March 22nd: Parshat Zachor and Approaching Purim, Part II
THIS WEEK IN THE TORAH
Rabbi David E. Ostrich
We are small and weak—and none of us have much power. Oh yes, we have the power of the ballot box, but our single votes only count if lots of other people vote along with us. We hear about the apocryphal butterfly—whose fluttering wings affect the entire world, but if a bunch of other butterflies are fluttering their wings in a different way, won’t they affect the world more? Though each of us has some agency, the fact is that we are weak and at the mercy of greater powers. Overwhelmed, we often try to identify and understand the greater forces that exert so much influence—and we have lots of suspects: the capitalists, the communists, the corporations, organized crime. And what about the lobbyists—those evil agents who sneak into the corridors of power and manipulate our hapless legislators?
A lot can be said about lobbyists, but a closer look at the legislative process reveals a much less nefarious presence. What most lobbyists provide is expertise—expertise about the ways legislation can solve or cause problems. Since legislators and their advisors cannot possibly understand enough about all the realms they are asked to address, they consult the various vested interests—the ones on both sides who actually know. These are the lobbyists.
Nonetheless, we love to imagine corruption and influence peddling as the real reasons for big decisions, and we love to vent our spleens at these mythical and malevolent foes. A case in point is AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, an organization often accused by Israel’s critics of unfairly controlling American foreign policy. Founded in 1963, AIPAC is a lobbying group that advocates pro-Israel policies to the legislative and executive branches of the United States. It provides information and insights about Israel and often brings legislators on “missions,” trips to Israel so that they can see in person the various strategic and demographic realities. A sophisticated and well-funded operation, AIPAC also spreads its message through grassroots work in both the Jewish and Gentile communities.
I mentioned well-funded, and this is one of its problems. The funding comes from thousands of supporters—both Jewish and non-Jewish—who need to be convinced that their donations will be well-spent, and thus AIPAC does a lot of bragging. They brag about their successes, and they brag about their influence. While the real “product” is the fact that Israel’s case argues itself, AIPAC loves to claim credit for America’s support for Israel—and herein lies the problem. Non-biased observers understand that AIPAC’s bragging is just salesmanship, but biased observers turn the salesmanship into proof of a nefarious conspiracy—that AIPAC “controls” American foreign policy and turns us away from “what is in our best interests.”
If you think that this sounds like classic anti-Semitism, you are correct. Just like the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, the anti-AIPAC line attributes controlling power to a hidden cabal of Jewish leaders who manipulate the hapless President and Congress, “betraying America and supporting the Jews.” This charge is absurd and misdirects attention away from the real reason the U.S. supports Israel: Israel’s presence and interests coincide with ours!
The late historian Ellis Rivkin of the Hebrew Union College used to say that, if there were not a single Jew in the United States, the U.S. would still support Israel. In a part of the world filled with valuable resources, vital trade routes, and forces working against us, Israel is the world’s largest “aircraft carrier.” It represents and defends American interests—and the Israelis man the ship themselves. Also, Israel is a “beachhead of developmental capitalism,” representing and offering the benefits of democracy and progress in a part of the world woefully in need of it. In other words, the U.S. supports Israel because it is good for the United States.
Another reason the U.S. supports Israel is also not Jewish. America is home to a vast number of Evangelical Christians who believe God’s words to Abraham in Genesis 12: “I will bless those who bless you, and curse him that curses you; and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves through you.” These Christians are a powerful presence in American politics, and they see supporting Israel as blessing Abraham’s descendants—and inviting God’s blessings.
America has many more Evangelicals than Jews, and so one may wonder why anti-Zionist and pro-Hamas groups narrow their focus onto AIPAC and “the Jews” instead of attacking the Christian supporters of Israel. Could it be that Jews are deemed a “safer” target—that attacks against Evangelical Christians would be met with more than dismay and philosophical speeches? Like the playground bully who only goes after kids who won’t fight back, the Arab and “Progressive” anti-Semites know better than to attack a demographic not known for its exceeding tolerance.
Yes, we Jews are devoted to Israel, but we are not the reason the United States stands up for the Jewish State. The case for Israel argues itself, and AIPAC is merely an educational effort to help our governmental leaders understand.
Perhaps we can summarize this with a look at two texts—the Purim story and the letter of George Washington to the Jews of Newport, Rhode Island. The Book of Esther certainly tells of a victory for the Jews. We are given the right to defend ourselves, we do so and survive, and we celebrate. However, Esther and Mordecai are lifted to high positions not because of their religion but because of their human qualities. Esther is beautiful and kind. Mordecai is loyal and wise—and he administers with fairness for all. They may be Jewish, but they function in their public roles as good Persian citizens.
George Washington states this same principle. When the Newport congregation writes to congratulate him on his election to the presidency, he responds with a statement of inclusion that resounds through history. We in the United States, he writes, do not speak of tolerance anymore, “as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.”
The Jews (and Gentiles) who support AIPAC are not pursuing a “Jewish and anti-American” agenda; they are participating in American democracy, “giving it on all occasions their effectual support,” and showing that supporting Israel is good for America.