I follow your commentary much of the time, but this one made me tear up - the « normal » perversion and how Walz offers an antidote & your vision of a Gen Z Jewish candidate for President. So grateful for your insight, politics, honesty.
Peter, You have basically said what i have thought! I'm tired of labels being a Jew or Arab or not... It is about simply being Human! I'm from, the Vietnam generation in which numerous Colege stiudents protested the war and many left for Canada.
When Josh Shapiro came down against Students protesting for Palestinian's rights as an occupied place, i was immediately was turned off.to him, I'm Thrilled Waltz was picked because he came out strong for a cease fire! Kamala did the right thing!!! America is to blame for allowing this Genocide to continue, supplying the weaponry and money. It could end today if we stop doing this
As I understand it, Josh Shapiro's current view of Israel is not much different than most other Democrats. The issue was an op-ed he wrote for his college newspaper in 1993, when he was 20 years old. In this article, he wrote that peace will never come to the Middle East, that Palestinians are "battle minded", and that peace is impossible between Israel and Palestine.
We can never know with complete certainty if Shapiro really has changed his views. I am leaning toward yes, given my own experience as a former quasi-Kahanist who's now anti-Zionist. When I look back at things I wrote in college, I cringe. Hell, sometimes I get the same feeling from something I wrote five years ago.
You said that Shapiro's views were normal for one who was raised Jewish from your time. Having been raised not much later, I completely agree. However, my journey in life brought me to completely reject that view (I relate a lot to Israelism too). I would argue that Shapiro has too. But the Jews I've spoken to disagree.
As always I really appreciate Peter's take. I want to also say--as a mostly-lurker 57yo American atheist raised among a lot of progressive Jewish households--I really appreciate how Peter and commenters share their inner tensions/challenges around Jewishness [or not] in this space.
I’m Arab-American and the same generation as Shapiro. I’ll be honest, the really intense anti-Arab racism of Jews above age 45 or so, is too much. Reading Shapiro’s writings from college, when he accused the Palestinians of being violent savages, just reminded me of my college years, and seeing his recent reaction to pro-Palestine protests - comparing us to the KKK, unleashing state police on protesters — it tells that his views, which are despicable as any Klansmen, have not evolved at all in 30 years. If he had been the VP nominee, it would have cemented my vote for Jill Stein this fall. Now I will wait to decide.
The genocide in Gaza has reopened all the old scars, it’s strained some of my friendships and I’m not sure I want those relationships any longer. I’m tired of the cynical use of false antisemitism accusations to shield both individuals and communal institutions from accountability for their racism, and promotion of violent apartheid. I’m glad to see younger millennial and GenZ Jews embracing the cause of Palestinian freedom. It gives me hope for a more just future even though I’m unlikely to live long enough to see it.
Thank you so much, Peter! We all owe our sanity to voices like yours. Exactly right - it's NOT normal to go around fantasizing wanting to kill more people. In fact, it's socio-psychopathic! Normal is wanting the killing to stop - aka, CEASEFIRE - and everyone sits down and TALKS. That is normal. Thank the holy universe for Walz! And yes, while Shapiro may be a "changed man," I think you are spot-on to address the generational biases that can be these hidden assumptions and reflexes, much like we witnessed from Biden, that get in the way of real progress and peace for Palestinians and Jews - Israeli and American -alike. Thank you, Peter. Thank you for the sense-making, thank you for your wisdom, thank you for your genuine humanity. <3
Both of your offerings are very important, and I believe they are accurate. We cannot cede the idea that it is "normal" or "acceptable" to disrespect and hate those experiencing poverty, who are not white, are queer, may get pregnant, live in SH countries, are not Christians (an identity itself narrowly defined), and/or have migrated here. Walz offers decent people of conscience to reclaim the standard of normalcy.
The observation that Shapiro was predictably shaped by the schools, community, and worldview in which he was raised is also spot on (I was graduated from public schools in Philadelphia at the same time he attended Jewish Day Schools and went to Ramah and Habonim D'ror summer camps before traveling to Palestine under the auspices of the World Zionist Organization, so I am very familiar with the setting). Why has he been unable to transcend the limitations of that upbringing and arrive at a point of moral clarity where his love of humanity fully extends to Palestinians and he confronts the painful reality that Zionism as it has been effected has been deeply flawed from the start? I don't know. It is a critically important question, because we cannot wait for the next generation of Jews and non-Jews with less to unlearn to gain political power before the slaughter ends and an ideology of militarized Jewish supremacy is unwound.
What I do know is that the decision to pick Walz over Shapiro will make it far easier for folks like me to support the Democratic ticket with enthusiasm, even as we demand far more from them well in advance of November. It is gratifying to feel that our voices have been heard, even when it is so clearly not enough.
Not only with the Progressives, but also with our history as a nation as embodied in our constitution by our founding fathers and all our Pioneers before they ever heard the word Zionism, before ever our Moronic Biden ever born during the Potato Famine !
We need to rebuild a society free of Religious Fanatics, and other …Cisms !
We must evolve faster than Darwin thought it would be possible !
We need a society of fully evolved Humans, not Judos or Christians, Muslims or Hindus and Buddhism …. They all can practice and they can pray for themselves and for others and share their beliefs and celebrate etc.
But no Settler Colonialism on any of those ideas ! Not anymore, Never Again ! No more Genocide ! Never Again Holocaust ! Past Holocaust has no License to commit a new Holocaust against another arbitrary group in order to grab their lands and colonize because another powerful group provides them with unlimited supply of weapons and money led by cowards like Biden !
