posted by Sam Richards
Arab and Jewish children doing what they naturally do -- play!
It seems as though there are some people in Israel who don’t like the idea of people taking the dictum “Know thy enemy!” too literally–who have, one might say, taken it to heart.
I’m talking about the story going around the wires of Jewish groups who are patrolling lover hangouts so as to ensure that Jewish women do not get too intimate with Arab men. I’m not sure if they care about Jewish men and Arab women. Probably not; (straight) men seem to be like that; the more women the better. Hmm…
In any case, my guess is that there are Arab groups looking to put an end to those hook-ups. Not sure why THAT story hasn’t made the headlines yet.
I’m struck by all of this because it’s tough to stop love when people live so intimately on such small parcels of land. Having been to Israel and Palestine twice, I can say that most Jews would laugh at the insanity of trying stop the inevitable–and probably a higher percentage than would Arab and Christian Palestinians. And I’m also struck by the irony of such a committee for pureness. I can only imagine what some of these love detectors might say if vigilantes of white people roamed the United States looking for cross cultural love affairs. My guess is they’d have a long list of critical commentaries about the racist backwardness of Americans.
But here you are. Listen for yourself.
I wish I could answer this journal in one sentence paragraph because it is something so simple. Love however is not. Love is something that no one person in the world has figured out yet, not Einstein, Galileo, Socrates, etc, etc. No one can label love, and we sure as hell know you can not buy it either (typical High school movie). So if love is so hard to figure out, and even find, then how can people tell you to stop loving someone when you finally do find it?
With the divorce rates these days it is a happy story for someone to hit their 20th 30th 40th anniversaries. In fact it’s a huge celebration. So let people love. You can not let people tell you who to love, or how to love. Love should be one of the only things a government can not take from you, similar to your dignity. Love is such a special thing that it is tough to really talk about in this post because I feel it should not even be an issue. Just think of all the songs about love, the movies, they are all made out to be so “real” but love is so much more a feeling or belief in some other person.
Love is something that you can not put a price on. Love comes and goes as it pleases, and sometimes at the most unexpected times. Love has no image and can not be drawn. Love is the worst thing and the best thing at the same time. It can make you laugh and it make you cry. It is just something that really cant be explained. You hear it all the time, its just unexplainable but can turn out to be the best thing in your life. Which is why a story like this is so upsetting. People are going through these great times of their lives yet are being forced to give it up by force of a bad cause.
In a story like this I feel for the people so very much because I one day would like to feel love in a good way, but would be so very upset if it was taken from me for no reason at all. I just hope that someone can step in and explain that it does not matter what race you are or who your lover is, because you can not help that you love them. I hope that they can figure out an alternative to these actions taken by these men. You can not help who you fall in love with, some hate it some love it, but it is the truth. Some body needs to help the people in the middle east, with love and everything else.
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It seems that for most of the relationships stories Sam posts are about multi-racial (or multi-cultural couples). There is the multi-racial or multi-cultural couple and a group trying to keep the couple apart. Most of the time, in the United States at least, you hear of conflict about multi-racial couples, and not many about multi-cultural couples.
To think that there are vigilante groups breaking up certain couples. How they would break up Arab males and Israeli females, but not the other way around. This just reeks like a double standard. Maybe people in the United States wouldn’t be taken aback by this, but in Israel they have different understandings of who should be with whom.
This could be like the classic case of Romeo and Juliet. Except, Romeo and Juliet wasn’t about religion and culture, but about their last names. The situation with the Arab and the Israeli is a bit more extreme than the Romeo and Juliet one. Romeo and Juliet was only one couple, whereas there are many Arab and Israeli couples in Palestine. We all know how Romeo and Juliet ended; does that mean this could end that way too? I doubt that, this may bring the two religious groups closer together. Then maybe the war over the Holy Land can be resolved, and shared equally between the two groups.
Are people really patrolling the streets to break up these relationships? And long will regulating love last? So you’re an Israeli woman out on a date with an Arab man, and all of a sudden you a vigilante group comes up to you and persuades you to leave the person you are out on a date with. That is just creepy because this man was trying to find you, then once found you he would follow you. This is also plain out rude. Who could be so caught up in religion and how things should be that they have to ruin a relationship?
But, if you think about the situation at hand, it doesn’t strike me. One reason because there are different cultures in different countries. Another reason would be because the history of the two countries, Israeli and Palestinians, is not that great. This situation, an Arab male and an Israeli female, in the eyes of the two sides, could just be, to them, adding fuel to the fire. It may be hard for the two groups to accept the fact that these couples can live in harmony, but they don’t believe that they will ever be able to get along. The only thing that they don’t realize is they have something in common with one another: love. Who knew that Israelis and Palestinians would have something in common?
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This is a unique situation but I’m not surprised it is happening especially in Israel. The conflict between the jewish and arab people has been going on for centuries so I figured any relations between the two would be looked down upon, but had no idea that there are groups of jewish men that go around patrolling night and day looking for any jewish women “hanging” out with arab men. In many cultures women are protected just like how arab women wear full face/body coverings. I’m assuming since arab women for the most part are covered the jewish women who are not tend to get more attention and are targets for Arabic men. Arab men also lure jewish women with money and gifts. What kind of girl is going to be insulted by that, no matter what race the girl is going to be appreciative. Another reason why these types of relationships are occurring is because things that people arfe told not to do many times just makes them more curious and rebellious. The jewish girl even says that other jewish girls will sometimes be more inclined to being with an arab because they tend to be more “wild” and some girls like that. All individuals should have the choice to who they gain relationships and love regardless of race. People can have their own opinions but when they take it to a point of interfering with other peoples lives on such a personal level. Handing out explanatory discs and pamphlets trying to bash mixed dating is fine and they have that right but for the extremists to follow people home trying to preach to the women is crossing some lines. People are naturally attracted to different kinds of people; it’s very hard to force yourself in being attracted to only one type of person. I have even heard that an Arabic leader is trying to let women wear more casual clothing compared to the shrouds showing no skin that is so embedded in their culture. Many people opposed it but they shouldn’t, if it begins to gain support maybe some more attraction will be given to the Arabic women and Arabic men would be more inclined to them. In a world that is becoming more and more diverse with the growing amount of interracial relationships, many races become defensive because they feel it’s important to uphold their heritage and culture. In a country like America that is so racially mixed it would be impossible for any group to rise up in such a way. The more our societies become mixed in other races cultures the sooner such organizations can stop wasting their time fighting something like peoples feelings for other people.
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This is crazy. They are trying to keep these two ethnicities from reproducing together and dating because they see as wrong and unfit. They feel that they have the right to preserve the race and go out patrolling at night. I mean wow. I can’t say I haven’t heard of anything like this cause because it has happened here in America but I can see the fact that it is still goes on is what is surprising and hurtful to me. I can’t believe these men feel they way they do and justify their actions with purity beliefs. They are trying to brain thee girls into thinking that falling in love with a different race is wrong. I wish I was there to protest and explain that the heart can fall for whom it pines for no matter what background. Such things like race shouldn’t come in the way of love. I’m glad that they aren’t hurting anyone especially the girls through because I know that the situation could be much worse. It seems as though they are just trying to intervene with talking, yet and still in no way does that defend or try to support their reasoning. I don’t understand why people just can’t live and let live, love and let love. It greatly depresses me when I hear stories like this. These teens want to date, want to experience life, and want to involve themselves in events with different types of people. That’s how you become a well rounded person. And like I said before you can’t help who your heart goes after. And I believe that no one should stand in the way of true love. These men don’t want the races to mix, want to keep the Jewish population pure, but what they don’t know is they are already probably mixed, and they just don’t even know. I mean the difference between the Jewish and the Arab is not very large, and why not bring the two together. Doesn’t combining people’s two sides bring peace, or a better understanding of different peoples? I don’t understand why these men are making something like keeping the race pure their mission, when obviously in their homelands there are many other things they could, and should be focusing on. Such as, you know economic wealth, social stability, creating a healthy environment. Even when it comes to families in America, who among races try to keep their children from dating outside their race, I believe it’s wrong, and it saddens me. I believe we should immerse ourselves within the cultures and the races. Usually mixed race people are quite beautiful, and cultured, due to the different backgrounds coming together. I think that one would not benefit from stepping outside the race barrier.
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This is the classic racist argument against ‘fraternizing’ (or reproducing) with the enemy. This conflict has made classic story lines timeless.-Romeo and Juliet, and it’s musical counterpart – West Side Story- Stories that will be popular for as long as ethnocentrism, racism and ignorant hatred abound.
And what is up with the double-standard where the sentiment is “we have to protect our women” but men can fool around with whoever they want? Why are women the targets of an opposing group that wants to demoralize/ attack their group? Ever since ancient days where the Huns were sweeping the countryside, raping the women, pillaging and burning the houses…
Forbidden love- it adds excitement. I wonder if there will be couples that go out simply because it is against society.
In Israel there is a huge divide between the secular Jews and the Religious Jews. I wonder which group the vigilantes are mostly from… If I had to guess, I would assume that they are from the religious Jews. Do they really expect it to work? Since the danger is mostly in the areas where Palestinians have been living for generations, why don’t they discourage invading /living in those areas? That would take care of the problem at the source. Do they think that simply breaking up a date will stop the natural trend? Personally, I don’t think that I would ever involve myself with an Arab simply because the culture is so chauvinistic. However, I am totally open to finding someone who is open to changing their mind on the place of women in the house, family, and world. Of the three women that they ‘saved’, I wonder how they feel, and if they truly are adverse to dating Arab men now…
The whole ‘pureness’ argument makes me slightly uncomfortable. It is such a harsh value judgment on another culture… the creation of these groups is totally intuitive, being that Palestinians and Isrealis are complete enemies, but the trend of youth to be more accepting is universal. The equally strong force of their parents generation to keep them apart is equally strong.
I feel like I have nothing to say on this topic because the answer should be so obvious. Love is love is love is love is love. (To clarify and avoid some IGNORANT and STUPID comments that try to compare human connections with human and other connections – I am referring to love between PEOPLE.) No government, no militia, no one should ever have the power to stop it. Are they going to set up separate schools? Is the territory going to slide into viscous segregation? This could be the beginning of a terrible chapter in Israeli history, or it could blow over and phase out to be forgotten.
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This is crazy. They are trying to keep these two ethnicities from reproducing together and dating because they see as wrong and unfit. They feel that they have the right to preserve the race and go out patrolling at night. I mean wow. I can’t say I haven’t heard of anything like this cause because it has happened here in America but I can see the fact that it is still goes on is what is surprising and hurtful to me. I can’t believe these men feel they way they do and justify their actions with purity beliefs. They are trying to brain thee girls into thinking that falling in love with a different race is wrong. I wish I was there to protest and explain that the heart can fall for whom it pines for no matter what background. Such things like race shouldn’t come in the way of love. I’m glad that they aren’t hurting anyone especially the girls through because I know that the situation could be much worse. It seems as though they are just trying to intervene with talking, yet and still in no way does that defend or try to support their reasoning. I don’t understand why people just can’t live and let live, love and let love. It greatly depresses me when I hear stories like this. These teens want to date, want to experience life, and want to involve themselves in events with different types of people. That’s how you become a well rounded person. And like I said before you can’t help who your heart goes after. And I believe that no one should stand in the way of true love. These men don’t want the races to mix, want to keep the Jewish population pure, but what they don’t know is they are already probably mixed, and they just don’t even know. I mean the difference between the Jewish and the Arab is not very large, and why not bring the two together. Doesn’t combining people’s two sides bring peace, or a better understanding of different peoples? I don’t understand why these men are making something like keeping the race pure their mission, when obviously in their homelands there are many other things they could, and should be focusing on. Such as, you know economic wealth, social stability, creating a healthy environment. Even when it comes to families in America, who among races try to keep their children from dating outside their race, I believe it’s wrong, and it saddens me. I believe we should immerse ourselves within the cultures and the races. Usually mixed race people are quite beautiful, and cultured, due to the different backgrounds coming together. I think that one would not benefit from stepping outside the race barrier.
