>>>
>>> WITH
>>> WITH HANUKKAH ONLY A FEW WEEKS AWAY THIS IS A GOOD TIME
TO CHECK IN WITH THE JEWISH
COMMUNITY IN WESTERN
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. IT CANNOT BE IGNORED THAT WE
ARE LIVING IN A CLIMATE OF
INCREASED ANTI-SEMITISM.
INCREASED ANTI-SEMITISM. WE HAVE RABBI DANIEL WEINER
JOINING ME NOW.
HOW ARE YOU?
>> FINE, THANK YOU.
>> I WANTED TO CHECK IN WITH
YOUR CONGREGATION AND I HAVE
BEEN READING MORE AND MORE
ABOUT THINGS HAPPENING ON
SOCIAL MEDIA WITH ATTACKS.
SOME ARE SMALL BUT SOME ARE
QUITE LARGE AND DEADLY, AND HOW
ARE PEOPLE DOING?
>> I THINK THERE IS A GREATER
CLIMATE OF FEAR AND CONCERN
ACROSS THE BOARD ON MANY
MINORITY GROUPS.
MINORITY GROUPS. WITHIN THE JEWISH COMMUNITY
THERE IS A MORE CONCERTED SENSE
OF ANXIETY AND FEAR.
STATISTICALLY AND AN ADULT LATE
THERE IS ANTI-SEMITIC ACTS AND
EXPRESSION IN MANY WAYS THAT IS
A TROUBLING RETURN TO SOME OF
THE BAD, OLD DAYS.
NOT SOME OF THE WORST DAYS BUT
SOME DAYS IN AMERICA WERE
PEOPLE FELT MORE CONSPICUOUSLY
ISOLATED AS JEWS, MORE SO THAN
RECENTLY.
RECENTLY.
RECENTLY. >> THIS IS CIRCULATING AROUND
BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE
THAT SIMPLY DON'T KNOW WHAT A
STEREOTYPE IS OR WHY IT IS
DAMAGING SO HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN
THIS TO US?
>> THE JEWISH COMMUNITY HERE IN
SEATTLE RECENTLY PUT TOGETHER
WHITE PAPER WE HAVE SHARED
PRETTY WIDELY WITH CIVIC
LEADERS AND CORPORATE LEADERS.
WE HAVE THE INTERNATIONAL
HOLOCAUST ASSOCIATION THAT HAS
THE AGREED-UPON DEFINITION OF
ANTI-SEMITISM.
ANTI-SEMITISM. I THINK THAT IS ONE OF THE
THINGS AND JUSTICE POTTER SAID
IT IS ONE THING YOU KNOW WHEN
YOU SEE IT.
I THINK MOST PEOPLE HAVE A GOOD
INTUITIVE SENSE OF WHEN
SOMETHING CROSSES THE LINE
EITHER AS RACES, HOMOPHOBIC OR
ISLAMOPHOBIC.
ISLAMOPHOBIC. >> AND YET IT FALLS OUTSIDE OF
THE SCOPE OF THINGS WE
TYPICALLY PAY ATTENTION TO AND
IT FEELS LIKE ANTI-SEMITISM
DOES NOT GET THE SAME SORT OF
ATTENTION.
ATTENTION. >> UNFORTUNATELY I THINK YOU'RE
RIGHT AND PARTICULARLY IN THE
MORE SARTELL SUBTLE
CIRCUMSTANCES LIKE IN PUBLIC
SCHOOLS.
SCHOOLS.
SCHOOLS. PEOPLE HAVE A PARTICULAR RACE
OR GENDER, AND ANTI-SEMITISM
GETS SWEPT UNDER THE RUG AND IN
PARTICULAR, MORE SO THAN OTHER
GROUPS, YOU ARE RIGHT.
>> WE WOULD NEED TO DAYS TO
COVER THIS BUT THIS IS ONE
THING THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION
RECENTLY, THIS WHOLE IDEA IS IF
YOU CAN CRITICIZE ISRAEL, AND
IF YOU DO, AND HOW SO?
WHY IS IT DANGEROUS TO IMAGINE
THIS, THAT YOU CAN SEPARATE
POLICY FROM FAITH AT THIS POINT
AND WEIGHED OUT THE BASICS FOR
US.
US.
US. >>
US. >> ONE COULD CRITICIZE THE
MENTALLY THE POLICIES OF THE
CURRENT ADMINISTRATION AND
ISRAELI GOVERNMENT JUST LIKE
ONE COULD CRITICIZE THE
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT UNDER THE
CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.
CURRENT ADMINISTRATION. ONE COULD STILL DO IT OUT OF A
LOVING SENSE OF CONNECTION.
