In his reasoning as to why the newly created Maccabee Task Force won’t give
funding for anti-BDS initiatives to J Street U, David Brog states that, while
he thinks J Street is pro-Israel “in the abstract,” he questions how we
spend our time day-to-day and wonders whether we spend more time making the
case for Israel or being critical of it (“Strategy Emerging On Adelson BDS
Effort,” Editor’s column, Dec. 11). However, it is this very dichotomy that will prove his
efforts futile.
What Sheldon Adelson, Brog, and others fail to understand is that, without being
critical of Israeli policies, it is virtually impossible to muster support
for Israel as a whole. We criticize Israel’s policies because we love Israel,
and because we know that Israel can do better than it is doing right now. A
voice that refuses to criticize Israeli actions by definition insists that
Israel is perfect as is, and that sentiment only serves to give fodder to the
BDS movement, because it ignores the legitimate concerns that students have
about the dangers that Israel faces in the absence of a two-state solution.
Brog may have all the money in the world to throw against BDS, but until he understands this fundamental concept, unfortunately, there’s no way he can succeed.
Co-Chair, J Street NYC
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