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Before I begin to comment on my opinion of this blog, I would just like to say that one group is not a representation of the entire Israeli community. Please, while reading this article, do not forget that. There are Israeli Jews who do date Arab men.
Israeli is a country which many people cannot understand. It is a place where war has been a part of life for fifty years. Not like the war we have in the US where it occurs half way across the world. This war occurs at your doorstep. It affects the lives of Israelis every day.
In Israel, every single home is equipped with a bomb shelter. Every single family takes a part of the Israeli Defense forces. Whether in the front line or playing music for the army, war a part of life.
Everyday Israelis must worry about their sons who could be killed at any moment. Trust me, I know, my uncle died in 1973 Yom Kipper war.
So with war at the doorsteps of these families, the hatred and misunderstanding everywhere, how can there not be hatred group who form against Arab-Israeli couples.
In addition, there are many Arab christians who date young jewish girls. In Haifa, Arab Christians live together without any problems, buying bagels and Challah from each other. There is tolerance and understanding, just the media is also not going to show it.
Furthermore, in response to Sam’s question about the Arab reaction to this, I can almost guarantee that many Arab Muslims feel strongly about Arab-Jewish dating.
Life is different in Israel. As an Israeli, whose family has lived in Israel 10 generations, before 1948, the way of life there is defferent. It is hard to compare their way of life to Americans. Therefore misunderstanding is inevitable. The “pureness” that occurs is only a result of the feelings that you family has been fighting for Jews for fifty years, many young boys have died, it is a thought to protect what your family and people have been fighting for.
The Arab Israeli relation is not as easy one to describe. Just like any relationship between two culture who have a history of violence. Everyone is going to have their opinions, no matter what. There will always be group who dislike two people together, always continuing hatred and misunderstanding. In any culture and country, there are always those who hate what they don’t know. Who are afraid of other who are different, and who want their family and friends to stay with in the boundaries they are in today. However, like most things, it is the people who go outside the regular boundaries are the ones that are the most open to other that are different from themselves.
But, if an Arab-Israeli fall in love, in my opinion, power to you!
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What first bothered me about this story is this: Why is it unacceptable for Jewish girls to be in relationships with Arab men only? This implies that the opposite – a Jewish man who is in a relationship with an Arab – is perfectly fine. But why?
The whole thing doesn’t really make sense to me. Why is this group of men trying to break up the relationships in the first place? What is their basis for doing so? Because of a difference in religious beliefs. Why, then, should it matter if it’s a Jewish woman dating an Arab man or if it’s a Jewish man dating an Arab woman? A difference in religion is a difference in religion, no matter what the sex.
Along those same lines, it disturbs me that Jewish men are allowed to date whomever they please. Why is this acceptable? Is it because men are allowed to do as they please with women? Is it because the Jewish culture feels that it is above that of Arab culture, or is it just because they feel it is okay to do what they want with women because they feel they are superior in general? I’d like to know more about to what extent a relationship with an Arab woman can go with a Jewish man. Is the man allowed to lover her and pursue a lasting relationship? I think it would be interesting to compare and contrast.
On a completely different tangent, religion has always been quite boggling to me. I just feel like many times people will say they believe certain ideals, like loving they neighbor, treating everyone like they want to be treated, and things like that. Yet, most times, people don’t follow these ideals at all. Now, I’m not of the Islam faith, nor the Jewish faith, but I’m pretty sure that most religions preach some form of “humanitarianism,” if you will. I don’t see how preventing two people from dating, two people from falling in love is a benefit to anyone. I don’t see how this is right. I don’t see how this shows values reflective of what is written in scripture. It’s just wrong, and it’s hypocritical.
As far as what these people would think if they saw interracial couples dating in America, I absolutely think that they would be appalled if they saw that we were breaking up these pairs. They would call us prejudiced, unfair, and scrutinize us for doing so. It’s interesting to see that it really is different to see the bigger picture when you’re not involved in it. It’s much easier to recognize someone else’s wrong than your own. So much for the grass being “greener” on the “other” side.
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This is a very interesting topic in that I understand where they are coming from and in the ridiculousness of the situation. The fact that the world is becoming mixed racially is intriguing when one considers the fact that someday, we all may be mixed. Then, cultural identities will be lost and new ones will be formed. I feel as though this is where the fear and the reason behind their decision come. They are fearful of losing their culture and all that connects in the pureness of their community. They want to keep the tradition alive and their cultural ties. These ties can still be intact, however, regardless of someone’s “pure nature”. It can also be assumed that at some point down the ancestral path, there has been mixing of race. So, it is probably very unlikely that anyone is truly “pure”. I understand wanting to keep tradition as well. However, change is inevitable.
Something that came to mind when I was reading this, was from the slavery book we read for class. If they are trying to go around and stop people from being intimate with others outside of their race, culture, and religion, it will be very difficult. The whole issue of trafficking women and having sex slaves, creates problems in keep a pure race. It was also noted that only women were not allowed to cross this barrier. Therefore, men can be intimate with women outside of the race, which most would also include and sex slaves or brothels, etc. On the topic of people actually marrying for love, it would be truly unfortunate if they could not due to the color of their skin. It is extremely difficult to stop interactions among people, they are bound to happen.
Now, what if such groups existed in the United States? For one, they would be confused because a good number of people are already mixed. People do not like to have restrictions and this would be putting a restriction on their lifestyle. Thus, people like and want their own rights to marry and date whomever they please. To some degree, there are some people who will ensure that different races do not marry. For example, this can take the form of a father who does not want/allow his daughter to date a man of another race. By putting so many restrictions on people, at some point they are going to break out and do the opposite of what the restrictions are trying to make them. Thus, it is just irrational to try and make people date within their own racial groups. Some people are attracted to other races more than their own. Who is anyone to say who someone can choose to love?
I would really like to see people being more understanding and accepting of the vast number of changes that our taking place in our world.
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Many things angered me about this story. First of all I felt that it was very sexist. Why can Jewish girls not date Arab men, but nothing is being done about Jewish men dating Arab women. Who has the right to dictate who belongs in a relationship with whom? David kept talking about how these women needed to be “saved” from themselves. He said they talked to the forward, or promiscuous, girls and straightened them out and saved them. But what did he save them from? A shot at love? In the region that this report was from, the Jewish people have been moving into the Arab community, and taking their limited land and housing. What gives them the right to also tell the Arab men who they can and cannot date?
Also, it was disheartening to hear the teenage Jewish girl talk. She was saying how the Arab men always hit on her and her friends because the way that the Arab women cover up is unattractive? That is a part of their culture. She sounded like she clearly thought herself to be superior to Arab women.
Space is limited and people are crowding in, these vigilantes are not helping matters between the Jewish and Arab community. It’s a personal reason to date somebody, it is not something that should be regulated or decided for one by a complete stranger. I do not see what was so “disgusting” about the Jewish woman and the Arab man being together. David said that it broke his heart, but Israel is changing and races are living in very close proximities to one another, racial intermixing is bound to happen. This just shows that some of the Jewish culture is thinking very close minded. I think it is sad that in some cultures women must be submissive to men because they are not considered smart enough or superior enough to be on equal footing with a man. It is sad that these women are being labeled as harlots and whores because of a few people’s opinions.
I am surprised that this has not made more news. If this were to happen in America just think of all the reactions it would cause across the country. In a way this almost seems like white supremacy by trying to keep the Jewish culture pure. It is ironic because that was what Hitler tried to do in Nazi Germany, however it was on a much more extreme scale and it was a horrific genocide that killed many innocent people. I just think it is sad that we are making so much forward progress in the world today and then we have to see something so backwards. It is sad that these so called “vigilantes” may be stopping true love. I hope that this story makes more news so that it will get more attention worldwide.
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The Jewish and Arab fighting has been going on for hundreds and maybe even thousands of years. They have been battling over the holy land for so long and it will continue to happen. It’s just in the cards that Jews don’t like Arabs and Arabs don’t like Jews. I could understand why these vigilantes are trying to keep their women away from the Arab men because of the feud that has been burning for centuries. Having said that, it is not their life to live and they should have no in what other women do.
I’m sure that the Jewish girl’s parents would be very upset with her because of the bad boy image that the Arab men may have in the Jewish community. The Arab men are not known to be good to women either, so I could see why parents would be upset. The Arab men probably don’t get too many sighting of beautiful girls on the streets because of Arab women having to cover up head to toe. They make the Jewish girl feel good about themselves and buy them nice things so that they will like them. I don’t have a problem with these to groups of people mingling as long as it is legit. If the Arab man only wants the Jewish girl as on of his many girls or he only wants to fornicate with her then that is bad, and if the Jewish girl only wants to make her parents upset then that is wrong too. But if it is true love or happiness that it is totally fine in my mind.
I think that these Jewish vigilantes may be wasting their time because these girls might listen to them once but if they like the Arabs then there is nothing you can do. Threatening them will only make it worse. Maybe these vigilantes should start worrying more about making peace with the enemy and not trying to find new ways to start fights with them.
Now if this is the other way around the Jewish vigilantes would have no problem with that because the Arab women would be benefiting them. They wouldn’t say a word to a Jewish man dating an Arab woman because it poses no threat towards them. This in fact would probably start a set of new vigilantes in the Arab side. The Arab men would get jealous of the Jewish men for taking their women and would open up a whole new situation.
This story is no different from any other interracial couple. If a black man sees a white man with a black girl then they will try talking her out of it and vice versa. Hopefully one day the Arabs and Jews can solve their problems and live peacefully together, but that would probably be considered a miracle.
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When I first heard about this vigilante act I was completely blown away. I knew that people of the Jewish faith and Arabic people really don’t get along to well, but I was shocked that vigilante groups were formed to prevent dating. You always hear about how certain races can’t date others of certain races. Generally it is the parents who enforce this because it is the way that they were brought up. They are very old school and this is what they do. It is almost a part of their heritage. In some cases the parents can get past the fact that their son or daughter has fallen in love with someone of a “non-acceptable race”. They just are happy for their son or daughter and the fact that they have found love. When I found out that young men were doing this, I was shocked. I couldn’t believe that people that are the same age as the people dating are trying to stop people from falling in love. When I look at these occurrences, it really makes me realize that people really do care about who dates who. It isn’t just the parents anymore. It is just everyday normal people that take action. It really isn’t such a big deal to me. I still can’t get over the fact that people just like date crash and say that this guy is not for you. He is all about the money and he is trying to lure you in. I was couldn’t believe it. Can’t people just like who they want and people get over it. The people would make such outlandish accusations about Arab men going for the Jewish women because they can dress normally and that the Arab boys are more bad ass and fun. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do. People are drawn to certain people and that is the way life is. These Jewish guys need to tone it down a bit and let the women do what they want. It is their mistake so if they want to be seen as the sinner and unholy one, then let them. If they are dating an Arab man, then they don’t care about the rules. They just want to meet men. It is their choice and they can live with the consequences. I hate when people aren’t allowed to fall in love for stupid reasons. I remember when I liked this Russian girl who was also Jewish. Her best friend told me that I wasn’t allowed to date her because I wasn’t a Russian Jew. Her dad wouldn’t approve of me and ever since then I have really taken a stand on people who tamper with love. Love is meant to be pure and innocent. People should not be messing with those in love. They need to let things be and allow love to take its course and be innocent and pure emotion. Love has no rules and boundaries. This is how it has always been and should stay.
