Growing up in Vancouver, Seth Rogen learned a lot about Israel. His parents, after all, met on a Kibbutz.
Now he realizes much of what he was told about Israel, especially when it came to the Palestinians, was a pack of lies.
The Canadian-US actor, who attended Jewish camp and whose parents met on a kibbutz in Israel, said the fact that the Jewish state was created on land where Palestinians were living had always been omitted.
“[As] a Jewish person I was fed a huge amount of lies about Israel my entire life,” Rogen told the comedian and actor Marc Maron in an episode of Maron’s WTF podcast.
“They never tell you that, ‘Oh, by the way, there were people there’. They make it seem like it was just like sitting there, like the fucking door’s open.”
Asked if he would ever go to live in Israel, Rogen said no. Maron replied: “I’m the same way, and we’re gonna piss off a bunch of Jews.”
Lahav Harkov, a senior contributing editor to the Jerusalem Post newspaper, criticised Rogen’s comments on Twitter, saying they were “made from a position of really, really great privilege – and ignorance - if he can’t understand why Israel makes sense to millions of Jews around the world”.
Among Zionists, there is anxiety that North American Jews, who could possibly outnumber Israeli Jews, are becoming less supportive of the Jewish state, even as surveys often show the opposite.
The debate has frequently reignited after high-profile figures, often Jewish, express views that are highly critical of Israel.
Most recently, Peter Beinart, a prominent Jewish American political commentator, was both derided and lauded for commentaries in which he questioned whether he could remain both a liberal and also support the Jewish state while millions of Palestinians continued to be denied basic rights.
8 comments:
People who question their tribe's basic narrative risk complete ostracization, Mound.
I'm not sure there is much of a "tribe" remaining, Owen. American Jews, after a flirtation with the right, have largely veered left again and seem to reject many of the more radical tenets of their Israeli brethren. Israel has gone pretty hardcore rightwing, especially under Netanyahu/Lieberman.
Coming to terms with one's past is becoming the theme of the day!
Nationalism is still used to cloud the truth and beat the shit out of someone not so well armed and take their wealth.
TB
"Made from a position of really, really great privilege" . . . well, in the sense that these days knowing the truth is a significant privilege, yeah.
.. commenting re Palestine / Israel .. and any mention of settlers.. cutting down olive trees is like .. well i really don't know.. mebbe it like flicking a Bick near a methane leak.. I give not a shit what people think..unless I respect them.. but the mythology of Israel in its current state is uh.. stale, mouldy.... reminds of South African apartheid.. resembles it, mirrors it
Yes yes.. Israel is surrounded by aggro'd warlike Arab nations.. (that aint gonna change) if we look at Palestine in context of First Nation.. or eradication (for the nation) of the buffalo.. things should become crystal clear. We exterminate peoples or species that stand in the way of overpopulation..(is that 'National Interest ? Nation Building ?)
True enough, TB. Nationalism comes in two flavours - positive and negative. Positive is what we experienced during the Centennial, Expo 67, when Canadians set their differences aside and, together, celebrated our then wonderful country without trying to diminish any other nation or their ways. Negative nationalism is the sort that swept Germany in the latter part of the 30s and is spreading through America, Poland, Hungary and pretty much wherever liberal democracy is giving way to authoritarianism.
PLG, I clearly remember the claptrap we were fed as kids during the Cold War. It was a stark, black and white world. Your country was either good, i.e. with us, or it was bad. If it wasn't with us, well... A similar way of thinking has swept Israel under Netanyahu and Lieberman.
Sal, it saddens me that Canada has teamed up with the US to take such a narrow, simplistic stance on Israel and the Palestinians. Justin sure isn't living up to his storied name.
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