Dating from the 139 BCE Roman expulsion from then, Judea, up until the middle of the twentieth century the Jews have accepted their fate of being violently attacked as the scapegoats for economic downfalls and libels such as they kill children for their blood for religious purposes. In earlier history it was because, "They killed Christ", (Blog:“IT IS ALWAYS THE JEWS”). They customarily responded by either emigrating to countries that would accept them or at worst “walked like lambs to their slaughter”.
There has, once again, been a world wide resurgence of antisemitism. This was exponentially exacerbated by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israeli citizens. The anger has been fueled ever since by the Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu's Gaza/Lebanon ongoing response, then further inflamed by the Trump war with Iran. The aforementioned events intensified the hatred against the Jews outside of Israel in the diaspora as well. The fact that Trump has publicly abandoned Netanyahu in anticipation, perhaps, for blaming him for their joint failure opens the door for his cult to agree “It is always the Jews”.
This decade's long antisemitism has not occurred in a vacuum. The circumstances of a changing world paradigm - the fourth industrial revolution - has created the economic uncertainty that has historically needed someone to blame - a role the Jews have often filled. Jews, however, respond differently today, than they have historically.
The question still remains how can they survive this latest blitzkrieg? Who is a Jew is often defined not by Jews so why do they stick their necks out when history has shown that they just get chopped off ? What motivates them to “overachieve”? What are the answers to the antisemites’ criticisms?
One has to look at the culture the Jews are raised in to realize why this tiny group has outlived its would be conquerors. In this narrative the Hebrew Bible and the culture it generated will be utilized as a background to their inheritance. Psychoanalyst Karl Jung would have called it “collective unconsciousness” but he would have missed the mark as this practice is far from unique to the Jews.
THE WORLD AS IT CURRENTLY IS AND ANTISEMITISM
With the world wide web various demographics, political viewpoints and cultures for example have become instantaneously connected. While related groups stretch across the planet stoking up fear and hate, the nation state is still the only viable entity to govern defined geographical populations. Illogically all the citizens are judged by the statements and actions of its leader.
However a nation state’s political system and it's head can change rapidly. Nowhere was this better illustrated recently when overnight autocratic Hungary morphed into a democracy. Hungary’s Orban came into power 16 years ago scapegoating the world famous liberal Jewish billionaire, the Hungarian born George Soros, for its then woes. Some Jews in Hungary backed Orban as the antisemitism prevailed accepting “The Faustian” bargain of “ersatz” support of Israel. What is that worth now?
President Trump, even though he claimed that some of the Charlottesville marchers who chanted “The Jews will not replace us” were “good people”, is supported by many Jews. He "alone" concurred with Netanyahu that Iran was an existential threat. Trump now frustrated at the stalemate in the Iran war, admitted a shouting match with Netanyahu, calling him, “F-king crazy”. Trump made it clear, “That I call the shots”.
Trump volunteersd on CNBC, "How a Jewish person can vote for a Democrat is beyond me because I have been the best President in Israel.... I was at 99 (percent) ". This is reminiscent of the philosopher of apartheid, Prime Minister Hendrick Verwoerd, who wryly reflected, " (the fact that) during the last election so many Jews favored the Progressive Party and so few the Nationalist Party did not past unnoticed". Verwoerd also blamed South African Jews for Israel's vote against apartheid at the United Nations.
While the final outcome of the war is not decided, Iran has been transformed into a major world player while Israel no longer has bipartisan support in America, being condemned by not only the extreme right and left but also by members of both political parties. Vice President, J.D. Vance stated, “... the Iran Deal is a home run for the American People whether Israel likes it or not”.
The famed political scientist, Timothy Snyder, regards the Hungarian precedent as highly relevant to other authoritarian regimes. Autocratic Trump’s government has one third public acceptance while at least seventy- five percent of Israelis, including the Arab citizens are against Netanyahu’s cabal. Jay H. Ell was written screeds against both but supports the nation states of Israel and America while fighting the soaring prevalence of antisemitism in the diaspora. While there was universal condemnation of the Nazis, Germany is now regarded as a mainstay of world democracy, so the old order can and does change.
There has been the hysteria created by the antisemite Nigel Farage’s performance in the recent United Kingdom elections. How short memories are. Farage, who is an Orban and Trump supporter, won the 2016 Brexit referendum with 52 percent of the vote on the same issues that Trump triumphed in 2016. Ironically, the UK's problems are largely as a result of Brexit.This time round Farage won 8 of the 630 seats in the House of Commons. (That is just three more than the Green Party). His success in local elections was a vote of no confidence in the current lack luster UK government. However the self same voters had little confidence in his Reform Party governing the country.
So while the diaspora's antisemitism has risen once again resulting in individuals being fearful and gathering places such as synagogues and schools requiring security to prevent further hate crimes and murders, no one realistically foresees pogroms or holocausts. Nor whatever government Israel has at the moment will the nation state just will not fade away - is Iran volunteering to take 8,000,000 Jewish refugees?
CHANGE IN THE JEWISH ATTITUDE TO IDENTITY AND NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Ever since the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in 1943 and the establishment of the State of Israel, Jews actively have fought back. They have become more aggressively involved in the politics of the diaspora, (Blog:“IT IS ALWAYS THE JEWS”). The political Post WW11 Jewish religious leaders in the diaspora rather than shut up have screamed out loudly about their identity. Some Rabbis in addition to proclaiming their belief system have involved themselves in the national political arena.