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First thought that pops into my head after reading this is, what the hell? Are we seriously still at this stage in society where love or hey even lust is being hit out against because of religion and our petty differences? Maybe petty is a harsh word to place on religion since a vast majority of individuals take their faith very seriously. I’m not sure why these things keep amazing me though; they really shouldn’t since the world we live in is so screwed up.
Here is something of interest. Love transcends all restrictions, it knows no bounds. Yeah that sounds pretty corny, right? Well it’s true. Love is love, it’s blind, it’s deaf, and it’s irrational at times. An even more interesting observation is the fact that these couples are meeting in previously occupied Arab soil. Israel keeps expanding and occupying space that was traditionally Arab soil and they are complaining about these mixed coupling. How about you get the hell out of their land then? Wait that may have just shown my ignorance or narrow-mindedness; knee jerk reaction to the audacity of these vigilante groups I guess.
Oh, here is another observation of interest. Vigilante justice is not regulated justice. Sure it sounds all great, taking the law into your own hands. Doing what you think is proper, to right some immoral wrong. Still that does not put you in the clear for breaking the actual laws of the justice system which the government has put into the place. Let the actual police officers and other government officials’ worry about who is breaking what laws. Plus the last time I checked being in love or going on a date was not a crime. No way can you convince someone that they can’t love the person they choose to love because it is wrong or because a certain group of people consider it to be wrong. What is wrong is the fact that we have people attempting to control the choices of other individuals without their consent. Mind your damn business.
Truly these guys need to take a second and think to themselves: how is this affecting me personally? Are my personal health and safety being threatened? Is my social reputation, which a lot of people take to heart, being jeopardized? I doubt any one of them could wholeheartedly say yes and think the rest of society would consider them to be of a sound mind. Come dudes, find a hobby or something.
Now that was a rant, huh? A pretty strong criticism towards these Israeli men and after all that, it is time for me to put the mirror up to myself and ask: would I do something like that if I were placed in their position? I would love to say I wouldn’t, but I just don’t know, even though I’m quite confident that I’m open-minded enough to accept and respect the love shared between two individuals. I just don’t know.
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I was not surprised at all when I read this. If the Arabs and Christians are enemies, why would they allow their people to date their enemies? Trying to think with their logic is just making my opinion stronger; I would never expect them to allow something like that to go on. I am not saying that I agree with this mentality, this is just the way that things are for them. There is nothing we can do to change this no matter how hard we try. Personally I believe that people should be free to love whomever they want to love without regards for their race, religion, culture, or anything like that. I have never been to any country in the Middle East, however from what I have heard; they will not adopt my thought process for a very long time, if they ever do at all.
I like Sam’s comment about what this situation would be like in America, “I can only imagine what some of these love detectors might say if vigilantes of white people roamed the United States looking for cross cultural love affairs. My guess is they’d have a long list of critical commentaries about the racist backwardness of Americans.” Of course, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People would have a field day with that. The media would blow it up as a big Ku Klux Klan thing and all white people would be grouped together as the evil ones simply because of a few ignorant people here and there. If this were happening in our back yards, it would cause mass hysteria amongst various race groups and anti-discrimination groups.
I think that breaking up relationships is nobody’s job and I especially do not think that it should be random civilians breaking up these relationships. If I were dating someone of a different race or culture and some random dude tried to separate us I would flip the fuck out and probably knock the shit out of him. Who cares who someone chooses to fall in love with; we were put on this Earth to find a life partner. I do not think that these civilians should be able to do what they are doing, but hey it is not my country, I cannot speak for their people.
I found it rather sad when the man in the recording said that seeing an Arab male and an Israeli female together “hurts his heart.” I cannot possibly fathom the ability to have so much hatred towards another racial or ethnic group. That philosophy just completely boggles my mind. I do not know if people will ever be able to truly live freely, but when that day comes, I will be one of the first to begin celebrating.
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This story was definitely an eye-opener for me. Whenever I think of the Middle East, specifically with the conflict between Jews and Palestinians, I think of war, violence, and the occasional peace talk. Interracial (interfaith? Intercultural?) relationships between Jewish people and Arab people never crossed my mind. Interracial relationships in the United States are a big deal, especially when it comes to black people dating white people, but we usually don’t have vigilante groups patrolling the streets trying to literally break up these interracial couples. To be honest, I’m surprised we don’t have a bunch of groups like this in the United States, so to find out that another country beat us to it is nothing short of amazing. Anyway, looking through this from the point of view of an American, I can see why these Jewish men are upset that there are Jewish women who want to date Arab men (and that there are Arab men who want to date Jewish women, for that matter) because Arabs are seen as the ultimate enemy. I can see why they are angry (although I am not saying that they are justified in their anger), but to try to stop these people from joining together or forming unions is ridiculous. Honestly, people (for the most part) can’t control who they are attracted to, so if Jews and Arabs are attracted enough to each other to want to get together, so be it. Trying to stop this from happening is pointless – it will keep happening regardless of groups who try to stop it.
Sam also brought up a good point. I have a feeling that Jewish men are not the only ones who are against these unions. What about Arab men who may be against these relationships? What about Arab women who want to be with or are with Jewish men? I’m sure they exist. Where is the story about these people? There’s definitely some kind of bias going on here.
With all this said, I am still surprised that there are Jews and Arabs who want to have romantic relationships with each other. With the way this conflict is portrayed in the American media, I assume that every single Jew and every single Arab hates the other’s guts. To go back to the United States, I would say that race relations between black people and white people are terrible and only seem to have gotten worse in 2009, but as a whole, I don’t think the two races hate each other completely. So, when I see blacks and whites dating, it can be surprising but not that surprising. So, it’s shocking that these groups of people do want to be together, despite the heavy conflict. Still, if Jews and Arabs want to date, they will, vigilante groups or not.
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It’s kind of sad how I feel this shouldn’t seem outlandish to anyone of us because of the fact that we deal with tension pertaining to mixed race relationships all the time. To be fair, it is a relatively new aspect of our society in the sense of people forming their own opinions on the subject. Back in the day no one did it, and if you did you certainly weren’t open about it. For instance how we discussed in class how coincidentally a lot of black people are Cherokee when in actuality they were just told that as a cover for a white person in the ancestry. The fact that we are able to form our own opinions instead of being told by society what color is appropriate to date is where the tension starts. Some people cling to tradition as it is instilled by their parents whose parents instilled it in them, and so on, that you are only to date your own people. Maybe the sentiment isn’t as harsh or straightforward, but obviously some of our parents would feel a little funny about their child bringing a black guy or a white girl into their home. And obviously on the other side of the spectrum some peoples parents are open minded and have instilled it in their children to accept all people. I don’t think the men in this group had parents of the latter. It is such a ridiculous and dated concept to regulate love even going beyond race. Romeo and Juliet ring a bell? Shakespeare acknowledged it in the 1500’s why can’t we all get it today? Even if you don’t agree with mixed relationships, which I don’t know if there is a good reason for, how could you be so offended as to go out of your way to stalk people in an attempt to talk them out of it? I’d say the only thing that it seems this group has right is that there approach is passive. And isn’t it interesting how “David” doesn’t want to be called by his real name, don’t you think that if you truly felt in your heart of hearts that you were doing right you wouldn’t feel the need for an alias? We can see that the complex doesn’t just lie with these men, the young Jewish girl who speaks towards the end seems to be on her high horse when she says Arab boys hit on her three times a day but more revealing, that some girls like them cause Arab boys are wild and bad. These broad and bold assumptions are the main problem in race relations I feel. I’m not suggesting that ethnic groups aren’t different, in countless ways we are, but if we can suppress our assumptions and stereotypes and take time to get to know individuals instead of taking the easy way out we can eventually overcome situations like this.
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The very fact that people are trying to regulate dating and love is completely unacceptable and cannot be justified by any reason in my book. Not even mentioning the issue of race and religion, other people deciding what is right for other people’s relationships and lives does not make sense to me. How can other people decide such important matters? What gives them the right to impose on other people’s liberties? The answer to both of these questions is absolutely nothing. If there is no law or ordinance that gives these people who patrol parking lots justification for doing so, then they should keep to their business. Even if there was a law, laws are not necessarily good. It was Martin Luther King Jr. who showed the world that unjust laws should not be followed but we should still have respect for what the law represents. We have to go to jail or face persecution for what we believe in then so be it.
When it comes to the issue of race, I cannot think of any more racist act. To take a good amount of time out of one’s day patrolling parking lots and other hangout areas looking for bi-racial couples is insanely racist and absurdly ridiculous. It is somewhat depressing to think about how much racism still exists in this country while at the same time other countries are far worse than we are. In fact, they may even worse than we were in the prime of segregation and inequality in the United States. The real question is what are we going to do about it? What can we do about it? Should we do anything about it? America has a reputation of policing the world and it is my opinion that in matters such as these it is up to the country involved to grow and evolve into one of tolerance and understanding. Another country cannot force genuine change on another.
I am happy to learn that these people who patrol for Jewish and Arab couples do not use physical force to dissuade their actions. They use words and reasoning which is a good sign of developing human interaction and respect. However, these convincing tactics employed may be worse for the development of the countries in the long run. When young people are completely convinced that what they are doing is wrong or not pure than that misguided belief will resonate through their daily lives and can even be passed on to their future descendants. This will cause huge step backs when referring to the development of tolerance and understanding of all cultures. We need to teach young people as early as possible to benefits and morality of tolerance and acceptance of all people regardless of religion, skin color, or race.
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I am writing about the story about the Jewish and Arab couples. I find this to be so stupid and unnecessary I do not get why they have to break up the couples. People have to learn that race does not matter and that you should be able to date or marry anyone that you want as long as it makes you happy. If the Jewish boys want girls of their own they should go out and get them and not try to break up couples that they think are not right. Maybe they should try to date the Arab girls to piss off the Arab people and then everyone will go back to dating their own kind. Plus just because they are dating does not mean that they are going to get married. In the radio broadcast the one girl said that the Arab boys are considered to be the bad boys well maybe the Jewish boys should not be so up tight and then the Jewish girls will not be running after the Arabs. I understand why they Arabs are going after the Jewish girls, at least they can see them whereas the Arab girls are covered up and you can hardly see what your getting out of the deal. But overall I think this whole thing is just stupid and that they should not care its not like the Arabs are taking all the Jewish girls from the Jewish guys and the Jewish guys have no girls to date. I also do not understand why Jewish boys are driving around trying to break up these couples it seems like a waste of time being that they said they have only broken up 4 couples and they probably have tried a lot more than 4 times. And maybe if they did not waste their time trying to break up theses couples they could be finding their own girls and going on dates themselves. Maybe some of the Jewish boys should act more badass like the Arabs and they will start to attract the Jewish girls like the Arabs do. Maybe it is not the type of boy that is attracting the girls but maybe it is the fact that the Jewish girls know that their families and communities will not be happy if they date outside of their own culture and they just like and think it is cool to be defiant. Why can’t we all just get along, it would make everything so much easier and well easier is better most of the time. People should just learn to put their differences aside and accept that everyone is different and that that is okay and a good thing.
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While reading this article all that came to mind is, why cant people just mind their own business? I’m in disbelief that these people go as far as patrolling the streets at night to break up dates and hand out CD’s. Is mixed race couples really that big of a deal? I understand that the Jews feel that it’s their duty to make sure no one associates with the “enemy” but this is taking it too far. There’s other ways this can be done without completely intervening in people’s private lives. I can see where they’re coming from, trying to keep what’s theirs (women), but they can’t just ride around at night telling people what to do. Theses are just young girls; they should be able to make their own choices about who they’d like to date or not date. I guess since we all live in America seeing interracial couples isn’t such a huge deal to us.
