Who is Boris Johnson?
For starters, he’s the new PM of a havoc known as England. As of today, he’s also the new champion of the Brexit tumult. But once upon a time he stood in the Holy Land on his first trip to Israel in 1984 and proclaimed himself a Zionist. (photo below). He even volunteered on a Kibbutz named Kfar Hanasi in Northern Israel.
Boris was twice elected as Mayor of London, both times in the stronghold of a liberal slough. Today he clinched a 66% vote to become the Tory PM of morally-socially-politically-demographically imploding England to succeed May.
His pedigree stems from a Jewish great-grandfather, Elias Avery Lowe, born in Moscow. “I feel Jewish when I feel the Jewish people are threatened or under attack, that’s when it sort of comes out,” Johnson said. “When I suddenly get a whiff of anti-Semitism, it’s then that you feel angry and protective.”
I take it he heard of Jeremy, then.
Throughout his tenure as London mayor, Johnson managed to ignore pleas from Jewish groups to ban the infamous pro-Palestinian Al Quds Day marches through London — events that have featured calls to kill Jews along with other anti-Semitic language and imagery. Likewise, when Israel carried out defensive operations in Gaza, he called it “disproportionate”. Apparently, he didn’t feel all that Jewish at those particular moments.
On the flip side, who could forget his observation of London burka-covered Muslim women when he said “it’s absolutely ridiculous that people should choose to go around looking like letter boxes.” We thought it, he said it. If one was to spend a mere two hours roaming around London, they’d be amazed how many letterboxes have human feet. Predictably, British Jews (predominantly liberal in that country) called his statement “abhorrent”. Alas, liberal Jewry, no matter where they live, can never sit out a chance to call a conservative “racist” first.
Seen as a supporter of the Iran Deal, Johnson was also the UK’s first foreign secretary to pledge to vote against a permanent UN Human Rights Council agenda item that singles out Israel for criticism. He has criticized UN bias against Israel, calling it “disproportionate and damaging to the cause of peace.”
“It’s totally unacceptable that innocent Israeli civilians should face the threat of rocket fire and bombardment from Gaza” the self-described “passionate Zionist” who “loves the great country” of Israel said. British politicians call themselves “Zionists” only when pigs fly. This, in itself, is the Mount Everest of all courage and character.
How he attempts to turn his societal pendulum permanently stuck on 21:00 in the direction of Mecca…onto a path of rational, security & survival concerned, lawful, family-oriented British-interests…I have no idea. How he regains the lost British moral compass and saves his country from a Muslim tsunami at the same time…is perplexing, indeed. Not sure he can return his country from the abyss, but I sure hope he gives it an honest try.
Despite his sometimes prototypical British anti-Israel protocol, I like this colorful quandary. Aside from the currently unelectable Farage, who else can turn the dismantling island around?
Today Johnson joined the ranks of other conservative leaders of Austria, Israel, Brazil, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Eastern European block countries, and good ol’ US of A. Not a bad little expanding company.
Sure hope the ghost of his great-grandfather provides good guidance from above for Boris to feel more Jewish when it matters the most: when the Jewish state is under attack.
To be or not to be. That is the British question. Hope Boris knows the answer. Hope the hopeless EU allows him to try.
Valerie Sobel
