Don't Repeat the Same Mistakes
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By Isi Leibler November 21, 2005
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"Despite the bitter loss of so many innocent lives in recent
years, there is a feeling of deja vu as our leaders recycle the
same blunders of the past.
We always attain peaks of popularity whenever we make unilateral
concessions. So it was not surprising that Israel was showered
with praise after the Gaza withdrawal. But regrettably,
President Bush was simultaneously elevating Mahmoud Abbas to the
category of a "decent" and "peace-loving" man despite his
determination not to dismantle the terror infrastructure and his
ongoing statements publicly sanctifying suicide bombers as
"martyrs".
What is even more disconcerting is that despite this brief
interlude when the world is not demonizing us, we continue to
undermine our credibility by shooting from the hip, making idle
threats and proclaiming policies which are routinely retracted
under pressure..."
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The first word: Stop whispering
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Isi Leibler, THE JERUSALEM POST Oct. 19, 2005
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"Anglo-Jewry can take pride in its exemplary contribution to
world Jewry and Zionism. From Moses Montefiore's interventions
during the Damascus blood libel, to the Balfour Declaration,
through to the Soviet Jewry protest movement, British Jews
played an important role. The contribution of British immigrants
to Israeli society also sheds luster on Anglo-Jewry.
But
Anglo-Jewry is in decline. From a community in excess of 400,000
at the end of the Second World War, it has shrunk to roughly
280,000 and while reliable statistics are unavailable, it is
almost certain that the intermarriage rate at least matches the
50 percent level in the United States.
Parallel with
this over the past few years, anti-Semitism, which had been in
remission for 40 years, has dramatically revived. Violent acts
against Jews are soaring, with 532 incidents recorded last year
- a 42% increase from 2003. In many respects Jews are now
regarded as pariahs, like their antecedents in the 1930s...."
The writer chairs the Diaspora-Israel relations
committee of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, and is a
veteran international Jewish leader. ileibler@netvision.net.il
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