The story about this guy David is quite shocking. This guy goes out of his way to make sure these Jewish girls aren’t hooking up with Arab guys. He drives around at night, knocking on people’s car windows to check if there are Jewish women in there. David feels like everything he’s doing is completely right, he says his heart breaks every time he sees an Arab- Jewish couple, he goes on to says “how did we descend to this level? It is a serious step backwards in our eyes”. To me it seems like this guy is just crossing the line. If two people are in love or are attracted to each other and want to date, who’s to say they can’t? Would David want someone breaking him and the love of his life apart? Would he want someone knocking on his car window making sure that his date was “acceptable”? He needs to look at it from the girl’s perspective instead of his own narrow-minded one.
Another thing that bothers me about this man is that he says the major problem is Jewish women and Arab men. He says nothing about Jewish men and Arab women. I mean if they all live in the same area isn’t it a possibility that the Arab men feel the same way about Jewish men? Would it really be a stretch to say that Jewish men pick up Arab women from time to time? Why isn’t there someone patrolling to make sure this doesn’t happen? Maybe because they’re treating these women in an inferior way, the women go to the Arab men. It seems unfair that Jewish men get to hook up with Arab women, but Jewish women don’t get to hook up with Arab men.
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Growing up I was always drawn to the vigilante heroes of movies. Take Boon Dock Saints for instance, the brothers would seek out and murder all those who have committed heinous crimes against society or individuals. They were seen as heroes or Saints because they went outside the norms, but this deviation was considered for the ultimate good. Now these vigilante groups of Israeli men are out to purge the lands of love. They wish to end the unions of Jewish women and Arab men, no matter the cost. This is far from paralleling the Saints, more so it’s a perpendicular to progress. Love is a universal thing. Most people of all nations, of all races and all ancestries experience its grip for one person or another, whether its family or a partner. It is a foundation of peace and understanding in this chaotic world. It is a sad thought that some men have grown so jealous and aggravated by struggles that they seek to destroy something of hope for the future; a future looking for peace and a widespread distribution of love. As humans of conscious thought, we can think and feel as we please. Loving someone is not something you can change or ignore. Contaminating or detaining someone from what they feel isn’t up to these men or anyone for that matter. I understand the static and problems facing the relations of these people, but that does not excuse their actions. I’m sure many of these couples do have feelings for one another. Many of them live closely to one another. Many studies have come to show the correlation of proximity to love. They may not be the one for one another, but how many people have the opportunity to seek out and find that perfect match. Now these couples are probably scared to be a part of society. Scared to go outside the house and scared for their lives. There is a few possibly more who have married due to the so-called “money and bad-boy attitudes”. As superficial as that seems, it goes on here in the United States and all over the world and frankly it is their choice. It’s not what we like to see and the fact they were lured to a race that the Israeli’s have struggled with is salt in the wound. By starting these vigilante groups they are showing their vulnerability and ultimately destroying hope. If we are to work towards a peaceful world, and curb these extreme jealously and struggle issues, we must embrace love and any means of connection. These vigilante groups must end and allow people to live their lives without fear. Simply becoming informed of each other’s culture and relating to the love they share is a good start.
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I think this is a little absurd to have people patrolling Jewish women, and making sure they do not become intimate with Arab men. First of all, I find it very sexist to have men telling women what they can and can’t do. Second, who are they to tell someone who they can and can’t love? They mentioned “saving” these girls, but what where they saving them from? If they were happy isn’t that all that should matter. Also, it is not their place to say anything; the only people who if they should be concerned are the girl and boy’s family, and even then should that really matter if you are happy? It is also interesting to hear that Jewish men are allowed to date Arab women; it again is another form of sexism.
Nobody can tell you who to love…I personally don’t think it is possible. It relates with arranged marriages. When parents set up a marriage, which not only benefits you but also their family. At times you can learn to love the other person, but other times that person can be unhappy which can lead to other things. I feel like this is along the same lines of what the Jewish groups are doing.
Although I can say that my parents may or may not approve of who I am seeing, they may voice their opinions, but it is still my choice to say who I want to date. I am Christian, and I have dated a Jewish boy before. We both have different religious views, but ultimately that did not play a big deal in our relationship. You date the person because of their personality, not because of their religion.
I know not all Jewish groups are doing this and it is a very small percentage of Jewish people that are doing it. But still not only are they being sexist, but they are also being very discriminating towards racial groups like the Arabs. I am not sure what their main objective is to be doing this, but breaking up couples because they are from two different racial groups is very discriminating.
For people to live in such close proximity to one another, it is probably not a good idea to cause a lot of “drama” and have show that they don’t approve of another racial group. They are just going to stir up a lot of controversy, which will lead to a lot of problems in such a small proximity.
If this Jewish group continues to do what they are doing, they are not only going to push the Jewish women away, but also cause I big feud between the Arabs and the Jews, because nobody wants to be told that they aren’t good enough and that you are a bad person for doing what you are doing.
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This story is another blog about how people cannot accept the fact of people of different backgrounds being together. The world today seems like they believe people are assigned to only one race to be with and marry, rather than letting people have their own freedom to choose. This is no different than trying to stop a black man from marrying a white woman or vice versa. I do not understand why people cannot realize that there is such thing as interracial marriages, and that not everything is as plain as black and white. These people are together for a reason and it is because they love each other and when it comes to love there is no stopping that.
When it comes to this particular story yes there might be some differences in culture and religion but when two people want to be together just let them be together. What is the point in breaking up the relationship because you don’t like the two races mixing together. Who cares!!!!!! If you break them up that means they are just going to be pissed and unhappy. Whats the point breaking someone up if they are going to be pissed and you knew they were happy before. Honestly people should just put their differences aside and suck it up and accept there are differences in this world and that not everyone sees it as black and white as they do.
Taking away someones happiness because of the differences between the two races is just robbery and selfish. It is just someone making themselves happy while watching other people suffer at the same time. I say if you have your differences work it out but there is no need to go and break someone up just because you do not like their background. And besides shouldnt it be up to the couple to decide what is right for them. If they want to be together let them be together. Taking the right of choosing your future spouse should be illegal and it is morally wrong. Your spouse is the person you spend the rest of your life with, and if you take that away that is just robbery once again of ones happiness.
I believe that if a person thinks their partner is a perfect match there is no way you can tell them or convince them that they aren’t no matter how big the difference. A person cannot just take away love because it is a natural feeling to all of us. It is the feeling you have for your mother and father and siblings. Can you imagine taking them away because someone found a difference between you and your family. I think a person would be pissed if that happened. This is exactly what is happening right now, people breaking up relationships because their is a difference in religion, culture and people. All in all I believe no matter how hard you try, a person cannot take away something or someone you love unconditionally.
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I don’t know about anyone else, but I think that regulating love is an absolutely ridiculous practice. If you’re in love then let it be. I don’t really understand how you could even think that you have the right to regulate someone else’s feelings. No matter what race or ethnicity or anything at all for that matter, if someone is in love then no one has the right to try and break them up. I understand that some nationalities and cultures have different backgrounds of hatred and other problems, but that should be no say in who you love or who you marry. I think that man that they call David in the newscast is delusional. Okay yes, he is from a part of the world that is not exactly excepting of everything, but seriously dragging people out of relationships is ridiculous. People need to be free to do as they please and with people like David and his stupid committees or whatever they are forming are ruining the world. This is taking people in the opposite direction of world peace. Seriously to patrol towns and villages and break up couples and still think you are doing the world any good, you must be seriously disturbed. I don’t think that anyone in the United States would disagree. Then again there are similar cases here in the U.S. There is a good part of the population that opposes blacks dating whites. I think this is absurd. People need to be allowed to date whoever they want whenever they want without hearing anything about it. It’s a personal choice, you date who you want to date and I’ll date who I want to date and we’ll stay out of each other’s business. I know it’s easier said than done, but in all seriousness, it’s really not that hard. Just the sound of the words “regulating love” together sounds ridiculous. It’s quite simply a stupid concept. The only way to make everyone generally more accepting is to allow these kinds of relationships to form and not be so up tight and closed off about it. It really angers me to think that people actually set out to break up couples at all. That is downright evil. That’s like saying let me take whatever makes you happy in this world and completely smash it into pieces. If making people miserable is what makes you happy, then you should be locked away. For some people their relationship is really all they have, so taking that away from them could be devastating I don’t know how anyone else really feels about this subject, but I would like to assume that most people are as outraged as I am and find it completely ridiculous that people really do these things.
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Response to “Regulating Love”:
This is so absurd even for the Arab Israeli conflict. But before I delve into that I would like to point out that although similar groups in the U.S. do face prosecution and are more likely to be shunned by society they nonetheless exist. I’m sure the KKK or any other racial superiority group in the United States would detest to interracial dating, and if seen would probably intervene and harass in interracial couples. The only difference is that these groups will face prosecution if caught, on the other hand Arab and Israelis racism is at whole new scales. One must first consider the groupings of Israeli’s, they are also a heterogeneous group racially but they have a tie that defies race, religion. Religion has no borders, in most cases see’s no color, and can be the strongest bond known, more durable than race, nationality, sometimes even family. On both sides of this conflict there is racism that is both disgusting and unproductive, and it leaves these countries forever turning in a circle of conflict. If any solution would ever come out of this problem the Arabs and Israelis must realize that they are brothers. They are from the same holy land, they have toiled together for thousands of years, they eat the same food, they have many of the same customs and traditions, but yet they hate eat other vehemently. These groups that come along don’t even make any sense to me, what is their stated purpose? I guess it would be to save Israeli women, but from what, the doom of dating an Arab man? May God take mercy on the Israelis and Arabs who are open minded enough to communicate across the borders and to actually break through the racial propaganda and date someone who you were always told was the enemy. If these groups could just meet each other I’m convinced it could solve this conflict, and I think many in power know that so they make every attempt possible to sabotage this progress. It’s funny to think also how hypocritical this renegade group of Israelis is being. As Israel gets further and further into territory that was granted to the Palestinians, how are you going to detest the intermingling of the two groups? If you don’t want your women to date their men they get the fuck back to the land your people agreed upon back in 1967. I can’t see this problem ever finding a solution as long as there are these ignorant group’s spreading their stupidity and bigotry across the borders, its truly saddening. I would like to reach out to those who are dating across cultural, national, and religious lines and say to them they are the real heroes and that with their effort maybe one day we could find a solution to the never ending stupidity of violence and war.
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Listening to this broadcast was really saddening to realize that people are trying to put a stop to love in some places of the world. You have to sit back and wonder why it is that these Jewish men are trying to prevent just Jewish women from dating Arab men. Personally, I agree with Sam on the fact that the goal of these men is to have more women. By attempting to isolate Jewish women from Arab men it demonstrates the basic idea that I have about all men, and that is that they strongly dislike competition from the same sex. However, these men have turned their competition into something completely racist. The one man stated, “How did we get into this situation?” To me, this sounds like these girls are out of their mind for dating Arab men, as if they have a disease or something. When in reality these guys probably just dislike these men because they are attracting more of their type of girlfriends. My philosophy is that you can’t help who you love and are attracted to, and if it happens to be someone that is a different race then so be it. The fact that these guys will follow girls around for half an hour in a car to stop her and talk to her about who she is dating is absolutely ridiculous. People should be free to become friends, hangout, or hook-up with whoever they want without others passing judgment on them. Another thing that I heard this guy say was that every girl that he stops from dating an Arab has been “saved”. Now, I do not think that these girls were in desperate need of rescuing at all. They seem perfectly happy to me with the Arab men. When reading this blog I could not help but think of the movie Save The Last Dance where the black girl was angry that the white girl was dating a black guy. Although the movie seemed like she was being racist, I would guess that the latent source of her anger was just out of threat of competition from someone outside of the guy’s normal dating pool. This also has me thinking about today’s class and our discussion about homosexuality. There are plenty of people out there that strongly disapprove of these two people’s loving relationships and voice their opinions in public quite often. This also saddens me because putting a stop to love – of any color or form – is depriving people of one to the most amazing things that life can give. It’s a shame that people out there are stopping others from loving whoever they want, people should just let others do as they please and live in peace.
