Natalie Portman and the Crisis of Liberal Zionism

NY Mag ^ | April 26, 2018 | Eric Levitz

[WisconsinRep]

Natalie Portman’s statement is a model of liberal Zionist dissent. It focuses its fire on Israel’s elected leadership, while evincing love for its people; insists that one need not choose between the Jewish value of empathy for the marginalized, and support for the Jewish state; and frames her criticism of Israeli policy as a defense of Israel’s own best interests — all while explicitly disavowing the BDS movement.

For decades, progressive Jews have been assured that such sentiments are kosher. The notion that there is a fundamental distinction between the righteousness of Israeli policy and Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state has enabled countless American Jews to reconcile their liberal values with unconditional support for the latter premise. Radicals might have insisted that illiberalism and state Zionism were inextricable; that the maintenance of a majority-Jewish nation in a predominantly Muslim region would inevitably require discriminatory policies. But liberal Jews knew better; they could support both the Israelis and Palestinians — one day, there would be two states for two peoples, Zionism and democracy, from the river to the sea.

[WisconsinRep]

Natalie Portman:

I chose not to attend because I did not want to appear as endorsing Benjamin Netanyahu, who was to be giving a speech at the ceremony. By the same token, I am not part of the BDS movement and do not endorse it. Like many Israelis and Jews around the world, I can be critical of the leadership in Israel without wanting to boycott the entire nation. I treasure my Israeli friends and family, Israeli food, books, art, cinema, and dance. Israel was created exactly 70 years ago as a haven for refugees from the Holocaust. But the mistreatment of those suffering from today’s atrocities is simply not in line with my Jewish values. Because I care about Israel, I must stand up against violence, corruption, inequality, and abuse of power.

[rjsimmon]

Something tells me she has not been paying particularly close attention to what is transpiring in Israel.

[jjotto]

All based on the delusion that the State of Israel could ever be accepted as just another secular nation-state.

[Vaquero]

Isn’t she the gate keeper for the worm hole to the stuffing mines on a distant planet?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Movie Stars. Is there anything they DON’T know?” ~ Homer J. Simpson

[dfwgator]

She should stick to rapping.

[DoughtyOne]

Portman and other self-important Leftists always seem to see a strong Israel as an evil entity. Witness her idiotic reference to Netanyahu. He is a strong leader of Israel, so he has to be evil.

This poor little cupcake has no idea how strong Israel has to be right now to defeat the desires of terrorist groups.

The intellect of a Leftist stops growing at about 15. They fall in love with the idea of Leftist's promises lies and never grow out of it. Those that do, shun Leftist ideology.

Our schools are dead set at turning out as many Portmans as they can. Amazingly enough, some kids are too smart for them.

Isn't it interesting how the Left portray children as more intelligent than adults, and yet the Leftist adults are trying to propagandize that very age group. Leftists are first and foremost liars, many even to themselves.

[Iron Munro]

[PGalt]

Nasty Porthole ALERT!

[EdnaMode]

Always fun hearing from Padme Armadillo.

[Jim Noble]

All based on the delusion that the State of Israel could ever be accepted as just another secular nation-state

But Israel is not a secular nation-state.

Israel is an ethnostate which holds its territory by the Laws of War.

There's nothing wrong with that. We got the Great Plains the same way, and if Israel wants to use smallpox blankets (and is prepared to deal with the consequences), I'm fine with that.

[adorno]

It focuses its fire on Israel’s elected leadership, while evincing love for its people

A very illogical statement, and lacks even common sense.

You can't support the people of Israel, while also condemning their collective decisions about who their leaders are.

If the leadership is being condemned, then, whoever does the condemning is also condemning the people. Simple logic.

And, the elections in Israel are of the democratic type, not like in dictatorships where there is only one "candidate" and the people don't have choices; and the left shows favoritism towards that kind of tyrannical ruler while condemning the democratically elected people that the people decided to lead them.

Again, the liberal elite show their utter stupidity in relation to their politics and biases.

[vette6387]

“If the leadership is being condemned, then, whoever does the condemning is also condemning the people. Simple logic. “

And it would seem that we have the same situation here with respect to our RAT Party and their notion that “America really didn’t elect Donald J. Trump President!”

[adorno]

Exactly!

But, democrats will keep pointing to the popular vote count, which to them proves that Trump was NOT elected by "the people", and only by the technicality of the electoral college. They can't win that argument, but, they'll feel that they have the numbers on their side.

[lightman]

The Padme has gone to the Dark Side.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

She is an air-head who acts according to the wishes of her handlers.
 

[EdnaMode]

Like most people in Hollywood.

[Mich Patriot]

[Fantasywriter]

Does being against the State of Israel automatically make you antisemitic?

Uri Tidhar
Uri Tidhar, been an Israeli for my whole life.

Updated Mar 16, 2015 · Author has 264 answers and 213.9k answer views

Not automatically. Maybe he just didn’t think it all the way through. But when you think of it, the conclusion is positive. One who’s against Israel, is also against the existance of the Jewish people.

When Jews didn’t have a state of their own, there were pogroms, genocides, and a lot of discrimination against them. Seeing the current antisemitism in Europe and other countries doesn’t make me think that anything has changed.

If Jews were to receive another piece of land instead of the land of Israel (like Uganda that was offered as an option decades before Israel was established), would the locals population would have welcomed the new immigrants? Would the Jews would have been welcomed ANYWHERE?

There’s no place for Jews on this earth, except for the land of Israel, and even this land, which is our origin land, did not come easy.

So basically one who wants Israel gone, also wants the Jewish people gone.

https://theuglytruth.wordpress.com/2016/09/30/why-anti-zionists-who-say-they-arent-anti-semitic-usually-are/

[onedoug]

Carrying the Name of the Lord in vain is what she’s doing. Pretending to be a good Jew, yet qualifying it for her lefty audience and so-called pals.

Though God is everywhere, and He keeps the Books.