About twenty-five years ago, I went to Austin to attend the Israel Block Party. Sponsored by the local Hillel, it is a festive gathering, featuring Israeli music and food. There were protestors there. In one area, there was a gaga pit. Gaga is an Israeli game for children, sort of similar to a low-velocity game of dodgeball. Its main recognizable feature is a small wall around the play area, serving to contain the ball. But of course, the ball often flies over the fence. It did. The protestors were only a few feet away, so the ball went rolling into their area. A boy, about five years old, went to the edge of the gaga pit and put his hands out to the protestors, in the gesture that translated to “please pass the ball back”. One protester locked eyes with the boy, held an intense stare, and shook her head slowly with a half-smile, an expression that indicated she had been waiting to vent her anger for some time. Her gesture translated to “I will not get your [expletive] ball.” The boy looked hurt and confused.

Her thinking was clearly that Israel is such a manifest evil that it overrides all basic decency. Audacious, line-crossing protest, for her, was not the protestor’s fault but rather the fault of Israel. Of course, a five year old does not know what’s going on in the Middle East.........

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