Nothing against Jews

A house of worship was desecrated in Caracas on Friday. Although details are still scarce, we know that up to 15 unidentified individuals forced their way into a synagogue at the Israeli Association of Venezuela; they proceeded to vandalize the place and write crude graffiti on the walls.

Not only is such behavior reprehensible, but it is counterproductive and a major obstacle to any advancement of the Palestinian cause. In fact, it brings the struggle down to the level of the Israelis who destroyed at least 24 mosques in their most recent war on Gaza.

The incident in Caracas has been presented as a direct result of the recent diplomatic spats between Venezuela and the state of Israel. That very well may be the case, but it does not necessarily mean the perpetrators were politically motivated. Their actions were a manifestation of anti-Jewish sentiments (what most people inaccurately refer to as anti-Semitism). When the basis for such hateful prejudice is fueled by a reasonable apprehension of Zionism, there is another problem that needs to be addressed.

Discriminating against Jews for what they believe in is wrong, and it is no different than discriminating against Muslims for their beliefs. Associating all Jews with the state of Israel is like equating Islam to the Wahabi dictators in Saudi Arabia, the mullahs of Iran, or groups like Al Qaeda who use religion to mask the evil of their wicked acts. The fringe elements on both sides are enemies of peace – case in point, the ‘religious’ settlers who do all in their power to ensure Palestinians remain disenfranchised.

The synagogue in Caracas was affiliated with the state of Israel, but that does not justify attacking it. Doing so accomplishes nothing for the Palestinian cause; it only lends undue credence to crazed settlers in the West Bank who insist the Arab-Israeli conflict is a religious struggle. As violent Islamists are radicalized when attacked, so too are fanatic Jews. The criminals who saw fit to vandalize a Zionist synagogue have only inspired hundreds of young Jews to make aliyah where they’ll be fed a load of crap to accept the realities on the ground, most of which they won’t even see.

While I have ample contempt for the state of Israel, I got nothing but love for Jewish people – I can’t say the same for Zionists. It’s worth keeping in mind that not all Zionists are Jews, and not all Jews are Zionists. The state of Israel is keen on presenting itself as a Jewish state, but it is actually a Zionist state, one built on ethnic cleansing and mass human rights violations… and maintained through occupation. Zionism usurps religion to justify its less humane aspects, much like twisted interpretations of Islam are used to justify suicide bombings and other vile tactics.

Ultimately, the question of Palestine is not about religion – it is about basic human rights. Politically savvy individuals and organizations must be aware that targeting synagogues only reinforces the false notion that the Arab-Israeli conflict is one between Islam and Judaism. Unfortunately, defining it in such a context is beneficial to religious extremists on both sides… and they are often the ones who decide the rules of the game to the misery of everyone else.

More and more Jews are seeing the light though (even if  thousands continue to flock to the Holy land every year on ’spiritual’ journeys). Members of the younger generation are beginning to see the logic behind anti-Zionist Jewish organizations like the Neturei Karta. The state of Israel is a stain on the image of Judaism which leads to unfortunate incidents like the vandalization of the synagogue in Caracas. No wonder an increasing number of Jews are questioning the inferred association their faith has with consistent human rights violations and war crimes, but vandalizing their places of worship won’t bring any more to the side of reason.

Jewish people need to be left in peace. Ending occupation and granting Palestinians basic civil rights does not preclude that.