****Disclaimer: I may inadvertantly offend, show my ignorance, and/or hurt some people with what I say in this post. I apologize in advance!****
I really wanted some more time to research and look into this topic before writing about it - but who am I kidding? I don't have time to even cook myself dinner on most nights. So what if my ignorance shows? (Hence by "disclaimer" given above...)
In a nutsell, I guess this post is about policts ("politricks"), but since I don't get too excited about polictical rants in any depth, I don't see myself presenting my own rant. Let's just say that "I'm exploring". Just like with my official philosophic stand within Judaism. However, I never knew that the two aspects of my life would collide.
While looking into the Satmars, I found some more concrete information on religious Jews who oppose Zionism. Just being on the site sent me a shiver. Not because of the topic; I'll read anything and try to respect it; but because my community is very Zionistic. My shul recites prayers for the State of Israel on Shabbos - the one I go to mainly (the other one, which is headed by an Agudath Israel Rav curiously does not include these prayers). And I have sensed (if not heard) comments from some of these religious Zionists which borders on racism - where they regard the Arabs/Palestinians as children of evil incarnate.
Not that I have any questions as to who I support. I truly desire for Israel to be successful overall because it is the home to millions of Jews. But....but.....but....
Don't ask me to erase my experiences, what I am, and what I know.
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Look at Israel. It used to be Palestine - and it used to be British. I am convinced that the British have the "Midas Touch" in gross reverse. They seem to curse every land they stumble upon. Let's look at the roster here: India, Jamaica, South Africa (a real winner there), Hong Kong, Israel, and the good ol' U.S. of A. What!? That's right, I said it. Selective memory will have us forget that our precious "Sweet Land of Liberty" was the haven for the most atrocious form of organized slavery in recorded history and the poster child of hypocrisy to the rest of the world. We make the Canadians look like boy scouts! So perhaps the old "Birds of a feather flock together" applies in our allegiance to Israel.
Now I'm not ready to put a sticker on my head just yet.
Let's look at this fiasco that occured with Ariel Sharon and his buddies. Of course my overall stance is that, "Hashem controls it all", no matter who's in power, a man is just a man. The hurt from the relgious Zionists was real when Sharon, someone who was a big proponent of new settlements beyond pre-'67 borders, changed his tune and handed this land back to the Palestinians. Perhaps this is just the kick that Hamas needed to win the elections. Is this what Sharon anticipated - even in "worse-case scenario" thoughts? Will we ever know at this point?
Now for the relgious Zionists, the future is hazy with a thick fog. But why is it not always that way? Why do we think we can beat out our own destiny? Not that we should sit back and be the whipping boy. Given the circumstances fueled by the Holocaust, the establishment of the State of Israel saved countless lives. That cannot be denied. Perhaps that is why Hashem willed that the "State" even come into existence. I mean if G-d is in control of it all, and if he didn't want Israel to be established before the coming of Moshiach then it wouldn't have happened and 1/3 of the world's Jews would be living in Uganda right now.
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Denying what has happened is one thing; endorsing wrong behavior is another. Blame my polictically-left leanings, but I found the site If American Knew quite interesting. Without a doubt, all the statistics only tell a portion of the story; but lets revisit the whole idea of "selective history" again. 60 years ago, Britain did not give a rat's ass (excuse my French) about the well-being of their denizens in Palestine and what would happen to them in a state controlled by the Israelis. Not to get into specifics, I'll leave it at that - but let me just blurb about something that may really hit close to home.
The thought that Jews are somehow inherently better than other human beings is probably the notion that just does not resonate with me - and probably never will. It is beyond "racism" but along the lines of a haughtiness that counters the core tenets of the Torah. Listen closely kids, but every man and woman alive is a precious jewel in the eyes of the creator. Now the Torah is a key; a key that if used the right way, contains uspeakable rewards. But guess what, anyone alive is free to take hold of that key, and just because you hold the key does not mean you know how to use it or get inside the door.
