By Judi Wolder
In the aftermath of the Gaza war, two phenomena have become abundantly clear. One, is that much of the world condemns Israel in her fight for survival, and the other is that some Jews in our own community condemn her. As a minority divided, the latter, adds another angle to the attacks, further undermines our legitimacy, and fuels the flames of anti-Semitism.
It is this division between us as Jews, that needs further examining. We are divided in our opinions of Israel and this is causing much animosity among us. An analysis from both sides may help bridge the gap…. Two types of reactions to the Gaza conflict have occurred: 1. Jews who support Israel (JSI), and 2. Jews who condemn Israel (JCI). I personally have not been able to separate my sense of Zionism from my Jewish identity, so I have found it difficult understanding Jews who condemn Israel (JCI). I take the verbal attacks on Israel very personally, it feels like an attack on my deep sense of attachment to my faith, people and homeland. I feel like my very existence as a Jew is threatened. So when I hear fellow Jews condemning Israel, I raise my guard and prepare for a verbal onslaught.
Until a recent verbal encounter, the more I heard Jews criticizing Israel and turning Holocaust phrases against us in a twisted irony, the more angry I became. During this recent encounter with a fellow Jew who condemned Israel, I thought “What kind of a Jew would do this?” This compatriot who is labelled by others as a ‘self-hating Jew’, claimed he abhorred this term as much as I abhorred the terms ‘Fascist’ and ‘Nazi’ used against us. I was astounded and confused when he still insisted he was a believer in Israel as a homeland for Jews and that he still possessed a strong Jewish identity. I found this hypocritical, and a contradiction; ; how could someone make such wild attacks on us, echoing the vicious words of our enemies, while at the same time saying he loved his people and his country? However, my discussions with him became more amicable, the more I listened to him and the more he heard my views.
It is my belief that Jews in general who condemn Israel (JCIs) have become alienated due to our differences in opinion. Being more distanced, they feel they have a unique perspective that Jews who support Israel (JSIs) do not have. My debating opponent made me realize that JCIs think we are falling prey to the ‘groupthink’ phenomenon – “Groupthink” is a psychological term for the way people think in a group – which is different when they are separated from the group and can think independently. It is based on the premise that in the desire for harmony or conformity, the group begins to behave in an irrational or dysfunctional way.” (1). JCIs, fear that the JSIs who over-identify with the group, will get buried in the same Nazi mentality that gripped many Germans in the name of Nationalism. The recent written protest to the New York Times by children and relatives of the holocaust identifying with the Palestinian people, and accusing Israel of war crimes and genocide, epitomizes this same view. (2) JCIs fear JSIs are becoming the oppressors. They fear that their “groupthink” has blinded them. They say the a irrational and ‘disproportionate’ attacks on Gaza testify to this phenomenon beginning to occur. Their attack on JSIs is rationalized by perceiving it to be a warning so as not to become like our oppressors in Germany. JCIs say they are still fiercely proud of their heritage and inherent moral fiber, and justify their actions by believing that if they scare us with labels such as ‘Nazi’ and ‘Fascist’, they will have a strong impact in reminding us of who we are – a people proud of our endeavors to be virtuous, righteous and highly principled. The JSIs, see these actions as exceptionally damaging for Jews and Israel, for they believe that JCI’s condemnation, is only fanning the flames of the rising ant-Semitism world-wide.
