Eli Lake, formerly a senior national security correspondent for Newsweek and current columnist for Bloomberg, decided today to represent in a single Tweet all that is toxic within the American Jewish community when it comes to discussing Israel.
Lake, himself Jewish, responded to fellow Jewish journalist Glenn Greenwald’s critique of congressional Iran-deal supporters with the following, vile description:
What caused Lake, who is no fan of the Iran deal, to parrot anti-Semitic language and direct it toward a fellow Jew? He took exception to Greenwald’s suggesting that some Republican members of Congress are prioritizing Israel’s interests over those of the United States in opposing the Iran deal.
Now, the dual loyalty charge sometimes thrown at American Jews who support Israel is an anti-Semitic trope which intends to cast Jews as traitors. However, Greenwald was not making such a charge. He was simply noting what every honest political observer understands: with Netanyahu, AIPAC and a host of organizations – backed by $145 million – lobbying Congressional members to oppose the Iran deal, hawkish ‘pro-Israel’ positions are influencing where some members stand.
Of course, this isn’t reallly about Greenwald “Jew baiting.” It’s about the fact that, as a Jew, he has the chutzpah to vociferously critique Israel and support the Iran deal. This is just the latest iteration of so-called ‘pro-Israel’ Jews calling progressive Jews self-haters.
As I and many American Jews have learned recently, those of us who support the Iran deal have become the latest rods upon which the lightening of institutional Jewish rage is striking. Those called self-hating for critiquing Israel are now being called similarly for supporting the Iran deal and critiquing Netanyahu’s opposition (despite support from some in Israel’s security establishment).
Sadly, Lake’s smearing of Greenwald represents the ugly toxicity and intolerance which pervades Israel discourse in America. It’s an intolerance often inspired by institutional Jewish organizations in America which ban open Jewish discourse on Israel, an intolerance now being echoed by media figures. This includes Jeffrey Goldberg, a colleague of Lake’s at Bloomberg (and fellow Jewish journalist), who responded to Lake’s smear with one of his own:
Fortunately, the vast majority of American Jews support Obama’s nuclear negotiations with Iran, and increasing numbers are critical of Israel’s geo-political policies in general. Meaning: most Jews in the U.S. are disgusted by Lake’s words, by his hate.
They are also, however, chilled by them. Which is one reason he must be called out in public, so that the silent majority knows they are not alone in the face of such vocal attacks against those Jews who dare to critique Israel.
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David Harris-Gershon is author of the memoir What Do You Buy the Children of the Terrorist Who Tried to Kill Your Wife?, published recently by Oneworld Publications.
Follow him on Twitter @David_EHG.
Why don’t you discuss the merits of the deal?
This brings up a question I’ve been too timid, afraid to ask: How many of our Jewish Congressmen and Congresswomen, plus Jewish senior advisors to the POTUS on various matters hold dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship? I didn’t even know it was legal till following a thread on something else, which led me to the 1967 Supreme Court case where the deciding vote was from Abe Fortas. I’m presuming former Senator Joseph Lieberman and John McCain running mate probably holds dual citizenship, but I don’t recall the question ever coming up during the campaign.
Wow! Anti Semitism on this website? No surprise here. Mr/Ms Flyover, you might want to start with getting some facts straight. Lieberman and AMERICAN CITIZEN was Al Gore’s running mate. Sarah Palin, was McCain’s running mate
Of course you’re right, Lieberman was Al Gore’s running mate: I was multitasking and didn’t proofread, catch my own error. I know that Joe Lieberman is an American citizen as he must be to run for POTUS or VPOTUS, but is he also an Israeli citizen? Makes me nervous for anybody in extreme high office to have divided loyalty. Maybe it doesn’t make you concerned, but you might be if any candidate for high office were a dual U.S. and Iranian, Russian, or Chinese citizen.
Is questioning the loyalty of American Jews acceptable?
Remember, I’m from FlyoverCountry, and am both slow and old, to boot.
And an anti Semite
Some people-mostly extreme Jewish of course- use this term so loosely and so often. What does that mean, it means that they don’t have a real logical convincing argument to debate an issue and they take the easy- or in my opinion sad and pathetic – way out by name calling only. If you want to be respected and heard learn to discuss issues on their own merits ,and have some integrity ,stop calling people names when you can’t debate then intellectually .
Nope, not anti-Semitic. I treasure my Jewish heritage. So I guess if it worried me to learn that a candidate for high office were dual U.S.-Russian, Chinese, or Iranian citizens that it means I hate Russians, Chinese, or Iranians? What if I’m married to an Iranian-American who was born here and he feels the same way as I do about dual citizenship as a problem for a candidate for high office, would that mean he hates Iranians too? Even though his parents were born in Iran? (Irrespective whether the parents renounced their Iranian citizenship when they became citizens here).
I myself am in favor of the Iran deal and am very critical of Israel. My problem with people like Greenwald, Blumenthal, etc., is that they’re almost totallly divorced from the Jewish community and Jewish life, don’t belong to Jewish organizations, don’t give to Jewish charities, don’t belong to a synagogue, but suddenly when it comes to criticizing Israel they identify themselves as Jews. Sorry, you can’t have it both ways.
Fred,
Your hurling of the “anti-Semite” charge at someone with whom you disagree merely marks you as an emotional fourth-grader. It doesn’t win you any points in a forum for where rational discourse is the norm. Any reasonable opinions you might want to express will be dismissed out-of-hand.
ekramer, What do you call this?
“This brings up a question I’ve been too timid, afraid to ask: How many of our Jewish Congressmen and Congresswomen, plus Jewish senior advisors to the POTUS on various matters hold dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship? I didn’t even know it was legal till following a thread on something else, which led me to the 1967 Supreme Court case where the deciding vote was from Abe Fortas. I’m presuming former Senator Joseph Lieberman and John McCain running mate probably holds dual citizenship, but I don’t recall the question ever coming up during the campaign.”