THE WAY I CRITICIZE THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION FOR VARIOUS AND
SUNDRY THINGS I STILL HAVE A
PASSIONATE LOVE FOR THE COUNTRY
AND WHAT IT CAN BE.
AT HAVE THE SAME FEELING ON THE
STATE OF ISRAEL.
I HAVE AN UNQUALIFIED LOVE FOR
THE STATE OF ISRAEL BUT
HEARTSICK ON SOME OF THE
CURRENT POLICIES.
CURRENT POLICIES. THAT IS UNDER THE CURRENT
ADMINISTRATION AND WHERE THE
LINE IS BETWEEN CRITICISM OF
ISRAEL AND ANTI-SEMITISM.
IT IS WHEN A COMMENT OR
ARGUMENT RESULT IN A QUESTION
ON WHETHER THE JEWISH PEOPLE
EVEN HAVE A RIGHT TO A STATE
AND RIGHT TO EXIST WITH SAFETY
AND SECURITY.
AND SECURITY. THAT IS THE RED LINE WHEN ONE
HAS ANTI-ISRAEL CRITICISM AND
IT GOES INTO QUESTION THE RIGHT
OF ISRAEL TO EXIST OR
DELEGITIMIZE THE RIGHT TO
EXIST.
EXIST.
EXIST. THAT IS THE RED LINE BETWEEN
THE CRITICISM OF ISRAEL AND
ANTI-SEMITISM.
ANTI-SEMITISM. >> IS GOOD TO KNOW OR PUBLIC
DISCUSSION AND IT'S GOOD TO
KNOW OUR THOUGHTS ON THESE
THINGS.
THINGS.
THINGS. THIS IS NOT A ONE SIDE OR THE
OTHER PROBLEM BUT COULD COME
FROM FRINGES ON EITHER SIDE.
SOMETIMES EVEN IN THE MIDDLE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. ONE TROUBLE THING FOR A LOT OF
AMERICAN JEWS IS ON BOTH ENDS.
IRONICALLY IT IS PAINFUL WERE
THE EXTREME LEFT AND EXTREME
RIGHT KNEE IS CRITICISM OVER
ISRAEL AND OF THE JEWISH
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. >> WHEN WE TALK ABOUT
STEREOTYPES FOR ANY GROUP
INCLUDING THE JEWISH COMMUNITY,
I THINK ABOUT THE KIDS, AND
WHAT THEY MUST THINK WHEN THEY
HEAR OR SEE THESE THINGS.
THERE HAS BEEN REMARKABLY UGLY
RESPONSE TO THE JEWISH
JOURNALISTS AND OTHERS IN
PUBLIC LIFE.
PUBLIC LIFE. IT COULD JUST BE THE WORLD WE
LIVE IN WITH SOCIAL MEDIA, I
DON'T KNOW, BUT SOMETIMES I
THINK PEOPLE ARE NOT QUITE
AWARE OF WHAT IT FEELS LIKE AND
ESPECIALLY THE YOUNG PEOPLE.
CAN YOU SHARE WITH US ABOUT
THAT?
THAT?
THAT? >>
THAT? >> ONE HEARTBREAKING THING FOR
ME IS THAT MY PARENTS AND
GRANDPARENTS, TO SOME DEGREE,
EXPERIENCING INSTITUTIONALIZED
EXPERIENCING INSTITUTIONALIZED ANTI-SEMITISM IN THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES.
STATES. I
STATES. I DID NOT AND THERE WERE
CRAZIES BUT THERE IS THE ANTI-'S
, THE ANTI-SEMITIC WORLD BUT
NOW MY CHILDREN ARE
EXPERIENCING THAT KIND OF
ISOLATION AND CONCERNS THAT MY
PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS
GENERATION HAD.
GENERATION HAD. I THINK ONE THING WE STRIVE TO
DO IS TO KEEP OUR GUN PEOPLE
INFORMED, TO MAKE THEM
VIGILANT, BUT ALSO NOT TO MAKE
THEM SO PARANOID AND FEARFUL
THAT THEY ARE UNABLE TO BE A
PART OF THE WIDER COMMUNITY OF
WHICH WE SO CHERISH IN THE
UNITED STATES.
UNITED STATES. THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN AN
UNQUALIFIED REFUGE FOR THE
JEWISH PEOPLE, ANYTIME
ANYPLACE, AND I THINK IT
CONTINUES TO BE BUT WE ARE IN
THIS CONTINUOUS CYCLE RIGHT
NOW.
NOW.
NOW. WE
NOW. WE ARE ALL WORKING TO TRANSCEND
IT.
IT.
IT. >>
IT. >> THANK YOU FOR TALKING ABOUT
IT WITH THIS BECAUSE IF WE CAN
DO MORE AND CONCENTRATE WE CAN