Thopinions: Jewish

Showing posts with label Jewish. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Identity and Collective Denial - Lia Tarachansky on Reality Asserts Itself (2/3)

The only way to peacefully resolve a problem is by dialogue, & part of getting to the root of the problem is asking questions. Israel & Zionists have never self-reflect to the point that they can see that what they are doing is similar to what Hitler & Nazis did to them in Germany, Poland, Austria, & Netherlands.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPmj1NyTcBI

PAUL JAY, SENIOR EDITOR, TRNN: Why do you go to Canada?

LIA TARACHANSKY, ISRAEL-PALESTINE CORRESPONDENT, TRNN: Well, my father died, my mother became even more a Zionist, and I went to University, and all of my Zionist identity unraveled.
I can tell you a story. On my first year of university, I walked into my campus, and one day in the very beginning of the winter semester, the university was transformed into one giant flag of Israel. It was flags of Israel everywhere, and it said Israel Week. And in the student union building there was this huge row of tables, and they had all these banners, and they had these titles: Israel is the most democratic state in the Middle East, Israel is the most gay-friendly state in the Middle East, Israel has the best tomatoes in the Middle East, etc. And I walk in. And, I mean, I was shocked and weirded out and creeped out and all kinds of things, ’cause it–to me it made as much–like, Guelph, where I went to school, is a tiny little agricultural university. I mean, I was studying biomedicine in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of, like, fields in Canada. Like, it’s the same as having ... a Canada Week in some small college town in Zimbabwe. It made no sense to me. And so I walked past these people, and I just thought they looked weird, and ... they just creeped me out and they pissed me off because ... I was very much a Zionist and part of the project and Israel all the way, but I was a Russian in Israel. So I didn’t have any illusions about what Israeli democracy looks like. If you don’t fit into this box of what it means to be an Israeli, you’re out.
Which means Ashkenazi, which means strong, which means a veteran. It means a fighter. If you don’t fit into that, you’re out. If you don’t serve in the army, you’re out. If you adopt and embrace your Arab identity, you’re out.

...

I just thought that they were ridiculous, because they had no idea what Israel is all about. I mean, it’s a complex society. And it’s not like we walk around in Israel asking each other, hey, are you a Zionist? I mean, we don’t question each other’s opinions on the conflict, really, while we’re growing up.
I mean, the big debate in the ’90s was: are you for the Yitzhak Rabin plan or are you against it? But Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in 1995. And with Netanyahu and the beginning of the Second Intifada, you kind of stopped debating these things.
No one ever asked me, what do you think? And so, when I came up to these excited 21-year-olds, I understood that the longest any one of them has been in Israel is one week on birthright. They didn’t know anything about us. They were driven on a bus funded by an American billionaire from one tourist site to the other. They met really nice soldiers. They met really friendly Israelis. They were told, this is your national homeland, welcome, you’re one of us. And they return back to Canada with the mission of representing Israel. They didn’t know a thing.
In Israel, we have a lot of jokes about birthright kids, but I won’t get into that here. ... The second year of university, I had decided I’m going to talk to them. Now, I didn’t know what the hell I’m going to say to them; I just knew, I’m going to talk to them. And as I came to campus–and again Israel flags, Israel Week–and this time they had a girl who was standing in the middle of the Canadian winter, outdoors, on campus, and for a week straight she read the names of every single person killed in the Holocaust. ... she stood there day and night and day for a week straight. So this was Israel Week for the Canadians, and this is what made me so upset is because to them they were presenting the Holocaust and this narrative of, like, Israel is the most blah blah blah.
And I think the reason it made me mad is because in Israel we don’t talk about the Holocaust. ... The Israel government uses it a lot to justify a lot of things, but we don’t. We’ve never really opened up the trauma of the Holocaust. We talk about what happened in Auschwitz. But a trauma is not the event of rape. It’s the ten years after the rape. It’s the way that the rape has intertwined itself into your very psychology. And that’s essentially what the Holocaust was for us. It was a national rape. It was not even a national, ’cause it’s bigger than nationalism, but it was a total rape of our identity, and it completely and forever changed the way that we as Jews see the world, whether we and our family was killed in the Holocaust or the neighbors’. ... the irony here is incredible–is how the Palestinians were impacted by the Nakba, having been forced to be refugees all around the world. And so ... to me it was like, why are you talking about the Holocaust? We won in the end. Look, we are so strong, we are in the Middle East, we have a nation. We won.
So as I was about to approach them with this big speech & at the very end of the tables was a different kind of table with a different kind of flag. And I thought, oh, maybe it’s not Israel Week; maybe it’s international week. So I went up to this table, and there was, like, a bunch of people there, and there was a bunch of books. And there’s this flag I’ve never seen before. And I came up to girl that was standing there, and I’m like, what’s this flag? And she ... stands up and she goes, hello, my name is Galia. I’m an anti-Zionist Jew. And this is the flag of Palestine.

