There Was No Real ‘Jewish Angle’ to Lara Logan’s Story
I disagree completely with the thesis of Elana Maryles Sztokman’s recent post, “Jewish Angle Missing From ‘60 Minutes’ Piece on Lara Logan”: Jews are not the new women, as she declares. Women are women.
The coverage of Lara Logan’s sexual assault in Egypt was troubling and sad for anyone watching. But it was not a “Jewish story,” as Ms. Sztokman contends.
It is disgusting that the Egyptians shouted “Jew” and “Israeli” at Logan during her ordeal. But if we are being truthful, this is hardly out of the ordinary in the Arab-speaking world, where “Jew,” “Zionist,” and “Israeli” are, in some circles, socially acceptable and frequently used insults.
By writing that Ms. Logan’s experience had a Jewish angle to it that was ignored, Dr. Sztokman’s distracts from the severity and profound sadness of the newswoman’s life-altering ordeal. The only Jewish angle of this story is that we have a responsibility to respond, as fellow humans (and Jews who understand what it feels like to be victimized) with compassion and sensitivity.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
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