Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency Services Medford sees rise in unpaid utility bills Medford-Jacksonville bike path becomes part of larger effort Medford clinics testing experimental treatments Public meetings, Sept. 1-5, 2014 Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services Emergency Services Medford police training program more than a video game Emergency Services Firefighting will close part of Lost Creek Lake over Labor Day weekend Politics and Elections Gold Hill mayor faces challenger; other races have one candidate each Medford proposes new rules for pawn shops to help nab thieves Lack of incumbents, pot issue draws 10 for Medford council races Council members in Gold Hill dodge voter recall Bill Pullman campaigns for Oregon GMO labeling law Education Back-to-school shopping can add up RCC program helps prepare Latinos for college SOU launches leadership degree program Medford charter school opens with many changes, including its name Superintendent welcomes staff to a new school year Environment Elusive owls get new home in Cascades Judge won't block release of water Ashland marchers won't give up on climate change message OR-7 could be recollared next month Deadly deer virus may be spreading State news Nation - World Obituaries James (Jim) Michael Giancarlo Janie Sparks Georgia A. Lind Shirley Helen Beal Roberts Lorraine Antcha Dimoff Mattos Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Mariota, Oregon steamroll South Dakota SOU comes up short against Menlo Chiefs’ Smith agrees to 4-year extension Timbers blank Whitecaps Wortman pulls off shocker at SOGC Varsity 541 College Sports Mariota, Oregon steamroll South Dakota SOU comes up short against Menlo 'It's about the win' for Oregon State SOU splits on final day of Merced tourney Plenty to improve upon in Corvallis Pro Sports Chiefs’ Smith agrees to 4-year extension Timbers blank Whitecaps Wortman pulls off shocker at SOGC With heavy heart, Kuchar hovers around the lead Champ Bailey, Michael Sam among cuts Community Sports Super seniors strong at SOGC Crenshaw pulls off upset in SOGC Murphy claims victory in Stroke Play Championships South Korea downs Chicago for World Series title Results / Standings Business Latest Stories Earlier than normal pear harvest coming up short of expectations Blog: Who Loves Coffee? We Do! People in Business New Mercedes-Benz dealer is luxury car fan Brammo plans to keep jobs in Rogue Valley Real Estate News Median residential housing prices rise 10.7 percent, but may begin to level out People In Business Transportation Agriculture Earlier than normal pear harvest coming up short of expectations Weisinger's Winery has earliest crush on record Amy's Kitchen begins expansion in White City Opinion Latest Charter schools prove to be option not obstacle George Will: Paul Ryan's way forward vs. progressivism Dana Milbank: America's real ice bucket challenge Charles Krauthammer: Lower corporate tax rates. Now. Wilderness for Kalmiopsis has served us well Editorials Charter schools prove to be option not obstacle Blistering lawsuit filed in Cover Oregon fiasco Other views: OLCC operates with little oversight Our View: A vote for common sense in Gold Hill Our View: It's not the gear; it's how the gear is used Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Aug. 29 Letters to the Editor, Aug. 28 Letters to the Editor, Aug. 27 Letters to the Editor, Aug. 26 Letters to the Editor, Aug. 25 Guest Opinions Wilderness for Kalmiopsis has served us well The summer of my discontent: An open letter to Bill Rauch The power of local philanthropy Who I am and why I want to serve on the City Council Lifestyle Latest stories Backpacking is glorious in the "Oregon Alps" Hot tips for a cool (shade) garden 'Super-Agers' are coming fast Columnist for a Day: The collection-plate formula still works Shift into the Rose City spirit Food What does 'natural' really mean? Fielding labels in search for a good egg The focus is on hospitality at Jaxon Vineyards Community blog: Silky stew or quick saute is summer's symphony Community blog: Onion pickles can wait for home-canning lull Home and Garden Hot tips for a cool (shade) garden An August checklist for your garden Green Scene: Diagnosing common tomato troubles Lawn talk Tips for keeping backyard birds cool this summer Health 'Super-Agers' are coming fast Community blog: It happened again... Community blog: What the Brain Isn't - Mind or Love Community blog: The Unfriendly Skies (continued) Healthy Aging: Iron girls galore Hiking Faith Religion briefs Religion briefs Community Blog: Is Peace Possible in the Middle East - Part three of four Religion briefs Community Blog: Is Peace Possible in the Middle East part 2 Milestones and Achievements New Arrivals Engagements Wedding: Ivanov-Leftin New Arrivals Shayla Brooke Grether and Jesse Levi Tanner Columnist for a Day Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Bill Maher at Britt Festivals From business professor to artist Gypsy Soul performs at EdenVale Winery The Jeff Stanley Trio at Lounge South Alan Berman Trio at the Imperial Theater OSF presents 'The Alchemy of Gender' Randall Theatre extends 'Godspell' 'Pump Boys & Dinettes' opens at Camelot Theatre Film festival kicks off annual 'Daedalus Project' Review: The joy of 'Godspell' is infectious Music Brent Norton: A Rogue Valley Experience Bill Maher at Britt Festivals Gypsy Soul performs at EdenVale Winery The Jeff Stanley Trio at Lounge South Alan Berman Trio at the Imperial Community Events 5 Things to Do This Weekend