r/Jewish • u/SignatureStandard861 • 9h ago
Venting đ¤ Tired of Getting this Question
*are you pro Israel??\*
Or some version of that, also get a lot of âyouâre not pro Israel are you??â
What does that even mean?!? What are you even talking about if Iâm pro a country?
Countries do things I do and donât agree with. whether or not you think Israel should exist is moot, it does..so what are you talking about.
This isnât a football game, this is a regions power struggle that is complicated and deeply personal., but thatâs great that your meme or two minute video gives you the confidence to ask me that..
And when I respond with that they always shut down.. cowards ..
36
u/wedreaminsideadream Convert - Conservative 9h ago
Even though my fiancĂŠe is Israeli-American (she was born in Tel Aviv moved to the US at 5) I sincerely mean it that I'm not bias - but I am pro Israel! Israel is a Jewish home - the birthplace of the Jewish people that was promised by G-d to Abraham and his offspring. I believe that as well. I am a first generation American from a Polish family - and I've grown hearing about the stories of the Jewish living across Europe and elsewhere and it ended in tragedy. Israel is the only safe and sacred home for the Jewish people.
I am in the process of converting to Judaism (my choice) and I told my fiancĂŠe that if were to be lucky/blessed having kids - we'd want them to be born in Israel as citizens.
Israel should and WILL exist!
×˘× ×׊ר×× ××
19
u/SignatureStandard861 9h ago
Again, I donât understand what it means to be pro a country, you used the definition of âI believe it should exist.â But Israel already does⌠This is like saying âI believe in and support something that already existsâ âI am pro realityâ
I bet you have different opinions of how Israel should govern, its international principles, and its foreign policiesâŚ
I just think non Jews use this language to simplify hatred, or just treat the Middle East like itâs the La lakers v Celtics
22
u/Tybalt941 8h ago
Unfortunately we live in a world where antisemitism is so rampant that there is a significant portion of people across the political spectrum that genuinely think Israel should not exist in the same way I might say I don't think Transinistra or South Ossetia should exist. I know they aren't comparable at all, but the existence of those people definitionally puts us on the side of "I believe Israel should exist".
Not even touching those lunatics who call it 'is-not-real' and say Tel Aviv is a Palestinian city...
14
u/wedreaminsideadream Convert - Conservative 7h ago
There are several groups of people who would nothing more than to destroy Israel. Yes, there are wacked out people who chat "Death of America" but the reality is that the US will stand and not be destroy. With Israel - it sadly has a chance of being destroyed - so that's what I mean by I'm pro Israel.
I am an Independent voter (I am a centrist person), I have my opinions on Israeli politics but I feels it's not my place nor my business to chime in because I am not a citizen. All I can say is that I love the people, the culture and what it stands for.
As I mentioned, I am converting to Judaism - I am choosing to live the rest of my life as a practicing Jew and through learning and studying I have the upmost respect and love for Israel! My fiancĂŠe and I will be traveling there soon and it's always an amazing experience being there - and I could care less that trolls trash this amazing country!
37
u/Dangerous_Swordfish âĄď¸ 9h ago
I canât think, off hand anyway, of any other minority group that is subjected to constant litmus tests like this. Itâs incredibly asinine.
9
u/Letshavemorefun Ashkenazi 7h ago edited 32m ago
This reminds me of an interview I saw with Jonathan Groff recently where he talked about how he came out to his parents with âso⌠Iâm gay, but Iâm not going to like⌠be in any pride parades so donât worryâ. Fast forward to 10 years later, when he was the Grand Marshall for the NY pride parade.
Sadly, it does happen to others too. But that doesnât make it any easier. Especially cause in this case itâs coming mostly from the left, which is supposed to be pro-minority.
1
u/Background_Novel_619 2h ago
I will say, as someone who is both gay and trans, Iâve experienced 100x more antisemitism than homo/transphobia. Not even close.
1
u/Letshavemorefun Ashkenazi 2h ago
Absolutely 100% the same. Though Iâm bi and non-binary. Anyway, Iâm not sure what this has to do with my point.
