For years, Israel has been stifling the voice of Diaspora Jewry.
Jews around the world have long asked to be part of Israeli issues, even from a distance. They tried to impress Israelis by setting up Zionist organizations with expensive conferences. They raised money by auctioning off tickets to a choice of three different major European countries.
Those foreign Zionists had no idea about what is happening in Israel. They received their information from the press - and actually believed what they read. There is no way that their knowledge can compare to the average Israeli, who ignores his radio that is on all day long. Israeli information comes from cousins who were just released from reserve duty. No, that's not military or security news. Nobody cares about that. It's the news that's not fit to print.
Inevitably, snobbish Israelis retort that "you have no right to tell us anything. If you don't live here, then you cannot understand the reality of Israeli life. You and your opinions can stay in the Diaspora, and we will run our country without your interference. Oh, yes, do send us your money. However, we want to be independent.
Surprisingly, Diaspora Jewry did accept the demand for Israeli taxation without verbal representation.
However, the myopic Israeli point of view suffered a backlash when Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005. At that time, some Israelis asked, "Where were the Diaspora voices? Why didn't they speak out against this heinous crime? Where were they when we needed them?"
Well, many Americans did not speak up because they felt stifled. They refrained from offering opinions about Israeli internal affairs.
Oh, yes, there were some fine marches and prayer gatherings. Some communities and synagogues featured sermons and speeches. Jewish organizations and Boards of Jewish Education posted muted resolutions on their websites. Diaspora Jewry did not remain completely silent.
On the other hand, they certainly did not cry out as bitterly as they could have.
Yehudi lo sotem Yehudi.
Decades ago, Elie Wiesel wrote against the Jews of Silence.
Yes, the context was quite different. However, it should have been enough to teach Jews an important lesson:
Jews should not stifle the voices of other Jews.
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