Published: 22 February 2022
Last updated: 4 March 2024
MIRIAM SHAVIV: Far-right Israeli politicians have failed to keep up with a shift in Western values: racism will not be tolerated, even if it comes with an Israeli accent
WHEN THE BRITISH BOARD of Deputies told far-right MK Bezalel Smotrich that he was unwelcome in the UK recently, the Israeli reactions were telling. Smotrich is notorious for racist and homophobic pronouncements.
These include supporting the segregation of Arab and Jewish mothers on labour wards, telling Arab lawmakers that they were only there because Ben-Gurion didn’t “finish the job” and “throw [them] out” in 1948, and organising a “beast parade” in 2006 in response to Jerusalem’s gay parade.
Many understood that these attitudes were unacceptable in a civilised society. But a vocal minority complained that it was wrong for an elected Knesset member to be treated this way. Hundreds of Israeli tweeters and commentators accused the Board of being weak and cowardly — that is, too diasporic.
They argued that our main representative organisation is in fact unrepresentative of the community and its views. Worst of all, it’s apparently “Reform” and “left-wing.”
The reaction shows how little Israelis understand about Anglo-Jewry’s demographic makeup, our institutions and how different we are from our American cousins. Increasing Israelis’ basic knowledge of — and respect for — the diaspora is essential, if we are to continue to be one people.
But it also shows how out-of-sync Israelis are with a profound cultural shift taking place in the West, one which has serious implications both for Israeli-diaspora relations and for Israeli hasbarah. I’m referring to anti-racism — and, to a lesser extent, gay rights — emerging as core values of our society. Of course, these have been important for years.
FULL STORY Diaspora Jews are now all about social justice (Jewish Chronicle)