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Jewish population size has been a concern for the Jewish state in Israel since the original aliyahs that began in the late 1800s. To maintain their state and community they have promoted immigration and even subsidize families that have many children. Women are more or less pressured by society to have at least three children, just so the population can continue to grow and maintain the “Jewishness” of the state. The Arab population, though most of it dispersed to other Arab countries, has been booming, even among Arab citizens in Israel. Soon the Arab population will be drastically larger than the Jewish population, which like most Western countries, has been in decline. This is a major concern for Israeli political leaders. They will soon be the minority in their territory (including the West Bank and Gaza). Many wish to maintain Israel as the Jewish State. With more and more Arabs, the Jewish nature of the state will summarily diminish considerably. For institutional, cultural, and security reasons the Knesset has been trying to combat the population problem, so it is easy to see why they would be concerned with the Jewish women fraternizing with Arab men. It will “contaminate” the population and be a major problem to the government. Not to say that the practice isn’t ridiculous, sexist (yeah, definitely do not see it happening with Jewish guys and Arab women), and racist, but I can understand the logic behind it. Israel has been constantly attacked and is always on guard. They’re reasoning, however hypocritical and absurd, has a legitimate basis. You cannot keep people who live in such close proximity apart. People mingle. It is bound to happen, but it does not necessarily have to be a terrible thing. Mingling could, and more likely would, promote cultural understanding and possibly lead to a reconciliation between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Granted I do not see that happening any time soon, this is how rifts heal and to stop it is purely asinine. The Israelis are going to have to decide what they value more, a Jewish state (coincidently the majority of the population is secular) with constant war or an open state with some semblance of peace. And the same goes for the Arabs, I’m sure they to want to keep mingling from happening. And yeah, if this happened in the United States, the entire western world would be up in arms about how terrible racism is and how horrible Americans are with their prejudices. I guess when you’re perceived (and sometimes act) as the top dog, everyone else just wants to bring you down. I really think there should be an equal distribution of international outcry at these types of situations.
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Wow. This story involving Jewish women and Arab men is extremely disturbing. I know that there has been a heated battle between the two groups for quite some years now, but for Jewish men to patrol the city at night looking for Jewish women who are having relations with Arab men? That seems to be a bit much! It may be because I am lazy that I am saying this, but if I was not getting paid to put in that much work (unless they are getting paid, which would be so much more twisted than I thought it was to begin with) to do something, I surely would not be doing it. But, still assuming that they are not getting any type of compensation for this, they still go out and roam the place looking for women with Arab men. For someone to go through all this work without compensation would take a powerful driving force, and that is where the major problem comes in, because that powerful driving force is hate. And it is extremely dangerous for one person to hate another person who they do not know at all as a person except for the fact that he is Arab, that they would stop at nothing to make sure that they do not fraternize with others in their culture. If this signifies the effort being made to stop the fighting going on between the two groups, then it is not looking like a good future. This also seems to signify how women are treated unequally from men. Yes, I understand that men feel the need to ‘protect’ the women of their culture, but it is a bit unfair to patrol the streets separating Jewish women from Arab men but not saying a word when finding a Jewish man with an Arab women. If it is so horrible for Jewish and Arab people to mix, should not the idea that any relationship between the two groups should be split on both sides of the fence? Why is it acceptable for Jewish men to have relationships with Arab women and not the other way around? I am horrible at finding the right words to say for things, but I know that there is male supremacy somewhere in there. This kind of reminds me of American slave stories, back in times when African Americans were thought of as objects and women had no rights at all. White men were allowed to sleep with black women, but if a black man were caught sleeping with, or even staring at, a white woman, he would more than likely either be beaten or killed. This story is heartbreaking. Hopefully one day the two groups will be able to overcome their differences.
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“And I’m also struck by the irony of such a committee for pureness. I can only imagine what some of these love detectors might say if vigilantes of white people roamed the United States looking for cross cultural love affairs.” I found this to be a very peculiar thing. I think it goes a long with everything we have talked about in class. I find this to be familiar to me in terms or the white versus people of color aspect of class that we have spoken about in class. I remember talking about what would happen if you were to bring a person of a different race or ethnicity home. I have dated many people outside my own race or culture and I think it makes me more “well rounded” if you will. I like dating outside my own boundaries. I think interracial couples are criticized in everywhere and there are constantly battles rising in families over it. Having interracial couples is a step backwards? There has to be some sort of reasoning as to why these Jewish groups feel the need to patrol these areas. It’s ironic that as Americans we often think that interracial couples are condemned. Yes this is true, but in comparison with the negative aura surrounding a couple containing a Jew and an Arab, it seems inconsequential. The idea of vigilantes going around at night and trying to break up these mixed couples is absolutely absurd. Why waste time trying to stop one of the most natural occurrences on earth, love. This story somewhat reminded me of a situation currently going on in the United States, that doesn’t really deal with race but with gender and sexual orientation. Gay marriage laws in America are somewhat related to this regulating love situation. Who cares that a person loves an Arab man or Jewish woman or another man or women? It certainly doesn’t affect me and I am confused why these simple acts of love must be suppressed and regulated. The first thing I thought about when I read this blog was the reaction some of these people must have getting separated by strange men while making out or holding hands. It’s interesting hearing about some of the stuff that goes on in other parts of the world because it makes me take a step back and try to make sense of the culture that surrounds me. I don’t think anything like this would fly in the United States without a big news story or a protest or something to that nature that brought attention to the situation. I just find myself conflicted because I am in an interracial relationship and never face problems but can understand if those people fear the loss of their culture if they allow it to happen. It is possible because America is a set example of blending and diversity, which is not a bad thing, it just different from their world.
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I see love as a very powerful idea that causes people to act in ways they never might have if they weren’t in love. It can change your thoughts and your actions. That is why love is a personal idea that is different for everybody. Therefore, it baffles me that vigilantes take matters into their own hands and decide they need to play the love doctor. Jewish women are the contestants, and the vigilantes feel as though they must play matchmaker, or in this case play the spoiler in a relationship. They have no right to intervene in a relationship between two people they don’t even know on a personal basis. How can they choose who is the right match for a Jewish girl. The days of parents or elders choosing the husband for their daughters is over in modern society, and it must be a mutual relationship in which both are happy. If I was in the situation, and some random individual came up to me and took the girl I was dating away from me, I would be very frustrated because I like the girl, and he has no reason to intervene. Plus his idea on the situation has no role at all in the issue. Whether these Jewish women want to have a freedom in choosing their relationships is up to them, and if they choose to let some strange vigilantes disrupt their love, they are being corrupted by the vigilantes themselves.
These women need to stand up for their feelings and say no to the vigilantes. They have a right to love who they want, and date anybody they want. Also, the interracial dating between Arabs and Jewish people can be related to the United States, where all kinds of people get married. For example, a white person and an Asian person is not an unfamiliar scene in the United States. The same idea can be applied across the ocean. Jewish woman have a right to date who they want, no matter what a bunch of vigilantes say. The vigilantes are crossing the line of caring too much about other people. They can’t change this issue, because, no matter what some Jewish women are still going to keep their same feelings. Love is something that can be broken on the outside, but on the inside of a person it can be stronger than ever. The vigilantes are only fighting half of the battle, because they can’t do anything about a women’s true feelings they get form their heart. If the vigilantes bash a relationship, that doesn’t mean all feelings will be forgotten by the women. They will still be there and there’s nothing the vigilantes can do, except try and talk to the girls. They have realized they must tap into their mind to make girls stop dating Arab men, but even then, love is way more powerful than all of the vigilantes put together, because it is not physically seen, but inside a person’s heart.
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This article is actually hysterical for me in terms of its content. My best friend is Jewish, she is not very devoted to the religion, but she did have a bat mitzpha and celebrates 2 or 3 holidays a year. She met a guy at a party a few weeks ago and they started talking. Through facebook stalking and his physical features she realized that he was Arab. This was a total setback for her and made her see him completely differently than before she knew he was Jewish. This is because she knew if she told her parents, they would be very upset and disappointed in her. Even though my best friend still hangs out with the guy on occasion, she does not see him as anything more than just friends because she knows what would happen if they were ever to be together. As a prank, she actually told her parents that he had a new boyfriend, and the first thing they asked her was if he was Jewish, and of course she said he was Arab. Her mom responded saying, don’t tell him you’re Jewish or he’ll kill you, and her father responded “I hope you’re kidding.” I personally view this whole situation as absolutely ridiculous, for I am half Jewish myself and would never see a problem with dating another race if I was physically attracted to them. You can’t help who you fall in love with, so what if this Arab is the true love of her life, but she is forced to marry some Jew that she does not have a good relationship with all because of her religion? Why is religion so important when it comes to relationships but when it comes to the religion people don’t care? People will forfeit friendships and relationships for religions when they don’t even follow all the customs and traditions of the religion anyway, what’s up with that? Furthermore, most of our religions are chosen by our parents, so it’s really an invisible string that guides us into a certain lifestyle, and although some strings are bearable, marriage and family is one of the biggest decision a girl will ever make. She is going to live side by side with her husband from her 20’s until her death, does religion play that big of a role in those 80 years? No, I don’t think so. These vigilant groups are simply ignorant Jewish men, like my best friend’s dad, who can’t see past religion to love. They can’t see past a person’s beliefs to their soul and into their hearts. Love is hard to find, and if it so happens you love someone from a different religion or culture, take advantage of it, learn their ways and open up your eyes, we only get to live once, and we die alone so why have another person (parents, friends) control your life when it’s you who has to bear the consequences of your decisions, not them.
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When looking at the story of Jewish guards patrolling local lovers hangouts to keep Jewish women from having relationships with Arab men, I just can’t help but wonder where it’s all going to end. Like, has it really gotten to the point that two groups of people who live in the same small area of land have gotten so far apart and so divided by war and sorrow that they’re going to tell their people who they can and cannot have relationships with. It’s just sad that it’s gotten this bad. Although I feel that it’s going to be a fruitless effort for these guards and those that posted them there.
Nothing can really stop two people from being together if they want to. It may not be like Romeo and Juliet, but if two people are attracted to each other and harbor strong feelings for one another, they will find a way to be together. People should learn from these couples and their children, who seamlessly cross between the groups and have fun with one another, free from war, race, hatred and history and find a way to come together as people and settle the dispute.
I’m sure that if the two parties sat down and objectively looked at the situation, they’d realize that they have much more in common than they thought. But I don’t feel that this will happen with the current people in the seats of power right now. Both sides need to have level headed leaders who can come together and reach across the table to one another. Doing something like this only stands to divide the people further. What are Arab men supposed to think when they see that Israel is so against them and their culture that they are literally posting guards at lover’s hot spots in the area to prevent relationships between the two parties? They’re going to think that they are so low that they aren’t good enough to be with their men. It’s only going to fuel stereotypes and anger and make rifts wider and harder to reconcile if or when the two parties make it to the negotiating table.
While there is plenty of bad blood between the two sides and it seems impossible to reconcile such a horrible, pain filled situation, but it is possible. But it’s only possible if people are willing to stop being petty, to stop doing things that will only divide people further apart and start reaching across the table. It doesn’t have to be major concessions, but things like allowing relationships between the two parties and protecting and standing up for that love and affection could go a longer way than maybe anyone deems imaginable. I hope that one day, people will rise to power on both sides who see this and make it a reality. Until then, I fear we’ll see more and more of these types of incidents, but hopefully not so many it pushes them too far away to ever reconcile.
