Words that Insult, Humiliate, Agitate, or Inspire Togetherness

Introduction: Dear Friends,

I am thinking about the importance of words at this time.  A lot of angry words are being spoken, many motivated by altruistic, passionate concern for the innocent and outrage over the loss of life and the violence. Some have been simply abusive words by ignorant and even drunk individuals. A man screamed “Allah Akbar” at me in the middle of Bankstown.

I write these words with the threat of renewed hostilities in the air. There are very small things I can do to try to prevent the on-going killing in the Middle East. I am doing these quietly. As Joe Wakim of the Arab Council said about another bridge builder, this “role is to prevent this kind of stone throwing, not engage in it”. This is a small meditation regarding words and people of different backgrounds getting along in Australia.

All the very best,

Zalman

An example of the power of positive words.
The wonderful Paul Benett's book that I
launched. A real example of living
with light. http://thecrankyguru.net/

We saw a victory this week for collaborative efforts between communities. The Australian government accepted their joint calls against the humiliation of people on the basis of ethnicity or “race”.  

Yet a dark cloud hangs over community harmony in Australia. Yes, there is an elephant in the room that is a matter of life and death.  The burning question is how to stop the killing, violence and the suffering? This is a vital question that I care passionately about. Our tradition teaches that “to kill” is to diminish the “image” of the King, namely God, in whose image ALL humans are created (1). This question must be answered, in certain contexts, not by me in this public context. This is because I sincerely believe I might do more harm than good.  Every blame claim, justification, refutation and counter argument that  I can imagine, has already been shouted endlessly, motivated by a mix of anger, hatred, as well as sincere desires for justice and to protect the innocent.

Here is another question: What will be the impact of all this death and conflict here in Australia, where we Australians of Jewish, Arabic, Muslim, Sunni, Shia, Ukrainian and other backgrounds live?

An old Rabbi was attacked in Perth this week. School children were terrorized in Sydney. Shia Muslims have been copping it for many months, Muslims generally, for years. Less significantly, yesterday, I walked through a state school playground filled with Arabic teenagers. When they saw me, an identifiable Jew, they chanted at me: “Free, free, Palestine”.  A sheikh, who had been working with me and a group of students at the school, walked alongside me to support me as I walked quickly to my car. 

Students in Australia should be encouraged to care about the world they live in and engage with the pursuit of justice.  However, chanting at a Jewish man reflects a generalized hostility to the “Jewish people”, rather than advocacy for aggrieved Palestinians.  I don’t blame the kids. The distinction is not an easy one.  A Muslim who works with me, made the point that what I felt in that playground is very similar to how she feels when people shout out “terrorist” to her. “It has nothing to do with me,” she said.

Perhaps, of equal importance, was the raising of this very painful and difficult topic in our group that has been working together regularly from the beginning of this year. The question about the current situation was raised by a student in one word, “Palestine?” It was a useful conversation to have. At the same time it reflects a growing tendency to talk and think in slogans rather than fully developed ideas with any nuance. A lot of the “dialogue” about Gaza and Israel has been via Facebook and Twitter - images of dead children, other images with captions or slogans. 

I accept that, in some cases, one may insult, provoke, polarize, simplify and ridicule as part of agitating for change. The Biblical prophets resorted to exaggeration, simile and ridicule to argue for change. On the other hand, we need to get along in Australia. If we can’t do it here, where our lives are not under direct threat, how can the people who have lost relatives and their sense of security, not lose hope?! To some extent, hope has been another casualty of this terrible situation. It must be restored.

Words matter. According to the Jewish sages, humiliating another person to the point where the colour drains from his face is equivalent to spilling his blood. I think that is hyperbolic, but reflects the seriousness of the harm caused by denigrating speech, suggesting a psychological death. Perhaps, more to the point, if people with authority engage excessively in denigrating groups, younger people and less educated people will take that as a licence for violence and a signal that they have a right to be “bigots”.

I don’t have a formula for preventing murder, killing or war, but I know that listening from the heart, goodwill and nuanced conversation are part of the answer. Polarization is usually less helpful. We cannot banish darkness by beating it with sticks. We can only overcome it with light. I pray for the preservation of life, dignity, justice and peace. 

1      1) Mechilta 

Liberation – Dignity, Denigration, Compensation (Bo)

Does liberation and dignity for group A, depend on the denigration of group B? is that the right approach? What else restores dignity?

A scream borne of the frustration of the youth of Gaza with their life situation, Israel, Hamas, Fatah, and the world [1] has taken off on Face-Book this week. It went from 7000-12,000 likes in 3 days. They call for peaceful action, and cry out for a normal life, or dignity. It follows the “them = perpetrators, us = victims” line, and includes an accusatory cartoon portraying the US, as Uncle Sam enjoying himself in a pool of Gazan blood and Israel as ex-PM Olmert covered in blood walking out of the pool. As a Jew this FaceBook page raises some questions.

Justice, safety, peace, dignity and normal lives for all the people living in the holy land is vital. The following is not an attempt to comment on the core claims or counter claims of this important argument and reality. Instead, it addresses a secondary issue of fighting fair, how outraged should one feel when the other side does something we object to? The starting point is surely, the Talmudic “Lshitato”, judging details according to their own view of the context, is their behaviour reasonable? What are the ethics of liberation struggles generally?

