Free Trip to Israel

ClassicRockerDad
Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:23:58 +0000

whereas AIPAC defines its trip in neutral terms, saying it is for students who are interested in politics but without specifying any particular leaning



Calmom, you’re an attorney, correct?

Are you telling me that you can’t put your lawyer hat on and see an argument that a trip sponsored by the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the preeminent Israel PAC isn’t pushing a political agenda through their sponsorship? That it’s somehow not political for them, but is political for J Street because they overtly rather than covertly described their politics.

I understand why the J Street trip was rejected - these students are not likely to be future AIPAC donors - but the rest seems more like face saving spin to me.



In my opinion, this program is more about being a culture Jew then a religious one. My father is Jewish and I feel as though, I am entitled to go on this trip as much as a child whose mother is Jewish. I would feel exactly the same if this was the Vatican. To me, it is about a cultural journey. I want to know my roots.



Because there would be no question of the Jewishness of the OP had his mother been Jewish rather than his father, as the OP argued, I have no problem encouraging the OP to continue to try to go on the trip if he wants to exactly for the reasons he indicates.

This so-called “birthright” is a funny thing for this American Jew who has more civil rights and religious freedom living in pluralistic America in 2011 than he would have in Israel, which has been curtailing civil rights even for Jews.

My tests for determining Jewishness for the purpose of this trip would be: Would the Nazi’s have gassed you anyway? Would Princeton have rejected you because of your last name when they were still allowed to have quotas? Would your land and property have been confiscated by the Iraqi government in the 50’s?

There is a just reason for Israel to exist and they need friends in the US. But they need friends based on shared values of social justice, not racial purity or an apocalyptic vision. That the organizers find “social justice” too political speaks for itself.