UCLA Psychology professor Patricia Marks Greenfield writes in the Washington Post:
Israel is a full-fledged multiethnic, multireligious society, and it must provide equal legal and day-to-day treatment to all its citizens, no matter their ethnic or religious background. Unfortunately, this is not the case for those who are Arab or Ethiopian or whose religion is Muslim or Christian.
In this respect, Israel is out of step with much of the world. Over time, nations have become more ethnically and religiously diverse; populations have become more urban and educated; and economies have become more commercial. In response to these social and economic changes, many nations have left behind the notion of a favored state religion.
I like Israel as a Jewish state and I would like American and Australia and England to retain their identities just as I want Japan to stay Japanese and for Korea to stay Korean. I don’t think Korea would be improved by the presence of ten million Africans. I don’t think Japan would be either. A people have a right to hold on to their identity.
Everything I believe in these matters can be found in this sentence from the Chabad Chayenu commentary on the Torah: “A family or a people, like any living organism, must have well-defined borders.”
All the rest is commentary. Go and study the Torah.
