© Scott Roth
Long Island Jewish center with Israeli and American flags at half mast after Ariel Sharon’s death in January 2014.
Long Island Jewish center with Israeli and American flags at half mast after Ariel Sharon’s death in January 2014.
Beinart says dual loyalty is inherent in the ways in which American Jews support Israel.
By the way, many other Jews from John Judis to Joe Klein to Eric Alterman to Melissa Weintraub, have made a similar point.I want to talk about the even more sensitive subject that she raised, which is the question of dual loyalty, or dual allegiance. I'll be honest, I haven't written this because I feel like it's too sensitive, but I have talked about it. So my kids go to Jewish day school. When I tried to talk about this subject to them, they were somewhat confused, because they essentially thought that a loyalty - allegiance - to the United States and to Israel was what was expected of them.
Right? I mean look at the iconography of American Jewish life. Prayer for the United States in shul, prayer for medina Yisrael [state of Israel]. American flag, Israeli flag - right? I mean at their school, they have the clock that says what time it is in New York and the clock that says what time it is in Israel.
And if someone asked me, do you have a loyalty to the Jewish people, which is separate from your loyalty to the United States, I would say Yes. I would say Of course I have a loyalty to the Jewish people. I feel an affinity and a connection and a concern for Jews around the world because we are Am Yisrael, we are a people. And so I guess, I totally understand that the suggestion that Jews are not good citizens is very, very dangerous and has a very, very ugly ugly history. But how can one talk about the fact that as Jews we do have a special for the Jewish people and for the Jewish state and I would imagine that if African Americans have a special concern for what happens in Haiti, why should that be considered illegitimate.
Comment: AIPAC slipped under the bar like this: