Lessons unlearned
On the occasion of Holocaust Day, Jonathan Tobin suggests that all that money that American Jewish federations have spent commemorating the Holocaust is money that has gone to waste. American Jewry just doesn't get it. The question is, what are American Jews — the vast majority of whom voted for Obama as loyal Democrats — prepared to do to convince their president to act before it is too late? There is no evidence to suggest that there is a pervasive sense of alarm or outrage about the administration’s feckless Iran policy or its perverse insistence on hostility toward the democratically elected government of Israel. Thus, for all of the attention devoted to observances of Yom Hashoah among American Jews, it appears as if the actual lesson of the Holocaust has no resonance for all too many. Though it was always true, this year the mere recital of expressions of sorrow for the Six Million are not enough. Acts of remembrance that do not lead us to draw conclusions about the present are of little use. For all the care and money that has gone into the proliferation of Holocaust memorials around the United States, it must be understood that the best and only true memorial to the Shoah is to be found in the creation and the survival of the State of Israel and of the Jewish people itself. Those who weep over fate of the Six Million but say nothing as Barack Obama lets Iran off the hook have learned nothing.Why aren't there three million Jews marching on the capitol? Or is this generation also to be left to the Peter Bregson's and Rabbi Moshe Feinstein's and those few others who recognize the danger?
Read it all.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:24 PM
11 Comments:
One Jew I do business with refuses to discuss Israel. Whenever I've tried to discuss anything regarding Israel, his "lights go off". He will not give an opinion on anything to do politically with the Israel or its leaders.
To be fair, most of the Jews in the local synagogue feel that way as well.
Since I live in a predominantly Southern Baptist community, a lot of the Christians are that way as well.
It's kind of funny in its own right that they worship a Jew and know next to nothing about the Torah / Old Testament except for what little they're taught in Sunday School.
At one time, we lived in the Western Plains in essentially, the middle of nowhere. There were maybe a dozen Jews in entire county. We were surrounded by Mormans and Protestants who were farmers. They drove their tractors and listened to religious radio all day. Most everyone had some kind of biblical first name from the OT. And yes, they could quote scripture forward and backward.
They didn't know a thing, nor did they care, about Israel. Neither did the 11 other Jews that were there.
I wish I knew how to wake them up.
The American Jewish Community is bothered by what the Nazis did but it can't seem to get aroused by the present day evil threatening the Jewish people. All those Holocaust museums and memorials, built for what exactly? "Never again" does not seem to have made a great impression upon American Jews.
What could go wrong indeed
What is more shocking:
A. that minimally observant American Jews have made Hanukah a minor holiday that celebrates a victory of hard core frumies over assimmilated Jews and their Greek overlords.
or
B. Jewish organizations that largely ignored the Holocaust, and had brunches in honor of FDR, have now made a cottage industry of the Holocaust.
or
C. Jewish organizations that were silent during the Holocaust and CONDEMNED Kook and the Rabbis now condemn Pius XII for his silence.( I say this not to defend that rasha pope, but to bring up the chutzpah of American Jews.
Never again should mean don't trust secular Jewish liberals
I meant
A. that minimally observant American Jews have made Hanukah a minor holiday that celebrates a victory of hard core frumies over assimmilated Jews and their Greek overlords into their major holiday.
my bad
carl,
i think the problem lies with the chicken little syndrome.
american jews (and all americans in fact) spent the last 20 or so years being told that sadaam was the next hitler
when the veil was lifted, we saw that he really wasnt (he may have tried to be, but he and his regime were way too weak and inept)
so we have spent billions to get rid of one socalled hitler...and now we are being told that no...it wasnt sadaam who was hitler...its really achmadinjad
you can only scream that the sky is falling so many times before people stop listening
now maybe the sky is indeed falling...but it may take a real event (god forbid that it should have anything to do with israel) to make people believe that is the case.
blame obama if you want, but i cant see any administration doing anything more
When they are shipped out in the Cattle Cars they can scream: "But I voted for Obama!"
This Jew will be in Israel!
jlp4221: these people are acting out Judaism but their hearts and souls are not in it. I have met many similar Jews in England. They say, "I hope God does not abandon us with all this Iran problem!"
It is they who have abandoned God. Maybe thats what happened to people in Germany and Poland in the 30's.
Findalis said...
When they are shipped out in the Cattle Cars they can scream: "But I voted for Obama!"
Findalis. What you are saying is 6 million Jews had it coming.
Let me set the record straight. There are approximately 3 million Jews in the U.S. of approximately total population of 307,006,550.
In the whole world there are approximately 13.3 million Jews. Out of that population world wide there are 6,814,756,824
billion people.
Genocide of Jews is a world problem and if in fact Israel is obliterated it lies on the shoulders once again of the WORLD who most assuredly care less for a very small and vulnerable population of Jews.
