Letters to the EditorPittsburgh Jewish ChronicleDear Editor,Jeremy Ben-Ami states that, “I would be glad to meet publicly with those who disagree and discuss civilly our views of US-Israel relations, Israel’s future, and the organization I lead.” Pardon me if I doubt his honesty.
On April 19, 2022, I wrote Mr. Ben- Ami and asked him the following questions. He never responded. Today, I ask them again. Let’s see if he is a man of his word. My letter was headed “Trying to understand your position on Israel and the Palestinians”Dear Jeremy,J. Street is being stomped on by many Jewish commentators and web sites claiming that its support for Israel is a pretense and its prime consideration is the welfare of the Palestinian Arabs. Before jumping aboard, I would be honored if you would take the time to answer some questions that would make your position clear:
- Do you accept that Jews are the aboriginal people of Israel/formerly Judea/formerly Judah/formerly Israel?
- Do you have a problem with the existence of a Jewish state whose national anthem relates to Jewish yearning?
- Would you agree that the official position of Gazan Palestinians and many in the PA is to bring an end to Israel?
- Would you agree that Omar Barghouti, the founder of BDS stated that Israel must be euthanized?
- What is your position on the IHRA definition of antisemitism?
- Why do you think the Palestinians have refused ALL of Israel’s peace offers?
- If they continue doing this, what hope is there for peace?
- Do you believe that Israel is responsible for vaccinating Arabs living outside of Israel in self-governing areas? If so why?
- Do you believe that Zionism is an oppressive system of subjugation or the yearning of diaspora Jews to return to the land from which their ancestors were forced to flee? Are the two explanations compatible?
- Would you agree that people who are reluctant to overtly smear Jews do so by substituting the word Zionist?Thank you so much for responding to my questions.Sincerely yours,Larry Shapiro,