...

And I found myself just exploding on this poor girl, just standing there, yelling at her, defending these idiots. What? Why would you bring this Arab propaganda? Why can’t we have just one week to ourselves to talk about Israel and to show Israel to the world? Why would you bring this Palestinian terrorism here? And I’m standing there yelling at her, and I’ll never forget the look on her face. ...

And I’m yelling at her and I’m yelling at her and I’m yelling at her, and she can’t get a word in. I don’t even think she said anything. I think she said, I’m an anti-Zionist Jew. I asked her, what is that? And she said something like, we believe in Palestinian human rights, I don’t know, something so banal that I would laugh at it if I saw it today. And yeah, and I just broke. I mean, I’m standing there yelling at her. And I ... think the reason I was yelling at her is because if you live in Israel-Palestine, we are in an active conflict–you eventually lose people. And if you live there long enough, you lose a lot of people.
...

And I’m standing there yelling at this girl in Canada, and I’m teleported to this moment, and I can smell it. And what was amazing is she’s standing there, and she comes from around the table, and she hugs me, and she says in Hebrew, it’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay. And I’m yelling at her, and the only thing I can think in my mind is everyone who died is your fault. And I don’t know why. Everyone I love. It’s your fault, ’cause you are defending this idea. And as we all know, the war of ideas is a lot more important than the war of bodies.

And that was the end for me. That was the end of something in which you could not ask, you could not touch, you could not criticize. There’s things you can criticize in Israel, but you can’t to criticize the bigger thing. You can’t talk about the bigger issues, the bigger problem. That was the end of that.
...

I mean, before that, whenever I’d talk to people, I’d be like, you don’t know anything; I lost someone in the terrorism. Everyone lost someone in terrorism. You know, you had 9/11; we had a hundred 9/11s; the Palestinians had 10,000 9/11s. America and–you invade not just people’s homes; you invade people’s lives, you tear apart their very belief in security, their very belief that they have a place in this world where they can go to sleep and wake up in the morning. That’s how profound your violence that you project on the world is and the violence that we project on the Palestinians is.

My little tragedy is nothing compared to the bigger picture. And yet it is only when you go to the root of this thing, you go deep into it, and you crack it, and you rip it right open to the point that you–only from that point can you build. And I was so lucky that I had someone like Galia to question me, ’cause this is the end of something, but it has to be the beginning of something else. She started giving me books. She started inviting me to lectures. She started forcing me to watch documentaries.

And the most important thing is she asked me questions. No one ever asked me real questions from a place of humility and empathy. People always told me what to think. They always told me that I was an Arab-hating Zionist. They never asked me, well, what do you think? Does any of what you say make sense to you? If you put A+B+C together, it doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense, right? They only want to kill us; all of them just want to kill us; they don’t have any history; no, we can’t build a Zionist state if we don’t erase their history; there’s nothing to erase, ’cause they were never here. No, they were here, because–. None of it makes any logical line of sense until you start questioning it. And this is what she did for me. She forced me to start asking questions.

And I think that the most profoundly effective thing that growing up in Israel and Zionism in general has managed to achieve is that it taught all of us what questions we cannot ask, to a point that it is now a part of the Israeli DNA, knowing what questions you cannot ask, because once you start asking these questions, everything starts to unravel.
...

I think I am more pro-equality than I am anti-Zionist. I have nothing against spiritual Zionism and the belief that Jews have a place in Jerusalem and all of that narrative. I have no problem with that. I think that it should be open for all to live in and shared equally. My issue is with equality. In Israel it’s–we have institutional legal segregation inside of Israel.
...

There’s all these elements of inequality that I was completely unaware of. Yes, there’s a lot of denial, and we talked about that, but I didn’t know the facts, I didn’t know that we have more than 30 laws that on their surface, in their language, distinguish between Jewish and not-Jewish citizens.

So when Galia started me on this process of questioning, she introduced me to a lot of materials, and I could start asking questions. I started reading Israel’s laws. I started reading Israel’s land laws. I started seeking out all these holes in my education. And once you know, you can’t unknow. I mean, that’s the power of education. And it’s still–I mean, it’s like a spiral. She started me out of the cycle into a spiral, and I’m still on the spiral.
...

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Israel lobby's attack on academic freedom

As an update on this opinion piece (which is a good one), the said conference in the piece was cancelled by its organizers. It was supposed to be held on April 17-19, 2015.

