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Rightardia has been following J-Street since it formed. It is a progressive Jewish organisation that offers a counterpoint to the Zionist organisation AIPAC. Two of three American Jews support Obama which is an important development for peace in the Middle East.
Five
days ahead of the leftist pro-Israeli lobby J Street's first National
Conference in Washington, D.C., the controversies continue to mount.
The Israeli
Ambassador Michael Oren refuses to attend the conference,
despite the open letter issued by the organization's Executive Director
Jeremy Ben-Ami; but over the weekend the lobby took one more step to
appease critics.
The poetry session, featuring three artists -
Kevin Coval, Tracy Soren and Josh Healey, scheduled as part of the
"Culture as a Tool for Change" track, was canceled. Apparently, the
event was nixed following a reminder by a conservative blogger that
Healey, a Jewish activist and poet, compared Guantanamo prison to
Auschwitz.
J-Street's Ben-Ami issued the following
explanation: "As a matter of principle, J Street respects the
dissenting voice that poetry can represent in society and politics. We
acknowledge that expression and language are used differently in the
arts and artistic expression when compared to their use in political
argumentation.
Nevertheless, as J Street is critical of the use and
abuse of Holocaust imagery and metaphors by politicians and pundits on
the right, it would be inappropriate for us to feature poets at our
Conference whose poetry has used such imagery in the past and might
also be offensive to some conference participants."
In an interview with Haaretz,
Josh Healey didn't conceal his disappointment. "I had a conversation
with 'J Street' staff, and they explained that they are playing the
game - Washington politics, and seeking legitimacy. And they are not
willing to fight this battle. I was born in Washington, so I'm not
surprised to become Van Jones of J Street," (U.S. President Barack
Obama's "green jobs czar" who resigned over the controversy about his
past political associations).
"So Van Jones resigned, but did
the right wing stop attacking Obama? On one level, I understand them -
it's easier to get rid of the poet, who cares? But as an artist and a
Jewish activist, it's a matter of principle. If you're trying to be an
alternative to AIPAC - don't behave like AIPAC."
"I told them I
don't think it's the legitimacy they want, because it's not the
legitimacy that makes change. When you're trying to make change, you
must expect that some people will push back. But they kick out their
allies - and I still consider myself an ally.
I'm not personally
offended - I'm politically disappointed. It's ironic that we were
invited to perform and be a part of the dialogue at the track 'The
culture as a tool for change.' But we can't even have this dialogue.
The Jewish community acts like children, with smear campaigns and
name-calling. I am not surprised by the right wing attacks - but that
J-Street went along with it and accommodated it."
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