Who represents the Jews? http://blogs.jta.org/ENTRY_PERMALINK_HERE/who-represents-the-jews/ William Daroff and Dan Sieradski argue about who speaks for the Jewish community on Iran. en-us efingerhut@jta.org Copyright 2009 2009-09-18T;22:02:00-05:00 Comment by Sarah sarah@lefton.net @Alan, don’t be silly. J Street represents lots of Jews. Especially, as Dan would point out, its donors. Clearly, they don’t represent you. But that’s okay. It seems your opinion is represented elsewhere. Everyone’s happy. @Alan, don’t be silly. J Street represents lots of Jews. Especially, as Dan would point out, its donors. Clearly, they don’t represent you. But that’s okay. It seems your opinion is represented elsewhere. Everyone’s happy.

]]> 2012-02-10T;12:44:00-05:00 Comment by Alan avrumeleh@aol.com David is probably right that there are too many positions on too many issues for any one group to speak for the Jews.  But, one thing I can add is that J Street doesn’t speak for any Jews. It speaks for a scandalous and defeatist ideology of compromise and concession where there is no one that is even genuinely interested in compromise. J Street is a pretender and should sit down and shut up. David is probably right that there are too many positions on too many issues for any one group to speak for the Jews.  But, one thing I can add is that J Street doesn’t speak for any Jews. It speaks for a scandalous and defeatist ideology of compromise and concession where there is no one that is even genuinely interested in compromise. J Street is a pretender and should sit down and shut up.

]]> 2012-02-10T;12:44:00-05:00 Comment by Benjamin benhecht411@mac.com None of these individuals or organizations have achieved what the Jewish Internet Defense Force has achieved...online...I don’t see any of them defending or representing Jews as well as the JIDF. None of these individuals or organizations have achieved what the Jewish Internet Defense Force has achieved...online...I don’t see any of them defending or representing Jews as well as the JIDF.

]]> 2012-02-10T;12:44:00-05:00 Comment by David david.ehrens@gmail.com Umbrella organizations should not try to represent all Jews. What a crazy idea, anyway! In the US it dates back to the Eisenhower administration, when the president assumed all Jews had uniform beliefs (or discovered the opposite) and asked for an umbrella organization to be set up. In Europe there were the Judenrat—the councils of Jews. I will not provide my opinion of them here because people with weak hearts may be reading. And then, since Jews can’t necessarily be pegged by race, nationality, cultural practices, and there are often striking differences in even Jewish practices, let us simply say that Jews are very diverse. There are Zionists, non-Zionists, post-Zionists, nationalists, the religious, the secular, the humanist, the atheistic. What an amazing assortment! Among Zionists there were battles royal at the Zionist conferences. The meaning of Zionism differs between a member of the Likud and Meretz. The importance of Israel stretches from the land of Moses to just another westernized, temporal state. We are a people, so the jokes go, that can have 3 opinions among 2 Jews. Or where a single Jew, washed up on a desert island will build 2 synagogues—one he wouldn’t set foot in. The humor is so well-entrenched that everyone knows it is deeply true. So it is totally inappropriate for any group to try to speak for any other group. Let us all have our voices. Umbrella organizations should not try to represent all Jews. What a crazy idea, anyway! In the US it dates back to the Eisenhower administration, when the president assumed all Jews had uniform beliefs (or discovered the opposite) and asked for an umbrella organization to be set up. In Europe there were the Judenrat—the councils of Jews. I will not provide my opinion of them here because people with weak hearts may be reading.

And then, since Jews can’t necessarily be pegged by race, nationality, cultural practices, and there are often striking differences in even Jewish practices, let us simply say that Jews are very diverse.

There are Zionists, non-Zionists, post-Zionists, nationalists, the religious, the secular, the humanist, the atheistic. What an amazing assortment!

Among Zionists there were battles royal at the Zionist conferences. The meaning of Zionism differs between a member of the Likud and Meretz. The importance of Israel stretches from the land of Moses to just another westernized, temporal state.

We are a people, so the jokes go, that can have 3 opinions among 2 Jews. Or where a single Jew, washed up on a desert island will build 2 synagogues—one he wouldn’t set foot in. The humor is so well-entrenched that everyone knows it is deeply true.

So it is totally inappropriate for any group to try to speak for any other group. Let us all have our voices.

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