From: Diane
To: Danny

Hi Danny

I know you don't want inflamed responses to your harsh take on Israel, but I just can't help myself.  Your dismissive comments cut me to the heart.  If someone you admired said they thought your son was ugly and stupid would you just shrug and say "OK, everyone has an opinion."  I don't think so - when someone or something we love is criticized we feel hurt.  When you say you don't like Israel and you abhor its politics, my hackles rise all by themselves.  First of all, which politics are you talking about?  No other country in the world has such a broad spectrum and Governments of Israel have encompassed everything from the far Left to the far Right - and you didn't like ANY of them?

Nobody says Israel is perfect - least of all me.  But why is Israel always the only country singled out for criticism when far worse things are going on in 100 other countries and no-one says a word?  Here is a tiny country struggling to build a life after the Holocaust, achieving more every year than many other

countries have in 50, struggling against a continuous threat of annihilation by its neighbours, but the knee-jerk reaction is criticism.  Where in the world would you find democracy in practice the way you do in Israel?

I also take issue with your comments on "world-weariness".  I have never seen another group of people who read and study and play with as much energy as Israelis do.  Perhaps it's because they live on the edge of annihilation but I have always felt that they live every day as though it might be their last - engaged, interested and alive.  "World-weary"?  I think not.

Anyway, I'm glad I got all that off my chest, even if you disagree with me.  I think I was surprised by your lack of compassion, considering that the circumstances of your life have forced you to re-evaluate everything you see.  I hope your attitudes towards Israel will be one of the things you reconsider.  Israel is a little bit in the same situation you are - it's a hard piece of land in a hostile environment but rather than curl up and feel sorry for themselves, Israelis have gone out and achieved something pretty amazing.  OK, maybe that's a crappy metaphor but I'm sure you know what I mean.

Be well, and Shalom

Diane

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From: Danny
To: Diane

Sorry to disappoint you, Diane.

Danny
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From: Diane
To: Danny

Hi Danny

Thank you for your detailed response to my letter.  I also follow Israeli life and politics very closely and read the newspapers daily.  We also watch the Israeli network daily so we're very aware of what's going on.  My husband is a Libyan Israeli whose family was essentially forced out of Benghazi 50 years ago.  Much of our family lives in Israel.  Coincidentally, at the moment we are helping to host a group of disabled Israeli soldiers from Beit Halochem who are visiting Toronto for two weeks for some R and R - an amazing experience.

You and I clearly have a completely different take on the situation - a typical Left and Right dichotomy.  I truly do worry that Israel will not survive the Intifada and for me that is a terrifying thought.  People that I have talked to and argued with who share your point of view don't seem to care whether a Jewish state survives or not and they don't see anything wrong with a country called Palestine that also happens to have some Jews living in it.  I don't know whether you subscribe to this point of view or not but, to me, Israel's survival as a Jewish homeland is of huge importance.  I was born and raised in South Africa and have experienced anti-Semitism and racism in its many ugly forms and I think I know what being Jewish without the existence of Israel would be like - and I fear for the future, for my children and their children. 

Criticizing Israel is fine when it's deserved, but it's funny how the people who criticize the bad things very seldom mention the good.  And those same people never seem to have anything to say about the Sudan, or Zimbabwe or the Congo or the hideous things going on in France and other "civilized" countries.  Or the U.N., which is probably the most corrupt organization on the planet and spends most of its time vilifying Israel instead of cleaning up its own mess.  What is needed is some constructive criticism - some ideas that could actually improve the situation.  When I ask people "What would YOU do if you were running the Israeli Government?"  I usually get nothing useful.

What would you do?  Although I suppose that should be modified to: What would you do if it were important to you that the Jewish state survives?

Diane
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From: Diane
To: Danny

Hi Danny, there are things in your email I'd like to respond to directly, so I'm going to insert my responses in your email.

Diane

I think your question is a legitimate one: should a Jewish state
survive?
First of all, what is a Jewish state? is it a state populated by Jews?

I think it should be a state where any Jew is welcome to live.  It was a haven for Jews fleeing the Arab countries and Europe in the 30s, 40s and 50s and is now a haven for Jews fleeing places like France where anti-Semitism is making life unbearable (such as the little girl who this week in Paris was attacked by maniacs who cut a swastika into her cheek).  It should be a country where Hebrew is an official language and the Jewish holidays are official holidays.  Certainly, citizenship should also be extended to others but I can tell you I have a big problem with extending citizenship rights to those whose professed goal is to destroy Israel.  The world is a large place and I don't think it's too much to ask that a tiny portion of it belong to Jews.   Look how many countries you are welcome in if you are a Muslim or a Christian but if you are a Jew you may not even enter for a visit.

