With a mere handful of people and a pitiful budget, Rabbi Meir Kahane managed to rile up the entire Soviet Union government; Kahane upset the US State Department that wanted to make nice to the Communists; and Kahane had the Jewish "establishment" squirming in their seats.
Kahane placed the Human and Civil rights of Russian Jews on the Jewish, the US government and the media's agenda - whether they liked it or not.
Jewish Prisoners of Zion gained strength and determination because they knew that America Jewry was doing something for them - something so serious that their Soviet tyrants were visibly enraged and forced to respond to it - whether it was in releasing prisoners (or not killing them) or by canceling cultural performances.
Kahane helped create awareness and cross-the-board support in the Jewish community for the Jackson-Vanik amendment, an amendment the entire community supported as a united front – probably the first time the Jewish community united so strongly on an issue and acted together on it in Washington.
Kahane, with nothing more than a handful of people and a pitiful budget was effectively responsible for the emigration of thousands of Jews from Soviet Russia to Israel when nearly none were emigrating before.
But how did Kahane know he was on the right path? How did he know his actions were working?
I would say the best way to measure, is to measure the reactions of those that oppose you. How upset did they get?
Today Nadia Matar ran a small and last-minute vigil opposite the US Consulate in Jerusalem, in what will now be a series of growing Anti-Obama campaigns - running until Obama ceases the threaten and bully the Jewish State.
I think Nadia would have been happy if 100 people showed up. The news reported that 200 people showed up.
When you compare it to our old protests of hundreds of thousand of people, 200 doesn't seem like much (on the other hand, 200 people at a kickoff protest is very good).
Still, 200 people protesting shouldn’t have been more than just a passing blip in the news flashes.
Yet look at the reactions!
Peace Now harshly condemns anti-Obama campaign.
Labor MK blasts anti-Obama campaign.
They Left is claiming they are worried about the “friendship” between the US and Israel is being damaged because of some posters!!!
Hah! Who knew Obama was so thin skinned (even better).
A protest like this shouldn't have afforded any reaction by them at all, much less such a strong one - unless something about it worked.
I think what worries them is they understand where the soft spot in Obama's campaign against Israel lies. And that soft spot is Obama himself, where more than 70% of Israelis simply don’t trust the man with regards to his intentions towards Israel.
And this campaign hit on that - and that is scaring the Left. If the real Middle Israel see what Obama is and it confirms what they already suspect then half the battle is won.
An Obama, delegitimized in the average Israeli's eyes, won't be able to impose his will on the Jewish State no matter how many sanctions he applies or Vetos that he doesn't.
So with reactions like that, I'd say this campaign is off to a very good start.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
11 comments:
"And this campaign hit on that - and that is scaring the Left. If the real Middle Israel see what Obama is and it confirms what they already suspect then half the battle is won."
Middle Israel has to remember that the middle of Obama is "Hussein". Can't wait until there's a protest here! FYI, The talk radio circut was pointing out that in Turkey, Obama said "We are not a Christain nation", followed up by remarks from your previuous post (Wishful Thinking)about the U.S. being a Muslim Nation.
I do believe we need to learn and daven more to protect ourselves from this would be dictator. I hear he impressed the Saudi King with some slick Arabic. Multi lingual too-how slick. And scary.
The Israeli Left is threatened because they cannot handle the truth. What will win this campaign is passionate. And as the enemy Hezbollah and Hamas have taught Jews, dedication and passion for one's cause will overwhelm mere numbers any time. The work of defending Yesha and stopping Obama's assault upon Israel is only beginning...
Keep up the good work!
I saw a video of Nadia on the Jpost website. I think that with so many substantive things to discuss about Obama's ridiculous policies, it was so disappointing to see her focusing on Obama's middle name, as well as arguments that won't convince anybody that's not already on-board, such as "God gave us this land".
There are plenty of reasons that fall well within the rubric of accepted international law and policy as to why the Israeli right is correct and Obama is an idiot. I thought she missed a real opportunity and looked like a whacko- exactly how the left wants the right to look.
If we resist, we may win. If we ignore, we will surely lose. I agree with NormanF, (and Obama himself) we ain't seen nothin yet.
After reading Roger Cohen's preview of Obama's speech, the American imperative becomes clear: to save Israel from all the Jameels who continue to cling to a Greater Israel dream threatened by Arab demographics. There must be a Little Israel - for the Jews' own good.
Jewish Odysseus said...
"But how did Kahane know he was on the right path? How did he know his actions were working?
I would say the best way to measure, is to measure the reactions of those that oppose you. How upset did they get?"
BRILLIANT INSIGHT, Jameel, now if only the rest of the freedom-loving world can learn this lesson and deliberately set about to making Prez Hussein and his bootlickers squeal like pigs every single day...
I have written before that we need to closely examine the left, since their political radar is always so much clearer and sharper than ours...If they are happy/satisfied, we know we are going down the wrong path. If they are outraged, we are doing right.
Without exception, every single one of the major successes of leaders like Reagan and Thatcher, as defined by historians, were hysterically attacked by the left. It's like an anti-compass we can always count on.
Spot on, Jameel, great analysis!
Similarly, look how scared everyone is of Moshe Feiglin. He's clearly onto something big. Call to action, folks - if you haven't joined the Likud yet, what are you waiting for?
I think there might be another way of looking at it, "hafuch al hafuch:" this is a way to demonize the entire right (ostensibly 60% of the total population) by painting us all as rabid extremists, so whatever will be done, whoever opposes it is extreme and therefore no need to take their opinions into consideration.
kahanes role in the soviet jewry movement was purposely overstated by himself for the purposes of publicity. The fact is that the SSSJ and Yakkov birnbaum were hard at work on the issue already in 1964, 4 years before anyone actually heard of kahane. In terms of the Jackson Vanik amendment, it was passed in 1974, 3 years after kahane made aliyah. the truth is that the american movement to free soviet jewry was already well underway before kahane came on the scene, and did just fine after he left. his violent tactics were deplored by almost all american jews, and their only fatality was a jewish girl who happened to work in the sol hurok offices that kahanes thugs bombed.
-seeker
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