GA Gets Earful On Sharon
Solidarity doesn’t mean stamp of approval, delegates told.
Gary Rosenblatt - Editor And Publisher
Jerusalem — The most newsworthy aspect of the major annual meeting of the North American Jewish federations’ United Jewish Communities was not in the issues debated or resolutions passed over four days of programs this week. It was in the fact that the General Assembly (GA) was held here (for only the second time in its 72-year history), despite security concerns, and that an estimated 4,000 Jews from the U.S. and Canada defied warnings from the State Department — and, no doubt, from family and friends — and came to show Israel their support and sense of caring.
But while they were praised by some government leaders for their courage and steadfastness during this time of war, others sought to distinguish between support for Israel and for the policies of its government. A number of Israeli speakers warned North American Jewry that their enthusiasm on behalf of the Sharon government could hinder progress toward a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Speaking at a session Monday on whether Israel can remain both a Jewish and democratic state, Yaron Ezrahi, a Hebrew University political science professor, told the delegates
he was “deeply moved” by their solidarity, but cautioned that such solidarity does not have to carry over to approval of government decisions.
http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=8750
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