From business professor to artist Shady Cove Tie Days Swap Meet 'Prints From the Plateau' at the Rogue Gallery Nature Walks in Lithia Park Dining Wild River Brewing & Pizza Co. NW Raw Kelly's Crepes Basil & Berries Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Firefighting will close part of Lost Creek Lake over Labor Day weekend ... Wind shifts should rid Rogue Valley of smoke ... Saturation patrols planned this weekend ... Firefighting will close part of Lost Creek Lake over Labor Day weekend ... Wind shifts should rid Rogue Valley of smoke ... Saturation patrols planned this weekend ... ANOTHER VIEW Michael Gerson: The importance of history MailTribune.com Writer Posted Aug. 29, 2014 @ 12:01 am Posted Aug. 29, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News The monumental tapestry triptych by Marc Chagall, hanging in the State Hall of the Israeli Knesset in Jerusalem, hints at some of the artist's own memories, including from his childhood in Vitebsk, Russia. But these float among images of Jewish history: of Moses with his tablets, of David with his harp. Images of wandering and vulnerability: a village burned, a dead body surrounded by six candles, standing in for 6 million. Images of return and security: pioneers, soldiers and a new flag among the nations. The viewer is immersed in the sweep of a great, inexplicable story — of an ancient people seized by a sense of identity that has lasted four millennia, that has made foundational contributions to ethics, social justice and rational inquiry, and that has often been requited with suspicion and violence. Many Jews, religious or secular, embracing or resisting, feel the glory and burden of this history. In a recent essay, Matti Friedman, a reporter for The Associated Press in Jerusalem between 2006 and 2011, recalls being forced to weave a different story: of Israeli oppression and Palestinian victimhood. He says his editors consistently spiked reporting inconsistent with this narrative, even when it included major news (such as details of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's peace offer). Friedman describes his superiors as "decent people" who used news coverage as "a weapon to be placed at the disposal of the side they like." His evidence of bias is damning; his evidence of decency is thin. Friedman blames this "severe malfunction" of journalism on the resurgence of an old pattern. Historically, Jews have been a stateless entity on which people have projected their anger and resentments. With the advent of a Jewish state, those projections are focused on Israel, which gets disproportionate (and disproportionately hostile) attention as the embodiment of colonialism and nationalism — things that European and American liberals find offensive. "You don't need to be a history professor, or a psychiatrist, to understand what's going on," says Friedman. "The descendants of powerless people who were pushed out of Europe and the Islamic Middle East have become what their grandparents were — the pool into which the world spits. The Jews of Israel are the screen onto which it has become socially acceptable to project the things you hate about yourself and your own country. The tool through which this psychological projection is executed is the international press." Friedman's editors might protest that they are simply covering Israeli policy (which can be unwise) and Palestinian suffering (which is very real). But Friedman accuses the media of purposely slanting stories, in a way they would not (for example) about violence in Pakistan or the Congo. And there must be some reason. Many in the knowledge class have an inadequate understanding of and respect for history. In this case, they seem to think that traditional anti-Jewish attitudes have faded and that the memory of the Holocaust is overplayed (and used by Jews to provoke self-protective guilt). In fact, anti-Jewish attitudes remain deep and consistent, and the memory of the Holocaust is fading. Few take note of the genocidal promises of the Hamas charter or of Iranian clerics. If you live entirely in the present, the state of Israel may seem more Goliath than David. If you have some sense of the past, it is a beleaguered island in a historical and geographical sea of violence. It is, in the words of British historian Paul Johnson, the "physical guarantee that another Holocaust would not occur." And the creation and maintenance of this secular Zion have involved a series of sad compromises — walls and airstrikes and nuclear capabilities — required to maintain a Jewish state in a hostile neighborhood. History matters, or at least it should. Detached from its story, Israel is a quarrelsome, flawed democracy on the edge of the Mediterranean. But Israel is its story — the story of slavery, statehood, expulsion, scattering, near-extermination and return. The story told by Chagall in 40 miles of thread. This is not, for me, primarily a theological matter. It is not necessary to believe that the Jews are the Chosen People to believe that they have been unfairly chosen over 2,000 years for persecution and murder — and have chosen themselves, by their unity and courage, to carry a hope and cause that transform their story into something universal. Even some Jews might prefer it otherwise — as Moses was reluctant to accept his calling. But it is hard to argue with a burning bush, or with history. Michael Gerson's email address is [email protected]. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Aug. 29, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501