Gilad Atzmon · Netanyahu and the Myth of 'Jewish Values'

Gilad Atzmon ·

Follow

oopnderSstghc3i1lh97h74ug641mca451613102fhaafu7mghmh0103icmc ·

Netanyahu and the Myth of 'Jewish Values'

Netanyahu. a genocidal monster, a fugitive war criminal, and a man subject to an international arrest warrant for crimes against humanity — is talking to us this morning about "Jewish tolerance" and "Jewish values."

"As the Jewish state, Israel cherishes and upholds the Jewish values of tolerance and mutual respect between Jews and worshippers of all faiths," were the Prime Minister's exact words.

Let me first clarify Netanyahu's misleading terms. In Judaism, ethics is replaced by litigation, and values are replaced by mitzvoth (commandments). As such, the notion of "Jewish value" is either problematic, vague or misleading. If value involves a conscious and voluntary affirmation of an ethical proposition, then in Judaism the moral action is prescribed by law. There is, therefore, a valid argument that "Jewish value" is actually an empty signifier. It doesn't refer to any real substance; rather, it operates as a forceful, abstract notion that some Jews toss in the air, knowing that no one (except me ) would dare challenge them.

More specifically, when Netanyahu speaks of "Jewish tolerance," he is obviously and crudely falsifying. Judaism and tolerance are practically a contradiction in terms. Judaism adheres to the concept of Chosenness, and Chosenness is a form of organized intolerance.

One could challenge this and insist that for Orthodox Jews, the meaning of being chosen is the duty to exhibit morally exemplary behavior - a "light to the nations." But even if that were the case - even if Jews were indeed a light to the nations - one can argue that they follow a divine order rather than voluntarily adhering to a ‘value system.’

This morning, the man who sent his army to reduce Gaza and its people to dust and flatten every house of worship along the way is telling us that "all religions flourish in our land, and we view members of all faiths as equals in building our society and region."

Let me correct you, Mr. Netanyahu. This land is not yours, and it has never been yours. If there was at one stage a prospect of Jews living in Palestine in peace and harmony, you - more than anyone else in Jewish history - have made that an impossibility.