enlighten me!
(forgot to post this over here yeasterday, a lively discussion is ensuing over at my myspace blog! hope one happens here as well... k.)so i've been pondering this for years, as it's come up (surprisingly) several times in random discussions about israel and palestine... i always end up getting called an anti-semite (the first time threw me - i had no idea what that meant) for being critical of israel's policy in regards to palestine. now, with my complete and utter disgust (that grows daily and by the minute) surrounding recent events in lebanon, it is happening again.
i just don't get it.
granted, i don't really have a firm grasp on the in's and out's of most organized religions - ok, all organized religions - just a basic concept sort of deal, but, still... i can only gather that being jewish is more of an all-encompassing thing, than, say - being a catholic or a buddhist. that it's a way fo life as opposed to a belief? that said, i still don't understand why, if one is jewish, it is assumed that said individual will always side with israel's policies - no matter what. and if you don't well, you just hate jews (?!?!). or have i just been talking with the exceptions to this all these years?
the other day, i was having this conversation with a dear friend that said the anti-semite thing is thrown at me to get me to shut up. that doesn't really make sense to me either. what ever happened to respectful discussion? i mean, calling me something that i'm clearly not, just to end a conversation seems a bit petty and trivial to me...
so if ANYONE can shed some light on this for me - please do.