{"id":23457,"date":"2017-03-24T03:59:15","date_gmt":"2017-03-24T10:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=23457"},"modified":"2017-03-23T22:07:31","modified_gmt":"2017-03-24T05:07:31","slug":"jewish-values-in-trump-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2017\/03\/24\/jewish-values-in-trump-era\/","title":{"rendered":"Jewish values in Trump era"},"content":{"rendered":"

The April 9 panel discussion Israel, Canada and Me in the Age of Trump will feature, clockwise from top left, Dr. Shayna Plaut (photo from Shayna Plaut), <\/em>Ofira Roll (photo from Ofira Roll), <\/em>Rabbi Susan Shamash (photo by Robert Albanese) and <\/em>Eviatar Bach (photo from Eviatar Bach).<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Israel, Canada and Me in the Age of Trump will be the topic discussed by a panel of four Jewish speakers on April 9 at the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump\u2019s election in the U.S. has shifted the relationship that Diaspora Jews in general, and progressive Jews in particular, have with Israel,\u201d Yom-Tov Shamash, one of the organizers, told the Independent<\/em>. \u201cI believe that most Jews in Vancouver, young and old, Zionist or not, affiliated, religious or secular, feel uncomfortable with the Israel-Trump alliance. Bringing four progressive Jewish leaders from different walks of life provides an opportunity for all Jews supporting values of social justice to hear different points of view, to find common ground, to develop relationships and hopefully to get involved in common causes.\u201d<\/p>\n

One the participants, Dr. Shayna Plaut, is research manager of the Global Reporting Centre. She is currently teaching courses on migration and social inequalities at the University of British Columbia and is adjunct professor in international studies, Simon Fraser University.<\/p>\n

