Concerns in Israel Over Loyalty of Jewish Americans
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/listen-to-american-jews-sta...
Listen to American Jews' stand on Israel
Examining the views of American Jews toward Israel is crucial in light of both the U.S. midterm elections and the Jewish Agency reform program initiated by Natan Sharansky.
By Gabi Sheffer
Where do American Jews stand on Israel and how are these positions linked to their attitude toward the American administration? Examining this issue is crucial in light of both the U.S. midterm elections and the reform program for the Jewish Agency initiated by Chairman Natan Sharansky.
First, it must be recognized that American Jewry is not a homogenous community. There is a core, which includes those who emphatically identify as members of the Jewish faith and nation, but the number of Jews who have completely integrated into American society and who stand on the fringes of the Jewish nation is growing. Half of American Jews define themselves as ethnic Jews, and not Jews by faith. These two facts have great meaning for the positions of Jews in general, and specifically regarding Israel.
Many Jews in the core group feel an emotional tie to the Land of Israel, but not necessarily to present-day Israel. Most of these Jews are convinced that Israel is not the center of the Jewish people and that it has no right to interfere in their affairs, including on issues related to Jewish education. They believe there are at least two centers of Judaism: Israel and American Jewry.
According to polls not cited in Israel, most Jews who have completely integrated into American society display total apathy for events that unfold in Israel. Only 30 percent of American Jews care deeply about what happens here.
Most Jews who do care clearly support a solution involving two states for two peoples. What's more, an increasing number of Jews back the division of Jerusalem and turning half of it into the capital of Palestine (not only Jews in the United States, but also in Canada, France, Britain and even Australia, which was considered the Diaspora group most closely tied to Israel ).
Not only are more and more individual Jews coming to hold such views, but the number of organizations pushing these positions is also growing. J Street, which has come under harsh criticism from the Israeli political establishment, is not the only group with such a stance. Many people in the Reform Jewish community support its views, and similar organizations are being established, and not only in the United States.
It can be cautiously stated that many Diaspora Jews do not support the policy of the Israeli government. Put more bluntly, they oppose most aspects of Israeli government policy, not only in the political-military sphere, but in many other areas, including policy connected to defining the national Jewish-Israeli identity. Undoubtedly, more than half of American Jews who identify as such will not support a religious definition of the Jewish nation and the State of Israel.
In terms of American Jews' attitude toward the Obama administration, it is vital to understand that few of them will stop supporting their president solely because of his positions on the Middle East peace process. The positions of a great many American Jews are and will be determined by the social, political and economic situation in the United States, since American Jews feel they are an integral part of the country in which they live.
In light of all this, it is very important to examine carefully what is being said and written by members of Jewish organizations in the United States whose positions and interests are similar to those of Israeli governments, as well as the words of professional politicians and bureaucrats in Israel whose work and livelihood are linked to relations between Israel and the Diaspora.
The author teaches political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
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interesting...
"even Australia, which was considered the Diaspora group most closely tied to Israel"
The pillars of the
The pillars of the coalition,except France which looked reticent about Gulf War 2, and Germany which somehow is doing so much outside its own interest in Afghanistan.
Is there a link somewhere here?
Who is Frank Lowy?
Who is Frank Lowy?
Fifty days before 9/11, Larry Silverstein's Silverstein Properties and Frank Lowy's Westfield America obtained 99-year leases on World Trade Center Buildings One, Two, Four and Five. Silverstein already owned Building Seven. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey handed over control of the World Trade Center to Silverstein and Lowy on July 24, 2001. Lowy leased the shopping concourse area called the Mall at the World Trade
Center, made up of approximately 427,000 square feet of retail floor space. Silverstein insured the complex for $3.55 billion, but after the attacks of September 11 lodged a claim for $7.1 billion on the premise that each plane collision constituted a separate act of terrorism, doubling the payout. We all know about "Lucky" Larry Silverstein's part in 9/11 and his dubious connections to Benyamin Netanyahu et al, and I plan to do a write-up on him later, but not much has been reported on Lowy, so let's have a look.
Frank Lowy is an Hungarian Jew who arrived in Palestine in 1945 to fight as a Golani commando in the Israeli "War of Independence", before moving to Sydney Australia, where he built shopping centers. He went on to work in investment banking in London and New York and eventually Los Angeles. He co-founded the Westfield Group, which he still chairs. According to wikipedia, "Westfield currently has interests in total assets worth $41 billion, representing 121 shopping centres in four countries with over 10 million square meters of retail space. It is the world's largest retail property group by equity market capitalization". He has overseen Westfield's regional growth from 6 centers in California to at least 59. At $3.8 billion, he's ranked #2 in forbes.com's list of Australia and NZ's richest individuals, and by the same standard is the 174th richest man in the world.
High level 9/11 perp(but you
High level 9/11 perp(but you knew that). One of the string pullers for sure. Zakheim,Silverstein,Lowy,Hauer and Cheney are the first 5 people(in that order) who need to be questioned when/if the shit ever hits the fan and the wheels of justice finally start moving.