionately concerned with the security of the Jewish people. That is, of course, unless those people are gay.
It just leads me to ask these venerable institutions, where are you now?
When almost every major Israeli political leader condemns the attack - when even Shas extends its condolences to the gay community of Tel Aviv - where are you?
When Israeli Jewish youngsters are killed in cold blood, where are you?
When the human rights of an Israeli minority are spilled on the ground in a ruthless hate crime, where are you?
When the democratic principles you claim to endorse are trampled on by a masked gunman, where are you?
They are in that dark place where moral relativism becomes acceptable and where the donor (generally a homophobic Orthodox Jew) is the only concern they have.
It’s a place where the “macro” issues of Israel’s existence outweigh its “micro” social ills, even when they end in murder.
It’s a convenient place between apathy and hate, and its a line they have towed for quite some time.
I am not naïve enough to believe that such organizations can be all things to all people. Nor do I believe they can right so many wrongs in American or Israeli society. That would be far too great a task to include in their lofty “mission statements.”
In this instance, however, they have earned a place next to those who, throughout history, have kept silent in the face of hate. They have loudly pronounced that they “don’t have a dog in this fight.”
Such luxurious posturing has been condemned by such groups since the Holocaust. It ignites their contempt for nations and individuals who commit horrific crimes in the name of hate.
And yet now they have become part of that club. They have tipped their hats in the direction of the very “isms” - racism, antisemitism, fascism, communism - they claim to abhor.
It’s a very comfortable place, after all. It’s a place where mirrors are broken, where consciousness is murky, and where gay Israelis, dead or alive, are of no real concern.
And yet, this post appears on the blog affiliated with the AJC, which is certainly a major American Jewish organization.
More likely, the issue is that Sunday is recognized in the US as the principal day of rest. It is difficult for any business to get done on Sunday, even among American Jews, for whom Sunday’s rest is only a national and not a religious tradition.
One cannot imagine that RAC’s silence on this is some form of negect towards gay Jews. And yet, it had not issued a press release on Sunday either.
I cannot imagine that Monday (Americans’ first day back at work) will end without quite a few statements on the horrific events. If my prediction turns out to be wrong, I will readily endorse the view of this post.
From ADL: http://www.adl.org/PresRele/IslME_62/5574_62.htm
ADL Condemns Violent Attack On Tel Aviv Center For Gay Youth
Jerusalem, August 3, 2009 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today condemned the violent attack on a Tel Aviv center for gay and lesbian youth, which killed two and wounded fifteen. This apparent hate crime targeted people from the LGBT community and their friends who were gathered for a weekly support group.
ADL’s Israel Office issued the following statement:
We condemn this heinous attack on the Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Center and share the urgency of Israel’s government leaders and law enforcement to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrator.
Since bias-motivated crimes have a unique impact on victims and their communities, a vigorous investigation to determine the motivation behind the attack will be vital to alleviating fear and a sense of vulnerability among the gay and lesbian community – and to send an important message about the seriousness of this attack.
The LGBT community is an integral part of the diverse and pluralistic society in Israel and is active, involved and vocal in helping to shape Israeli democracy. We join with Israel’s leadership in urging that this attack spur reflection and education on combating homophobia and other biases.
Yeah, Micky, why let such a tragedy be wasted, when it can be used so effectively as rhetorical fodder to attack wealthy observant Jews. (just curious, did you even check the website of ADL before you wrote this? ADL, perhaps the largest American Jewish organization, has consistently and passionately advocated for the rights of the LGBT community for years…seemingly oblivious to what their “homophobic Orthodox Jewish” donors think.)
I was hoping the simon wiesenthal center would come out with a statement. I checked their website and didn’t see any mention of the hateful attack in Tel Aviv.
From J Street: http://www.jstreet.org/blog/?p=528
J Street responds to violent attack on Tel Aviv LGBT center
Posted by: Amy Spitalnick | August 3rd, 2009 4:03 pm J Street Executive Director Jeremy Ben-Ami issued the following statement in response to this weekend’s violent attack on a Tel Aviv center for gay and lesbian youth:
J Street shares the shock and pain of Israelis and friends of Israel around the world at the terrible news of the multiple shootings at the Gay and Lesbian Association support center in Tel Aviv this weekend.
We hope for the quick recovery of all those wounded and that authorities will quickly apprehend the murderer. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.
No one living in Israel or around the world should fear for indiscriminate acts of violence, no matter their race, religion, sexuality, or gender.
