American Support for Israel

For John, BLUF:  I have been surprised and disappointed by the reactions to the Hamas slaughter of Israelis on 7 October.  But, these outbreaks do not represent all of America.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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In red America, standing up for Israel isn’t controversial

From The New York Post, by Professor Glenn H. Reynolds, 21 Novwember 2023, 6:48 p.m. ET.

Here is the lede plus seven:

In some parts of the country, standing up for Israel is controversial, even dangerous.

On the campuses of places like Harvard, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania, anyone who dares to wave an Israeli flag — or, increasingly, wear a kippah in public — is at risk of being assaulted by angry mobs of people with their faces covered.

In Los Angeles, a pro-Israel protester was allegedly killed by a pro-Palestinian computer-science professor.

(Judge Ryan Wright slashed the prof’s bail from the original $1 million to just $50,000.)

Many parents of Jewish students are concerned, and rightly so, about their kids’ safety at these institutions.

Even off campus, the streets of New York and many other big blue metropolises seem kind of dangerous for Jews these days.

Things are a bit different in my neck of the woods.

I live in Knoxville, Tenn., home of the University of Tennessee, where we’ve seen none of this sort of violence.

I think it is fair to say that in much of the United States citizens of the Protestant faith have been caught up in what some call Christian Zionismn.  This understanding that the Jewish People have a role in God's plan for the end times.

To the larger issue of civility in today's America, I think the Professor captures the point in a quote from Adlai Stevenson, "A free society is one in which it is safe to be unpopular."  When I think about it I think Free Speech includes the right to be wrong.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff