One of the more fruitless debates between critics and supporters of Israel, is where to draw the line between candid criticism of Israeli policy, and anti-Semitism.

As a public service, we present the following post war self-test, to assist readers in placing themselves along the continuum which stretches from taking rational issue with Israeli policy, and ends in Jew-hate.

1. There is only one neighborhood grocery store [makolet] still operating in the Katyusha-shredded northern town of Kiryat Shmona. Up from the bomb shelters during a lull in attacks, shoppers seeking milk, bread, infant formula and other staples, congregate outside the grocery, waiting to enter.

A Hezbollah rocket attack on the crowd is:

A. Morally indefensible. Israel is careful to bomb only Hezbollah targets, many of which the organization regrettably locates among civilians, who are thus forced to act as human shields.

B. Wrong, if understandable in the context of guerilla warfare. Both sides should make every effort to keep non-combatants from being hurt.

C. Heroic. An example of self-defense. The rockets, a relative slingshot compared to the Israel's Goliath-scale arsenal, cause negligible damage in comparison to the slaughter which Israeli has inflicted in massacre after massacre from air, land and sea. Moreover, there are no non-combatants in Israel. Every infant is a potential soldier, women serve in the army, even the handicapped and elderly volunteer for service in the armed forces.

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2. You are handsome, famous and inebriated when you are stopped driving in Malibu, California by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. Suspecting the arresting officer of Judaism, you consider informing him that "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world."

You would take this course of action:

A. Over your dead body.
B Only after 6-8 drinks.
C Cold sober.

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3. You are CNN. When Lebanese civilians are killed, injured or rendered homeless in Israeli air strikes, you identify the victims as Lebanese civilians and elaborate on their suffering. When Israeli civilians are killed in Hezbollah rocket attacks, you should:

A. Identify them as Israeli civilians and elaborate on their suffering.
B. Identify them as Israelis, thus calling into question whether they are civilians.
C. Omit them, and elaborate on the suffering of Lebanese civilians.

_______


4. The Jewish lobby in the United States:

A. Represents Israel's interests as pro-Arab lobbyists represent theirs.
B. Crosses the line at times, but serves a legitimate role.
C. Runs everything.

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5. Jostein Gaarder, author of the book "Sophie's World," last week sparked a storm in his native Norway by writing, in the context of IDF operations in Lebanon, that Israel had lost its right to exist.

Referring to the killing of Lebanese children, Gaarder said "We note that many Israelis celebrate such triumphs like they once cheered the scourges of the Lord as 'fitting punishment' for the people of Egypt."

Gaarder also wrote that the first Zionist terrorists started operating in the days of Jesus.

The proper response to Gaarder is:

A. Condemn him, to the point of boycott.
B. Encourage rational debate on the issues he raises, bearing in mind his subsequent statement saying that he was misunderstood.
C. Applaud him for braving the media's censorship of honest discussion of Israel and its supporters.

_______


6. The Jewish people

A. Have a right to a state of their own in the Holy Land.
B. Have a right to an independent state alongside Palestine
C. Have no inherent right to a state, nor an inherent right to reside in Palestine.


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7. You are watching BBC coverage of the Israeli military reading Guardian coverage of the Israeli military. Your blood pressure:

A. Goes through the roof. The aneurism light is on.
B. Is unchanged.
C. Improves.

______

8. Rising gasoline prices are a result of:

A. Oil industry profiteering, global warming, and growing consumption in the U.S., China, and elsewhere.
B. War and political instability in the Middle East.
C The actions of Israel and its supporters.

______


9.Israel's actions in Lebanon were:

A. Expressions of self-defense.
B. Misguided expressions of self-defense.
C. Worse than the Nazis.

_______


10. When Iranian President Ahmadinejad calls the Holocaust a myth and says that Israel should be erased from the map he:

A. Should be taken seriously, as Hitler's Mein Kampf should have been,
B. Should be viewed as a demagogue, exploiting and inciting Muslim anger at Israel.
C. Saying what millions of people honestly believe, and with good reason.

_______

To Rate Yourself:

Score 10 Points for every answer A.
Score 20 Points for every answer B.
Score 30 points for every answer C.

If you scored between 100-150:

You are not an anti-Semite, though you may have some issues with Arabs.

If you scored between 150-220

You are not an anti-Semite, though some to your right may call you one.

If you scored between 230-300

Just because you don't think of yourself as a flaming anti-Semite ...



[With thanks to Varda, Kessie, David and Peter]