I’m going to come right to the point. On this campus, when
people think of the “voice” of the Jewish student
population, most think of the same thing: those loud schmucky guys who seem to have nothing better to do
than harass demonstrating Arab students and spout the same tired
ignorantly nationalistic arguments regarding Israel and Zionism. You can
usually spot these guys from their “Support Israel” patches or, on
special occasion, wearing Israeli Flags as capes (which presumably
transforms them into superheroes, armed with the uncanny powers of
business savvy and the ability to recite Mel Brooks’
“History of the World Part I” in its entirety. It’s good to be the king).
These people are part of the Right Wing Zionist organization Betar Tagar. And they
suck ass. Pig’s ass. And that shit ain’t
kosher.
Here is a brief history of the organization. Betar was founded in the 1920s by Ze’ev Jabotinsky, a
key figure in foundational Zionist thought. “Betar,”
according to their 2002 Policy Statement, “stands in complete
support of the government of Israel and the Prime Minister, in
the just war against the evil forces that are attacking the sovereignty
of the Jewish People in our land.” The use of the word
‘evil’ gives a strong indication as to the mindset of the
group’s ideology, as does their name. Betar
has two meanings. On one hand it is the name of the last Jewish
stronghold of Ancient Judea in the revolt against the Romans. It is
also a clever acronym for Brit Yosef Trumpeldor, a member of the Czarist Army turned
Zionist freedom fighter, who died in the
battle for Tel Hai. Trumpeldor’s
oft-cited, though historically debatable, dying words of “It is
good to die for our country” have become a slogan for the Jewish
and Israeli far-right and jingoistic. The idea of the name Betar is to connect the militarism of ancient Judea with contemporary Jews and
the land of Israel. It is not dissimilar from
white-power groups who have militaristic names like “Knights of a
Pure America” or whatever—certainly in aesthetics if not
wholly in ideology.
Now surely, without making any value
judgment, the appeal of this organization in the beginning of the 20th
century and after the Holocaust is understandable, just as the appeal
of Hamas to its recruits is understandable,
if not right. But what is the appeal of Betar
to North American Jews, living in a society where, while certainly not
free of prejudice, it is much better to be a Jew than a person of color
or, say, a Muslim? We might begin by noticing that while in North
America Betar has attracted more members, in Israel membership has been
steadily declining. My guess would be that among the members of Betar here at U of T few, if any, are Israeli. Most
probably come from centers of Jewish affluence like Thornhill,
Westchester, New York, or areas in Florida. Why does the fear and
paranoia of anti-Semitism have such a strong hold over Jews from
entrenched communities in North America? Simple: boredom. For Jews
who feel lonely and need a break from studying for their LSATs or actuarial science exams, joining a group
which is fighting for its freedom from the wretched of Gaza provides a
feeling of belonging and excitement that they haven’t felt since
they were rejected trying to make out with Sarah Rothsteinberg
at Jewish summer camp in Grade 7 (or her twin sister at some NFTY
outing). Many Israelis who actually grew up there, and have fought in
the IDF, know that the truth doesn’t lie in doctrinaire
assertion.
And furthermore, what the hell are Jews doing
being right-wing in the first place? Understanding Jewish culture
(regardless of religious observance) as inseparable from tikkun olam,
community-based living, and an understanding of truth and law as
necessarily interpretable, a political outlook which promotes
chauvinism, individualist “sink-or-swim” ethics, and strict
application and adherence to laws and authority (such as is commonly platformed by the GOP and other conservatives) are
anathema to Jewish cultural values. Or, in other words, Ari Fleicher should be
beaten with a spiked bat by Adam Horowitz. This includes Betar. Sure, they seem all militantly Jewish and
whatnot, but in actuality those Uncle Jakes would sew their own
foreskin back on for some of those G. W. Bush goy dollars.
In all seriousness though, the shame of the
situation is that Betar’s voice on
campus has become symbolic of all Jews on campus. Many of us feel the
need to express from the beginning that we disagree with Betar’s rhetoric when we identify ourselves
as Jewish to fellow students. Now yes, it would be nice if others could
be open-minded enough to not make assumptions and project one group’s
actions onto an entire community. But why shouldn’t they make
that assumption? The rest of the community remains silent in the face
of Betar’s bullshit, giving onlookers
no reason to assume there is any dissent from within the Jewish
community. Demonstrations are undemocratically disrupted and the rest
of the community remains silent. Muslim students are harassed and Hillel continues to let Betar
meet in their premises. Why is Betar allowed
to retain a monopoly on Jewish perspectives in the campus’ public
sphere?
The fact of the matter is most of us are too
embarrassed and ashamed to identify with a community that would condone
such a group.
In conclusion I would like to apologize to Betar. I’m sorry. I was out of line.
Don’t notify the Jewish Defense League; I didn’t mean to
offend you.
Please don’t hurt me.
