A week as a Zionist

This morning when I woke up and heard about what had happened with the flotilla off the coast of Gaza, I was initially actually quite upset at what Israel had done. Though this was only an initial reaction and I now understand why Israel did what it did, when I thought about it some more I was actually quite disappointed in myself that my first reaction was disappointment, not an automatic assumption that Israel had done the right thing.

Now, I still don't know how I feel.

I have read what Defense Minister Barak has said, and I understand that Israel was provoked that they did the right thing, and I also believe and know absolutely that the IDF is one of the most moral armies in the world and would only take lives when they feel it is a necessity. I also agree with the point that so called "peace activists" do not arrive carrying guns, knives, metal bars, and tools used to fight with. They were clearly looking to start something with Israel.

At the same time however, I understand the PR side, I understand that Israel could have probably just let it go, let it land in Gaza, and let whatever aid supplies there were aboard, if there were any, get to where they had to go. Of course there's always the possibility of there being weapons on board, but maybe that could have been dealt with in a more suitable way, and without any deaths.

Maybe Israel didn't have to do anything since, as we so proudly declare in all our advocacy sessions, we disengaged from Gaza 5 years ago, so we should act like we're disengaged. This means that Israel and Gaza are two separate entities. The blockade is entirely justified since they don't like us and we don't have to provide them with anything, and if some crazy left wing sailors want to deliver some supplies to the Gaza beach, we can let them do this. I also however understand the ridiculous-ness of this option since despite our claims that we have disengaged, Israel is being pressured to end the blockade of Gaza which means that they should be supplying Palestinians bent on its destruction, fuel and food. This is not part of our responsibility, but this is another talk to have.

My point is that I understand both sides, but my initial reaction disturbed me slightly.

This last week I heard from a number of great minds who have all made me think.

Last week I heard actually quite a depressing talk from Alon Pinkas, the former Consul General of Israel to New York, who painted a pretty bleak picture of the situation in the Middle East. His points included things like Iran is developing nuclear weapons to destroy Israel, the Israeli government is dysfunctional and does not know how to effectively rule without taking bribes, the demographic situation in the region is getting increasingly bleak with the small Jewish population in Israel and the rapidly increasing Palestinian population on its borders, etc. His speech started with the usual PR gems that we all use such as the Israeli agricultural techniques, making the desert bloom, Israel's hi-tech industry, blah blah blah. That was the set up, and the rest went down from there. It left me feeling upset as a passionate and active member of the younger generation, and also because I don't like when people end their talks without giving at least a glimpse of hope, or a message to the next generation.

His speech ended on a negative note. I went to him afterwards and asked him to give me something, anything, to keep me going. "Why should I stay motivated after the picture you have just drawn for us?" I asked. He said "Oh you know, the Jewish story, that sort of thing, gotta keep going to keep the Jewish nation going" and waved his hands in a yadda yadda yadda sort of way. This message didn't exactly cut it for me, and I asked if the current leaders of Israel cared for the youth, the next generation, and saw potential for advances in the future, and he sort of brushed me off with a "no" and then a body language "stop talking to me".

This left me annoyed. Not only did he claim to be a spokesperson for the Jewish State, but he essentially told me that there's not much hope - something I don't like thinking. Hope makes you move forward and make you excel and progress, and without hope, well...there's nothing. To be cliche and quote Andy Dufresne from the end of The Shawshank Redemption, "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."

Fortunately, I got a little boost of hope from the Israeli Prime Minister, who I went to go hear speak at the annual Walk for Israel on May 30. Hearing Bibi speak was a great opportunity, and actually made me more excited than I thought I would be.

He also painted a bleak picture and spoke about what threatens Israel, but he spoke about the strength of the Diaspora, the strength of the IDF, and the long term historical presence of the Jewish population in Israel (ancient history is the best thing to woo me with). This charged me and took away some of the negativity that I had been feeling for a few days before that. It made me feel like I could make a difference again, and I looked around me in that audience and saw Zionists who were old and young, holding both Canadian and Israeli flags in their hands, and I felt a little more sure of what I cared about.