We applaud the wide ranging condemnations of this heinous act of violence from all corners of the Israeli political map. This kind of violence – apparently based on hate and prejudice – is unfortunately found all over the globe. We applaud those in Israel and elsewhere who use this horrible moment as an opportunity to reflect on the need for tolerance and respect and the need to speak out against incitement of any kind, wherever and whenever it appears.
This is what’s going on in San Francisco on August 3 with an ad hoc group of Jewish, LGBT, and Jewish and LGBT organizations:
http://sfjcf.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/lgbt-shooting-vigil/
From the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism:
http://blogs.rj.org/rac/2009/08/calling_for_an_end_to_violence_hate.html
From the Jewish Council for Public Affairs: http://engage.jewishpublicaffairs.org/t/1686/blog/index.jsp?blog_KEY=89
JCPA: Attack on Gay and Lesbian Community is Unjustifiable
Posted by JCPA 10:40 AM Aug 04, 2009
Washington, D.C. - This weekend’s deadly attack on a gay and lesbian youth center in Tel Aviv is deeply disturbing and unjustifiable. It reminds us of the need to stand vigilant against hate and bias anywhere in the world, says a leading Jewish advocacy organization.
Andrea Weinstein, chair of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, issued the following statement condemning the attack in Tel Aviv:
“Jewish scripture teaches us that we were all made in the Lord’s image. For generations, this concept has been part of Israel’s daily life and is reflected by Israel’s diverse and open society. However, there are still those who commit violence against individuals simply based on who they are. JCPA strongly condemns this weekend’s hateful and heinous attack on the gay and lesbian youth center in Tel Aviv. We commend Israeli officials who are professionally and diligently pursuing those responsible for the attacks and will bring them to justice. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and the victims’ families of this weekend’s deadly attack in Tel Aviv.
“We hope the outpouring of support from the international community to Israel in the wake of this weekend’s attack will unify efforts across the globe to combat hate-based crimes.”
A couple points of important clarification:
1. If you are a z-word regular, you know that its editorial staff, second to none, would never publish anything containing factual inaccuracies; my post
was written within 24 hours of the attack. And within 24 hours, outside of Israelis of every stripe, almost none of the major Jewish orgs condemned this crime.
2. Such organizations, as a matter of principle - and operation - condemn, applaud, and denounce on a dime in other situations, be they terrorism or the
vandalizing of a Jewish cemetery or a verbal attack on Reform Jews in Israel by haredi religious leaders. In this case, it took more than 48 hours for even ADL and J Street to speak out. And we are still waiting for others to weigh in. Had this been an attack
on Ethiopians or one perpetrated by Israeli Neo-Nazis, you would have seen an immediate response. It does quite simply come down to who matters and who does not.
These orgs, in their slow response, or with no response at all, have made their feelings quite plain.
3. I am intimately familiar with the center in TLV, as a close friend is a volunteer there. I can assure you that these deaths were not the very excuse I was looking for to excoriate homophobia among wealthy Orthodox donors. As an out gay man with well over 15 years experience working with the highest
levels of power in the Jewish organizational world, I can say with absolute surety that homophobia, even in its most polite forms, is quite common across
all political and religious affiliations.
It is, however, a fact that with the
rise of Orthodox populations in America (a statistical fact), and the need for Jewish orgs to cultivate new donors, there begins to be a noticeable shift in
the political/social leanings of those orgs. I could have argued the same occurred when old money Reform Jews, with more liberal social leanings, were at the helm.
However, I have been in many a policy meeting when, for better or for worse, the fear of losing
money from a conservative-minded or Orthodox donor has effected choices on speaking out. If you are not comfortable with that fact, or the fact that such organizations are influenced this way, I am afraid I cannot try to sway you.
4. For your information, on a more personal note, this was the first blog I have ever written, and it was written out of a place of absolute despair. I could not believe, and still cannot believe, the silence that followed in the wake of these deaths. As someone who has dedicated his life to the Jewish community and the safety of Israel, I wanted to know why Jews like me could be so easily overlooked by the very same orgs that regularly tout Jewish peopehood and unity.
The answer, sadly, was quite clear. It was all about the bottom line and an unspoken hate that permeates this world. For Jason, this may be senseless fodder, but for many others, this is their reality.
Micky, please note that ADL has been one of the leading organizations in the country in devoting time and resources lobbying to include the LGBT community as a protected group in existing hate crimes legislation:
http://www.adl.org/combating_hate/hate_crime_prevention_act.asp