richard, i'd love to leave judaism out of it, but i keep seeing people put it in. your are likely right that the percentages supporting the war could change, and i hope they do--no, i hope the violence stops before it gets bad enough so that they do. but the fact that, barring the war "going badly" for israel most israelis and most jews will continue supporting this is deeply troubling to me. I see Judaism, like any religion, as existing not on paper or just in its texts, but in the lived expereinces and beliefs and actions of its adherents. Judaism is what Jews do, and so on for any other religion. From that perspective, I'm quite worried, and of course, I'd be worried if I was christian or muslim as well since neither of these religions are acquiting themselves very well at the moment from the standpoint of how the majority of people either are acting or are allowing others to act in the name of their faith without much protest. But as I'm not christian or muslim, I can only start by worrying about my own culture and hope others are doing the same.
by Mark A. LeVine (UC Irvine History Professor) on July 25, 2006 at 12:40 AM