Very well said. Now if only the ignorant, antisemitic Diaspora Jews would read it -instead of trying to disassociate from themselves in order to be “accepted”.
@Joshua H .. not only can you write well, your thinking process, understanding and ability to explain is superb. With such a formidable ability, it would be great to see you progress in to being a spokesperson for Israel on the world stage. Kol Ha Kavod.
Another issue is that progressive Jews, many (most) see Judaism merely as a religion. They don’t understand or recognize that Jews are a people. Am Yisrael Chai means the people of Israel live, not the religion of Israel lives. Because they don’t understand we are a people, progressive Jews separate their identity from Judaism.
Well said. My son, who is at Berkeley, is brilliant but deeply misdirected, as are many people. He has that idea that you're either a "Zionist" which in young minds signifies the enemy or you're liberal to the point of suffering from generational guilt. Being Jewish is not a strictly religious construct-- in fact, for years it was considered a race. We share a history of thousands of years, thousands of wars, hate and love. Judaism has morphed over the years but we need to remember that nothing in life is binary, except numbers.
Berkeley is a hothouse of Jew hate, as are all our most upscale and/or "Social Justice-oriented" universities. Berkeley Leftists imagine themselves as vanguard utopians and all utopian ideologies eventually turn on the Jews, as they are a handy scapegoat for when the imagined Promised Land fails to appear.
Let’s cut to the chase: Many Americans have the luxury of obsessing about “social justice” issues (most of which in 2025 are effectively non-issues). They face no imminent existential threats, and many, especially the young, live an economically entitled life, supported by parents and/or transfer payments. They also have no sense of pride or appreciation in what America has achieved to allow them this relatively free and cushy life.
As the essay demonstrates, most Israelis live in a profoundly different reality.
I often feel “politically homeless” because I find myself agreeing more with Conservatives like Douglas Murray these days, after being a Democrat my whole life. Liberal policies seem like they’re for a world they wish we lived in rather than the real world. There’s a naïveté to them-“open borders are fine cause we are all the same!” “Men in women’s bathrooms and prisons is fine!” It’s easy for ppl who aren’t in mortal danger to judge Israelis for not being woke enough…infuriating.
Yes! So many gems in this. Not only instructive to the Jewish left in the Diaspora but also one of the best descriptions of Israel’s unique status and challenges. Even more, you hit the nail on the head about how hard it is to wrap one’s head around being locally progressive in the Diaspora and a Zionist at the same time. Will share widely!
I could write a counter essay, but shall limit myself to a few reservations:
First, as is often the case, "liberal" and "progressive" are taken as equivalent, and used alternatively. This is a hoax: Iiberals are for freedom and for not imposing equality; progressives are for equality. and are very comfortable with suppressing freedom to advance it. Generally speaking, progressives are illiberal.
Second, the author tell us that "I didn’t suddenly embrace capitalism red in tooth and claw or start watching Fox News." I wonder, did the author ever bother to watch Fox News before coming to his conclusion that it was unwatchably conservative?
Third, comparing countries without troubles with Israel, the author states that "Norway doesn’t have suicide bombers on its buses." Well, Norway has an increasingly high crime rate; Sweden is the bombing and rape capital of Europe (and perhaps the world); Germany regularly enjoys terrorist attacks on it, whether by vehicle or knife; and England tolerates rape gangs exploiting children. All of these are thanks to the same folks that surround Israel and have brought such joy to Israelis. True, they were there through Arab Muslim imperialism before Jews returned to their homeland, while the Europeans, in competition for greater "virtue," opened their doors to immigration jihad. They are not today an existential threat to Europe the way they are to Israel, but they will be in a few years due to demographic expansion. It will the "Islamic Emirate in What Used to Britain," etc.
Identity politics, critical race theory, and intersectionality are the mainstays of the progressive agenda. They are nothing more than the 21st century version of Nazi racial
theories, which were pure bullshit. The quicker we toss those idiotic theories into the ash heap of history, the better. And they can take the leftist, traitors that call themselves college professors with it.
"So when those same Jews see Israel wield power — military power, geopolitical power, economic power — it can feel unsettling. To watch Jews hold borders, fly fighter jets, run intelligence operations, or enforce national laws can feel like a betrayal of the story we’ve been telling ourselves for generations: that we are the ones who never had power".
I'd posit as well that since one canard leveled at Diaspora Jews is our supposed wielding of inordinate secret power (Jewish space lazers???) we become quite nervous about asserting that we have power. Ane we do demand that power be wielded with justice in a moral way.
Probably the best expression of intertwining progressive values with support for Israel that I have ever read.
Very well said. Now if only the ignorant, antisemitic Diaspora Jews would read it -instead of trying to disassociate from themselves in order to be “accepted”.