In the end, academic freedom lost the battle.

It's funny that no individuals & the Western media make any sound using statements like "freedom of speech" when these kinds of attacks are done by Jewish lobbies to silence the academics, but if you even try to talk to people what's the point of disrespecting a religion by drawing its sacred individuals ... whoa ... "Muslims are against freedom of speech".

But, hey, the West is oh so fair & balanced !!!
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http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/03/israel-lobby-attack-academic-freedom-150322061358503.html

For years, Israel lobby groups have slammed the Palestinians' call for a boycott of Israeli universities as an attack on "academic freedom". Now the mask has well & truly slipped.

Next month, the University of Southampton in the UK will hold a conference on Israel & international law to bring together "scholars from law, politics, philosophy, theology, anthropology, cultural studies history & other connected disciplines".

However, in an unashamed attack on free speech, the university has come under increasing pressure to cancel the gathering.

Late last year, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council, & the Union of Jewish Students wrote to the head of Southampton's Law School, claiming that the conference would "surpass the acceptable".

In February, the organisations met with umbrella group Universities UK, where they complained that "freedom of speech" was preventing universities from "considering valid representations on behalf of the Jewish community". Strangely, British ambassador to Israel Matthew Gould was also present.

In recent weeks, a steady stream of attacks on the University of Southampton has even included the suggestion that the conference would make the university "complicit in furthering the rising & harrowing tide of anti-Semitism in Europe".

For their part, the university has emphasised its legal obligations to protect free speech. A spokesperson said that the university "is committed to academic freedom, free speech & opportunities for staff & students to engage with a wide range of opinions & perspectives".

Meanwhile, hundreds of academics have signed a statement in support of academic freedom. Professors from Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Harvard, MIT, the University of California & more, have condemned "partisan attempts" being made to "silence dissenting analyses of the topic in question".

The whole episode is instructive about the way in which Israel advocacy groups seek to hypocritically & disingenuously shut down critical discussion.

First, opponents of an academic boycott of Israel present themselves as defenders of "academic freedom" - even though Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) is a campaign based on the institutional complicity of Israeli universities in occupation & war crimes.

Yet the same Israel lobbyists who incorrectly say BDS is an attack on academic freedom now want to shut down a conference simply because they don't like the ideas that will be discussed. Indeed, in a strikingly McCarthyite gesture, one anti-BDS umbrella group went through 56 conference speakers & labelled 45 of them "anti-Israel".

Second, the initial strategy - first in private, then in public - was to insinuate that the conference would somehow harm "community relations", a transparent attempt to tap into fears about "extremism" & antisemitism.

University officials were told by those seeking to censor that the conference was causing "great concern & distress" & would have "damaging consequences for student welfare & community relations on campus". Jewish Leadership Council chief executive Simon Johnson claimed that the conference would "have a detrimental impact on cohesiveness".

This kind of discourse is a growing trend. The Board of Deputies, for example, has cited "community cohesion" when opposing local councils who fly Palestinian flags in a gesture of support for an occupied people.

Third, the meaning of free speech is revised so as to mean a discussion that won't disturb Israel's die-hard defenders. Board of Deputies' vice-president Jonathan Arkush demanded that unless the university "re-structured" the conference, it "should be cancelled". This wasn't censorship, he said, "merely" asking for "a balanced debate".

The Board's "insistence" on so-called even-handedness is ironic, given that the organisation's outgoing treasurer has spoken of his inability to criticise Israel while in office. According to Laurence Brass, those who speak out "are subjected to very harsh & sometimes quite abusive personal criticism". Indeed, Arkush himself requested that Brass keep quiet.

The double standards are beyond parody. The Henry Jackson Society's Douglas Murray declared that the conference is not protected by free speech because it is "one-sided" - just days after penning an article that claimed "Britain is a country which now has trouble with free speech".

MP Caroline Nokes, meanwhile, described "academic freedom" as "sacrosanct" before, with a lack of self-awareness, immediately qualifying the inviolable principle in the case of this "apparently one-sided" conference.

"This isn't about academic freedom," said the Zionist Federation in their petition. They protest too much. But it is not only a matter of standing firm against an attack on academic freedom masquerading as concern about "bias" or "community relations".

It is also about the bigger picture, a continuation of efforts to silence critical debate & points of view, especially the Palestinian perspective, at a time when the voice of the expelled & occupied is being heard louder than ever. Efforts to censor are not a sign of strength, but of weakness.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Forced Marriages in Canada

A good article bringing this controversial issue into light. It doesn't only happen in Pakistan, India, other South Asia countries, & Africa, but also in Canada & US. It's also not necessarily prevalent in any one religious community but other communities, too.

