Mentions of “the Jewish state” are common in media as a stand-in for the Israel government. Sometimes the phrase is just thrown in to mix things up by using something other than a repeated mention of Israel or to make communication come across as more interesting, refined, or erudite.
The phrase may also be employed to intentionally influence audience members’ perception of the Israel government. For example, “the Jewish state” may be substituted to dull disagreement audience members may be inclined to have with described actions of the Israel government by associating that government with people with whom or a religion with which the audience members have sympathy. No matter the reason employed, the phrase’s working to join together the Israel government and Jewish people can contribute to the tarnishing of the reputation of Jewish people around the world because of the actions of that government.
People around the world who identify themselves as Jewish are in large numbers proclaiming their opposition to actions of the Israel government, including its bringing of death and destruction in Gaza. This is reflected, among other places, in polling released recently at the Washington Post. “Many American Jews sharply disapprove of Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza, with 61 percent saying Israel has committed war crimes and about 4 in 10 saying the country is guilty of genocide against the Palestinians, according to a Washington Post poll,” begins a Washington Post report detailing the poll results.
Israel is a state, but it is not the Jewish state. Its actions are not representative of or supported by people across the world who consider themselves Jewish. Let’s retire the phrase “the Jewish state.” The Israel government does not deserve the public relations boost the phrase can provide. Further, many people who have no involvement with or are even actively in opposition to the Israel government’s actions in regard to Gaza and otherwise should no longer, through the use of the phrase, be suggested to be complicit in those actions.
