Last week, Israeli television producer Dana Eden,was found dead in the hotel room where she was staying in Greece, during the filming of the fourth season of the series Tehran, which she co-produced.
Actor Hugh Laurie, who stars in Tehran, paid his respects with this tweet:
And naturally received a backlash from the antisemites of the world for doing so.
Now here’s where things took a turn. Hugh reacted to the antisemitic comments he was receiving with this tweet:
And received a backlash from many Jews, which I totally understand. Because the implication of the words “Nothing I have ever said or done could lead a sane person to believe that I am a Zionist” is that you’d have to be insane to be a Zionist.
I have to admit that anger at Hugh Laurie was my initial reaction as well. But then I reminded myself about something I have learned during my 23 years of Israel advocacy.
There are real antisemites out there, but there are also people who are not who inadvertently say or write something that could be construed as antisemitic. It behooves us to use our critical thinking skills to make the distinction and treat these people differently.
I do not believe Hugh Laurie is an antisemite. He stars in an Israeli TV show for goodness sake! He has visited Israel, and even practiced some Hebrew.
Not only that, but a look at his responses to some of the criticism is telling:
Someone who means “you’d have to be insane to be a Zionist” would not react this way. They would double-down and explain why Zionism is so bad. That is not what Hugh Laurie did. He claimed he has never said anything that would indicate pro or anti Zionism. This seems to me to be the reaction of someone grieving their friend and highly annoyed by the onslaught of comments bringing Israel into the discussion. They also suggest he might not have even understood the meaning of “Zionist”; it is one of the most misunderstood words in the world, after all.
Granted, it would have been great had Hugh Laurie reacted to the antisemitic comments by proclaiming himself someone who supports Jewish self-determination in their historical homeland. Heck, not mentioning Zionism at all would have been ok too. But his tweet does not make him an antisemite when viewed critically and in light of his past actions, statements, and his state of mind grieving his friend.
Hugh Laurie didn’t handle it perfectly – but he also didn’t take the antisemites’ side.
My motto with Israellycool is it is better to be smart than right. While many of you may think the right call here is to attack Hugh Laurie, the smart thing is to thank him for his kind words about Dana Eden, and empathize with his grief. I would also explain gently how his words could be miscontrued, and what Zionism actually means. By choosing nuance over knee-jerk condemnation, we don’t just stay “smart” – we stay effective.
If you think I am being too gentle here, remember I am the person who pioneered the now-ubiqitous approach of proactively going after Jew-haters. I have no compunctions taking the gloves off and ensuring consquences for the Jew-haters of the world. But again, critical thinking is key.
And so is getting out of our echo chamber.
If we only ever engage with people who already agree that Zionism means Jewish self-determination in our ancestral homeland, we shouldn’t be surprised when the broader world doesn’t instinctively grasp it. Or worse, has absorbed a completely distorted version of it.
Living inside our own bubble might feel righteous. It might even feel empowering. But it doesn’t win arguments. It doesn’t build understanding. And it certainly doesn’t help rehabilitate a word that has been systematically demonized.
If we want Zionism to be understood properly, we have to be willing to explain it to people who don’t get it – not instantly exile them for not already getting it.
If we burn bridges with every potential ally who trips over a linguistic landmine, we’ll eventually find ourselves standing on a very lonely island. So let’s be smart: don’t manufacture enemies where there aren’t any. A thank-you for honoring Dana Eden, a quick, polite correction on “Zionism,” and then back to what Israellycool does best: making life miserable for the people who actually hate Jews.