Or one guided by Jewish principles? I worry that much of Israel's
behavior violates the spirit of Judaism and rather than inspiring
people spiritually makes Judaism increasingly seem like a tight -knit
club of which you are either born a member or else can go to hell.

I hear what you're saying, but on the other hand, that is how the rest of world sees us - maybe a little less so in the US - but certainly everywhere else.  Hitler certainly had his criteria for deciding who to murder.  I'm not an observant Jew and as a woman I have a major problem with the way women are treated in our religion and in Israel, but I see this as a work in progress and not relevant to this discussion.  Some things take time and work to combat and will not happen overnight.  You cannot underestimate the legacy of the Holocaust on Jewish identity and the need to keep a distance from those who want to eradicate us from the planet.  Self-preservation is a very strong drive.

Secondly, I think it is very important to combat anti-semitism, for the
Jews in Israel, for Jews in the Diaspora, and for the general ethical
health of the entire planet. I worry that Israel's behavior exacerbates
rather than diminishes anti-Jewish sentiment. How can Jews around the
world support Israel while making it clear that the Knesset and the
settlers imperil Jews welfare worldwide? Perhaps non-Israelis jews
could collaborate to move things to the middle.

Which is why I got upset to read your remarks about Israel on a website that is probably read by hundreds of people who aren't Jewish and don't know your background.  If YOU say "I don't care for Israel and abhor her politics" I think that carries a lot of weight with people who know your work and admire you and think it's OK to parrot you without understanding what it is they are rejecting.  Most people in Canada get their information from The Toronto Star or the CBC which are blatantly anti-Israel and are very ignorant about why Israel does things.  In their opinion, all Israelis are devils with horns whose sole interest in life is to kill innocent Palestinian babies.  I belong to various anti-bias groups in an attempt to provide more balanced information but it's an uphill battle.

Thirdly, Israel's survival seems to be intimately tied to the Unites
States' need to control the region and to maintain access to oil. The
Bush administration has taken this position to enormous extremes. As
American policy goes nuts, so it seems does Israel. Neither seek
diplomatic solutions but resort to increasing levels of force every
time. The White House has no interest in forming meaningful alliances
with others and nor does Israel.

OK, here is the heart of the matter.  I have come to realize that there is no-one to talk to.  I have read too much about the 3rd Jihad to think that the Moslim agenda is a benign one.  Their ultimate motive is a very frightening one and the West ignores it at their peril.  I can think of few things more horrible that a world where everyone is forced to adopt Islam, sharia and  all.  (Have you read Irshad Manji's book?) On a more particular level, as long as Arafat lives and breathes, I can't see any progress possible.

The possibility of alliances with
others in the region, with moderate Arab leaders, has become impossible...

Who are these moderate leaders?

...and so things get increasingly out of control.
Bush believes that any sort of compromise is weakness. Smart Israelis
on both sides of the aisle know that this is completely unpragmatic and
just forces the deepening spiral of hostility. There is no middle
ground in this country and in the Middle East, and it is quite scary. I
am fundamentally optimistic and moderate in most things. I think most
people are. But somehow the state of things has been pushed to the
edges by extremists in Al-Quaeda, in the Republican Party, by social
conservatives and, yes, by Sharon's right wing coalition. None of those
factions represent most of us and yet they have their claws on the
helm.
How do  your Israeli visitors feel about this? I'm sure they have some
interesting insights.

Some of them just don't want to talk politics at all - they're here to sightsee and have fun.  But one of the most interesting dialogues has been with one of them who is a Druze.  I accompanied him and other soldiers to a couple of Jewish day schools where the children were very curious about a Muslim in the IDF and peppered him with questions about his allegiance to Israel.  We concluded that being a Druze in Israel is very like being a Jew in Canada.  It was quite a consciousness-raising dialogue but then the Druze(s) are not committed to destroying Israel - on the contrary they send their sons and daughters to defend her.

