Double Loyal And Proud

I cry at the US National Anthem.

All that stuff about the flag still being there, the free, the brave…slays me. Every. Single. Time.

Oh…and I also get all verklempt hearing the Israeli National Anthem. The very name, Hatikvah, an immaculate encapsulation of a nation. Hope springs eternal.

Many have accused me of dual loyalty and tried to shame me for my love of Israel. The age-old anti-Semitic trope of dual loyalty is meant to imply that there is something treasonous about an American Jew(ess) supporting Israel. Treasonous, my tuchas.

It was fine, of course, for Rashida Tlaib to accuse Jews of dual loyalty as she danced and celebrated her Congressional inauguration draped in a Palestinian flag. A Jew who loves and defends Israel is a traitor, but Tlaib is a freedom fighter! No dual loyalty there. No hypocrisy at all.

Let’s break this down. My body is a citizen of the United States. My soul is a citizen of Israel. And my heart loves and is loyal to both. My blood runs red, white, and blue. Doubling down on the white and blue.

Despite the libelous anti-Israel bias of global mainstream media and the ensuing anti-Zionism (and, yes, anti-Semitism) that it breeds in the world at large, I have absolutely zero shame about my undying and vocal support of the Jewish State. I will sing it from the treetops, post it on my pages, and preach it to everyone who will (wittingly or unwittingly) listen.

My voice has cost me innumerable social media “friends” and it has cost me business, but I am richer for being strong enough to always stand (or handstand, as the case may be) for what I believe in.

And I believe in Israel.

And America.

Dual loyalty?

According to Wikipedia, “In ethics, dual loyalty is loyalty to two separate interests that potentially entails a conflict of interest.” Hmmmm…

Let’s think about the “separate and conflicting interests” of the United States and Israel.

Ambassador Ron Dermer summarized it best at the 2020 AIPAC Policy Conference when he asserted that, “Israel will be the most important ally of the United States in the 21st Century.” Amen, brother!

So, what interests, exactly, do America and Israel share?

Defense, Cybersecurity, and Intelligence to start. US-Israeli cooperation on these most important issues is ironclad. Seems that if there were a conflict of interest, the three most important aspects of national security would be at odds. Instead we are on the exact same page of the playbook. Same paragraph. Same sentence. Same word: team.

Then there is technology. Water tech, medical tech, and, of course, tech tech. How would the modern world survive without Israeli tech? (Answer: it wouldn’t). And America benefits the most with its many national and state-level contracts and MOUs with Israel that ensure Israeli technology continues to augment the lives of US citizens across the entire nation.

So, I ask: Conflict? What conflict?

Fact is, the best of US values are in undeniable lockstep with Israel. The morality, the democracy, the freedoms, and the desire to heal the world. Both countries are in the business of tikkun olam. Together we create a better planet.

When someone accuses me of dual loyalty because of my love and defense of the Holy Land, I just laugh and smile. Can you not be loyal to both your mother and your father at the same time? Your college and your grad school? Your two best friends?

The United States and Israel share an absolute and unbreakable bond. And I am but a link in that eternal chain.

Am Yisrael Chai. And may God always bless the United States of America.