Once you decide to convert, all the masks slip off

When people make it obvious that their antiZionism is just hating Jews

Where is the line between political and personal, or is there no line whatsoever?

I’ve tried to stay friends with people who disagree with my support for Israel, and much of the time we can agree to disagree and leave it at that.

But when someone takes it out of the political and into criticizing my decisions around religion, it’s pretty obvious there’s something more than foreign policy at issue.

An old friend of mine from my days in the labor movement is one of those lefties who is and always has been dug in against “settler colonists.” He’s quite convinced that the poor Palestinians are innocent victims of evil “white” Israeli colonists… you know the drill. Facts never seem to get in these people’s way, do they?

He has been living in another state for a few years, but it coming back here for a vacation and was planning to take me to dinner on my birthday. I thought that would be nice - we’ve been friends for over twenty years, and it would be a nice thing to do to celebrate turning 51.

He had written me that while he would try to stay quiet on the issue of Israel, etc., it would be difficult as he is very dug in. He sent me the NYT article three thousand about Israel committing genocide. Needles to say, he has to refer to “genocide” every third word.

I said I’d read the article, and I did and I left it at that. Then I made the mistake of mentioning in text that I might be going to Israel.

“Who is sponsoring the trip? I take it there are no meetings with Palestinians on the agenda?” he wrote back.

Hmmmm. No one is “sponsoring the trip.” When I go, I’ll pay my own way and visit my new friends (hi!). I was a little alarmed to see the antisemitic notion of the Israeli government or Jewish conspiracy somehow paying me off or buying my loyalty. If I were getting paid by Israel, don’t you think I’d be living somewhere a little less likely to get my car broken into?

Then I said that I was exploring converting.

He wrote back:

“I’ll be honest, I’m trying to absorb what you’re saying particularly about Israel and the genocide, in the most generous way I can, but I’m having a hard time doing so. Converting to Judaism in this context, when the entire world with the exception of the US government and some NATO allies, condemns Israel’s acts as crimes against humanity, may be a bridge too far for me.”

My response:

“Hmmmm. So the Jewish religion is the problem? If I were a Jew who hated Israel would that be fine?”

He said:

“It’s the timing of wanting to convert that is troubling - right now when there is good reason to hate what Israel is doing.”

We let it sit after that and ended the conversation.

If you ever needed an example of how this was never about opposing Israel’s actions in Gaza or wherever, there you have it. How can you oppose someone’s religious decision based on your opinion (factually incorrect but no matter) of what the Israeli government is doing? Me becoming Jewish is the problem for this person.

This is about Jew hatred, and by exploring a deep spiritual connection with the Jewish people, history and religion, I get to be the recipient of Jew hatred too.

I already knew whose side I’m on. I have for a long, long time, since way before October 7. I felt the Left stab us in the back long before a lot of my Jewish friends did. But it’s still shocking when it happens this way.

Needless to say, my worldwide family came to my rescue. My friends called and texted when I told them what happened. Thank you, family.

In good news, I’ve found a rabbi I can study with! Long distance but that’s fine. Thanks to an old college friend I met someone I really connect with and I’m moving forward.

Life continues to be busy, and on many days I’m just focused on my teaching work. But as I teach I consider how the next generation will handle the divisions that are tearing our country and world apart. I hope and pray that they will do a better job, and that I can play some small part in that.