Zionists stayed home

Editorial

When you decided to stay home and mow the lawn two Sundays ago, rather than attending the Walk with Israel, you probably assumed it wouldn't make much difference. Your friends were going and they share your views, so it's not like you weren't represented.

In fact, your absence was duly noted. A few hundred people met outside Beth Israel and walked along Oak Street, after hearing from Jewish and Christian leaders. Across the street, there were a couple of dozen critics of Israel, holding signs that placed the blame for the Israeli-Arab conflict exclusively on the shoulders of Israel.

While it may have looked like a wipeout – say, 300 Zionists to, say, 30 critics – it was not really a 10-to-one ratio. Each of us who didn't attend the walk stood symbolically across the street, with the critics of Israel, giving their 30 protesters a victory only we could deliver.

Even if we are generous and put the count of walkers at 500, that would mean that only about one in 50 Vancouver-area Jews showed up – and don't forget, the crowd included a large cluster of our Christian allies, which means the ratio is probably more like one in 75 or one in 100 local Jews.

Walking up Jewish Vancouver's main drag on a lazy Sunday afternoon may not seem like an urgent political act, but these aren't ordinary days. Standing up for Israel is urgent, especially at a time when it is under attack not only from Islamist bombers but from the chattering classes all over the world, including here in Vancouver.

When Israel's detractors look at the turnout for events like the Walk With Israel, what message will they take? What message should we take? Have Canadian Zionists backed down from this fight?

While it is true that there is a portion of our community whose historical experience makes it exceedingly difficult to march the streets in a public rally, most of our community had different excuses. Plenty of us may have told ourselves, as we did our shopping or went to the beach, that we were there in spirit.

It's true. The thousands of Vancouver-area Jews and other Zionists who should have been with us on Oak Street that day were there in spirit. By staying away, they added their voices to the small cluster of protesters across the street, whose message is that Israel's legitimate security and indeed its very existence is secondary to the extremist demands of the Arab world and their overseas allies. By staying away, you gave your voice to the critics of Israel. Was that your intention?

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