Rabbi and Prominent Jews OPPOSED to Obama’s Planned Attack on Syria; Jewish opposition to AIPAC
Piece by Rob Kall, with additional commentary for PopularResistance.org by Harel B., an American whose had dual US-Israeli citizenship for 25 years.
OpEdNews Op Eds 9/7/2013 at 12:20:33
Jews Against US Attacking Syria, Progressives For It?
By Rob Kall (about the author) Permalink
“It is time for American Jews to take a stand against AIPAC, to put America first, to put peace first.
“This is the time of the Jewish High Holy Days– Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, when many Jews go to synagogue, for some, the only time of year they go.
“They are getting messages from their rabbis. Some are being asked to tell their congressmen to support Obama’s call for support for an attack on Syria.Others are being told the exact opposite, that an attack on Syria is a bad idea.
“I’ll wrap up this piece with these words. I am a Jew and I totally oppose the attack on Syria. I also totally oppose AIPAC. I support Israel’s right to exist, but oppose many of its policies, just as I have opposed policies of the recent presidents of the United States.
Kall quoting Anti-war Rabbi Arthur Waskow:
Rabbi Arthur Waskow says:
What to do? Urge your Senators and House member and whatever publics you can reach, to vigorously opposeany resolution authorizing military force against Syria, and instead to put forward nonviolent, nonlethal alternatuve ways of intervening.
Try to start a viral message:
Drop gas-masks, not bombs.
Remember: On Rosh Hashanah we pleaded with God — which means also with ourselves — to move from the throne of Punitive Justice to the throne of Compassionate Repair.
If not now, when?”
Rob Kall is executive editor, publisher and website architect of OpEdNews.com, Host of the Rob Kall Bottom Up Radio Show (WNJC 1360 AM), and publisher of Storycon.org, President of Futurehealth, Inc, and an inventor . He is also published regularly on the Huffingtonpost.com Rob is, with Opednews.com the first media winner of the Pillar Award for supporting Whistleblowers and the first amendment.
Commentary for PopularResistance by Harel B:
Below is a list of prominent Jewish men and women opposed to Obama’s plans to attack Syria, but first: don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not “pro-Israel” enough by opposing military “action,” another word for murderous violence. That Al Qaeda militarily dominates the rebel factions alone is huge, with rebel factions promising slaughter of all non-believers, but even putting that aside, the right-wing “pro-Israel” positions are the opposite, they are the most anti-Israel there are – they have militarized Israel, increased inequality, increase religious extremism within Israel, eroded away much of the previous (already limited by inequality) democracy in Israel, and most of all reduced the security of Israel. When you oppose bombs, invasions, and covert operations, you’re only not hurting Israel, you’re making it more safe, more secure.
Talking points when you speak with fellow Americans:
Just as U.S. military adventures have (by CIA and Military analysts’ own admission) made us less safe as Americans, with more terrorism threats as a direct result of the 2003 Iraq invasion, occupation, Abu Graib (and many other less famous examples just as abusive) and just as the CIA’s cover operations have not only not made the U.S. more safe, but have made Americans much less safe — think of the CIA’s 1953 overthrow of a democratic government in Iran and US support for the Shah’s brutal dictatorship for years: it merely paved the way directly to the 1979 hardline Iranian revolution led by the Ayatollah Khomeini. Don’t be merely defensive and just insist Israel and the U.S. “will not be harmed” if we choose diplomacy over bombs, this is an important (and non-violent) area to go on the offensive (while being respectful to people, who have been misinformed by years of mainstream media) saying loud and clear that diplomacy and peace are the most pro-Israel (if we refer to Israel’s population rather than its cynical leadership) and militarism is the road to making Israel less and less safe, and possibly to destroying it outright in the long term; certainly to destroying its future as a democracy, or as anything but a police state. As we’re seen in the U.S., “secret laws” and “indefinite detentions” and “surveillance state” do come home to roost: what was initially “just for Those Other people, not for you” are later turned against Americans as we’ve seen with the NSA’s many scandals. The #1 reason to oppose military attack is our humanity for the innocent Syrian men, women, children, and babies who will be the first victims of violence. That moral position is the first and foremost. But as second considerations about Israel’s safety or U.S. national security go, remind people: it’s the militarists and empire builders and occupiers and CIA/NSA types with covert actions, who have made us far less safe!
Addendum:
Other prominent Jews OPPOSED to attacking Syria:
Amy Goodman – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter and author. Goodman is the host of Democracy Now!
Norman G. Finkelstein
Norman Gary Finkelstein is an American political scientist, activist, professor and author.
Phyllis Bennis – Institute for Policy Studies
Phyllis Bennis is an American journalist, activist, and political commentator. Focusing mainly on issues related to the Middle East and the United Nations, she is a strong critic of Israel and the US and a leading advocate for Palestinian rights
Noam Chomsky chomsky.info : The Noam Chomsky Website
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, logician, and political commentator and activist
Michael Albert – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Albert (born April 8, 1947) is an American activist, economist, speaker, and writer. Co-founder of Z magazine and South End Press.
And many others.
Please pass this on to your Jewish and non-Jewish American friends…don’t light the middle east on fire with more matches to the combustible material, tell Washington to stop encouraging the rebels to refuse to negotiate, pressure all sides to the negotiation table, diplomacy, and the road to peace and a cooperative saner future for all children in the middle east, Muslim, Jewish, Christian and all others – children and adults – in the Middle East, in America, and all over this Earth! HB