If Prime Minister Netanyahu Does Not Speak for American Jews, Who Does?

Prior to his speech to the U.S congress, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claimed to speak for all Jews.

Some American Jewish leaders believe this was the height of arrogance.

Senator Feinstein declared, “He does not speak for me on this.” She was one of several on the left who took exception to the fact that the speech appeared to be an end run around the White House, and thus an affront to President Obama.

Speaker John Boehner, a republican issued the invite.

Since American Jews tend to vote Democratic, this led to charges of a partisan republican power play.

Some American Jews believe that in supporting Netanyahu’s speech, and his objections to the administrations nuclear agreement with Iran, they are being asked to side against America.

Israel is the Jewish homeland, and the only sure refuge should any Jew need safe harbor.

As the Prime Minister stated, “For those who believe that Iran threatens the Jewish state, but not the Jewish people, listen to Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, Iran’s chief terrorist proxy. He said: If all the Jews gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of chasing them down around the world.”

In their round ups, the Nazis identified anyone as a Jew, whether observant or assimilated or even a convert to Christianity.  Assimilated German Jews who were good citizens were sent to their deaths just as were Jews in Poland, Czechoslovakia Holland, France Austria, Hungary, Latvia and on and on, anywhere a Jew might exist.

It was not Jewish genocide that led the United States into war with Germany and Japan.

Rather, it was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The justification for this late entry was that a depression weary America did not want war, and that the President Roosevelt did not know the extent of the genocide taking place.

The recent attack on the Kosher market in Paris, was just one more event in rising anti-Semitic activity, not limited to any one nation.

There were massive protest demonstrations in Paris, but how much of the public and international protest was in response to the Charlie Hebdo murders rather than the anti-Semitic attacks.

Would the mass demonstrations even have occurred without Charlie Hebdo?

Remember the signs to show solidarity, “We Are All Charlie? “ “Why not “We Are All Jews?”

There have been many other recent attacks on Jews in France, Belgium, Denmark and across Europe, including in Germany.

With minor exceptions, where were the mass solidarity protests then?

French Jews are emigrating to Israel in record numbers, this, 70 years after the Holocaust.

In 1938, prior to the outbreak of WWII, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signed the Munich agreement giving part of Czechoslovakia to Hitler. He believed, that by appeasing Germany and ceding territory to Hitler he had achieved “Peace For Our Time”

By 1939 Hitler invaded Poland, and England and France were at war.

Right now the United Nations P5+1 countries-U.S., Britain, China France, Germany and Russia are negotiating on a nuclear containment deal with Iran.

Netanyahu’s speech was Israel’s seat at the negotiating table to ensure Israel is not the world’s next Czechoslovakia.

So that never again means never!

So if Prime Minister Netanyahu does not speak for American Jews, who does?

Is it credible to believe that President Obama, the U.N. P5 + 1 do?

Tina Silverman is the former Associate Director Mobilization Planning and Requirements/Office of the Secretary of Defense