\u201cAshkenazi Jews in Canada and the U.S. are in greater positions of safety than we have ever been,\u201d two or three generations removed from the Holocaust, said Plaut. \u201cAshkenazi Jews can pass for white. We have a responsibility to do something with this privilege, [to uphold] the tradition of tikkun olam.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a descendant of refugees, I have always felt connected to refugees,\u201d she continued. \u201cI work to make my ancestors proud and, right now, that means standing in solidarity with this generation of refugees.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all have different strengths. And we have a responsibility to see, and use our strengths. My strengths are in education and connection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plaut said, \u201cThe level of intolerance in Canada and the U.S. has increased. I was born and raised in the U.S. I became a Canadian because I was having a hard time recognizing my own country. It\u2019s not like racism didn\u2019t exist before \u2013 we are a country built on colonization and slavery \u2013 but we are also a country built on ideals and resistance. I have always worked in this positive vein of how to make things better. I view patriotism as a commitment to make my country better. It\u2019s easier to talk about what\u2019s wrong than to present alternatives to make things better and work together. It was in December 2015 when I [began to feel] that perhaps I was able to do this better from Canada \u2026 as a Jew, as a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, and as an educator and worker for human rights and social justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ofira Roll, another of the panelists, is a PhD candidate in education at UBC. Born and raised in Israel, she reflected on what is involved in activism in Israel as opposed to Canada or the United States.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur activism here has productive aspects. However, it feels as if we do it by remote control,\u201d said Roll. \u201cI truly miss the messiness in Israel \u2013 the messiness of communication, liveliness and opinions, of cultures and interests. People have opinions and they share them and embody them. I know the darker sides of living there \u2013 it\u2019s a nationalistic state, undemocratic, racist, capitalist and anti-human rights \u2013 but it feels more real to me, where I feel pushed to the edge in all aspects of life. I am asked to speak up for what I truly care about and act on it. For me, being \u2018pro-Israel\u2019 means criticizing what\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roll is critical of recent Israeli legislation excluding supporters of boycotts from entering Israel. \u201cPersonally, I don\u2019t believe in boycotting countries. Still, I can\u2019t accept the idea that if I came to Israel and had decided to boycott, I\u2019m on this list. Friends of mine would be on this list. I don\u2019t understand how a democratic country can pass such an undemocratic law. It\u2019s not just stopping people who don\u2019t support Israel \u2013 it stops more Palestinians than anyone else so, in a way, it really is a racist law.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs several philosophers I am influenced by \u2013 Martin Buber, Hannah Arendt \u2013 say, engaging in dialogue doesn\u2019t mean that we are in agreement. Dialogue is more about the process we go through in the search for new understandings. Now, when I see everyone coming together, it\u2019s a strong moment for me. In the time of Trump, that\u2019s what I\u2019m happy about. People start understanding that all these divisions are fake. We are not different at the core. The women\u2019s marches we had all over the world \u2013 for women\u2019s rights, which are human rights \u2013 ironically, thanks to Trump.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not about convincing, but about sharing. It\u2019s an invitation to talk, first of all, as humans. I don\u2019t believe in all these divisions and borders. I have a hard time with flags, anthems. I think home is within you. Home is not something defined by others. It doesn\u2019t need always to be in the name of a country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roll has found the atmosphere in Vancouver\u2019s Jewish community fairly open. \u201cWhen [Israeli singer] Ahinoam Nini came here,\u201d she noted, \u201cpeople fought to bring her, with the support of the Jewish Federation, against groups who did not believe she should be invited because she supports Palestinians\u2019 causes. I wrote a collective letter [to the Federation] on behalf of my Hebrew-speaking community theatre group. They read our letter at a Federation meeting, and they were brave enough to take a stand, and Nini was invited. In the end, they made an extra effort to bring us all together to meet Nini after the show. The Jewish community here includes many other voices, even among synagogues. There are many small groups, which don\u2019t follow one way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Panelist Eviatar Bach is graduating from UBC in physics and computer science. He is involved with the Social Justice Centre at UBC, is a co-founder of the UBC Progressive Jewish Alliance and a founding editor of the Talon<\/em>, a progressive online student magazine.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the Trump administration, it appears that the U.S. has abandoned the pretense of an ongoing \u2018peace process,\u2019 with Trump expressing indifference at the choice between a one-state and a two-state solution, and the appointment of settlement backer David Friedman as ambassador to Israel,\u201d said Eviatar.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time,\u201d he continued, \u201cthere is perhaps more disagreement between mainstream Jewish organizations, which tend to uncritically support Israeli actions, and young Jews in North America, than ever before. New groups such as IfNotNow, predominantly composed of young Jews, emerged during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, and have taken more confrontational stances than, say, J Street, by protesting Jewish organizations that defend occupation and killings directly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn university campuses, the Open Hillel movement has sought to challenge Hillel International\u2019s guidelines, which narrowly constrain the range of views that speakers at Hillels around the world are allowed to express. Several Independent Jewish Voices chapters have started at university campuses in Canada, and the Progressive Jewish Alliance was started at the University of British Columbia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rounding out the panelists is Rabbi Susan Shamash, who was recently ordained by ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. She is a retired lawyer and an active member of Congregation Or Shalom.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a recently ordained, progressive rabbi, my focus is always on the Jewish values that propel me towards acts of social justice, including engagement in interfaith dialogue and commitment to family and community, which includes my Jewish family and my Jewish community.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a born and bred Canadian (like both my parents), my relationship with Canada is foundational to my identity,\u201d she said. \u201cI have a deep and abiding faith in our legal and judicial systems and in our system of government which, though imperfect, is based on values of inclusion, social welfare and multiculturalism.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a religious Jew, my relationship with the Jewish community in general and Israel in particular is complicated, varied and nuanced. I often find myself interceding on behalf of a different perspective, of more open thinking and understanding. There is much more to Israel than the occupation and conflict with the Palestinians, but, unfortunately, that is what defines its current reputation in the world community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe live in troubled and troubling times,\u201d said Shamash. \u201cU.S. President Trump has already changed the world order in unprecedented ways. More worrisome is that he has a lot of support both within and without the United States. This is not just an American phenomenon.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do my Jewish values help me to live, survive and even thrive in this new world order? There are many that we repeat over and over again: seek peace, pursue justice, love your neighbour, welcome the stranger, be a holy people, steward the earth, perform acts of loving-kindness, repair the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

The April 9 event is sponsored by Independent Jewish Voices, Vancouver. It begins at 1 p.m. and the suggested donation is $10.<\/p>\n

Carl Rosenberg<\/strong> is a member of the United Jewish People\u2019s Order and Independent Jewish Voices Canada. For many years, he edited <\/em>Outlook: Canada\u2019s Progressive Jewish Magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The April 9 panel discussion Israel, Canada and Me in the Age of Trump will feature, clockwise from top left, Dr. Shayna Plaut (photo from Shayna Plaut), Ofira Roll (photo from Ofira Roll), Rabbi Susan Shamash (photo by Robert Albanese) and Eviatar Bach (photo from Eviatar Bach). Israel, Canada and Me in the Age of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[4882,1245,4330,218,446,5080],"class_list":["post-23457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-ijv","tag-independent-jewish-voices","tag-israel","tag-judaism","tag-multiculturalism","tag-trump"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}