In today’s society of college students, it seems like dialogue and hearing both sides of a story and using basic reading comprehension skills just don’t exist. Are parents the problem? Are biased teachers? I don’t know. But this is now a growing epidemic and it is becoming blatantly evident in the Jewish community. Don’t ask me why. But young people these days are rebelling against…I don’t even know what: Facts, maybe? Reality?
Now This Politics did a segment which showed a young Jewish activist who is described not by their name, or their college or where they’re from. Their distinguished description is “Grandchild of Holocaust Survivors.” And this student tells the story of their tarnished Birthright experience, which is just a right-wing conspiracy of pro-occupation propaganda…while also saying that Birthright shies away from talking about the conflict. They then talk about how they squandered this opportunity by walking off the trip cause it didn’t focus on the Palestinians enough. This student is involved with IfNotNow, an anti-Israel group which harassed Birthright participants and staged walkouts during the trip.
Yes! A trip for Jewish young people to come and learn about their homeland and their connection to Judaism apparently should have just spent the entire time talking about the conflict. Now previously I’ve written my own criticism of Birthright regarding the subject. But those criticisms were in reaction to the actions of IfNotNow, I was complaining that Birthgright should do more to combat this, by not being shy about the conflict. But Birthright certainly shouldn’t be going anywhere near the Gaza border or entering the Palestinian Authority. The student squandered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for attention. There is also one glaring issue with this individual.
A “Grandchild of Holocaust survivors” educating the rest of us about how young (liberal) Jews who are passionate about justice (SJW’s) are becoming disillusioned with Israel…when they don’t spend any time researching the subject and are regurgitating from the Linda Sarsour school propaganda. The problem isn’t even the social justice anti-Israel nonsense. It’s the “Grandchild of Holocaust survivors” that gets me. I don’t care if you’re Noam Chomsky, a college student, or the leader of a nation, the horrors your parents or grandparents went through doesn’t magically make you some kind of expert on the subject of Israel. You’re not imbued through passed down Holocaust trauma an all-inclusive history of the founding of the state of Israel and its conflict with its Arab neighbors. You don’t get to hide behind them, nor use them as political pawns to push or excuse your agenda. I don’t care if you’re pro-Israel or anti-Israel.
This video in it of itself is full of half-truths and excluded information for the sake of a political stunt by an attention seeking college kid to get their fifteen minutes of fame while devaluing their own grandparents. Way to go kid. Way to go.
Sasha Kaplan is a college graduate, conservative Zionist, and the online pro-Israel superhero, Captain Israel. You can find her at Jewishpolitics.tumblr.com, on twitter @CaptainIsraelP, or you can reach her by email at SashaCiKaplan@gmail.com