@Joshua H .. not only can you write well, your thinking process, understanding and ability to explain is superb. With such a formidable ability, it would be great to see you progress in to being a spokesperson for Israel on the world stage. Kol Ha Kavod.
Love and deeply relate to this.
Another issue is that progressive Jews, many (most) see Judaism merely as a religion. They don’t understand or recognize that Jews are a people. Am Yisrael Chai means the people of Israel live, not the religion of Israel lives. Because they don’t understand we are a people, progressive Jews separate their identity from Judaism.
Well said. My son, who is at Berkeley, is brilliant but deeply misdirected, as are many people. He has that idea that you're either a "Zionist" which in young minds signifies the enemy or you're liberal to the point of suffering from generational guilt. Being Jewish is not a strictly religious construct-- in fact, for years it was considered a race. We share a history of thousands of years, thousands of wars, hate and love. Judaism has morphed over the years but we need to remember that nothing in life is binary, except numbers.
Berkeley is a hothouse of Jew hate, as are all our most upscale and/or "Social Justice-oriented" universities. Berkeley Leftists imagine themselves as vanguard utopians and all utopian ideologies eventually turn on the Jews, as they are a handy scapegoat for when the imagined Promised Land fails to appear.
Good luck to you and your son.
As I said “nothing in life is binary.”
This should be mandatory reading for all western ‘progressives’.
Let’s cut to the chase: Many Americans have the luxury of obsessing about “social justice” issues (most of which in 2025 are effectively non-issues). They face no imminent existential threats, and many, especially the young, live an economically entitled life, supported by parents and/or transfer payments. They also have no sense of pride or appreciation in what America has achieved to allow them this relatively free and cushy life.
As the essay demonstrates, most Israelis live in a profoundly different reality.
Boy, you sure can write!
I often feel “politically homeless” because I find myself agreeing more with Conservatives like Douglas Murray these days, after being a Democrat my whole life. Liberal policies seem like they’re for a world they wish we lived in rather than the real world. There’s a naïveté to them-“open borders are fine cause we are all the same!” “Men in women’s bathrooms and prisons is fine!” It’s easy for ppl who aren’t in mortal danger to judge Israelis for not being woke enough…infuriating.
Yes! So many gems in this. Not only instructive to the Jewish left in the Diaspora but also one of the best descriptions of Israel’s unique status and challenges. Even more, you hit the nail on the head about how hard it is to wrap one’s head around being locally progressive in the Diaspora and a Zionist at the same time. Will share widely!
Excellent
It's amazing how survivor guilt makes people susceptible to propaganda and ideological capture regardless of their history and current events.
I could write a counter essay, but shall limit myself to a few reservations:
First, as is often the case, "liberal" and "progressive" are taken as equivalent, and used alternatively. This is a hoax: Iiberals are for freedom and for not imposing equality; progressives are for equality. and are very comfortable with suppressing freedom to advance it. Generally speaking, progressives are illiberal.
Second, the author tell us that "I didn’t suddenly embrace capitalism red in tooth and claw or start watching Fox News." I wonder, did the author ever bother to watch Fox News before coming to his conclusion that it was unwatchably conservative?
Third, comparing countries without troubles with Israel, the author states that "Norway doesn’t have suicide bombers on its buses." Well, Norway has an increasingly high crime rate; Sweden is the bombing and rape capital of Europe (and perhaps the world); Germany regularly enjoys terrorist attacks on it, whether by vehicle or knife; and England tolerates rape gangs exploiting children. All of these are thanks to the same folks that surround Israel and have brought such joy to Israelis. True, they were there through Arab Muslim imperialism before Jews returned to their homeland, while the Europeans, in competition for greater "virtue," opened their doors to immigration jihad. They are not today an existential threat to Europe the way they are to Israel, but they will be in a few years due to demographic expansion. It will the "Islamic Emirate in What Used to Britain," etc.
Identity politics, critical race theory, and intersectionality are the mainstays of the progressive agenda. They are nothing more than the 21st century version of Nazi racial
theories, which were pure bullshit. The quicker we toss those idiotic theories into the ash heap of history, the better. And they can take the leftist, traitors that call themselves college professors with it.
It's not unsettling to me at all. In fact I take great pride in Israel's military, geopolitical and economic power and am grateful for it.
"Progressivism" is marxism and marxism is anti-Zionist.
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"So when those same Jews see Israel wield power — military power, geopolitical power, economic power — it can feel unsettling. To watch Jews hold borders, fly fighter jets, run intelligence operations, or enforce national laws can feel like a betrayal of the story we’ve been telling ourselves for generations: that we are the ones who never had power".
I'd posit as well that since one canard leveled at Diaspora Jews is our supposed wielding of inordinate secret power (Jewish space lazers???) we become quite nervous about asserting that we have power. Ane we do demand that power be wielded with justice in a moral way.
*And