Why Do We Hurt Each Other with Our Words?

A couple of years ago I took a class called “Voices of Modern Jewish Literature”. For anyone who would like to understand more about the motivations of Israelis, American Jews and Zionist support networks in relation to security, it would serve you to read some of the remarkable works of fiction that came out of the Diaspora community. One of my favorite books is an anthology titled “Lost Tribe: Jewish Fiction from the Edge”. I tried to get rid of most of my possessions before moving here and leaving that particular book behind almost broke my heart. I hate the idea that someone, who doesn’t appreciate this kind of literature the way I do, might be using it as a coaster for their morning coffee. “Dreaming the Actual” is another fantastic anthology by female Israeli writers.

Below is a list of short stories that I absolutely loved. I had to read through my old journal entries to find the titles, but it is funny how over the years I have “memories” of these different stories. Every once in awhile I think about the little boy in “The Story of My Dovecot” or I remember the haunting feeling I had when I read “The Shawl”. The only problem is that I forgot to write from where the short stories came. I’m sure if you Google the titles or authors you’ll be able to find the name of the collection. One anthology is probably “The Cambridge Companion to Jewish American Literature”.

“A Dream of Sleep” by Steve Almond
“How to Make It to the Promised Land” by Ellen Umansky
“A Room on the Roof” forget the author—about Israeli & Palestinian relations through the lens of both gender and ethnic identity.
“Hayuta’s Engagement Party”
“Legacy of Raizel Kaidish: A Story” by Rebecca Goldstein
“The Shawl” by Cynthia Ozick
“The Story of My Dovecot” by Isaac Babel
“The Spinoza of Market Street” by Issac Singer
“Angel Levine” and “The Magic Barrel” by Bernard Malamud
“A Yom Kippur Scandal” by Sholem Aleichem

I have been thinking about this particular literature class lately because I realize now that my professor wasn’t the xenophobe I had thought him to be. Uh, that’s not completely true. He probably is. He used to address the Christian minority in the class by saying, “Gentiles, are you familiar with blah, blah, blah...?” On the face of it, it doesn’t seem to be that offensive, but if you plug any other religion or ethnic group into that example, you’d have to agree it is a little peculiar to make such a distinction. For example, if there is a minority of Caucasians in an African American literature class, it would be highly irregular for the professor to say “Okay White People, are you familiar with the expression blah, blah, blah...?”

I now have to admit that his paranoia wasn’t completely without merit. My professor was very open about his belief that as a Jew, he was a walking target. The Passion of Christ had hit the theatres and he believed that Mel Gibson was heralding a new era of anti-Semitism. Although he was boycotting the film (so he had no first hand knowledge), he was certain that it was a deliberate provocation against the Jewish people. At one point when discussing the reason why most Jews view Israel as a lifeboat in a tumultuous, hostile sea, he exclaimed, “All it takes is for one severe financial crisis to hit this country and you might as well spark up the ovens-- ‘cause we’ll be the first to go.” I asked him, “Do you really believe another Holocaust is likely in this day and age—and here in America?” He replied that it wasn’t a question of “if” but “when”. At the time I thought what a kook.

I think I owe my professor an apology. Since I have been here, I am chilled to say that anti-Semitism is alive and well. I am not referring to the heated debates that arise from the political situation between Israel and the Arab World. I absolutely deplore those people who claim that critics of either Israeli policies or AIPAC are anti-Semites. Gagging free thinking and human rights advocacy by crying the wolf of anti-Semitism is a disgrace. It is as unethical as accusing a man of pedophilia in order to thwart his political ambitions. That kind of ad hominem accusation causes irreparable harm to one’s character and, despite conclusive proof of innocence, it is impossible to ever fully erase the mark of Cain. Furthermore, the indiscriminate use of the word desensitizes people to the real meaning.

For me, the specter of anti-Semitism has arisen in the company of some European and Australian expats. The conversation usually begins by discussing something seemingly innocuous. One French woman I know was discussing the violation of Muslim civil rights in her own country. She was talking about how there are horrible examples of racism against people of African descent in France. Then apropos of nothing she said “But the Jews have laws to protect their civil liberties! Why do Jews always get such special treatment! You can’t say anything derogatory about a Jew for fear of breaking the law...there is such a sense of entitlement!”

