Ameinu = Gestapo

Jamie Levin, Exec. Dir., Ameinu has ignored the issues I raised and has attempted to make me into the bad guy for having the temerity to criticize his organization’s Press Release. The question on the table remains, why does Ameinu seek to further punish the Gaza protesters? Of all the Jewish organizations around, are there any other(s), publicly calling for jailing their fellow Jews? Such a public position from an organization that advocates, “turning the other cheek” (on decades of Palestinian-sanctioned violence against Israelis) and negotiating more territorial giveaways is, indeed, hypocritical if not sinister. From my point of view, Levin’s organization calling for “heads on a platter” smacks of hatred toward his fellow Jews, ones who just happen to have acted out of religious principles.

I have never expressed any support for the tactics that the settlers employed. In fact, I think those holdouts and professional protesters were wrong, but since no one died or was seriously injured, I’m happy to let this difficult chapter in Israel’s history end, without further animosity. Both during and after the Disengagement, all I heard from every Israeli official, civilian and politician was, “now that it’s done, we want to heal the rift between Israelis of all persuasions.” Tell me how, Ameinu, advocating jailing Jews accomplishes that universally stated goal? Does Levin expect those religious Jews will be repeating these “crimes” anytime soon? When exactly is the next Withdrawal planned anyhow? Is there any chance that these same protesters will be back in action anytime before the year 2050?

How is it that Levin’s liberal organization can’t wait to forgive PLO terrorists, but has such a giant hard-on for Jewish protestors? Absent any answer from Ameinu, I stand by my supposition that, Leftist organizations (like his) that temporarily allied themselves with Likud, are now casting themselves as law-and-order extremists (i.e. Gestapo, KGB, Taliban or Republican Guard) in order to prove to their natural, liberal constituencies that they were only using Conservatives to affect Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. Secular Israelis have no regard for Religious Jews and I believe that Ameinu is no different. Now that Gaza is behind the fence, he’s exposed the true nature of his leftist organization and, what do you know, it’s People of Faith, not Palestinians whom he wishes to punish. What in the world does that say about Levin and his ilk?

I have postulated that Levin’s public call to jail Jews equates Ameinu to a police organization (i.e. Gestapo, KGB, etc.). I’ve asked Jamie Levin to explain Ameinu’s unwillingness to forgive religious protesters and have put forward my theory as to why, a peace-loving group like his, harbors such hatred toward his recent allies. He could try to defend his position (not mine – his), he could explain why these few religious Jews, should be held to the letter of the law, while PLO terrorist killers are forgiven or he could simply retract that statement and apologize.

In the meanwhile, I won’t be loosing any sleep worrying about future protestors’ possible civil disobedience, because Israel won’t be giving back any more land in my lifetime. Gaza was not the first step of anything. Rather, it was a one-time, unilateral strategic move that won’t happen again until long after the upcoming Palestinian Civil War and only then if the gangs are defeated.

If my assertion, about Ameinu’s motive for advocating jailing religious protesters, was a “red herring”, then why did Jamie Levin remove this particular Press Release from his 8/31/05 email blast, immediately after I contacted him? Perhaps I’m not inventing anything, rather unmasking an inherent prejudice in his organization’s leadership and I can understand where that might be a little “unsettling” indeed. If Ameinu seeks to become the new PC police, jailing Orthodox Jews while embracing the PLO, then it must explain how my Gestapo analogy is inaccurate.