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This one says “Keep Bat Yam Jewish!” and announces that 15,000 Jewish women have been taken away to Arab villages (meaning they married Arab men).
Both of these ads were released prior to a demonstration held yesterday in Bat Yam
to protest the increase in the number of Palestinian citizens living in the predominantly Jewish city. The protesters, at least 150 people according to Haaretz, called on residents not to rent to Arabs, echoing the letter signed by many of the country’s top rabbis a few weeks ago.
Racism in Israel is indeed on the rise. It’s widespread, overt and scary. It’s also as heartbreaking as it is ruinous.
As awful as all this is, I find that I have to try to be optimistic to survive in this place. Call me naive (many do), but I’m trying to keep my glass half full as long as possible, though it is spilling out slowly as the days go by. The mayor of Bat Yam denounced the rally, and a counter-rally was organized as well, in which people held signs like: “I love Arabs, ask me how.” I was forwarded the invitation yesterday, which read: “Instead of focusing on those who hate, we shall focus on love: love of human beings, love of one’s neighbor, love of Arabs. We invite all of you to create signs expressing support and love for those who are being attacked, and join us outside the Bat Yam mall at 19:00. Let’s do it together.”
Unfortunately, the Israeli Left is fragmented and the political opposition non-existent. It’s an uphill battle in this age-old war of love vs. hate. It baffles me that more Israelis and Jews around the world don’t see the similarities between this dangerous escalation of racism and what happened to us in Europe 70 years ago. At a recent peace rally, ex-MK Uri Avnery said:
“In 1948, when, as a simple soldier, I took part in creating this state, I did not dream that I would witness again such a process, and this time in my
own state.” (Full speech)
Ami Kaufman also had words to say about the demonstration (read to the bottom).
Dead on regarding the struggle to maintain optimism. For all of Israel’s achievements and perseverance, confidence in a better future has never been particularly high (at any point in Israeli history…). This is partly because the society has unresolved, deep-seated tensions; despite great strides in resolving the Misrahi-Sephardi divide (which arguably was worse than the Jewish-Arab divide for many years), the 60-year-old state is apparently too immature to tackle its many racisms (against Palestinians, Bedouin, Soviet and African Jews, and Muslims, for starters). Similarly, despite the kibbutz movement’s extraordinary success in institutionalizing shared economic and financial responsibility, a dangerous classism is on the rise. The list goes on for sexism and other forms of discrimination.
Nonetheless, it’s hard to see the similarities you suggest between Israel and Nazi Germany. Hitler spoke openly of annihilating the Jews because they were an inferior race, and Germans adopted his ideology. This despite the Jews posing no security risk, real or imagined, to the German state or people. In contrast, Netanyahu speaks openly of living side-by-side with a Palestinian state, and the vast majority of Israelis have adopted this position. No doubt, Israel suffers from racism, but it is nowhere near the genocidal insanity that swept Nazi Germany. Even the most extremist Israeli factions don’t proclaim Palestinians are an inferior people that should be massacred. At their most vile, they call for segregated states (a call shared by mainstream Palestinian factions as well).
At a time when world leaders DO speak of annihilating the Darfurians, Kurds, and Jews, let’s not lightly employ the analogy to Nazi Germany when describing Israel, even if it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep the glass half full.
Except the Nazis didn’t speak that way in the beginning. The point the MK was making, that I agree with and that is scary, is that discourse like is happening against the Arabs in Israel is reminiscent of the rise of fascism in Europe. Don’t rent homes to Arabs, keep them away from our women, etc… And there are those who speak of ridding the land of Arabs, plenty of them. “Death to Arabs” is a popular chant at Jerusalem football matches. The mainstreaming of this racist discourse is what is a scary to me. While it’s not (thank god) to the level of Nazi Germany, it’s trending in a very dangerous direction.