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I think the Jewish vigilantes’ attempts to stop this intermingling between Jewish girls and Arab boys is ridiculous because not only will it never work, but it is also keeping Jewish-Arab relations at this incredibly high level of tension, and what is most important, it is a form of hypocrisy in one of the most extreme forms. What these groups of Jewish men (and the municipalities that are actually supporting them) are doing is really just offensive on every level and they need to be stopped immediately because their actions are really just hurting everyone all around.
For starters, people’s emotions are going to win out regardless of who is trying to get them to think in certain ways. If these Jewish girl’s really do “love” these Arab men, then no one, not even the parents or the rabbis, and especially not groups of random men, is going to prevent them from seeing each other. In fact, considering this might just be a rebellious stage in these girls lives, telling them they should not be seeing these other guys might just promote them to see them regardless.
Secondly, the Jewish-Arab relations are already some of the most tense relations in the world today, and these dumb actions on the part of the Jewish vigilantes just sustains the tension. It understandable that these men might object to their children seeing people who share the same faith as men who would have their race nuked off the face of the planet, but here’s the thing: not every Muslim thinks such absurd thoughts. In fact, I would venture to guess that most do not. But by trying to regulate this young love, they give Muslims reasons to hate Jews, and then make even crazier statements that you are going hate them even more for.
Finally, this is so hypocritical on the part of the Jewish men for more than just the obvious reason. Sure they aren’t as concerned about who their sons are seeing. In their minds, they are just using the “boys will be boys” motto and letting it go. But they are so willing to completely interrupt these girls lives and getting into some scary situations, such as chasing them for hours in the backcountry (on a side note, why don’t the police press charges against these men for assault and invasion of privacy?). But what I see as more of a hypocrisy is the fact that these men belong to a religious group who believe very heavily in the will of God. If God truly dictates our daily lives, and if he is truly the God of the Jews and not the Muslims, won’t he end the love if it’s not meant to be? And if God is letting these loves exist, who are these men to interfere? What’s meant to happen will.
Follow Your Nose…
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David cannot be serious when he says, “My heart hurts every time I see a Jewish girl with an Arab. It’s extremely upsetting. I asked myself, how did we get to this situation? How did we descend to this level? It is a serious step backwards in our eyes”. How in the world is that a step backwards? If anything, in the world of race relations, this is a perfect example of our world coming together and erasing the differences between us. It is so sad to see the ignorance present in David’s world and those close to him saying that these interracial relationships are a “growing epidemic”. I guess this shows how closed-minded I am, since whenever I hear the words “interracial couple”, the image of a black and white couple come to mind, but never Jewish and Arab.
Especially at a young age, it is easy to see why the two groups would be attracted to each other if the stereotypes are correct. Teenage guys, for the most part, are going to be more inclined to go for the girls who are able to show off more skin. Even though the girl in the interview sounded pretty superficial when she said she thinks Arab men like Jewish girls better because Arab women have to cover their heads, she may be right. From my high school experience, any normal guy would choose the girl wearing a tank top and mini-skirt as opposed to being fully covered, at least when it comes to wanting something slightly less than a relationship. In addition, I’m sure many girls have gone through the phase of wanting a “bad boy”. They think they will be the ones to change them and tame their behavior. A “bad boy” can spice up any weekend, and gives the girls a chance to rebel against what they know their parents would never approve of.
In my opinion, this is solely an example of teenage hormones at their finest. The fact that these men are going out of their ways to break up relationships is moronic, and if anything will only make the number of interracial relationships go through the roof. If teenagers know they are not supposed to do something, or course that is going to make them want to do it even more. That’s just common sense. Despite the sarcasm, it truly is disheartening to think that there are still groups of people out there trying to break up relationships based on race. It’s even worse if the couple actually is in love, that should be cherished, not frowned upon. Yes, the two groups may have issues with one another, but that doesn’t mean that every individual who just so happens to be of that race is involved in any way. A story such as this one sounds like the fiction story of Romeo & Juliet, and that’s what it should have stayed as, fiction.
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Do you know how hard it is to stop love? Honestly, its an emotion you cannot control. True, if you isolate the source of the issue, meaning place Jewish girls in an Arab free environment, that may work temporarily, but you cannot control matters of the heart. I am shocked by how they are trying to control this. Breaking up dates? Passing out bundles of discs and pamphlets on why Arab men are not good for you? Really? I understand the point on trying to continue the tradition, and how it seems traitorous to date “one of them” but times have changed. We can’t we all get along?
It seems more like a shock to me personally because I am a minority and I can understand the idea to only date and marry within your race. My grandparents feel like dating the “ones who put us into slavery” is traitorous and against what they worked for. I have friends that are not allowed to date anyone other than their race or religion to uphold their culture and values. I don’t understand this method. Wouldn’t be better everyone became one with culture and tradition. That the world could come together?
I understand what they are trying to do, but I am against how they are doing it. My grandparents were raised by their parents to only date within their race. My parents taught me to see the equality in all people regardless of race and religion, to love who I want to love. They said because of today’s current society, people may be harsh and against loving “anyone”, it shouldn’t matter. I feel the same way. It’s my life, not your life. I understand we have struggled to gain territory or rights or value in this world with different groups, but I feel like it’s my life to live and I should be happy no matter where you come from. If I love you, then why can’t I live that love? Why must I die to be with you?
This idea reminds me of Romeo and Juliet. What is it going to take to realize that maybe it’s okay to bridge the gap between struggle and misunderstanding? What could really go wrong? Will deaths of the opposite sides make sense?
I wish interracial dating will come to speed with an evolving world. I have been in interracial relationships before. It is difficult receiving all the glares and comments, especially when it is from parents who do not approve. I cannot help who I love. It is my fault that my mind, body, and soul has fallen in love with the enemy. I have been raised not to love you, but I cannot help it. Is it the act of following the love, meaning acting on it?
Is that what it comes to? I can love you but I cannot act upon it? How does this gain happiness?
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This situation is not surprising to me and should not really be a surprise to many people. There are always people who try to break up people who are in love because they are a different race, religion and even from different social classes. It has been happening in the United States since we brought slaves over from Africa but even before then. It was the most prevalent in the 1950’s when African Americans and white couples were forbidden but as blogs have been written before, these situations still occur where interracial couples are scrutinized or even beaten for being in an interracial relationship. It even happened decades ago when the upper class was forbidden to associate themselves with peasants. Its hard for me to comment on this because I have been to Israel many times and coming from a Jewish family I know how disappointed my parents would be if I was in love with an Arab man. I don’t really think its fair for people to judge this situation unless they’re in it. It even hard for me to comprehend the whole issue between Arabs and Palestinians. The whole issue about that it is Jewish women and Arab men and may not be as important with Jewish men and Arab women I think this has to do with a couple of reasons. I think it would be a bigger deal for Arabs, if Arab women were with Israeli men because women in the Arab culture are seen as forbidden to other men other than their husbands. So not only would it would be a big deal because women are seen as inferior to men but because it would be with an Israeli man. I think this is true for most people like the blog that was posted a little while ago about the African American women with the white man who got beat up for being together. I think anyone should be able to love who ever he or she please but it gets a lot more complicated than that when families get involved. It is important for me to marry someone I love but its also important for me to marry someone I want my parents to love. I’m very close with my parents so their approval means a lot to mean. I see how close my mom’s parents get along with my dad and I would want that kind of relationship when I’m older. This has been an issue that has been ongoing even stories like Romeo and Juliet and I don’t think it will ever change. There will always be hate so there will also be discouragement from marrying or being in love with certain kinds of people.
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After reading this, I just want to know what the big deal is with having people of different races, cultures, and religions falling in love. I don’t understand why there are people that dwell on the differences of people when we are all human beings; when we are all practically the same. A while ago in class you talked about how only .01% of our genes are reflected in our external appearances and 99.9% of human genome is the same in EVERYONE! I wish more people knew this because when I heard this for the first time (in your class) I was shocked and excited. We are all more alike than everyone believes. However, people are so easily distracted by different cultures, lifestyles, religions, and races and it makes us, the human species, so customary; outdated if you will.
You told us at the beginning of the semester that if we didn’t remember anything from your class, remember this: the closer you are to the center of a culture, the less innovative your life. Live on the fringes!!! When I look at the picture you posted of the Arab and Jewish children playing, I see them all smiling and having a good time. What is so wrong with this? What is so wrong with Jewish women who find an intimate relationship with Arab men? Is it really necessary to send out vigilante groups to control the romance between these two cultures?
It surprises me when one of the members of the groups of vigilantes says that this is a serious step backwards. How is this true? In this class, we would see this as a serious step in the right direction. I guess you could compare it to the racist people in America who believe that interracial relationships are a terrible thing. There will always be people in the U.S. that don’t see it as a good thing but I’ve never heard of actual groups that actually patrol the streets daily and try to break up the relationships.
When I read further into the article and listened to some of the bystanders, you have to wonder what the intentions are of the Arab men. If it’s truly romance or are they intending to take advantage of the Jewish women? If their intentions aren’t good then the vigilante groups are right in helping to protect the Jewish girls from being hurt.
Going back to the comparison of the U.S. – Could you imagine white people (maybe members of the KKK) roaming the streets, trying to break up interracial relationships? I believe that since our country has taking steps to advance quicker than other countries, we are going in the right direction now and soon other countries will follow.
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Religious and cultural extremism exists in many forms. For this group of Israelis, it has manifested itself into a fear of their culture being “perverted” by outside (Arab) influences. What’s particularly ironic to me is that what this group is practicing essentially amounts to ethnic nationalism, the same creed that was professed by Nazi Germany. They are so tied to their own culture that they are threatened by those who live amongst them but do not adhere to the same religious and cultural practices.
From a sociological perspective, their hostility is a microcosm of the greater misunderstanding that exists between Israelis and Palestinians. It seems that many, though not everyone, do not want to take the time to see the virtues and validity of the other’s culture. As long as this is the case, love between the two cultures will be a strained and unwelcome endeavor. Love between those in hostile cultures has been a sensitive situation throughout history, and the fact that it remains so is of no real surprise. However, what makes this case so interesting is the dedication that these groups of vigilantes have put into their cause. To them, this issue is of the utmost importance to the preservation of the “purity” of the Jewish people and their culture. To me, this sounds like straight-up fascism. To believe that any group is more pure or worthy of preservation is particularly dangerous and has been the source of countless instances of ethnically-motivated violence. In reality, the views and actions of these vigilantes do not accurately reflect the ideology of the vast majority of Israeli Jews.
Another interesting aspect of this story is the seeming lack of concern about Jewish men with Arab women. This striking hypocrisy is likely explained by the perception that the women would be assimilated into Jewish culture if a marriage were to come about. This is yet another example of sexism via religious fundamentalism. Essentially, they are assuming that women are incapable of making their own choices and will blindly follow whatever their husband dictates. This assumption would likely fail both ways, as there would probably be both Arab and Jewish women who would hold onto aspects of their own culture while in a relationship with a man from a different culture.
Social progress is always difficult, but especially so when such deep conflict exists as is the case with Israelis and Palestinians. Whenever people are socialized to see a particular group as the other or enemy, establishing a sense of trust and understanding is incredibly difficult. With that being said, however, working to build this trust is the only way that these groups can manage to live so closely to one another without constantly fearing for their lives. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is very complex and I do not claim to have even a moderate understanding of it. What I can say with confidence, though, is that trying to police love between groups living amongst each other is futile, and provides no benefit to either side.