I hate to tell you but if every Jew in the world joined hands tomorrow, nothing would be done about Iran. Nothing will stop the inherent evil perpetrated against Jews by non-Jews since time immemorial.
You have no idea how many times in my life non-Jews have told me, "You Jews had it coming!" Wake up because this is still how they feel.
I have lived in the US all my life. I know all sorts of Jews from all sorts of affiliations and walks of life many of whom are Reform and believe me are very much upset about Obama and the threat from Iran.
I ask you, where were conservative republicans especially those whose voices are prominent be it politicians and journalists of note when Bush screwed Israel over? I have done extensive research and analysis on this subject. I know where they were and I know their mouths were clamped shut.
BTW: I don't see the OU out protesting in front of the white house but I can hardly say they don't care or because they are not taking full page ads in prominent newspapers, we deserve to be taken off in cattle cars.
BS like this is meant to take the pressure off the rest of the world. Bottom line, Genocide of Jews can be stopped by the billions of others who have the power to do so.
..and don't think for one moment the road to this abbys Israel stands upon began with Obama. Our good friend did zip with Iran. He could not even sign the Jerusalem act. He dropped the ball so hard you could hear the reverberations around the world.
This bantering back and forth is purely political. If you don't think those who claim to be my friends who clamped their mouths shut during the last 4 years of the Bush administration are equally to blame, you are mistaken.
LOL, now it is in the best interests of my conservative comrades to politicize the dreaded Obama. Period. Now they care what happens to Israel.
See Carl what framing the possibility of Iran obliterating Israel with supposed Jews who don't care creates?
Look:
"Maybe thats what happened to people in Germany and Poland in the 30's."
Oh yah....WE HAD IT COMING DIDN'T WE Juniper in the Desert?
If anyone needs to be punished it is Christianity whose libel that we killed Christ that is responsible even to this day.
The worst person on earth does not deserve what Jews had to endure.
The BS that G-d is punishing Jews for not living onehundred percent to what you think G-d wants is trash!!!
My family came to America after loosing entire families because of that blood libel and that was after living centuries in ghettos and being chased from one place or another if they were lucky enough to not be KILLED.
When they came to America they suffered the most extreme Anti-Semitism by White Christians. They couldn't borrow money or send their kids to elite universities or join country clubs after they scrimped and saved to earn money. They were hounded by the words,"no dogs or Jews allowed" and constantly accused of being CHRIST KILLERS with hook noses.
One uncle who came from Russia had an appetite to be a conservative republican. Ha, ha, Jews were not allowed to vote in Republican central committees. When he moved to another city he joined NOT AS A JEW. Of course a couple years latter when some good Republican caught him walking out of his synagogue. He got his a** kicked figuratively and literally.
You have your nerve. Comments like yours makes me feel I am on the HaHaretz website.
Seriously, if you think there is no past in America you must also think only the other guy has sh*t which does not stink.
Wonder why I trust no one!!
To NoMatter: You didn't understand.
70 years ago the Jewish community couldn't imagine what was to happen. If they did, where would they run to?
Today, we Jews living in America (Funny how I am one of them.) are living with our heads in the sand. Hoping for the best, knowing deep in our hearts that Obama hates our guts, and refusing to do anything or say anything in order not to be called a racist!
I have also lived with the hatred you have, probably experienced it longer than you. And was never a fan of Bush or the Republicans. (I am registered Independent.) But how bad Bush was, Obama is worse. A Trillion times worse! For I truly believe that Obama would eagerly finish the job his idol Hitler started if he had the chance!
Findalis
You bet Obama is a trillion times worse then Bush. On that we are in agreement. I have deep disdain for Obama.
I do not believe however Obama wants to finish off what Hitler began. I do feel to him sacrificing Jews is nothing compared to the 'perception' the wrath of the ME will be upon him. He like many others feel we are quite disposable for after all it is ingrained in the souls of most of the world that our duty is to be scapegoats. The core of all mistreatment and inequity against Jews is Antisemitism no matter how small or innocuous the act against us might appear.
Here is a thought. We blame the ones who put Jews to their death but what about those who let it happen? Those people ranked far higher in number then 6 million. That is one point I was trying to make. The other point is to recognize those that paved the road to this very moment that did nothing, that cared less for the obvious fast approaching inevitability.
I am not excusing US Jews. (those who have their heads buried in the sand) I will say they are not the majority and furthermore I understand what drove them to it. I know many of those people and some of them are not bad Jews they are just driven by what they went through. On the good side they produced an awful lot of activists who are not afraid to speak out.
In the end, it is the explicit obligation of the world to stop another mass extermination of Jews even IF every Jew on earth had their heads buried.
Therein lies the rub.
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