Mockery & Satire

As part of liberating the Jews from Egypt, God tells “Moses to come to Pharaoh...so that I will put these of my signs within him “and in order that you tell into the ears of your son and your son's son how I made a mockery of the Egyptians, and [that you tell of] My signs that I placed in them, and you will know that I am the Lord”[2]. This translation is not the only one. Early translations found no humour in the plagues, instead it has it as “what I have wrought upon Egypt”[3].  Regardless, the idea of mockery of evil is justified, “He that sits in heaven laughs, the Lord has them in derision[4]”.

The most dramatic use of mockery is the prophet Elijah’s sarcastic jibes at the prophets of the Baal at the contest to see which “god” would create a fire to accept his offerings. “And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said: 'Call in a loud voice; for he is a god; either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is in a journey, or he sleeps, and must be awaked”[5]. Satire is an acceptable method for fighting evil, the difficulty with cartoons and satire is that exaggeration and even demonization is common.

Demonization Exaggeration & Hyperbole

We know from bitter recent experience that demonization leads to violence, that words are not harmless.  In the story of Joseph, before they seek to kill him they call him “this dreamer[6]” and cannot even bring themselves to say his name.

The story of Joseph is an example of the powerful many demonizing the one powerless individual. When it comes to blasting the powerful, the prophets don’t seem to hold back. “Behold the princes of Israel, every man was in for his own power, for the sake of bloodshed...A man commits abominations against his neighbours wife, a man would defile his daughter in law with lewdness, a man would afflict (rape) his sister, the daughter of his father”[7].  “Listen to the word of God chiefs of Sodom, give ear to the Torah of God nation of Gomorrah...your hands are filled with blood, ...how has the faithful city filled with justice become a prostitute? A place of justice, but now murders... your princes are wayward, friends of thieves, all of them love bribes”[8].  

Outcomes & Ethics

One angle to consider is the end result. Jewish law forbids the ransom of captives in excess of the market value of the captives for the simple reason that by paying more, it will simply encourage more kidnapping.

On the one hand, demonization of the other can perpetuate conflict.  In the real world we live in, causes draw attention to themselves through, carnage, crass simplification or creativity. Afghanistan gets billions, while Sudan gets lip-service because murderers came from there. I think Palestinians have learned to play the world media game to pursue their objectives, going back to Munich. If young Gazan’s put their energy into words on Face-Book and calling for peaceful action, even using offensive and crass cartoons and harsh combattitive words, can this mean less violence toward Israelis, less reprisals and a slowing of the vicious cycle. Who knows?

Dignity & Compensation

Aside from the questions of denigration, is the question of the link between monetary compensation and the restoration of dignity. In the Exodus story, Jews are instructed to borrow (or request) silver and gold from their Egyptian neighbours[9]. The purpose of this is to compensate the slaves for years of unpaid labour[10]. Jews follow this instruction but with a slight variation, in addition to silver and gold they receive clothing[11]. Of the three items, the clothing was cherished to them than the gold and silver[12].  It was important to the “God of law and justice (mishpat), that the goods come from the Egyptians… to save their wages from their (the Egyptians) hands. … because this way, our father Abraham would have some comfort about the difficult work performed by his children”[13].     

Admission and Apology

The former PM of Australia apologised to Indigenous Australians but did not offer compensation. Still, this had a powerful healing effect on many Indigenous people. The Jews never get a sincere apology from Pharaoh, only pretence and back-pedalling; the mockery by God or our own storytelling will suffice.

In today’s conflict there is little hope of a mutual acknowledgment of the others narrative, which brings us back to the big question of who is right, that I have chosen not to deal with. Instead, I conclude with the smaller question of how to react to the output of the Gaza Youth. Facebook’s option of “Like”, does not leave much scope for nuance, or “wait and see”, our tradition does.

[1] http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Gaza-Youth-Breaks-Out-GYBO/118914244840679?v=info

[2] Exodus 10:1&2, translation consistent with commentary by Rashi, Ramban and others http://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading_cdo/aid/15561

[3] Translation of Oonkelus, Targum Yontan Ben Uziel,  http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0210.htm

[4] Psalms 2:4

[5] Kings I, 18:27

[6] Genesis, 37:19

[7] Ezekiel 22:6,10, &11

[8] Isaiah 1:10,15, 21,23.

[9] Exodus 11:2

[10] Talmud, Sanhedrin Perek Chelek

[11] Exodus 12:35

[12] Mechilta, with slight variation also in Rashi, on Exodus 12:35. (Rashi, changed from the Mechilta’s “Chaviva”- which means loved or cherished to “Chashuva”, more important. This in turn is interpreted by Maharshal, Sifsei Chachomim and Gur Aryeh, as the clothing being more significant for the Egyptians who expected the gold and silver to be returned as they are but expected the clothing to be modified to “Jewish style” dress, so found it hard to give away.

[13] Klei Yakar, on Exodus 11:2

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