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I wasn’t really too shocked when I listened to the NPR blog. Across the globe, societies determine what types of people you can and can’t date. There are arranged marriages for example where people aren’t together because they love one another. Honestly though, I think these concepts are ridiculous. No one should be able to determine whom you can and can’t go out with. Taking away someone’s love could mean taking away his or her happiness. Who would want to do that? Don’t we all deserve to be happy? If people are perfect for one another, and both of them think so, then let them be together. This post both angered me and made me sad. If I fell in love with someone and was told that I wasn’t allowed to be in love with that someone, I would be heart broken. Luckily, I know that I for one have never been told that I was never allowed to date someone of a different race. Having grown up in an international society, dating was fairly easy (in the sense that no one ever judged who you were with.) I had a half Japanese boyfriend at one point and as soon as I told my parents about him (and his race) they didn’t even react. They saw it as normal for their completely white, Christian daughter to be dating someone of a different race. When I get older and have children, I will definitely allow them to fall in love with whomever they please.
The vigilante groups are very similar to those in the United States that are against interracial marriages etc. I don’t understand why it would be disturbing to see a Jewish girl with an Arab man. Sure, they are less conservative than Arab women and since the Arab men are more ‘wild,’ they are interested in that type of girl. I think that interracial dating is actually a step forward to bringing the world together. The vigilante groups are most likely doing this so that they remain in their little bubble together. Why not branch out an experience other cultures? By dating someone of a different race, you will be able to do so. Like I said before, love is love and people should mind their own business. I know the world doesn’t work like this though. Some cultures are very traditional and think that their own people should be with their own people. Alright that is understandable, but let those that want to ‘go against’ social norms do so without any interruptions. I don’t think the vigilantes would ever be able to stand the United States since there are so many interracial couples. All in all, I know that the entire world is never going to be accepting of interracial dating, but I do strongly believe that we should be able to fall in love with who ever we want. Love is love.
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I come from an area of Pennsylvania that has a very large Jewish community. There are probably two or three synagogues within walking distance of my house just to show how many Jews reside in my area. When I read this story, I was not that shocked by this story due to the experiences I have had when it comes to Jewish parents. There are extremely protective of their children and some of them, since they do not believe that Jesus is the son of God, believe that their sons are the messiah. I know of experiences where these parents have become distraught when their Jewish children date gentiles. Therefore when it comes to people in Israel, where they are not nearly as progressive as us here in the United States, I am not really shocked that they try to prevent relationships between Israelis and Arabs.
Just because I am not shocked by this story, does not mean I don’t think it is wrong and that this is acceptable. There is no reason that two people should be not be able to have a relationship because they are not the same religion or from the same area. It is also ridiculous that this only applies to Jewish women with Arab men and not both ways. Imagine the uproar that would occur in our country if white men were allowed to date black women, but white women were forbidden from seeing black men. There are people who are opposed to these ideas in our country but at least there is no one going from bar to bar breaking up interactions between people of different races.
As Sam points out this is such a small area of land it seems impossible to keep relationships from forming between Jews and Arabs. For example if we put a large amount of people in Delaware and half were black and the other half were white, I am sure there would be interracial relationships forming. I am not well versed in the conflict between Jews and Arabs in the Israel/Palestine area. Like I said before I live in a largely Jewish area, so any opinions I have heard on the conflict are largely biased towards the Israeli side. I have heard of Palestinian aggression and very little of offenses committed by the Israeli side. I know that what I would be listening to would be biased, so I mainly tune it out and as a result am largely unaware of the situation. Hopefully, this situation will improve over time, like how in the United States people are becoming more and more accepting of interracial relationships. Still the history that exists between the Arabs and Jews is much longer, so only time will tell what will happen with this situation.
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The idea of breaking couples apart due to racial or religious differences is ridiculous. First of all, when true love is found, there is absolutely no force on earth that can keep the two people separated. Maybe physically, yes, but emotionally and spiritually, no. So Jewish girls are starting to date Arab men around Israel. I guess putting aside all other problems Israel has going on, this is number one on the “things to fix” list. Jewish men feel the need to go around and find these mixed couples and break them up to “save” these girls. From what? What are the Arab men doing any different from Jewish men? Let’s forget about this Jewish Arab issue for a moment and go back to teenage dating 101: If a girl and a boy like each other, and someone steps in and says “you can’t be with them, it’s wrong, blah blah,” wouldn’t that make the couple want to be with each other even more!? Did we forget the story of the forbidden fruit? How many Romeo and Juliet stories have we heard? In the clip, David said “How did we get to this situation? How did we descend to this level? It is a serious step backwards, in our eyes.” Ok, if anything, this is a HUGE step forward. What happened to the Montague and Capulet families in the end of Romeo and Juliet? They were brought together and reconciled their differences to end the fighting and feuds. Arab and Jewish mixed couples is a progressive step forward in getting rid of the barriers set forth because of the differences of race and religion. If enough of these mixed couples emerge, more and more will result. This will lead to mixed marriages, and finally mixed CHILDREN. So that the next generation of Jews and Arabs, or Jewish Arabs, or whatever they’d become will have a much harder time fighting because of race and religious differences. These Jewish vigilante patrols are just fueling the fire of these mixed relationships and making it more exciting for these Jewish girls seeking “bad boys.” The girls that eventually do get persuaded to leave their Arab boyfriends only follow the Jewish men because he puts on an act and buys her nice things. They’re tearing up love for a materialistic and fake relationship that neither couple really wants. I will bet that if any of these Jewish men were to meet a beautiful girl and have an amazing time with them, and fall in love, and find out that she is actually Arab, they would toss their beliefs in an instant. This is the power that love has on people, and no race or religious difference, parent, or group of vigilante Jews can do anything to stop it.
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I love seeing interracial couples; I feel that if everyone began dating outside their ethnicity that the world would be a much better place because there would be less hate in the world you can’t hate someone that is so multicultural because that would just be hypocritical. This situation somewhat reminds me of Romeo and Juliet’s tale of forbidden love. The more forbidden the love between Jews and Arabs become the more the younger generation would want to date each other, I don’t find a problem with Arabs and Jews dating I think he sets a positive example and hope that peace in the middle east can one day be reached. I feel that the older generations are holding on to strongly to the past and cannot get over that fact of what happened over the years. Relationships like these are not a new thing because my great grandmother was Jewish and my great grandfather was Palestinian and had a family and they both fled Palestine traveling throughout Europe eventually settling in Central America, Honduras. If they could fall in love when the hate was in such extreme why can’t today’s generation fall in love, what makes them so different if anything over the years I feel that the population should be more accepting. I think everyone should date who they want regardless of the details of culture and ethnicity, love is blind I thought everyone knew that it does not judge and you cannot help who you fall in love with.
I do not understand why it’s the Jews that do not want the Arabs dating their citizens. It does not make sense to be because first of all the modern state of Israel was once Palestine, and was taken away by the UN after World War II. So if anything (I’m not trying to justify hate but) I feel that the Palestinians should be the ones to discriminate after all their land, money, homes were all taken and are no force to live on a tiny section of land that is unfit for today’s standard of living. Also, Palestinians are the ones who constantly have to live in fear and have to go through checkpoints having curfews when you’re 21 because your Palestinian and you’re a considered a threat. Imagine growing up with guns in your face, and we wonder why Palestinians are “hateful” people. Seriously, this makes me angry I feel that Israel needs to get over themselves and shut up!!!!!! Man up and try to reach a compromise give Palestinians the equal rights that Israelis are given. I feel that the issue of who to love is trivial and that Israelis need to stop instigating against the Palestinian Population, they wonder why they are bombed and hated not realizing that their discriminatory actions create the hate and the fear that and easily push a Palestinian to the extreme and makes them want to retaliate with violence. Israelis need to stop and accept them as equals this 2009 and not 1946. Peace .
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This is a story that seems that it is taken out of a history book that I have read since I was in middle school. This story is similar to what occurred in our country back during the civil rights movements and early than that as well. This story is a weird one to hear now though. I had thought that for the most part things like this did not happen that often. I figured it probably still did on a family basis, such as parents objecting to their daughters dating men of a different ethnicity. To have groups like this that are looking to stop Jewish women from dating Arab men is something that I had thought we were passed at this point. I guess that in other countries that have not gotten to that point yet. This seems like a situation that has the potential to go very wrong though. All it would take is one potential act of violence from either side and the whole situation could explode. The fact that Israel and Palestine are areas where violence already is high between groups of people only adds to the fact that something like this could quickly turn into something much bigger. If it does there is not telling how bad it could get, before someone would be able to step in and be able to calm down both sides. These groups are just asking for trouble and it is possible that at some point they will find it.
The other main is that I can see with this is the double standard that they seem to be showing. They are only interested in Jewish women dating Arab men, but they do not seem to have any problem with Jewish men dating Arab women. This is a double standard that is not new it has been around for basically ever. Since people began to notice a difference between them and other men they have do things like this. The men though seem to be the ones that are the most against women of their group dating men of another group, but they do not seem to care all that much about men of their group dating women of another. Just because this double standard has been around for a long time though does not mean that it is the right thing to do. This is wrong and it should not be allowed to just continue. If everyone is ever going to be truly equal then we have to not only make groups of races equal but also the genders do have to be equal as well. It seems like incidences like this come up from the idea that men are supposed to protect women, but that does not give people the right to try and stop people from doing what they want to do.
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The blog entry, “Regulating Love,” is quite interesting. The story refers to groups of Jews who often patrol lover hangouts to make sure that Jewish women do not get intimate with Arab men. There was not any mention of these groups making sure that Jewish men stayed away from Arab women. This could partly be because in most places, it is more socially acceptable for men to be with many women, regardless of nationality. I find it extremely weird that Jewish groups exist to make sure that women do not mingle with Arab men. To me personally, it always seems like love is the one thing that knows no boundaries. Love does not need to stay within race, color, or nationality. It is also surprising that the group would do this because it seems pointless. People who fall in love with someone of another nationality are not likely to end the relationship because a group of Jewish people patrol the lovers hangout. People who would be influenced by an overlooking group are not likely to be in a relationship with someone of another nationality. I do see similarities between this group and the mindset of people who are not fans of interracial dating and marriages, but I have never seen or heard of a group who actively mingles in the affairs to prevent such a thing. It is one thing to have your own opinion, but it is something entirely different to try to force other people to adhere to your viewpoints. I can only imagine the public outcry that would occur if groups like that existed in the United States of America. People would force the groups to disband I would believe. I feel like if the people in these groups heard about a group in the United States of America that went to bars or lounges or whatever venue and tried to prevent black women from becoming intimate with white men, they would be outraged. I feel like these groups are most likely hypocritical. They must feel that they have a right to do this or that they are helping out the involved parties, but that is not the case. I feel that these groups are hurting relationships between the two nationalities on a grand scale. If people were able to freely mingle between the two then maybe there would be more of an understanding of each other. There is also a chance that there would be less violence and hard feelings between the two. In conclusion, I believe that what this group is doing is very wrong. It is not their place to intervene and say who can become intimate with who. After all, is not love supposed to be blind?
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To be honest, this story does not surprise me at all. I was not shocked or the least bit taken back when I read this story. Interracial dating is a very important topic to discuss especially in today’s society. I find it completely ridiculous that even in the 20th century, we still are unable to accept people from different religions dating. Even though in America, there are no laws against interracial dating, people still encounter discrimination because of it. It is unfair that people judge others on the people they love. The fact that the government is going to usual make-out spots to ensure that there are no Jewish women there with Arab men is completely ludicrous. I am surprised however how involved the government is into preventing two people from different religions from being together. The government is very ignorant if they think that they will be able to stop every Jewish woman from interacting with an Arab man. It is nearly impossible to keep track of everyone’s social life. I find it interesting that with everything going on in Israel and Palestine, they still find time to give their input in such a small issue as interracial dating. I recently heard a story in my discussion group about how a white woman was dating this black man. They were walking down the street, watching people talk stare at them while making comments. It is still not unusual for society not to accept bi-racial couples or couples from different religions. However, you cannot stop love. You do not choose whom to love; it chooses you. Love can best be defined as an overwhelming sensation of warmth for a person whom you could not imagine life without. Currently, there are no interracial couples in my family, but it is only a matter of time. Race and religion do not matter anymore in this day and age when it comes to finding your partner, your soul mate. People do not take into consideration a person’s race or religion before he or she start a conversation with someone, let alone start dating. I do not believe that my parents, friends, teachers, or my government should have a say in who I marry. It is my decision and mine alone. “You cannot regulate love” is one of the truest statements I have ever read. Although I am Catholic, I would marry someone else from a different religion because religion does not make up who he is, religion is only a small part of the boy I fall in love with. People need to realize that religion is important, however it should not control your lives. You should not base religion on your decision to date someone. I find it interesting how the adults are acting like kids, holding grudges and judging people. The teenagers are making more informed and intelligent decisions regarding race and religion.
