Why Can't We Talk About Israel?

A-WA

While driving to work last  week I heard something on CBC that make me really happy. I was listning to Q host Shad interview the musical trio A-WA, a group of sisters from Israel. A-WA blends the traditional Jewish Yemenite music of their heritage with hip-hop. Their music is enjoyed in Israel, and since they sing in Arabic, their music is well received in many Arab-speaking countries. Jubilation! This is the way the world should be- with music as ambassadors for peace and cross-border cooperation. While I listened to their take on the traditional song, Habib Galbi for a few minutes I was taken away from my other Israel-based concerns that had
bothered me that last few months. 

A-WA in their video Habib Galbi

Recently I was looking forward to hearing my friend Dorit Namaan speak as part of a series that Kingston Jewish Community Council (KJC) puts on. Dorit is a professor of Film and Media at Queen's University. She  speaks frequently on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and I am  interested in her current research about the neighbourhood of Katamon, which used to be neighbourhood for wealthy Palestinians, but was resettled by Israelis after 1948. Unfortunately, enough people in the community complained about the talk and the KJC cancelled the event. I was disappointed because I was looking forward to a spirited discussion with members of my community who may have different political views than Dorit, and with myself. The KJC apparently has a policy that says they cannot have events that may cause a rift in the community. To me, that means probably that no Israel-focused event should ever happen. This is really too bad. I love Israel and hope to return there one day with my children. However, it is not a place without faults and I would love a forum to discuss these.

My conflicting feelings about Israel were compounded this week when one my friends told me he was accused of anti-Semitism because of the material he was using in a high school English course. His students were looking at social justice issues through poetry, essays, stories and media. I know my friend is an amazing educator and I wish I could take his course. Unfortunately a few Jewish parents were offended by an article about the occupation of Palestinian land written by academic Ilan Pappé, and deemed the material anti-semitic, despite the fact that Pappé is an Israeli historian. The principal got involved, then the union and the situation became stressful for my friend. I was very upset about this. It drives me bonkers that people are so emotional about Israel, a country we don't even live in, that they can't look at material critically, or in context. It seems to be that the parents and the principal are denying students the very skills that my friend is trying to teach in the course: critical thinking. 



One good thing did come out of this episode. I was so annoyed I was finally able to write a short, strongly worded but polite email to the KJC about cancelling Dorit's event. I was also motivated to politely ask the JNF representative who kindly and helpfully sends me emails to take me off her list. (This didn't go well....) And, my friend who was accused of anti-Semitism directed me to the great organization IJV, Independent Jewish Voices, which I hadn't previously heard of. Even the title feels like a breath of fresh air. It was reassuring to know that I am not alone in my love of Israel, but also my discomfort with the ongoing occupation.
  


Since these two events I've been thinking about the request I received to talk at a synagogue in the greater Toronto area about my novel, The Book of Trees. In this story a teenage girl learns about the Israeli Occupation of Palestinian lands while studying at a yeshiva. I was pleased to be asked to speak, but also apprehensive. I asked the rabbi who invited me, if he had an especially open-minded congregation. He replied no, but that he was interested in sharing diverse view points. This sounds great but we haven't settled on a date for my talk and I wouldn't be surprised if the invitation falls through. Won't some congregation member take offense to even having me come? Perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps I'll go and we'll have a great dialogue with diverse opinions and multiple viewpoints. Perhaps we'll agree to disagree. I would really like this. 


I'll leave you with two videos. For those in need of uplift, watch A-WA sing Habib Galbi in Arabic wearing hot pink hajibs against the background of the Israeli desert. For those of you feeling irritated and perhaps ready to send your own polite, but strong emails against the forces of intolerance, here's a video about Canadian opposition to  the JNF.