I just stared at her because I couldn’t figure out her logic. Did she think that Jews were given protection at the expense of Muslims? Here’s a crazy notion: instead of revoking the human rights of Jews, why not push for legislation that will protect the human rights of Muslims, too? Or better yet, maybe ALL humans, regardless of religion or national origin, should have the right to live and work in a safe, prosperous society? I would think that those two things are mutually exclusive, no? She is a citizen of France, so I would think that if Muslim rights were an issue of utmost importance to her and her well heeled Parisian friends, collectively they could rock enough political boats to bring about real change. She had no response. Probably because she doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the right of African Muslims in France--she needed a springboard for her anti-Jew rant and that issue served her well.

On a side bar, this same woman can’t seem to stop telling me how absolutely cretinous Americans are. I am the only American in my Arabic class and I generally ignore generalizations about my fellow compatriots—especially when they come from people who have never even been to my fair land. (I include in that classification those foreigners who lack the imagination to ever venture beyond New York City.) The other day though, I just snapped. She was yapping on about how fat Americans are--despite the fact that she is considerably pudgier than me. She also made this comment shortly after rejecting an invitation to join me in doing yoga a couple of times a week after class. (We do need to start preparations for bikini season, afterall.)

This woman was spouting on about how Americans only eat McDonalds and I just cut her off. I said “That is sooooo unoriginal and every time I hear a European say that, I just want to tell them how stupid it sounds...There are 300 million people in America, are you seriously going to tell me that you have absolute knowledge about the dietary habits of such an extremely large, ethnically & geographically diverse population?” At that point, the other women chimed in that they also had had enough. Stereotypes are hurtful and pointless. I think they were just embarrassed that this woman was so oblivious. Even if she really believed what she was saying, where were her manners? Where does someone get the idea that they can blabber on authoritatively about a country they’ve never even been to? Truth be told, I will never suffer carpal tunnel due to excessive flag waving, but the Yankee Doodle in me comes out when I encounter people who are hungry for an all-American knuckle sandwich. If you don’t have an intelligent, well-formulated criticism, shut your yap. Plus, everyone was really getting along before her rant; nationality was completely irrelevant to everyone but the frog. (yes, I know that was mean. Maybe my Big Mac withdrawal is making me cranky.)

Another topic that rings like nails down a chalk board for me is that of the “Jewish Mafia” in the United States. There is one Australian character here who I try desperately to avoid—often to no avail. One of his favorite topics to discuss AT me is the Jewish Mafia Conspiracy in the United States. It is so “Elders of Zion” I just want to stab myself in the eye so I can feel something less painful than listening to his vitriolic account of everything that is wrong with my country. I just stare blankly ahead and hope that if I don’t move he will believe that he has successfully brainwashed me into believing his verbal diarrhea. “Yes...Master...Paul Wolfowitz is an Elder...not just an incompetent twat who guided my country into a senseless war without any nuanced understanding of the Middle East...ummmmm....Master...we are all puppets of the Jews.”

I think on one level I am bothered just because he begins from the assumption that 1) I have no understanding of how power politics actually work within the U.S. lobbying culture. He thinks that I need tender guidance so he can reveal to me the dark underbelly of the U.S. system...DUN, DUN, DUUUUUUUUUN: AIPAC! I feel like saying, “Listen Assface, what exactly do you think my background is? I know more about the topic than some half bake like yourself, so why don’t you go sit down, crack open another Fosters and leave the conspiracy theorizing to those clever enough to put together a kitschy weblog or a syndicated column in The Guardian”.

And 2) it’s not just me he is underestimating. He is assuming that my entire country has been duped. According to this guy, the secret of AIPAC is so well concealed that only the highest echelons of the U.S. government are privy to its AWESOME power. I’m like, “Dude, we have every conceivable ethnic mafia and special interest group in the U.S.: Italian, Irish, Russian mafias...MS-13 are running roughshod from Washington, DC to El Salvador...There are Political Action Committees (PACs) for gun control, anti-gun control, tobacco, anti-smoking, oil, steel, plastics, pro-life, pro-choice, pharmaceuticals, communications, environmental conservation, insecticides, coal mining, the Catholic Church, the MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX... If you want to pull the strings in America, you need three things: organizational strategy, a unifying issue and moohla. And if you have the first two, the third will likely follow. It’s not a secret formula. The steam behind AIPAC is that so many boogeyman stories have been told that it is hard to tell myth from reality. The fact is they have brilliant strategists. The best we can do, if we don’t like AIPAC’s influence in the U.S., is to learn from their strategy and mimic it.

Anyway, if he wants to talk about AWESOME lobbying power, he should check out AARP! Now that is a scary bunch of well organized mo-fo’s. Senior citizens run the most powerful lobby my country has ever known. So, if you want to simplify things, find a way to coordinate the senior citizen agenda with the rights of Palestinians. Then just sit back and watch the blue hair fly.