Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)
JCRC to Present “Debating Israel’s Future”
Is Israel locked in a tragic dispute between two peoples claiming the same land—or a global conflict between Western democracy and
Islamist terrorism? Is partition into two states the only way to ensure Israel’s survival—or is it the surest path to ever-increasing bloodshed and possibly even endangering Israel’s survival? On Wednesday, January 18 at 7:00 p.m., the Jewish Community Relations Council, part of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, will present “Debating Israel’s Future,” featuring American Jewish thought leaders Jonathan Tobin, and J.J. Goldberg as they engage in a civil debate about these and other critical suppositions about the State of Israel. Through a lively, yet respectful debate, Tobin will share a conservative perspective to Goldberg’s liberal viewpoint on Israel’s future. Their different perspectives will offer insights on various paths for addressing some of the most challenging issues for Israel in a changing world.
Tobin will argue that Israel stands on the front line of a global conflict between Islamist terrorism and Western democracy. In Tobin’s opinion, when American liberals try to pressure Israel into appeasing terrorists who oppose peace on any terms, they not only threaten Israel’s security and seek to nullify its democracy, but also weaken the West in an existential struggle.
Goldberg will argue that Israel could enter a regional alliance with moderate Sunni states if it accepted the Saudi-led Arab Peace Initiative leading to a Palestinian state. It is Goldberg’s position that as long as Israel tries to retain control of Judea and Samaria it will face continuing Palestinian violence, ever-worsening diplomatic isolation and, ultimately, the end of the Jewish state.
Jonathan S. Tobin is the senior online editor and chief political blogger of Commentary, the neo-conservative magazine of opinion and ideas covering American politics, international affairs, Judaism and social, cultural, and literary issues. Tobin was executive editor of The Jewish Exponent in Philadelphia from 1998 through 2008. He is a frequent commentator on domestic politics, Israel, and Jewish affairs.
J.J. Goldberg is editor-at-large of the newspaper The Forward, where he served as editor in chief for seven years. In the past, he served as US bureau chief of the Israeli newsmagazine The Jerusalem Report, managing editor of The New York Jewish Week and as a nationally syndicated columnist in Jewish weeklies. He previously served as an education specialist with the World Zionist Organization in Jerusalem and was a member and secretary of Kibbutz Gezer, near Tel Aviv. Goldberg is the author of Jewish Power: Inside the American Jewish Establishment, published in 1996.
Congregation Beth Adam, Beth Israel, Congregation Adath Israel, Sha’arei Torah, Rockdale Temple, Temple Sholom, and Wise Temple are co-sponsoring this debate. On January 18, the event will be held in the Amberley Room at the Mayerson JCC. To RSVP, visit www.jewishcincinnati.org/debatingisraelsfuture.
