R.D. Eno http://www.jta.org/user/profile/63957 Past director of the Conference on Judaism in Rural New England and editor of KFARI, the newsmagazine of Jewish rural life (no longer published). en-us zsilberman@washingtonjewishweek.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Not having visited Iran, I have no way to evaluate the accuracy of Cohen's article -- and neither has Heilman. It is surpassingly bad journalism -- actually, it's not journalism at all -- to assert what you cannot support. What I will assert, supported by personal observation, is that there is, in America, a very bright line beyond which the organized Jewish community regards everyone as anti-Semitic. That line keeps moving further and further to the right. Which is one reason why so many American Jews want nothing to do with Jews, Judaism or Israel, why they marry non-Jews, why the vigorous motions of American Jewry -- so vital to Israel's solvency -- may be no more than post-mortem effects. I shall await with sword unbated the accusations that I am anti-Semitic. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 So what would a "proportionate" response look like -- or have looked like, the moment to apply it having passed? Probably much like the targeted strikes that Israel has carried out from time to time over the last several years, to very little discernible effect. With an election looming, the urge was overwhelming and irresistible to do something decisive, or that at least gave evidence a decision had been made. I think it's impossible to imagine a "proportionate" response that would amount to more than a gesture -- though, of course, the attacks from Gaza are themselves gestures and hardly unendurable (so far). But where power is distributed disproprotionately, so that fanatical minorities, for private benefit, can undermine public will and hold whole polities hostage, what hope is there for any sort of proportionality? That's not a rhetorical question. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00