I follow your commentary much of the time, but this one made me tear up - the « normal » perversion and how Walz offers an antidote & your vision of a Gen Z Jewish candidate for President. So grateful for your insight, politics, honesty.
Peter, You have basically said what i have thought! I'm tired of labels being a Jew or Arab or not... It is about simply being Human! I'm from, the Vietnam generation in which numerous Colege stiudents protested the war and many left for Canada.
When Josh Shapiro came down against Students protesting for Palestinian's rights as an occupied place, i was immediately was turned off.to him, I'm Thrilled Waltz was picked because he came out strong for a cease fire! Kamala did the right thing!!! America is to blame for allowing this Genocide to continue, supplying the weaponry and money. It could end today if we stop doing this
Hi Peter.
As I understand it, Josh Shapiro's current view of Israel is not much different than most other Democrats. The issue was an op-ed he wrote for his college newspaper in 1993, when he was 20 years old. In this article, he wrote that peace will never come to the Middle East, that Palestinians are "battle minded", and that peace is impossible between Israel and Palestine.
https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/josh-shapiro-israel-gaza-peace-column-vice-president-20240802.html
We can never know with complete certainty if Shapiro really has changed his views. I am leaning toward yes, given my own experience as a former quasi-Kahanist who's now anti-Zionist. When I look back at things I wrote in college, I cringe. Hell, sometimes I get the same feeling from something I wrote five years ago.
You said that Shapiro's views were normal for one who was raised Jewish from your time. Having been raised not much later, I completely agree. However, my journey in life brought me to completely reject that view (I relate a lot to Israelism too). I would argue that Shapiro has too. But the Jews I've spoken to disagree.
As always I really appreciate Peter's take. I want to also say--as a mostly-lurker 57yo American atheist raised among a lot of progressive Jewish households--I really appreciate how Peter and commenters share their inner tensions/challenges around Jewishness [or not] in this space.
I’m Arab-American and the same generation as Shapiro. I’ll be honest, the really intense anti-Arab racism of Jews above age 45 or so, is too much. Reading Shapiro’s writings from college, when he accused the Palestinians of being violent savages, just reminded me of my college years, and seeing his recent reaction to pro-Palestine protests - comparing us to the KKK, unleashing state police on protesters — it tells that his views, which are despicable as any Klansmen, have not evolved at all in 30 years. If he had been the VP nominee, it would have cemented my vote for Jill Stein this fall. Now I will wait to decide.
The genocide in Gaza has reopened all the old scars, it’s strained some of my friendships and I’m not sure I want those relationships any longer. I’m tired of the cynical use of false antisemitism accusations to shield both individuals and communal institutions from accountability for their racism, and promotion of violent apartheid. I’m glad to see younger millennial and GenZ Jews embracing the cause of Palestinian freedom. It gives me hope for a more just future even though I’m unlikely to live long enough to see it.
Thank you so much, Peter! We all owe our sanity to voices like yours. Exactly right - it's NOT normal to go around fantasizing wanting to kill more people. In fact, it's socio-psychopathic! Normal is wanting the killing to stop - aka, CEASEFIRE - and everyone sits down and TALKS. That is normal. Thank the holy universe for Walz! And yes, while Shapiro may be a "changed man," I think you are spot-on to address the generational biases that can be these hidden assumptions and reflexes, much like we witnessed from Biden, that get in the way of real progress and peace for Palestinians and Jews - Israeli and American -alike. Thank you, Peter. Thank you for the sense-making, thank you for your wisdom, thank you for your genuine humanity. <3
Both of your offerings are very important, and I believe they are accurate. We cannot cede the idea that it is "normal" or "acceptable" to disrespect and hate those experiencing poverty, who are not white, are queer, may get pregnant, live in SH countries, are not Christians (an identity itself narrowly defined), and/or have migrated here. Walz offers decent people of conscience to reclaim the standard of normalcy.
The observation that Shapiro was predictably shaped by the schools, community, and worldview in which he was raised is also spot on (I was graduated from public schools in Philadelphia at the same time he attended Jewish Day Schools and went to Ramah and Habonim D'ror summer camps before traveling to Palestine under the auspices of the World Zionist Organization, so I am very familiar with the setting). Why has he been unable to transcend the limitations of that upbringing and arrive at a point of moral clarity where his love of humanity fully extends to Palestinians and he confronts the painful reality that Zionism as it has been effected has been deeply flawed from the start? I don't know. It is a critically important question, because we cannot wait for the next generation of Jews and non-Jews with less to unlearn to gain political power before the slaughter ends and an ideology of militarized Jewish supremacy is unwound.
What I do know is that the decision to pick Walz over Shapiro will make it far easier for folks like me to support the Democratic ticket with enthusiasm, even as we demand far more from them well in advance of November. It is gratifying to feel that our voices have been heard, even when it is so clearly not enough.
Not only with the Progressives, but also with our history as a nation as embodied in our constitution by our founding fathers and all our Pioneers before they ever heard the word Zionism, before ever our Moronic Biden ever born during the Potato Famine !
We need to rebuild a society free of Religious Fanatics, and other …Cisms !
We must evolve faster than Darwin thought it would be possible !
We need a society of fully evolved Humans, not Judos or Christians, Muslims or Hindus and Buddhism …. They all can practice and they can pray for themselves and for others and share their beliefs and celebrate etc.
But no Settler Colonialism on any of those ideas ! Not anymore, Never Again ! No more Genocide ! Never Again Holocaust ! Past Holocaust has no License to commit a new Holocaust against another arbitrary group in order to grab their lands and colonize because another powerful group provides them with unlimited supply of weapons and money led by cowards like Biden !
👍