Bibi spoke of Israeli-Canadian unity, he brought with a soldier who was a Canadian who had recently made aliya to show how proud people were to fight with the IDF, and the response throughout the audience was sheer joy. The last time an Israeli Prime Minister addressed the Jewish community in Toronto was Menachem Begin in 1978, and based on the dedication, commitment, and passion of the Toronto Jewish community, we deserved a visit that was long overdue. Just seeing Bibi, hearing his comments, and witnessing my own natural elation and pride at hearing what he had to say, gave me a bit more faith in my own beliefs.

This morning as I said was the news of the flotilla raid, at which point my emotions took another dive, but I was extremely fortunate to be able to attend the Simon Wiesenthal Center event tonight (May 31) which heard from both Elie Wiesel and Salman Rushdie.

Having left this event only hours ago, I still feel an immense sense of pride with both Israel and the Jewish community. Hearing from these two greats, listening to their anecdotes, their experiences, and their advice, makes me feel like I spent far more than just two hours with them. They spoke of a world in trouble that needed repair. They spoke of darker times and their experiences with finding some sort of way out of the depths of that darkness, and how to cope when things just don't seem right.

Elie Wiesel of course spoke about his Holocaust experience, but he spoke about his feeling of hopelessness on the day that Rabin was assassinated and how he managed to overcome the immense grief that event brought him both as a Jew and a Zionist. Salman Rushdie spoke about the feeling of imminent death, of having a death warrant on his head, and of being able to test your own limits to overcome your fears, and to find out how strong you can truly become.

Elie Wiesel spoke of Judaism, and of God, and said that "Jews can be against God, or for God, but they cannot be without God". Salman Rushdie spoke of his conversations with notorious-atheist Christopher Hitchens about the novel 1984. He said that although the end of the book speaks of how totalitarianism can completely absorb the world, that this has never been the case in human history. He spoke of the potential of youths to overthrow tyrannical dictators, religious fundamentalism, and those negative factors that have the ability to draw people in, and said that giving into dictators "is just not what people do."

Tonight was hope.

Tonight was the ability to overcome what may temporarily push us off course and knock us off our feet. Though it is always difficult to see Israel behave in a way that you perhaps don't think it should, especially when you hold it to the "its not just any country" standard, you need things like tonight to remind you of the greatness of human perseverance and the fact that it is people like this who truly support the state of Israel. Not just the speakers, but the thousands of people in attendance at the event.

This last week has demonstrated to me precisely what it is like to be a Zionist and it could not have been more clear. To be a Zionist, to believe in the state of Israel, to believe that it is the haven for all persecuted Jews around the world, to believe that Israel is the accomplishment of 2000 years of dreaming for a native homeland where Jews can be safe, and the fulfillment of a dream that no other people in history have dreamed for so long, means that there are ups and there are downs. My idealism has always shaped me, and I have always looked at situations with hope and with the knowledge that things will work out in the end. Not that they CAN work out, but that they WILL work out. It is this knowledge and innate hope that I have that has enabled me to get through some pretty trying times in terms of politics, and that has ensured that I have not lost sight of why so many people have died and what we, in our generation, have the ability to save.

Zionism is about dynamics, it is about a shifting paradigm, one that may not look the same as the day before, but in the end has resulted in the true building of a dream that will ensure that Jewish people have something to be proud of. It is being a Zionist and yearning for our Jewish State to do good that makes us unique, and makes us understand what it is to be human.

I was upset last week with many of the things that Israel has been doing, and as a result I think that it is the time for some change. I think that people need to stop looking out for themselves and start looking out for others, and I think that Israel must continue to do that and go back to its fundamental tenets of saving not only fellow Jews, but humanity from the scourge of war that seems to never end. The most important thing however is to realize how empowered we are as the next generation. We have potential like young people before us have never had, and we must be heard, be able to express ourselves and ensure that the world that the older generation is in the midst of shaping is fit for us to soon take the reins.

Brian Mulroney, who was moderating tonights even with Rushdie and Wiesel, finished off the event with a question about what to tell the youth. Both Rushdie and Wiesel spoke of hope, God, and of never giving up. At a time like this it was not only exactly what I wanted to hear, but what I think many of the people in that room wanted to hear. They wanted to hear that there is hope, that there is a bright future, and that politics is dynamic. If we are not content with our present circumstances, we must make those changes without expecting to rely on others. This is where Zionism came from: the necessity to take control of our own future. It gave rise to a great state that has given the Jewish people immense pride over the last 62 years, and it is the role of the youth to ensure that Israel's future only emulates and exceeds the pride that it has already given so many.