Guest Post: Our Defense to the World

כ״א לחודש השמיני תשע״ו

Moshe Schwartz

My fascination with how hasbara and pro Israel activism works has reached epic levels as of late. I never understood the groveling like mentality that lacks both pride and dignity. When I see other nations and cultures around the world and how they justify on the most basic of levels their existence we can surely learn a lesson from them. Take for example Muslims and their countries. They do not try to justify to the world their claim using any international law other then to distract or delay. They simply say this is ours because Islam says so. Another example would be Xian claims to anything and everything based on their religious texts. Although they have become more civilized and refined the foundational principle for them as well this is our claim because our texts say so. On a side note this is why the missionary issue here is actual secondary when it comes to Xian issues here in Israel. The next case we can look at is just as simplistic. What about those who have no religion? What about the atheist? Well their claim to anything is just as simple. Their claim is based on sociological premises whether one end of the political spectrum or the other. This would include any system of secularized government might be over simplifying things but perhaps the problem is many have over complicated and over analyzed things. Perhaps we can learn from everyone else in this instance and stick to the basic foundational principle. The original concept sort of speak. If the world does not understand should that mean we should look for lesser explanations that divert from where our plumb line originated? Surely not. It seems we always cry why doesn't the world get it even when we explain things on their terms and even if they do our message has become diluted or distorted.
I have spoken many times to many Jews who employ the standard Hasbara protocol and ask them why not just be more transparent and in effect more honest about what Israel was, is and will be? The typical response is because we need their support and this is the only way we can achieve it. So let me get this straight. When Arafat spoke English to the world and Arabic to his people we found that unacceptable yet we essentially use the exact same tactic of subterfuge?

Here is a strange and out of date concept for most involved in pro Israel advocacy and especially for my fellow Jews. Get ready because we might even lose support from many of our "friends" and even fellow Jews for being honest. Israel was promised to us Jews by Hashem under a conditional promise. The blueprint on how we should govern Israel is not to be found in any document established by Herzl or Ben Gurion or the Knesset. The blueprint for an actual Jewish homeland and not a state for the Jews can be found in our Torah and even explained by men who understood it much better then anyone in government such as the Rishonim and Chazal. Our right to live in Israel is not based on we are currently a democratic nation or some notion of indigenous rights or by approval of the UN. If this was the case then it is no Jewish right and indeed we have no reason to complain about our current situations as we wonder why we do not control our Holy sites. Or why our government does not look out for Jews. Our why we have blatant and obvious enemies in our government. If the activist community that is pro Israel continues to try to water down and dilute Israel and if we continue to support this pathetic undignified Hasbara then it should be no surprise to anyone why the world is not only against but has no respect for a Jewish Israel. Let us not try to reason with the world on their level anymore. We have tried that route far too long. If we can support and actively promote a Jewish homeland instead of a homeland for Jews how can we even expect the world to? And if they do not that is between them and Hashem, if we do not it is between us and Hashem.

So let em ask how successful has all this activism for Israel been for actually promoting a Jewish Israel and if you are an activist for Israel whether Jew or not do you water down or dilute a Jewish Israel just to make it palatable for people who would never support a Jewish Israel? If you do then congratulations you are officially part of Hasbara. You are one of the Hasbara folks that look to elevate a State for Jews that promotes anything as long as their is loyalty to the State first and if we are lucky you will throw some Jewish scraps in the mix. Yes, I know ultimately this is what you can sell to the world because the last thing any non Jew would want that supports the State of Israel is a Jewish Israel.

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*My thanks and appreciation especially to Donny Fuchs and Nathaniel Feingold for numerous conversations on the phone and their ideas have also inspired me to write this. Without saying my main inspiration is simply the Torah. Lastly but definitely not least is the Rav who through his writings gave me clarity on this matter and many others, Rav Meir Kahane Z"L.*