By Rabbi Dow Marmur
JERUSALEM– According to Israeli media commenting on the by now annual PR gimmick called The White House Seder, President Obama suffers from multiple personality disorder. He has been cast in the role of each of the four sons of the Hagadah.
He’s wise. By putting pressure on Israel he’s winning the hearts and minds of the Muslim world, which is essential for winning the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. As extra reward he’ll help to bring about peace in the Middle East that in turn will bring prosperity to the whole region with Israel at the center.
He’s wicked. His middle name isn’t Hussein for nothing. He has abandoned the traditional American commitment to Israel and decided to side with our enemies. The “self-hating” Jews in his entourage have helped him to encourage the Palestinian Authority to refuse to talk to Israel and probably also justified the resumption of terrorism against the Jewish state and its citizens.
He’s simple. His hope of bringing Israelis and Palestinians together is naïve because the latter neither want nor can come to the negotiating table. Victimhood has become the stance of choice for all Palestinians, coupled with the myth of conquering the whole country and sending the Jews packing. Moreover, they’re so divided among themselves that, as the often used phrase has it, “there’s no partner.”
He doesn’t know how to ask. He’s inexperienced in matters of international politics and ignorant of the history of the Middle East. He confuses rhetoric with political savvy and therefore is likely to fail also in Iran – to the detriment of the United States and the great risk to Israel. To endure its pain Israel has to rally Diaspora Jewry and hold tight for the next three years until another administration takes over in Washington.
Which of the four images you come to stress will depend on your political orientation. The wise son belongs to Meretz, the only left-wing Zionist party in the Knesset. But it has only three seats, which may partly account for Obama’s extremely low approval rate among Israelis.
The wicked son is the sworn enemy of a number of right-wing parties in Israel’s coalition government. One way of responding to his evil machinations is to appeal directly to the American people, particularly to the evangelicals among them, for they’re Israel’s most faithful allies.
The simple son is favored by the political center. No, Obama is no enemy of Israel and he means well, but he got it all wrong. With careful handling and better lobbying in Washington it may be possible to make him see the light and realize that the status quo in Israeli-Palestinian relations is the best we can hope for until the Palestinians put their house in order and has responsible and amenable leaders.
The son who doesn’t know how to ask has to be enlightened and patiently tutored. Once again, effective lobbying coupled with skillful public relations should do the trick.
For most Israelis Obama seems to be all four sons at the same time. Each of the versions is flawed so that the total picture isn’t creatively complex but just confused. Not being able to stem the current flood known as American foreign policy, Israel must learn to live under water and hold its breath until it can surface again. But no need to panic! We’ve been there before and survived; we’ll do so again. Pesach celebrates redemption.
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Marmur is spiritual leader emeritus of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto. He now divides his time btween Canada and Israel.