All day long I have seeing everywhere on the net the article about Alvin Ailey dancer, Abdur Rahim Jackson, and I am mortified. When the dancer landed in Israel after a long, exhausting flight, the Israel security forces took him aside and asked him to dance to prove his identity. I can understand how humiliating this appeared. Israel should have apologized for the inconvienence but explained the need.
I defend the security forces in this case. We have the right to protect our borders. Unfortunately, Israel is a victim of many terrorist plots. Only with overzealous security do the security forces thwart many attacks.
Jackson was not targeted simply because he was a Muslim. My friend Todd, white, non Jewish and one of the top 200 lawyers in the US, came to visit me twice in Israel last year. On his second trip with his wife and three daughters, he was separated questioned by the security forces for hours. They did not understand why he was coming to Israel twice in one year. They were also suspicious due to weird route to Israel due to frequent flyer miles.
I can not undo what has happened to Abdur. But I can invite him to dinner on me. I and my friends extend a warm invitation to Mr. Jackson. We will show you the best of Tel Aviv and hopefully erase the bad memories from the airport.
For those that are always nattering about branding Israel, they missed a golden opportunity to show the hospitality of Israel.
