For years, American Jews, including liberals, have watched in astonishment as Europe\’s left-wing media, academic and political elites have turned decisively against Israel and, to some extent, Jews, as well.
When it comes to politics in Israel, left and right rarely agree. In a country where even sports teams are aligned with political parties, there is one issue that should unite Israelis and their American supporters from across the political spectrum: the need to foster opportunity and equality for Israel\’s 1.2 million Arab citizens.
Do the Jews have anything left to give to America?\n\nThis question was on my mind recently, after I was on a panel at Brandeis-Bardin Institute to discuss the Jewish influence on American culture. The popular view on this subject is invariably, \”Just look at all the Jews who run Hollywood and the media; look at the humor, the attitude, the Yiddish terms, etc. Jews are everywhere.\”\n\nThis is true, but when you start to look beneath the surface, you see a more complicated picture, one that suggests the waning influence of Judaism and the need to re-examine the Jews\’ role in America as we begin the 21st century.
I got to wondering why Amanda chose to dump me in such a cold fashion when what preceded it was 10 months of passion. And the only thing I could come up with was that Amanda chose to take the easy way out — for her. She didn\’t want a confrontation, an argument or the pain of raw, exposed emotion; she simply left — and left me holding the big, unopened Pandora\’s box of sudden loss.
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