Why do I say that this is a controversial issue?

"Forced marriage" needs to be defined. Many, especially in the West, consider "arranged marriage" as "forced marriage". That's the wrong label associated with arranged marriage.

If girls are getting married off by families, sometimes to such an old man, that any reasonable person would say that they will never have any understanding, or for some other reason the potential couple looks to be severely "mismatched" or if there are other issues with either both or one of the candidates, then it seems "forced". But usually -- from a Muslim & Pakistani perspective -- if parents are choosing a suitable suitor for their son or daughter, in terms of age, education, looks, family etc., then it's not forced, but an arranged marriage.

Candidates tell what they prefer to their parents & parents look for those criteria in matching them. Sort of like job searching process. Job candidates tell recruiters what they are looking for & recruiters try to match the candidates with the right jobs in the market.

Whereas, the West's or even modern world's (East & West) idea is everyone chooses a partner him/herself after falling in love. Well, we can see the effect of that in the West, where, as per some statistics, almost 50% people live alone (due to divorce or being single & not getting married in the first place).

The internet is now inundated with online matchmaking websites, catering to every societal niche & demographics, but AshleyMadison.com & Tinder are far more popular because "falling in love" phase phases out after honeymoon & the real faces of both partners is revealed after all that flirtatious & lustful period of dating has passed. Everyone is left to "mend their own garden", which in turn creates more isolation, depression, & feelings of loneliness & sadness for single people. Then they turn to online matchmaking sites where looks are all the rage or swear off all notions of marriage, & either go celibate or turn to Tinder (for casual relationships). Married people who apparently married for love are busy setting up dates on AshleyMadison.com.

Some of the real cases defined in the article do indeed seem cases of "forced marriage" but the article still blurs the line between "forced" & "arranged" marriage, never clearly defining the differences.
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It may seem strange, even impossible, that someone could be forced to marry against her will. But, like sexual assault—&, more recently, human trafficking—the curtain is being pulled back on what has been happening in Canada, & around the world, for centuries. In some nations, such as Norway, Belgium, Pakistan & the United Kingdom, forced marriage is a crime. Next year, Canada is expected to join that list when Bill S-7, which adds forced marriage to the Criminal Code, is approved.

The people, the vast majority of whom are women, came from a wide range of religious groups: 103 were Muslim, 12 Christian, 44 Hindu, 24 were unsure of their religious affiliation, & five had none. Almost half were Canadian citizens &, in most cases, family members were the perpetrators. People were taken out of Canada to get married in 57% of cases.

Forced marriage always involves pressure to wed against a person’s will, under physical or emotional duress, or without free & informed consent, according to definitions from international law & human rights groups. The main reason people submit to a marriage is because they do not want to disobey or disappoint family or church.

Very little data exist on forced marriage in Canada, but numerous court cases & anecdotal evidence suggest it’s been happening for more than a century, from coast to coast.

On Nov. 5, when Citizenship & Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced S-7, the “Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act,” he introduced a three-pronged piece of legislation to address the problem at home & abroad. Bill S-7 would ban people in polygamous & forced marriages from immigrating to Canada. The second piece will amend the Civil Marriage Act to make 16 the minimum age of marriage across the country.

It would also enshrine forced marriage in the Criminal Code. “Everyone who celebrates, aids or participates in a marriage rite or ceremony knowing that one of the persons being married is marrying against their will” would be guilty of a crime punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

Toronto’s Barbra Schlifer Clinic started a support program for forced-marriage victims in 2009, & the caseload has been increasing ever since. “I’ve had Irish clients who have experienced forced marriage; Roma clients, Saudi, South Asian, European & Christian clients. It’s pretty much across the board,” says Farrah Khan, who has been counselling victims since 2006. “We see different economic backgrounds, as well. We see it happening in communities that are isolated, in communities that have a fear about losing their connections to culture, to faith.” Rape must also be brought into discussions about forced marriage, because couples are expected to consummate the marriage.

For Mattoo, Canada already has robust laws that deal with abuse, & she feels victims are more in need of a place to live, counselling to deal with the psychological trauma, & help getting back on their feet after they leave their marriages &, sometimes, their family members.

That’s why SALCO & 13 other activist groups & social service agencies, including the Schlifer clinic & the Woman Abuse Council of Toronto, are opposed to Bill S-7. “The proposed legislation exposes the underlying racist agenda that this government harbours,” their statement reads, referring to the name of the bill & the fact that they feel it singles out non-Western communities where polygamy is accepted. Mattoo’s main criticism is that the new law allows the federal government to wash its hands of the problem. “I’m not saying that any criminal action should go unreported, but criminalizing will not help prevent it.”