The Doppleganger at the Seder

In this country, criticism of Israel or of our national underwriting of it or even of the lobby backing that support is verboten and anyone uttering a critical word is visiously attacked as an anti-semite, even if they are Jews. My experience as a Jew is that the culture I came out of, a culture shaped by oppression, acutely aware of injustice, a culture of progressive values, has been transformed into a nightmare doppleganger; a strange hybrid incorporating fascistic nationalism and American denial. This is the ugly effect of Zionism and most Jews are too blinded by it to notice that it does us more harm than good. It destroys the moral basis of our culture, creates nothing but anti-semitism, and gives us nothing in return; certainly not a safe haven. The following was written after preparing a Seder for my family and running into that unwelcomed presence. --

I come
from a family of good
Germans --
not German at all
but Jews
who should know better.

They come bearing gifts
with the pride and feigned
innocence of children,
boxes of food bearing the scar
Made in Israel and if
I happen to mention walls
that tear life from land or
bulldozed homes, check points or
the bright light of Palestine's children
snuffed out for sport like carnival targets,
ears are covered and
I don't want to hear its and
not nows are muttered -- realty
shunned for the preferred delusion
seeking the absolution of denial
feeding the monstrosity we've become.