So how can we unite when this situation has polarized us to such an extent that it has become ugly, vicious and back-stabbing? The common thread, I believe is our defence mechanisms as a persecuted people. The trigger is the same – anti-Semitism, but the mechanisms to deal with the trigger have translated into vastly differing reactions. JCIs, seem to have sided with the enemy, however as a reaction, this is simply a classic Freudian defence mechanism called ‘Reaction Formation’ – Reaction Formation is the converting of unwanted or dangerous thoughts, feelings or impulses into their opposites.”(3) So, for example, JCIs want to distance themselves from their anger towards the persecutors and attackers, so instead of feeling that anger, they become overly kind to their enemies to publicly show their lack of anger and unhappiness. They will over-identify with their enemy and try to empathize to moderate their own strong feelings which may scare them or attract too much attention towards themselves, inviting more attacks. This defence reaction is what is causing them to attack the JSIs. When they see their anger and fear portrayed openly by others, they feel more threatened, and fear that the rebound effect will turn back onto themselves. Reaction Formation helps the victim feel safe; by behaving passive, or empathic, they know they will no longer anger their enemy. Furthermore, in a strange twist, they feel they are protecting their fellow Jews from attacks by showing we are not all an angry aggressive lot! Perhaps too, by identifying themselves with the enemy, attempting to glean acceptance from them, it helps them deal with the rejection they are feeling from their own community. They are naive to think that because the true anti-Semites will never accept them or save them, while if they are truly under threat, their own people will!
In South Africa, recently, there was a huge outcry by the Jewish population at large toward a Jewish high school boy who donned a Hamas scarf with friends, posted it on social media, with the caption which stated he and his mates supported the people in Gaza. This behaviour seems like an even more gross misguided demonstration by a fellow Jew – who also says he strongly identifies as a Jew and believes in the legitimacy of Israel. While he may say his stance was a humanitarian one, his inability to have humanitarian sensitivities towards his own people and identify with the hardships of his own people, stems from a defence mechanism to ensure his survival. The defence mechanism I am referring to is observed in the animal kingdom. It is called ‘morphological defences’(4) this is where some species will adapt by morphing into an appearance that strongly resembles their predators to avoid being eaten. For example, Elephant-Hawk-Moth Caterpillars strongly resemble snakes. It is my belief that the high school boy’s donning of a Hamas scarf, was an unconscious ‘morphing’ in a sense, in order to gain their favour. I am in no way saying any of these behaviours were calculated – defence mechanisms are adaptations according to Sigmund Freud(5), to help the ego cope with anxiety.
The Israeli government’s response to the rocket attacks by Hamas is a defence mechanism too – it is the former reaction of the ‘fight-flight” response. In the animal kingdom, when prey becomes hyper-aroused, the autonomic nervous system triggers an acute stress response to the threat of survival. Is it a wonder that Israel feels threatened, stressed and hyper-aroused, when she has been dealing with rocket attacks, kidnappings and suicide attacks for the past eight years? JSIs, identify with Israel’s primal defence mechanism, which heightens their need to defend their saviours – the Israeli government and her soldiers. They feel a sense of unity and safety which gives them solace and relieves anxiety. Their response, has NOTHING to do with ‘groupthink’, or ‘Nazism’ or ‘Fascism’ for that matter.
Therefore in a bizarre way, both mechanisms come from the same fears. One response is a primal response, to attack the attacker, and the otheris a more cognitive response stemming from the idea that the more they resemble, identify and assume their attackers’ stance, the safer they we will be. But how do we find congruity and unity in the complex ways we identify as Jews? How do we find the key mechanism that will truly ensure our survival. Surely not by despising each other. Surely not by attacking each other on social media, or through death threats towards a high school boy? We need to resolve our polarization as Jews in the midst of this this global threat to our very existence. I hope that my insights will help us be kinder and more forgiving towards each other, so that our joyous, unified song of Zion will resound indelibly forevermore.
References
- “Groupthink.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Aug. 2014. Web. 02 Sept. 2014.
2.”NY Times Runs Ad From Holocaust Survivors Condemning Israel, Attacking Elie Wiesel.” New York Observer. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Sept. 2014.
- “15 Common Defense Mechanisms – Psych Central.” Psych Central.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Sept. 2014.
- “Anti-predator Adaptation.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Aug. 2014. Web. 02 Sept. 2014.
- “Common Defense Mechanisms People Use to Cope with Anxiety.” About. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Sept. 2014.
- Nair, Sonia. “Unbelievably Bizarre Animal Defense Mechanisms.” Buzzle. Buzzle.com, 10 May 2013. Web. 02 Sept. 2014.
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