If there is any truth to the Arab proverb “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” one might imagine that Irv Rubin and Osama bin Laden have gone out for drinks once or twice, for both are the enemies of the United States.
Rubin is the leader of the Jewish Defense League, which by its association with the outlawed Kach Party in Israel and its deeds here in America, deserves a place on the list of terrorist organizations just below Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad.
On Dec. 12, Rubin and fellow JDL member Earl Krugel were arrested, thankfully, before they could allegedly carry out a plot to bomb a Culver City mosque and the offices of Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista).
It should be noted that Issa, who represents areas of Orange and San Diego counties in the U.S. Congress, is the grandson of Lebanese immigrants. On Dec. 5 he voted in favor of House Concurrent Resolution 280, titled “Expressing solidarity with Israel in the fight against terrorism.” Among other things, this resolution extends the House of Representatives’ “deepest sympathies to the Israeli nation and to the families of the [terror] victims.”
We as Jews would be among the biggest hypocrites in modern history if we did not condemn — in a loud unified voice — this alleged plot by the JDL. This is our call to action. We must make it known to all Americans that we as a community deplore what Rubin and Krugel reportedly conspired to do in our name.
There is no justification for blowing up a mosque. There is no justification for targeting a legislator’s office for destruction. These are more than acts of terror, they are acts of treason. The JDL are unquestionably the new terrorists living in our midst.
Make no mistake about my position. I am Jewish and I am American. I am not one of those liberal “self-hating” Jews either, who find any excuse to blame Israel for violence in the Middle East. I am a Zionist. I support both the American and the Israeli wars against terror.
But I, as a Jew, was mortified that an organization that by its name claims to defend me could have been — but for the FBI — behind the next wave of domestic terror attacks.
The silence from Muslim Americans after Sept. 11 was deafening. Few notable Muslim leaders would publicly condemn the acts of terror making those that did stand out all the more. If you did see Muslim leaders speaking out on television, it was against the acts of violence and bigotry being perpetrated in misguided, personal revenge attacks against American Muslims.
The Jewish community cannot afford to make this same mistake of silence for several reasons:
First, I suspect the news of the JDL plot was as infuriating and mortifying to the vast majority of Jews as it was to me and those I know.
Second, it is not in our nature to be silent. American Jews have for decades been leaders in civil rights crusades and speaking out against injustices throughout the world.
Third, speaking out will demonstrate that we as a people do not condone unwarranted acts of violence against Arabs, Muslims or any people.
Fourth, but not insignificantly, the absence of our expressed collective outrage will be viewed throughout the Muslim world as guilt by association and will give further justification for the hatred of Jews and Zionists.
As we write letters to the editors of our local newspapers, helping set the facts straight about the history of the Middle East, or what Israel does or does not do, we should also find time to write a letter about this issue.
I believe there is much wisdom to the Jewish proverb that is actually the advice of the Belzer rebbe, “Let a good man do good deeds with the same zeal that the evil man does bad ones.” We now have our chance to heed this advice.