I do not mean to pick on the religious Zionists; if you think there are no Satmars who feel they are somehow inherently superior to whoever, I invite you to spend a week in Williamsburg the next time you go to Brooklyn (true, you'll have to brush up on your Yiddish first). But any banter about Jews being blameless is inherently wrong. Everyone, you, me, Jew, non-Jew, Asian, White, have things about our mindset that are our downfall. And because we are limited by our faults sometimes we just can't get past them. Especially if you don't see any problems with your current mindset.
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What can I say except that I choose not to be blind to injustice and dogma that sanctions abuse to other people. I am not pro-terriorist. I am all about finding Osama and stringing him up on a pole. I don't empathize with suicide bombers and I'm not going to go see Paradise Now . I heart that saying that "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything". But how about just being able to say, "Hey, what you stand for just does not resonate with me". Who knows, maybe I'll be introduced to something or learn something that will sway me more one way than the other (as has happened with my American political leanings to be a Democratic Socialist although I don't agree with about 1/4 of their platform). But I have to hand it to the Orthodox Jews who speak out against Zionism. The early Zionists were anti-relgion and worse yet anti-Torah. Perhaps the obvious shortcomings of the state is what is needed to show that an Israel established by Jews and not by Hashem just will not work like clockwork. Daily I pray for peace and for a cessation of the bloodshed for both Jews and Palestinans. Sooner better than later.
The Most Famous Ramban in Chumash – The End of Parshas Bo
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The Ramban at the end of Bo is a classic work on Jewish philosophy and
probably the most quoted Ramban in Chumash. It’s well worth seeing inside.
Here’s ...
3 months ago
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4 comments:
Strong post, I can’t really give my opinion as I hate politics of all kind.
But the sites you likn to and find interesting appall me.
What on earth does it mean that palestinian children were killed by Israelis, when????
I can't deny that the chose people concept sounds haughty and arrogant, and in today's world it's difficult to explain, but it's undeniable that Jews work hard, very hard to please G-D, way beyond donating some money or helping an old lady cross the street safely!
Ah Mr. Prag; a day later I realize I did a bad job of conveying my neutrality towards the issue; especially since I gave only a cursory description of my current community. Lots of people in my neighborhood either have children who made aliyah, or lived in Israel themselves at one point. And sometimes it's shocking to see the blind faith they put in the Israeli leaders and instant condemnation of anything "Arab/Palestinian" flavored in the slightest.
But I did not reveal that I truly feel that if I could, I would move to Israel tomorrow without a second thought. I see the Jews as "my people" above anything or anyone else. I applaud Jews from any walk of life who have done significant things to help the Jewish people (this includes secular Zionists). Just like we prepare weekly for Shabbos, we need to prepare Eretz Yisrael to help usher in the messianic age. So it's not Israel or even Zionists that I question; only the approaches taken to achieve a "goal" (and even then, some of the approaches - not all).
Sorry, not just a response to you Mr. Prag, but to the entry itself.
I think also that religious Zionists/"National Religious" start out with fear and loathing of Arabs taught to them from when they are very young and their experiences (and experiences of people they know) just tend to confirm what they have been raised with.
That being said, their kids might be more moderate, since they may actually know and interact with Arabs and see Arabs that they like and see as human beings. Their view of Arabs might be more nuanced. American supporters of wacked out "psychosettlers" (as I dubbed them when I lived in Israel)often are that way because they don't know and interact with any actual Arabs.
That being said, living in Israel and seeing the terrorism and hearing what the Arabs say about Jews can very well have the effect of having you openly fantasizing about expelling the Arabs at best. When I left Israel some 3 years ago otherwise normal, good kids from North Tel-Aviv were openly advocating transfer (a scandal and totally off limits excpet to the radical right, say, 10 years ago) and cheering when they read that a Palestinian had been killed.
I personally had Palestinians (who were from Gaza, but were living in Tel-Aviv illegally with the help of Israeli Arab friends) who had no idea I was Jewish tell me to my face that they liked Arafat because he was like Hitler, who they thought was a great man EXACTLY BECAUSE he killed 6 million Jews. These same Palestinians like this man just elected Hamas as their leaders. Shit like this will make you crazy with revenge-hatred.
And then it gets filtered back to their families and communities and makes its way to the ears of unsuspecting Americans, who are shocked by what they hear.
You can call me Prag :)
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