Guest Post!- Dr. Moshe Schwartz, "Hasbarite Syndrome Part II: What if they got real jobs?"

The leading expert today on dissecting the mentality of the hasbarite activist is surely Dr. Moshe Schwartz. He was kind enough to submit this follow-up article to "The Judean Hammer Blog":

I decided to write a Part II on the subject of hasbara and the hasbarite personality, since Part I included a lot of descriptions, and it’s important to go topic by topic to understand this syndrome. So sit back, grab your favorite beverage, and pontificate on this.

There are those who post and vent on social media during their spare time with the recognition that they will not change the world. This is not pessimism, but accepting reality. But many people on social media, including many career hasbarites, are living out a fantasy. The fantasy is this: I am the general of an army, or a sort of Terminator taking out all the enemies.

Reality:  They avoid real work and holding down a real job.   Their “work” is primarily attending social engagements, gathering a crowd to applaud them, and shamelessly shnorrering donations so they don’t have to worry about providing an income for themselves. Some of these shameless career activists shout out, “be at this protest, or be at this event or you can’t possibly care about Israel as much as I do!” What a weak self-serving battle cry! 

How about this for a reality check? Many of these people don’t take care of a family. Most of these loud hasbarites are funded by other people. Most of these hasbarites are without shame or dignity, as they hustle for the next opportunity to promote their egos. It easy to give a battle cry out like that when you have pimped people to fund you. 

Those who don’t answer this battle cry, work and take care of their families. Many are active in their communities in Israel. Many don’t not need a camera or video but do the most “zionistic” thing possible. They live in Israel and raise families, and fight the battles which have no glory. Most have real jobs and actually help Jews silently. Many advocate with dignity and Jewish strength. These people will never answer the battle cry of “be at this protest or be at this event or you can’t possibly care about Israel as much as I do!” They actually have Zionist things to do.

My message to these hasbarites. Talk is really cheap. Back it up by deeds and not just when there are cameras and police barricades to protect you from real confrontation. Trust me, the “normal” Israeli Jew that vents and advocates does their part with dignity.

Maybe the reason these people made being a Hasbarite their career, is because they could not travel as much with a regular job? Perhaps their egos need the attention they could not get with a real job? Maybe if they had to work an honest job even as a hamburger flipper, it would not satisfy their egos? (Now let me be clear. A hamburger flipper at least has dignity to provide his or her own paycheck.) Maybe they are lazy sloths.

 If you want to speak out against the enemies of Israel by all means do so. If you wish to travel to go to protests by all means do it. But two things. Have the dignity to work a real job while you are doing these things, and pay your own way.  Don’t suck up money that can actually go to needy communities in Israel. You aren’t worth it.

And make sure you advocate from a Jewish perspective with Jewish strength and dignity, without resorting to using “multicultural tokens” to please political correctness. Be real people. Be genuine. Don’t pimp yourselves out and don’t let yourselves be pimped. And if you have the ability to advocate for Israel make sure you advocate for a Jewish Israel.

Sa