Seth Rogen is Wrong About Israel

There are far too many myths and lies about Israel for my taste. The problem with these myths and lies becomes worse when they come out of the lips of my fellow Jews.

Recently, actor Seth Rogen was a guest on the podcast WTF with Marc Maron. Both Rogen and Maron are Jewish. While talking about Israel, Rogen made the following statement:

“as a Jewish person,..I was fed a huge amount of lies about Israel…You know, they never tell you that […] there were people there. They make it seem like it was just sitting there.”

Anyone who regularly reads this blog knows how I feel about Israel. I have visited twice and hope to visit a third time at some point in the future. It is a beautiful country with warm people and delicious food. However, that does not mean that I agree with everything that is said and done over there.

The issue I take with Rogen’s comment is that it gives those with antisemitic views the permission to make a similar statement.

If Rogen does not agree with the decisions made by the Israeli government, that is one thing. He is, like all of us, entitled to his opinion. But to publicly make a general assertion without consideration of the facts is another thing entirely and just plain wrong.

We live in a world in which hate and racism have a firm hold on us. The only way to break that hold is to speak the truth and be willing to listen to one another. Unfortunately, Rogen’s declaration only added fuel to the fire that is hate and racism.