A new Ohio law signed this week defies a worldwide trend that has existed for thousands of years. It bucks the system that conveniently forgets the achievements of Israel in the fields of science, technology and medicine.
Governor John Kasich signed a bill targeting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. The law prohibits the state from contracting with companies that engage in boycotts of Israel, making Ohio the 14th state to enact such a law.
The BDS movement is not original. Some form of this movement has existed as long the Jews. The world is smitten with selective memory of Jewish achievements. Even Albert Einstein once lamented that “If my theory of relativity is proven successful, Germany will claim me as a German and France will declare that I am a citizen of the world. Should my theory prove untrue, France will say that I am a German and Germany will declare that I am a Jew.”
Selective memory syndrome of the Jews goes all the way back to the when Joseph predicted seven years of abundance, followed by seven years of plenty. If you look carefully in the Torah, it says the seven years of abundance came to pass, but specifically only mentions Joseph’s name in reference to when the years of famine came to be.
The question is why is Joseph not credited for his acumen that saved the world from a global famine but is only referenced for predicting the years of drought and famine?
Back then in Egypt, the trend was the same as in Germany. The world’s stage embraces the successes of Jews, which is essentially synonymous with Israel, but strips them of their Jewish identity.
If BDS wants to rally people against Israel but refuses to recognize the country’s achievements in the fields of science, technology and medicine, then they should start by abstaining from all of Israel’s gifts to the world. Their list of abstentions should only begin with our mobile phones – the first mobile phones were developed in Israel. Their list of boycotted items should continue with Israel’s innovations like the flash drive or the Intel chips that run our computers. But there is that selective memory. The BDS supporters don’t remember all that the people of Israel gave. Are they refusing life-saving medical breakthroughs like Teva’s Copaxone drug for treating multiple sclerosis or the PillCam disposable capsule that films the gastrointestinal tract and are improving lives across the world?
With the passage of this new legislation, the State of Ohio went a step further than any other state. Not only does it stop selective memory, but it gives back to Israel. The law includes an opportunity for positive investment by the state and county treasurers in certain foreign bonds – including Israel’s – allowing my state of Ohio to stand with Israel in a meaningful way. It is helping to create even more business, trade, and research opportunities that will continue to improve the lives for the people of Ohio, Israel, the world – and even BDS supporters. For a country that has a track record for developing jobs and technology, pro-Israel legislation can only help everyone. Ultimately, it even helps BDS supporters.
Only good news for the world,
Areyah