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I’m actually somewhat shocked at this post on ‘love regulation’. It just sounds like something that can’t be real, but apparently, it is. Love is a natural human emotion. At what point does it sound logical to regulate a human emotion? Imagine if you had a pet you were very attached to, and it had passed away very recently. Many of us have been through that, and it’s sad. Imagine if I came up to you and said that you are not allowed to feel sad because your pet died. It’s just unnatural for humans not to feel any sort of emotion when they’re attached to someone or something. This is why the regulation of love is wrong.
The race issues involved with this story make it… twisted. This seems like those who are in an interracial relationship consisting of Jewish women involved with Arab men (apparently, the opposite is okay) are experiencing something that’s along the lines of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. The only difference is that this story is interesting. In the modern world, keeping a race pure is pointless. There are too many people out there that are doing exactly what their hearts want them to do. There is a lot of freedom. Regulating what and who people love is just wrong. People are not robots. Let people love as they please.
As a result of a bi-racial relationship, I’m pretty disgusted at this story. If this were to happen here, in the United States, back in the 1980s, I probably would not have existed. The very thought of that is pretty shocking. I can only imagine how those in Israel who are directly affected by this issue feel. I don’t know why those who are trying to regulate the love between Jewish women and Arab men just let them do what they want. As Sam Richards said in his blog post, what they are doing is inevitable. What makes it even more logical to just let people do what they want is the fact that certain areas of Israel are densely populated. Areas that are densely populated tend to have a wide mix of races and cultures. People of different races and/or cultures are bound to fall in love with each other, at some point. Just let it happen. It’s really not a big deal at all.
Personally, I have dated outside of both of the races that make-up who I am. If someone was trying to put a stop to any of my relationships, I would be pretty angry. Well, probably very angry. I don’t take kindly to racism. I also don’t take very kindly to those who impede upon anyone’s emotions. What I felt about this issue is pretty much how I felt about the past one where a judge denied marriage rights to an interracial couple. It makes me sick.
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While I definitely think that this vigilante group is taking their message to the extreme, I do understand where they are coming from. I am Jewish, and the notion that marrying within our faith has always been instilled in me. My father is also Israeli, and we have a lot of family members who are still currently living in Israel. Through those family members, I have received first hand accounts of the trying times they are facing. Without the threat of intermarriages, the Jewish population is still an extremely small percentage of the world’s population. When you add in intermarriages, the Jewish population faces larges cuts in the number of Jews in the world. While you cannot control all people’s relationships, I think it is important to make young Jewish people understand how important it is to keep our religion and culture alive. However, I do understand other people’s point of view when they question how someone can definitely say that they will, or will not fall in love with. Personally, I know that I will marry someone within the Jewish faith. And when I am asked how I can definitely make that statement, I know that it is important enough to me that it will be a deciding factor in my life. Judaism is not just a religion, to me or to the majority of people in the Jewish faith. Judaism is a culture. It is a way of being raised, complete with a set or morals and values. Those values are shared, and therefore allow for an instant bond between most Jewish people. My unyielding decision to marry a Jewish man does not exclude men who have converted, so that provides another response to the “What if you fall in love with someone who is not Jewish?” question.
Now, with all that being said, the search parties that are going out and looking for couples involving a Jewish woman and an Arab man are taking the notion of “regulating love” to an extreme level. It should be an individuals right to make their own decisions regarding who they love. Just like I have my priorities, other people have their own, and no one has the right to make them feel uncomfortable because of them. Even though intermarriages are threatening to the Jewish people, all people can do is share their views, and reasons, and hope that people will understand and take it into consideration for their own decisions. During the conversation when “David” was presenting his story, and his reasons for participating in such search parties, it was made evident that there is only a select group of people taking such an extreme approach to this issue. I also think that it is slightly unfair, and definitely skewed that there is no information on this topic from the other perspective. That is, does anyone know if there are similar groups looking for Arab women who are in relationships with Jewish men? We cannot look at one side of the story and judge these people, and the Jewish population based on their actions alone.
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I think that this story is appalling and is an embarrassment for Israeli men. I am a Jewish man and our religion is comprised of a legalistic and moral code to live by. Our teachings tell us to be selfless, be kind to others, and to treat everyone as equals. I am well aware of the long conflict between Israel and Palestine, but I have to draw the line somewhere. Forming vigilante groups to beat up young Arab men who date Israeli girls is ridiculous for many reasons. First of all, it is the woman’s sole choice to date whomever she pleases. If that happens to be an Arab man, it might not make her father too happy, but that does not mean that people should stand in her way of being happy.
Our history as a people has been long, hard, and brutal, and often we are hated or persecuted for some reason, but after all we have been through you would think that it would be a goal for Israeli people to be truly happy and not beat up their boyfriend just because he is Arab.
What I really do not like about this is the fact that it makes Israel look like a bunch of racist people who hate Arabs. Yes it is true that this is one of the biggest conflicts between countries period, but just because you are on the other side of the line does not mean that both groups should automatically hate each other. For this reason I think that a severe punishment should be given to anyone who assaults an Arab man for this ridiculous reason.
Love is what most of us strive for in life. To have someone in there life that makes you truly happy and someone that is more special than anyone you have ever met. If this is the case for some Israeli girls, I do not feel that she needs to hide her feelings or her relationship from others without being looked at differently. Back in the 1950’s it was illegal in some states for a black man to date/ marry a white girl until Loving v. Virginia overturned this, but the same situation is occurring right now. No one who is born chooses what race, culture, religion, gender, etc that he/ she is to be. Everyone is born into this world with no decisions and you cannot fault someone based on their skin color or religion. If we do this, then we cannot make it as a civilization.
One scenario I thought of was what if I Israeli man dated an Arab woman? Would he face the same persecution and backlash from his fellow Israelis? I am not sure whether or not this is strictly a race issue or a gender issue as well, but it is something I thought may be interesting to think about. Nevertheless, this is not something Jews should be proud of.
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This is very interesting. First of all, it is extremely important that Sam points out that it is only Jewish girls. It is not right that they will stop any human being from loving another person, but if these vigilante groups want to make a point they should spread the inequality to both genders. This kind of problem, along with all other cultural and religious battles that are taking place today, is that the origin of this hatred extends back far into history. Jewish children and Arab children are raised to despise each other. A lot of those who take part in the violent acts against their rival group probably have little to no understanding of what they are even fighting over any more. Now, when change finally comes along, those who still are filled with this hatred shoot it down. Especially when the religious aspects of each group do not deny that one – or a group for that matter – can stop the inevitable. Furthermore, as Sam had mentioned, there is no doubt that people look at America and are disgusted with our lifestyle. There are numerous countries that think that. And it should be mentioned that there are countries that we may think hate us but actually do not. In any case, for those who point out our past mistakes tend not to look at their current ones. Slavery was a bad time for America, but what these people are doing in Israel is horrible and they still probably look down on America. So some of these Arab men might just be luring in Jewish girls, but I’m sure that there are truly those who fall in love. It is absurd to think that there are people roaming the streets in groups just looking for Jewish girls hanging out with Arab guys. It is understandable that these groups wish to keep the purity of their culture, but that should also be a choice made by those falling in love. And to mix the two groups seems like the most horrible thing that could happen to these people. In other parts of the world culture is everything. To share that culture or to try and bring new aspects into a current one is something worth defending. But there is only so far you can take your resistance. For instance, keep it within the family. If you have a problem with your sister dating an Arab man then confront her about it, but do not keep her from seeing him. All in all, I disagree with what these vigilante groups are doing in Israel. You cannot go around being the relationship police and keep human beings from seeing each other.
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When reading the blog post titled, “Regulating Love,” I found myself somewhat surprised by the description of what is going on in Israel. I never expected to read that vigilantes were going around the area attempting to discourage Jewish women from getting too intimate with Arab men. Interracial couples are such a hot topic of conversation in the United States, but I never really gave it a second thought that this type of thing could happen in another country. Being against interracial couples and marriage is one thing, but actually forming vigilante groups and going to hook up spots to find interracial intimacy is taking it way too far. I understand that tensions have always been high between the two groups in that area, but people do not have any control over who they are attracted to or who they fall in love with. To send people around looking for interracial couples is ridiculous, wrong, and outright racist. Nothing will ever be solved in countries in the Middle East if this type of behavior continues to be displayed. I am not Jewish, and I do not really know anything about the religion, but I find it odd that many Jewish people, even Jewish Americans are so against dating and marrying outside of their religion. I have many friends, male and female, who have dated outside of their religion but have said, “I could never marry them because they are not Jewish. My parents and grandparents would kill me.” What kind of thinking is this? Generally interracial couples, specifically between white people and African Americans, are the only type of controversial relationship that gets talked about. However, the unwillingness of certain people to date or marry outside of their religion is something else that should be discussed. In my opinion, this is just as bad as being against dating outside of your own race and sets this country back just as far.
Dating between two different races has always been somewhat of a controversy in the United States. It is shocking to me that there is still such an issue with people dating outside of their race. The United States has made a ton of progress in terms of race relations but it is ridiculous to me that some people look down upon interracial couples. I grew up in a town that was predominately composed of white people. There was a ton of closet racism that even was evident among kids. Many of my friends when talking about African American girls or Hispanic girls would say that they could never face their parents if they dated a person who was not white. It is a shame that some of the youth in this country have these thoughts and makes me question if things will ever change.
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Love
When talking about love and the freedom to choose who we love and why we love them there has always been questions even in America. To this day there are still people that question a white man marrying a black women or vice versus. So much so that a man in a southern state, I forget the specific state or his postion, but he refused to marry a bi-racial couple, this being in the year 2009 in a country that just eleceted a black president no less. I was shocked by this. How can a man that holds a position in the government still feel that he has the right to choose who is or is not right for someone else to marry or love for that matter. Racism has been a problem in America and across the world and the story about people watching there kids to make sure they don’t get to close to a person of Arab or Jewish decent is just as wrong as it is for someone to say a black man cannot marry a white women. But as Americans we may look down on other cultures and say look how barbaric they are and how they have no free choice but in America we are putting the same standards on our people. It may not be said or written anyone but the truth is most people do no think that you should marry outside your race. Most people see it as wrong, I am not one of those people but I know many people that I respect and trust that feel that way. They are not blanant racist that wish that black people or Mexican people be removed from our country they just see it as being wrong, maybe because that is how they were brought up. In my opinion, even as much as some people, Corbin, think they way society presents things does have a major impact on the way the general public sees things. And as far as I can tell there is no company or group promoting or saying it is wrong to marry outside your race but I get the feeling that it is, without saying anything, giving the impression that is is not right as opposed to being wrong. Not very often do you see mixed marriages on TV or in advertisements. It is almost hidden so people do not being to see it as a common thing or an acceptable thing.
While reading a few of my other classmates comments on this entry I couldn’t help but find myself agreeing with a few statements, one in particular. The idea that men get to choose who they can be with but women must follow the rules and guidelines that people set for them and instruct them to follow. I think it is sexist for men to have such privileges and it is not just like that in other countries, I can see it here in America almost every day.
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