Printer Friendly

Email to A Friend

Friday September 6, 2002

British rabbi's remarks raise questions on Jewish debate

RUTH E. GRUBER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

ROME -- By criticizing Israel's actions in its war against Palestinian terrorism, Britain's chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, forced European Jews to face a delicate question: How open and public should Jewish debate on Israeli policy be at a time of crisis?

Diaspora communities include Jews from across the political and religious spectrum, and Jewish and mainstream newspapers are full of conflicting letters and passionate opinion articles from individuals.

Passions indeed can run high: Last year, a local Jew who had written an opinion piece criticizing Israeli policy in the Rome Jewish newspaper was roughed up by other Jews when he attended a support vigil outside the Israeli embassy.

But at a time when much of the world appears to take a pro-Palestinian stance, should Jewish leaders close ranks and limit their criticism?

Sacks was both applauded and vilified for the remarks he made last week to Britain's Guardian newspaper.

Sacks told the Guardian that he regarded "the current situation as nothing less than tragic. It is forcing Israel into postures that are incompatible in the long run with our deepest ideals."

Some things happening in Israel made him "feel very uncomfortable as a Jew," Sacks said. In particular, he said he was "profoundly shocked" by a photograph of smiling Israeli soldiers posing with the corpse of a Palestinian.

"There is no question that this kind of prolonged conflict, together with the absence of hope, generates hatreds and insensitivities that in the long run are corrupting to a culture," he said.

The Guardian played up Sacks' words with a headline critical of Israel. Sacks later said his remarks had been misused and taken out of context, and reiterated his strong support for Israel.

An editorial in the Jerusalem Post called for Sacks to resign.

The president of the Conference of European Rabbis, Rabbi Joseph Sitruk, said Sacks -- the associate president of the conference -- had the right to express his views, but did not represent the organization.

In a straw poll conducted by the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, British-born rabbis in Israel praised Sacks for "his courage in following in the paths of earlier Jewish leaders who have spoken out against Israel's misdeeds."

Controversy raged not just over what Sacks said or meant, but also over where he said it -- in a leftist newspaper generally seen as staunchly pro-Palestinian.

"The only thing the chief rabbi is guilty of is naivete," a reader in Jerusalem wrote to the London Jewish Chronicle. "With its recent history of Israel-bashing, the Guardian was only too happy to sow the seeds of discord within the Jewish community over attitudes toward Israeli policies."

Indeed, Sacks' interviewer, Jonathan Freedland, predicted that the chief rabbi's statements would stir up a storm and "send shockwaves through Israel and the world Jewish community."

The interview itself was headlined "Israel set on tragic path, says chief rabbi."

In North America, the debate over whether diaspora Jews have the right to criticize Israel appeared to be resolved several years ago in the affirmative. But during the two years since the Palestinian intifada began, most Jewish leaders have focused their efforts on building solidarity and support for Israel.

In Britain, the Jewish Chronicle said the Sacks controversy ultimately revolved around Sacks' dual role as a spiritual and political leader of his community.

"While the prophetic calling of a chief rabbi surely makes the kind of probing remarks he made in the Guardian on Israel entirely appropriate," the Chronicle said in an editorial, how "does this square with his de facto political role in recent months as British Jewry's most high-profile, forceful public defender of the policies adopted by Israel in its tragic conflict with the Palestinians?"

Some commentators lauded Sacks' courage.

"It takes guts to be critical," a senior British Jewish communal source said. "For Jews to have an opinion is a responsibility. It impoverishes the Diaspora if these issues are not raised."

Did you find this article interesting? Subscribe to our FREE newsletter and you'll be notified each week when "J." goes online. We'll tell you about the most important stories of the week and give you a link to each one.

This page contains a BETA version of Amazon contextual links. They are marked by the dashed underline.  Your purchases support our site. At times they point to items which are not related to the actual link. Please alert us by email if you discover objectionable links.