Diaspora Jews Are Hostages to Israel's Behavior - Israel News - Haaretz.com
During crises like the current war in Gaza, the issue of the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora re-emerges in full force, as massive anti-Israel demonstrations and soaring antisemitism span the globe.
Now, as before, the question arises: What are the boundaries, mutual responsibilities and repercussions of this relationship? And more urgently, for their identity and physical security, are Diaspora Jews effectively captives of Israel's political and military conduct?
Already in Israel's Declaration of Independence, the foundation was laid for the relationship between the State of Israel and the Jewish Diaspora: "Our call goes out to the Jewish people all over the world to rally to our side in the task of immigration and development, and to stand by us in the great struggle for the fulfillment of the dream of generations – the redemption of Israel."
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Meaning: the role of the Diaspora is to immigrate to Israel or to assist the State of Israel however they can. In exchange, the Diaspora gets to share in "the redemption of Israel," whatever that may mean.
The Jews of the Diaspora contributed as much as they could: some made aliyah, though most Jews in the West remained in their homeland. Many supported Israel materially, politically and spiritually, and their leadership stood alongside Israel, or more precisely, alongside Israeli governments, which expected them to support them automatically, while Diaspora Jews were not given the chance to express their wishes.
Moreover, the repercussions of Israel's conduct on the Diaspora are not, and have never been, taken into account.
An Israeli Air Force aerobatic team marking the country's 75th Independence Day in Tel Aviv, Israel this year, Israel's 75th anniversaryCredit: AP
‘Official’ Israel is indeed convinced that the Zionist solution is the only solution to the so-called ‘Jewish problem’ – antisemitism, disenfranchisement and conflicting identities of the Jewish people throughout history – and therefore designates Israel as the official and exclusive representative of the Jewish people (or the worldwide Jewish community).
According to this conception, Israel is not only the ultimate refuge for Jews in times of distress, but also the sole center of identification, regardless of its conduct. The accompanying assumption is that Israel is both a necessity and an object of pride for Diaspora Jewry, and therefore identification with it is not only self-evident, but also confers an authentic advantage to Jews as Jews.
Israel's arrogant attitude ignores the fact that many Jews still see emancipation where they live as a viable solution to the 'Jewish problem,' and they see Zionism as just one solution among others, and they do not consider Israel's institutionalized Orthodox Judaism their path either. Their connection to Israel can still be significant, differentiating them from the minority that prefers to join the Israel-hating, post-colonialist demagogic chorus.
Mass march against antisemitism in Paris, France, earlier this month as French authorities registered more than 1,000 antisemitic acts in the month since the Israel-Hamas war beganCredit: AP
However, Diaspora Jews have long learned the hard way that, even if they are not Orthodox and are not Zionists or do not declare identification with the Jewish state, whether they want it or not, they are considered they are identified in the eyes of non-Jews with the State of Israel, especially in times when Israel’s policy is harshly scrutinized.
Public opinion polls show that to the question: "Are Jews more loyal to the State of Israel than to their country of citizenship?" is answered by most respondents in almost every country with a "Yes." That is: Jews are not only suspected of dual loyalty, a suspicion that firmly belongs to the arsenal of antisemitic attitudes, but they are suspected of disloyalty to the country where they live.
And when loyalty to the State of Israel is identified with unswerving loyalty to Israel's problematic conduct, and thus collective responsibility for it, Jews find themselves in real distress, and even danger.
One should therefore ask: From where did the Zionist movement, and since 1948, Israel, take upon itself the presumption to be the sole authentic representative of the worldwide Jewish community?
Pro-Palestinian protesters burn a photograph of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a pro-Palestinian rally in front of the Israeli embassy, in Athens, GreeceCredit: AP
Perhaps the presumption arising from the 1950 Law of Return, which makes every Jew in the world a potential Israeli citizen of Israel. Ironically, a law seen as a fundamental _expression_ of Israel's founding principles – to be a refuge for oppressed Jews – has been manipulated by both Israel and its enemies.
We are particularly familiar with the situation in Germany. We follow the great concern expressed by German Jewry at the moment. Indeed, the community's leadership has traditionally shown obedient loyalty to Israel and its policies.
Until last year, when Israel's extreme right-wing government took office, it was hard to find a word of criticism, and the community's representative body, the Central Council of Jews in Germany, served almost as a rubber stamp for whatever Israeli governments did.
But even the leadership of the German Jews realized that identifying with Israel under the Bibi–Ben-Gvir government was untenable. Now, as this government manages the Gaza crisis, German Jews too discover that they have become a punching bag for anyone who is appalled by Israel's actions, or, less benignly, those who want to harass Israel's supporters and assumes every Jew is a representative of Israel.
It is an established fact that about a fifth of the population in Germany and Western Europe indeed hosts antisemitic prejudices, a proportion that covers the spectrum from far right to far left, as well as immigrant communities. In critical hours like now, latent and overt antisemitism surfaces and Israel's presumption to represent all Jews slaps Diaspora Jews in the face.
Candles light in front of at the Brandenburg Gate during a vigil to mark one month since the Hamas attacks on Israel, in Berlin, GermanyCredit: AP
In Germany, not only were protests held against the Gaza war replete with noticeably antisemitic signs and slogans. During the Israel-Hamas war, waves of hatred have caused German Jews, like Jews in other countries, to refrain from leaving their homes, from wearing identifiably Jewish symbols from kippot to Stars of David, and from congregating in Jewish institutions.
Particularly serious for Diaspora Jews as a whole is the fact that today's Israeli government, which still assumes the automatic support of all Jews, is a particularly unattractive option: to be identified with a government that is racist, nationalist, theocratic and annexationist – this is a demand that exposes Diaspora Jews to even greater hostility than in the past.
Even when Diaspora Jews seek to clarify their support for Israel is distinct from any individual Israeli government, the Netanyahu government constantly collides the two.
Moreover, after official Israel made manipulative use of the definition of "Israel-oriented antisemitism" to protect itself from any criticism, it is difficult to convince both politicians and public opinion in the world that, this time, the boundless hate against Israel and the violent hatred of Jews is indeed a clear case of prejudice founded on the arsenal of "classic" antisemitism, from which Diaspora Jewry suffered before the state was established.
The time has come to have an eye-level discussion between Israel and the Diaspora about the relations between them. And until then, Israel must be aware of the reality: That Diaspora Jews are effectively held hostage by its behavior and that of its government, and must act with the utmost caution in order not to cause, consciously or not, and fairly or not, more damage to Jews around the world.
Shimon Stein served as Israel's Ambassador to Germany 2000-7 and is research fellow at the INSS, Tel Aviv University
Moshe Zimmermann is a historian and Professor Emeritus at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem