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Let the kvetching begin

Posted in Irshaddering Thoughts, Q & A on Oct 26, 2008

Note to the gentiles: “Kvetching” is a Yiddish word for “complaining.” Now, I’m used to hearing complaints from Muslims. But Jews, too? Oy.

In my previous blog entry, I advertised an upcoming event being hosted by the Moral Courage Project. Describing it as a “dialogue between happy heretics,” I explained that my conversation partner would be “Edgar M. Bronfman, former head of the World Jewish Congress.”

Why him? Because he’s just released a book called Hope, Not Fear, in which he challenges North American Jews to transcend victimhood, welcome the intermarried, and embrace the creativity of outsiders. I went on to ask: “Not exactly received orthodoxy, is it? You might even call it moral courage.”

To which I received an annoyed response from one of you:

“Your line: ‘Not exactly received orthodoxy, is it?’ is at least part of the reason Mr. Bronfman’s book is yet another misdirected message. He would do better to target all forms of offense to Jewish people, subtle and overt. Jews seem to be consistently forced into a huddle. From the news anchor who asks why, if she sometimes works on the Christmas holiday, ‘could Jews not work on Rosh Hashana?’ to a recent invite to a media gathering that read ‘the liberal Jew media will be arriving after sundown following Yom Kippur,’ the list is long.

And while logical, it is also frustrating that we hear these lofty principles from billionaires who live behind tall iron gates and at the summits of long windy driving paths…’”

Slow down, sir. Before you mount your high horse a little too comfortably, read Edgar Bronfman’s book. He writes it as a proud Jew who seeks renaissance in his faith and culture — renaissance being a far more constructive aspiration than resentment. One need only observe how far Muslims have progressed as a nation and civilization to understand the debilitating effects of chronic complaint.

As for Mr. Bronfman living behind “tall iron gates” — having never been to his home, I can’t confirm your tidy assumption. What I can tell you is that fences or no fences, this guy doesn’t insulate himself from opposition.

In 2002, while still chairman of the World Jewish Congress, Edgar Bronfman wrote a letter to the New York Times in which he affirmed the humanity of Palestinians. He was defending a statement made by the noted hawk, Paul Wolfowitz, who conceded that ‘innocent Palestinians are suffering and dying in great numbers’ alongside innocent Jews. Having delivered this statement at a pro-Israel rally, Wolfowitz found himself roundly hissed and heckled.

Rather than scurry behind tall iron gates, Edgar Bronfman exposed himself to severe criticism by publicly calling for Jewish humility: “Those who booed should be ashamed of themselves and should be made aware of the passage in the Haggadah [Passover story],” Bronfman said in his letter to the Times. “God chastises the angels for cheering as the Egyptians were drowning while chasing the Israelites who had crossed the Red Sea. God told them, These are my people, too. Palestinians are dying in this war in the Middle East. My sympathies are for Israel and its people, but we must all be aware that Palestinians are people, too.”

It’ll be an interesting event on October 29. If you live in the New York area and wish to put me and Edgar Bronfman in our places — peacefully — RSVP here.