This year's top 10

Just in time to join all those other end-of-the-year inventories, the Anti-Defamation League has issued its annual list of the top 10 issues most affecting the Jewish community.

Some issues are obvious, and some are less so. Here they are, in no particular order. (Drumroll, please.)

Gaza disengagement
2004 U.S. election
Death of Yasser Arafat
Call for divestment from Israeli investments
Security barrier
Fight against global anti-Semitism
New outreach by hate movements
Anti-Semitism in the Arab media
Church/state separation
Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ"

And now, to refresh our memories and gain some perspective, let's look back at last year's top 10 list from the ADL:

Malaysian prime minister says Jews control the world
Terrorism (specifically the bombings at two Istanbul synagogues)
Iraq
Israeli peace process/road map
U.N. anti-Israel bias
European anti-Semitism
Arrest of two hate-group leaders in the United States
Arab anti-Semitism
Church/state separation
Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ"

The constants? Arab anti-Semitism, anti-Semitism elsewhere, a concern for the separation of church and state, hate groups in the United States and Mel Gibson.

While Mel Gibson remains a worry - we're pro his love of opera, but very much anti his garbled understanding of Judeo-Christian relations - we find it odd that Iraq didn't make the list this year. Is the situation there no longer a concern? Would that it weren't.

The calls for divestment are a new and perplexing problem. What to do in the face of them? A press release from The Israel Project cites public opinion research showing that while 52 percent of Americans say they have a Jewish friend, co-worker or family member, only about a quarter of those respondents reported that they had heard Jews speak in support of Israel in the last year. The same research, according to the release, shows that just one conversation between a non-Jew and a Jew about Israel can dramatically increase support for the beleaguered state.

The Israel Project suggests 10 tips to "win hearts and minds for Israel," including emphasizing the fact that Israel wants peace and demonstrating hope for the Palestinians. There are more tips on the organization's Web site, www.theisraelproject.org. And as for confronting the other nine issues on the ADL's top 10, the Israel Project's pro-active tips are a good place to start.

Home