Palestine and George Washington

 There's this joke about a teacher telling his students to write about "elephants" and when the students asked, "what about elephants?", the teacher responded that they would write anything they wanted.

Horribly stereotypical, but the French student wrote about "The Love Life of the Elephant". The Italian student wrote "What Elephants Love to Eat" and the Jewish student wrote, "The Elephant and the Jewish Problem".

It's a very old joke and still, not insignificant. And so when I saw this announcement I wondered what connection the Palestinians have with the George Washington Bridge. You see, I grew up in New Jersey and the bridge played a significant part in my life...across it were my grandparents, the Jewish Hebrew high school I attended on Sundays, where I went to university, where I lived, where I met my husband.

My connection with George Washington was further strengthened when I lived for nearly a decade opposite his headquarters in Morristown.

Since there was no Palestine in the 1700s when George lived and served the United States, there can be no historical connection and even now when there is no George Washington and no Palestine, why would they want to stop a bridge thousands of miles away?

And then I thought - maybe George Washington said something to offend Muslims?

So I checked. Pretty much, Washington didn't really interact with many Muslims, but he did say this, "If they are good workmen, they may be of Asia, Africa, or Europe. They may be Mahometans, [Mohammedans/Muslims], Jews, or Christians of any Sect, or they may be Atheists."

Not the warmest of greetings but certainly nothing to protest about. So maybe it was something he said about the Jews that angers the Palestinians? Well, in 1790, he did address a synagogue, thank them graciously for their welcome and say, "For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support."

And he continued, "May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid."

Sadly, Jewish students are afraid in the US. In city after city, university after university, and now apparently, bridge after bridge, Muslims are violently protesting, attacking Jews, slandering Israel and spreading such incredible misinformation but sure - bring your cars and flags and signs because hopefully, the more you shout out the hatred we know so well here in the Middle East, the fast the America I knew as I child will recognize in you what we saw here on October 7.