Wednesday, May 21, 2008

ANTI-SEMITIC, ANTI-ISLAMIC, AND ANTI-AMERICAN

A week ago I mentioned that a commenter on Dovbear's blog had opined that my ideas betrayed an incredible cluelessness.

[See this post: http://atthebackofthehill.blogspot.com/2008/05/posting-in-which-i-confess-my-utter.html ]


I had written that being a recognizable Jew, Muslim, or American in Europe was asking for trouble. It is not that the majority of the people over there will do anything, or even (most of the time) say anything. But being a recognizable Jew, Muslim, or American does place one in the centre of many people's rhetorical gun sights. Many western Europeans hate and resent Muslims, despise America and Americans, and have re-grown their anti-Semitic fangs after the quietude of the fifties and sixties.

[Remember, it takes only one violent bugger to spoil a sunny day. Even in the smaller European cities there are at least 365 morons.]


It is by no means as bad as it could be. It is nowhere near the situation during the thirties. Nor does the situation resemble the savage ferment of the Slavic lands, which maintains even today.

Still, I would rather be a honky in Oakland than a Jew, Muslim, or American in Europe. Possibly this is a question of comfort zone and personal attitude. But probably not.



Quoting from today's (05/21/08) Arutz Sheva newsletter:

German Arab Terrorist Sentenced For Stabbing Rabbi

A German court has sentenced a German Muslim terrorist to three and a half years in prison for trying to murder a local rabbi with a knife.

The court found 23-year-old Sajed Aziz guilty of causing serious injuries in the September attack on Rabbi Zalman Gurevitch. CNN reported that Aziz claimed in court that he had acted in self-defense; that the rabbi had approached him in a "threatening manner." Aziz was born in Germany to parents from Afghanistan.

The German prosecutors said there was not enough evidence that Aziz intended to murder the rabbi for a manslaughter charge. According to the European Jewish News two key witnesses in the case, a Jewish man and the woman who had been walking with Rabbi Gurevitch, refused to testify at the trial because they feared for their safety.

Local Jewish officials criticized the light sentence. "After a verdict like this Frankfurt has become more unsafe for Jews," Moshe Mendelzon, who attended the trial with other Orthodox Jews living in Germany, told the European Jewish News.

Frankfurt Jewish community President Salomon Korn said the sentence "has given a clear message to potential stabbers. I wonder if this would have been the sentence if there had been a religiously tinged attack on a Christian clergyman."


And:

British Jews Targeted by Attacks

Anti-Jewish graffiti covered shops, sidewalks and walls outside four synagogues in the northeast London Clapton Common and Stamford Hill neighborhoods last week.

The 40 slogans said things like "Jihad to Israel" and "Jihad to Tel Aviv."

David Greenwald, a young member of the Belz synagogue, one of those targeted, told This is London:
"This morning I went to synagogue to pray and saw the writing all over everywhere - walls, shops, traffic lights. Everyone feels scared. Here we do not have any problem with Arabs - there has never been anything like this before, but now we are worried."

The report quoted another member: "It makes us feel that we are in exile. It could be kids doing it, but even so, it shows something." The other synagogues were Satmar Beth Hamedrash Yetev Lev, Atereth Zvi Beth Hamedrash, and the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations. A day later more graffiti appeared in Bethnal Green.


And:

In Ireland: Go Home, Jew

A Jewish man living in Ireland complained to police last week of Nazi graffiti on his home.

According to the Irish Independent, Herb Meyer's home on the Dublin Road in Tuam was spray-painted with swastikas and slogans such as "Go Home, Jew."

Meyer said he wasn’t aware of many people who even knew he was Jewish, as he does not dress identifiably like a Jew.

According to the Independent, Meyer "and his partner Armida Walsh, a Tuam native," were intending to move to London to be near relatives, but they may revise their plans due to the attack.

The paper did not elaborate whether the revised plans may involve going to Israel.



[SOURCE:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126246
Arutz Sheva website: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/ ]


Note re "Go Home, Jew": Going home can only mean aliyah. Precisely what the anti-Israel crowd think is objectionable. But such a sentiment proves, conclusively, that Zionism is right. Absolutely right. One hundred and ten percent. The anti-Semites ADMIT that Jews have a home - and that that home is Israel. Ultimately, all Jews are Israelis.

[Jameel at the Muqata encourages you to come home. Treppenwitz proves, often, that it is both sweet and good to do so. But I merely encourage you to read both of their fine blogs.
Jameel: http://muqata.blogspot.com/
Treppenwitz: http://bogieworks.blogs.com/treppenwitz/ ]


Golus, no matter how gilded, is always a defensive posture. The same Arutz Sheva article also mentions anti-Semitic attacks in Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, and New York.

2 comments:

J. "יהוא בן יהושפט בן נמשי" Izrael said...

I agree with the main vibe of your article, but disagree with some detail.

1st off, only 365 morons in the village? My father told me the world is consisted of 1% protons 1% electrons 1% neutrons and 97% morons.

As far as Zionism goes: generally the case for can be made for as easily as against. You're right about the Euro atmosphere. I had adventures in Amsterdam (second or third story) but statistically you have more chances of being blown up in Israel.

In any way, we're pretty dishonest preaching about Zionism while comfortably sitting in Monsey and Frisco, drinking expensive Scotch and smoking pipe and fressing steak and driving big mamah zettser cars and living in big houses.

The back of the hill said...

That bit about one percent, one percent, one percent, 97 percent reminds me of the general rule that ninety-five percent of any given category is utter crap.
[Plus the statement that 81.5% of all statistics are utterly inaccurate or outright lies....]

And while I agree that preaching Zionism while staying in golus does have a shmek of un-honesty about it, it nevertheless still has to be done. The world does not gladly accept that the nation has a place - they'll accept it for all nations minus one. So it has to be argued and reargued till moshiach comes.
[Not looking forward to his coming - I prefer the stimulus of uncertainty to the dullness of "meh, what now?"]

My pipes are expensive, that I grant. But my Scotch?
And big house in Frisco? Mmmmm, try small cramped apartment. Don't have a car. Haven't eaten steak in years (because of a complete distrust of the American beef industry).

Statistically there is a greater chance of being blown up in Israel, indeed. But statistically I have a greater chance of being shot here. Or mugged. Or stabbed.
Or, seeing as my face is now recognized by the other side, followed home by someone with unpleasant intentions (never leave a protest site alone, never take the same route home twice).

Zionism can be lived in Israel. It has to be struggled for in Frisco. All nations have a place. Including Jacob.

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