Ben Stein: Obama Making ‘Annihilation’ of Jews Possible
Ben, sadly is not alone. A relative of mine says similar things. This relative is an orthodox Jew and politically more than a bit of a nihilist … he denies being a Reprican and likely did not vote for Romney. At the same time, he describes any prospect for peace as a bad thing, sees Palestinians only as Jew hating madmen.
I try, with no success to explain that without peace, Israel will inevitably either die or turn into a perpetually armed camp.
As for Obama, my relative is not a racist, he feels the same about most politicians I think of as rational.
One last thing, since I have writing about my family, I want to assure readers that the relative I refer to here is not part of the group trying to block preservation and release of the Buchenwald materials. He is, rather, someone I admire for many other good values. I think his problem is special to the Orthodox community. While I hugely admire the Orthodox Jews for their commitments to follow the 613 mitzvoth (commandments) of Judaism, the insularity of the Orthodox means they carry out these laws in a world that is literally separated form every one else by an alternative reality. For them, including this much loved relative, a law like “thou shalt not steal” is conditioned by a reality where the others .. the Romans, the Christians, and the Muslims stole our homes.
Like fundamentalist Muslims or Christians, Orthodox Jews are not able to see the larger world through the veils of their realities. The wisdom of Gandhi, Buddha, Jefferson, Cesar Chavez, is as hidden from them as are the scientific facts of creation and evolution. For that matter, the fundamentalist veils are even more opaque to the good in each other’s worlds. Christians and Muslim fundamentalists are as unable to understand the Jewish concepts of mitzvot and teshuvah, as my relative is unable to understand the beauty of Christian love and Islamic submission.
The Orthodox Jews, like their Muslim and Christian peers, are not alone in failing to understand … or perhaps agree with … the principles I and others see as the good things our religion has contributed to the world. Indeed some Jews reject ties to Spinoza, Einstein, Lazarus, Alinsky and even Itzaak Rabin because these Jews were atheists.
Depressing!
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You have previously identified by name (and relationship) your family, but you don’t identify by name (and relationship) whoever is the relative you discuss in this blog. Who is he?
Met a German-Israeli when I was in Nuweiba. She was so “excited” when she found out the landlord only raseid the rent for 5% (she was expecting 10%).However, when I pointed out the issue of displaced and dispossessed Palestinians, she didn’t seem to care at all.Such is the life of the middle class in Israel? Sounds pretty much like in Hong Kong, huh?P.S. Anyone in Hong Kong cares about the Palestine Authority’s bid for UN statehood…?