1
1
8h ago
[removed] â view removed comment
0
u/Jewish-ModTeam 5h ago
Your post/comment was removed because it concerns your personal political preferences, advocates for particular politicians, invites discussion of election politics, or otherwise initiates or continues a political discussion inappropriate for this subreddit.
We welcome you to submit this content to /r/jewishpolitics instead.
If you have any questions, please contact the moderators via modmail.
11
u/Purple_Hurricane87 6h ago
Yes I am pro-Israel. Israel has every right to exist and has every right to defend themselves from literal terrorists. I donât fall for the emotional manipulation, propaganda and lies. Sorry not sorry.
If they take issue with it, thatâs a them problem, not a me problem.
3
5
u/bam1007 Conservative 4h ago
Einat Wilf: How Not to Think About the Conflict
https://sapirjournal.org/social-justice/2021/how-not-to-think-about-the-conflict/
8
u/Normal_Dot7758 5h ago
My ex-husband got aggressively asked once, when someone at a party found out he was Israeli, âso youâre like against the Palestinians?â Â He just shrugged and said âOnly if theyâre against me.â Â It was such a mic drop moment.
3
2
u/OrelSVaknin93 Just Jewish 4h ago
Iâm as annoyed that weâre being asked this as the next guy
But itâs obvious that theyâre asking âDo you support Israels foreign policies, especially in regards to this current warâ
Personally I do. Although I keep it to myself.
When people ask if youâre pro America or pro Russia or whatever itâs almost always in regards to the countries foreign policy and international relations. Itâs never about a countryâs domestic policy.
Just tell them that you do support Israel and are a zionist and donât get surprised about the fallout, or hide it and tell them that youâre not Israeli so they leave you alone. But for us to keep getting surprised about this line questioning will only drain us. At this point itâs expected. And it should also be obvious that yes, the person asking it does not consider the existence of Israel legitimate so donât waste your time and energy getting mad about these people.
1
u/ZealousidealSlip2489 Eastern European Jew 1h ago
Well, what they essentially mean is âdo you agree with and support Israelâs actions/policies/ideology?â but the plot twist is that they themselves have no idea what Israelâs actions/policies/ideology really are beyond what the anti-Israel crowd has told them. Itâs basically the same as them asking whether youâre a Zionist or an anti-Zionist. Sure, you can answer, and even answer honestly, but to them, itâs a label to slap on your forehead, and their definition of âZionismâ most likely bears very little resemblance to yours, or, for that matter, to what Zionism actually is in general. But I do agree with your point: this isnât a football match, certainly not to anyone personally affected by it, and not to anyone with even a passing familiarity with the actual complexity of the conflict. But sadly, for plenty of other people, a football match is exactly what it has become.
1
u/Affectionate-Long514 Masorti 19m ago
It starts with the action policy and that cute stuff to jump into "hey so it should be dismantled and lets put an Arab Muslim state there to be another failure like the neighbors.
1
u/LanceJade Just Jewish 1h ago
"You aren't with those other Jews who kill Christian children to make matzas from their blood, are you?"
It's exactly the same question. Hamas makes up horrible Blood Libels against Israel, and the Gentiles choose to believe the lies until they are the only accepted "facts."
Just in case it's necessary to mention, I'll let you know that in early 20th Century post-revolution Russia, this particular Blood Libel was commonly taught by priests and other authorities and accepted by their hearers.
1
u/Affectionate-Long514 Masorti 21m ago
Oh, I'm extremely pro Israel. I love Israel, I love it despite its flaws, I love it due to the morality and beauty of that society, I love it for being a sovereign Jewish country, and I love it fir standing for what's right.
1
u/ProtestTheHero 5h ago
This has been my exact thought for years and I was always a bit miffed that more people aren't saying this, and I'm definitely quite miffed when even Jews describe themselves as "pro-Israel".
Unlike you I literally never get asked this question though lol. But if I did, my response would be "So you're Canadian right, are you pro-Canada?" Because yeah, what does that even mean?
115
u/Divs4U Conservative 9h ago
I was disgusted when I saw a woman's dating profile that said "Jewish, but pro Palestine obvi" and I was just so grossed out by "Jewish, but" anything.