Grapevine May 19, 2021: Serving the cause of mutual respect

 While calls for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel are coming in from around the world and, on the domestic scene, both Arab and Jewish leaders are trying to calm the tense atmosphere that has caused so much harm, hurt and even death on both sides, the Israel Tennis and Education Center in Ramat Hasharon remains on the ball in empowering children of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds to play the game and treat each other as equals deserving of mutual respect. In so doing, it transforms lives.

People involved in this initiative include ITEC CEO Erez Vider; Taiba Mayor Shuaa Masarwa Mansour; Galal Safadi, director, Arab Society Division, Society and Youth Administration, Education Ministry; Eyal Taoz; Alam Ibrahem; Dan Diker; Ronen Morelli; and Andy Ram.

■ IT’S A terrible thing to say especially straight after Shavuot, but more than Shabbat or the Torah, what has preserved the unity of the Jewish people is antisemitism. Every time there is any kind of existential threat to Israel or a fresh outbreak of global antisemitism, Jews close ranks, and the greatest assimilationists come out of the woodwork, because suddenly that tiny spark of identity that is left in them begins to itch.

At the same time, new organizations are formed to fight antisemitism, and in the process there is a lot of rubbishing of Israel’s public diplomacy, and its alleged failure to make an impact. All the pro-Israel, pro-Jewish organizations are convinced that they know how to do it better. Their contributions should not be denigrated, but if they are sincere in what they are doing, everything they do should be coordinated with the Foreign Ministry, the Jewish Agency, the World Zionist Organization and the World Jewish Congress. Otherwise, the most well-meaning individuals and organizations can unwittingly do a lot of damage.

It is only to be expected that former citizens of Arab and Muslim countries who are now living in the West will hold volatile protest demonstrations against Israel. That doesn’t mean that the governments of their host countries agree with them. Germany is a perfect example. The German government agrees that Israel has a right to defend itself. Yet at the same time, it permits a powerful anti-Israel demonstration by former citizens of Muslim countries.

In addition to speaking three times to US President Joe Biden in recent days, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also spoken to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and to other world leaders. In Britain, Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely is running from studio to studio to give interviews. She is not entirely sure how effective they are, she told Liat Regev on Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet, “but at least our voice is being heard.”

Sacha Roytman Dratwa, the executive director of the US-based Combat Anti-Semitism Movement, is inviting individuals to become digital diplomats and stand up to hate. Close to 340,000 people of different faiths, color and nationalities, including quite a few with Arabic surnames, have signed the pledge to do so. Dratwa is a former director of digital advocacy at the World Jewish Congress, and former head of digital media for the Israel Defense Forces.

■ ONE OF the first countries to demonstrate its support for Israel was Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose Ambassador Dusko Kovacevic proudly posted a photograph of the Palace of the Republic, the…