Danny
Diane
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From: Danny
To: Avri

Avri:

Danny

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From: Avri
To: Danny

Dear Danny,

i hope I can indeed be of some assistance, though you must remember I'm only a 22 year old idealist... (I'm not very active politically, but that is due to laziness much reather then Ideals, I'm afraid).

I have to say that I agree with you on almost all your points, but my opinions are considered radicaly leftist in today's Israel.

Diana's opinion, is, I'm afraid, the common opinion you will find in american jews - severly right-wing, that stems from a distorted view of things.

The problem is what you find in this discussions is sort of a heightened view of reality, the kind that you don't feel in Israel .The sentence - "Perhaps it's because they live on the edge of annihilation but I have always felt that they live every day as though it might be their last - engaged, interested and alive" is a good example. reading this I'm thinking- what? what is she talking about. People on the streets in Israel are the same as anywhere else. here in Tel-Aviv wer'e not in a state of war. You see, for me, the most horrible thing in Israel today is the overall numbness, the way the daily life goes on while horrible crimes are executed in my country - And I mean the everyday crimes of keeping thousands of human beings imprisoned in a state of opression and poverty, thousands of people who are considered grade B citizens. The most horrible thing is that most Israelies don't mind. They shove the palestinians and the so called "palestinian problem" to the back of their mind, hiding behind the excuse of "Security".

The Right in Israel would have you believe that Israel is in Mortal Danger - And have convinced most of the public in this distorted view. The fact is, Israel is in mortal procrastination, trying for some reason to avoid the unavoidable day in which the palestinians get their freedom and their country.

But again, we meddle with politics a lot, but everyday life is totally ordniary - wich is exactly the problam - I live a good life. I go to the university every day and study filmmaking, go back in the evening to the appartment I live in and eat good meals, and later, If I want, go out to one of the many many pubs or clubs in the city. My life is normal, and so is the life of many others (not including those -jews and arabs - who live in extreme poverty. there is so much "Security" Issues going on, that our wonderfull goverment neglects to address the problems of the poor). THAT is the problam.

I think that one of the problems today is the coupled with America's head clown currently residing there is no one to put any pressure on Israel. With the crimes committed by your own goverment in Iraq and my govement, I have to say thing don't look bright to me...

I hope I helped. I know I am myself radical and get a little heated in discussions like this. But you can understand why this situation can get to me. In order answer claims the type of which diana makes you perhaps need someone a little more "level-headed". I myself find them so infuriating I have trouble keeping my head screwd on tight...  Anyway, I'll be happy to clarify thing further if you want.

thanks,

               Avri
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From: Avri
To: Danny

ooh, I forgot two very important things -

First, on the point of compassion -

though not intended, diana's use of the word seems almost cynical to my ears. compassion? we don't need compassion. we need the weight of the world bearing down on us to break the god damn circle of blood shed and finish the occupation and the age old struggle. It is the palestinians who deserve our compassion, the compassion not given to them by the israely crowd and the goverment.

perhaps the Israely soldiers who are sent to kill and be killed deserve our compassion. But I believe that with the amount of wrong-doing executed by the army units in the occuopied teritories, it is their moral duity to refuse to serve, even if it means going to jail (obviously 99.9% of the population don't see eye to eye with me on the subject... My brother, who is in the reserve, refused to serve in a roadblock on his duty [ I don't know if you know how it goes around here. every citizen who was in the army gets called to 2 to 4 weeks of service a year] and went to jail for two weeks. He is a married and has three kids so it wasn't easy, but he joined the struggle and I'm very proud of him).

the second issue is one that you mentioned, and I whole heartedly agree with you - the lack of ability to recieve comment and critisism. it has been taken a step further and turned into an art by those who cry "Antisemitism!" on any kind of critisism.

Isreal seems not to be able to cope with any kind of criticism or comment, and the act of going out to the foreign press (which some raical left movements did in order to welcome foreign pressure on the goverment), ehich was truly a cry for help, was considered by the public almost as treason.

It saddens to see what a hard-heated country Israel has become. 
Avri
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From: Diane
To: Danny

Danny,

although I have enjoyed your artwork enormously until recently, I now feel far more pain than joy when I read your journal, so please remove my name from your mailing list.  I'm very sad to have lost a source of artistic inspiration but the nasty, spiteful sniping about Israel and Israelis makes it an unpleasant exercise in sadness and frustration for me that I don't need right now. 

Diane