Chief among the national figures was the Chabad Lubavitcher Rebbe Schneerson who post war called for the creation of communities to welcome all Jews and replace hate with love. Within 75 years of the holocaust over 2,500 such communities exist all over the world even in exotic places such as the base of Mount Everest. He is remembered for advising Shirley Chisholm the first black woman in the House of Representatives, who the Southern Democrats had hoped to marginalize by sending her to the Agricultural Committee. Schneerson told her she had the unique opportunity to involve Republican Bob Dole in dealing with the agricultural surplus to start the food program to the poor which in spite of Trump survives to this day.
The mystical Rabbi Abraham Heshel, an escapee from the holocaust, marched literally next to Martin Luther King, “felt his legs praying”. The charismatic Rabbi wrote several religious texts and books, a few which centered around the prophets where his philosophy to life was anchored.
.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks of the British Commonwealth, philosopher and economist, was persuaded by The Rebbe to become a theologian. He became prominent on the world inter faith and secular stages. He authored three dozen books and was awarded the Templeton Laureate in 2016. The latter filled the gap of Nobel Prizes by creating an award for fulfilling the “Spiritual dimension of life’. He joined the company of such as the Dali Lama, Jane Goodall, Solzhenitsyn and Mother Theresa. Although an advisor to several British Prime Ministers he refused to make any political statement other than that he favored the two state solution for the conflict with the Palestinians.
In addition the international voices against anti semitism are loud and clear, headed by Government leaders such as Starmer of Britain, Macron of France, and Mertz of Germany. In America in spite of the exponential increase in hate crimes there are still four Jews who are credible candidates for the 2028 American Presidential election.
It is crystal clear that those who support the nation state of Israel and attack the policies of the Netanyahu cabal are not antisemites. However there is a difficulty in confronting most jew haters as invariably they deny being just that. The famed Israeli author, the late Amos Oz, argued, “First they told us to go to Palestine. Now they are telling us to get out!”
WHAT ARE THE RESPONSES TO THE ARGUMENTS OF "ANTISEMITES"?
For starters Jay. H. Ell notes that as a general rule anyone in any religion believes that it is the “chosen”. As the Jewish religion was the first monotheistic religion that worshipped a
G-D outside of the Universe they are no exception. Jews whether they are believers or not, secular or religious, Zionists or not, are raised in the culture of the Hebrew Bible, - all 29 “books”. It is important to note according to the latter that the Jews only formed a nation in the second book Exodus. In the first book, Genesis, all people are “born in the image of G-D”.
The reason that Jews including those who are not Zionists and/or disagree with the current actions of Israel are able to be labelled “the aggressors warmongers” is that the first time since biblical times they have a nation state. However the disagreement against Israel's policies is no reason to kill congregants in a synagogue in Pittsburgh or shoppers in a Kosher butchery in Paris.
The Jews all being capitalists and communists threats at the same time is Hitlerian. Ironically in America the Trump administration is the first to be buying chunks of public companies. The argument that those in the diaspora have dual loyalties is selective bias. In Chicago the Irish dye the river green on St. Patrick’s Day, the Italians flood the streets in Little Italy and on National Day, the Mexicans celebrate Cinco de Miao. None compare with the Polish who have three major celebrations - a massive Constitution Day Parade, Flag Day and a three day Polonia Festival over Labor Day weekend When the Iranian soccer team played in Los Angeles who did one think the largest concentration of Iranian immigrants cheered for? None of the latter gets two column inches.
This year the Israeli Independence Day evoked much controversy even in New York City which has the largest Jewish population in the world. The phenom newly elected Mayor Yohran Mandami ostentatiously boycotted it being the first mayor to do so. (One in five Jews voted for him). He also berated the American Israeli Political Action Committee, (AIPAC) as a “monster”. Needless to document that citizens of every other heritage have at least American lobbyists to Congress and they are not regarded as “monsters”.
There are Jewish political activists of all stripes some even claim that they have “found Zion” in their own countries. In the Torah, (The first five books of the Hebrew Bible), the Israelites are instructed 32 times to “love the stranger as you too were strangers in Egypt”. With regard to being a religion of “obey” the word does not appear once in their liturgy. Rather it is “listen or hear”. There are three types of leaders in the Hebrew Bible, Kings, Priests and Prophets. The latter speak truth to power. The law is divine law and in Exodus it is not foist on the former slaves till “the people” accept it. Even so the leaders often argue with G-D who on occasion takes their point. The Torah is to be updated every generation while all post biblical texts are endless arguments as to how interpret the law.
Finally with regard to “overachievement” it is a function of many variables including insecurity and portability. (It is a feature too of Asian immigrants). Freud might have argued it was to win favor with mothers, Rene Girard would have maintained it was all about sibling rivalry and Jung was convinced that there was a collective unconsciousness.
A most important factor however is the tenet that education is a means as well as an ends. The Chabad Rebbe referred to earlier has the American National Education Day named after him. Rabbi Sacks explained “When Moses gathered the slaves after their liberation from Egypt he does not promise, as the right might do - a past, that never was or what the left might proclaim - a utopia that never can be”. Rather he instructs them “to tell your children”. Today the event is celebrated as Passover where the feature is for children to ask questions.
AT THE END OF THE DAY
The century's old conspiracy emanating out of Russia at the turn of the twentieth century, "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" is surfacing again. Jews apparently control the world. If that was true then they wouldn't be in the predicament they are in now. Nevertheless as history has shown they will survive.
Netanyahu and the current government is not for long. Bibi's survival parallels Trump - as leader he was responsible for October 7. Even more so as he transferred to Hamas two billion dollars from Qatar over the years. Yet Netanyahu like Trump refuses to take responsibility for their individual major catastrophes - Trump, being January 6.
Why is it the world empathizes appropriately with the Iranian citizens and has virtually no recognition of the hundreds of thousands in the streets of Israel protesting from January 2023 against one or other of Netanyahu's actions?
No comments:
Post a Comment