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July 2, 2009
Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The hallmark of a person
Abe Novick: Up, up, and aliya
July 1, 2009
Rabbi Avi Shafran: The Road Taken
The Kosher Gourmet
by Marialisa Calta: Get into the holiday spirit with these Star-Spangled desserts
June 30, 2009
Rabbi Binyomin Ginsberg: What makes a great parent?
Caroline B. Glick: Ideologue-in-Chief
June 29, 2009
The Jewish Ethicist
by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Beware of 'Caveat Emptor'
Steven Emerson: ACLU pushing for more money for Hamas
June 26, 2009
Rabbi Yoni Posnick: Learn the secret to a healthy marriage from a scriptural villain
Caroline B. Glick: Barack Obama vs. International Law
June 25, 2009
Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf: The Absurd Power of Truth
Jordan "Gorf" Gorfinkle's strip:
Everything's Relative
June 24, 2009
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Advancement of technology is a wake-up call for humanity
The Kosher Gourmet by Andrea Weigl: Summer on a stick: Making frozen treats can be easy, creative and fun
June 23, 2009
Martin M. Bodek: 'On Surnames': And so, We Begin
Caroline B. Glick: The Obama Effect
June 22, 2009
The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Working for a corrupt firm
N. Richard Greenfield : Where are American Jews?
June 19, 2009
Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: Emotion v. intellect
Caroline B. Glick: Israel's rare opportunity
June 18, 2009
Jonathan Rosenblum: Sometimes it is more essential to define the nature of evil than good
Jordan "Gorf" Gorfinkle's strip:
Everything's Relative
June 17, 2009
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: The Language of Confusion
The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: Nothing pleases Dad more than a thick, juicy onion-smothered steak. Add home-Baked Potato Chips and …
June 16, 2009
The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Career v. Careersism
Caroline B. Glick: Obama's losing streak and Israel
Richard Z. Chesnoff: Palestinians: Never Missing an Opportunity …
June 15, 2009
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu: How Judea and Samaria can become 'Palestine'
Daniel Pipes: Where Netanyahu's speech failed
June 12, 2009
Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: Some big thoughts about not acting so big
Caroline B. Glick:
Obama's High Commissioner
June 11, 2009
Victor Davis Hanson: Our historically challenged President
Mitch Albom: Beware the True Believers
Lewis Grossberger: What we learn from the new Hitler photos
June 10, 2009
Mort Zuckerman: What Obama and his advisors won't -- or refuse to -- grasp about Israel and the Muslim world
The Kosher Gourmet
by Steve Petusevsky Lotsa pasta: Tips, techniques and (amazing) taste
June 9, 2009
Anne Bayefsky: Obama's stunning offense to Israel and the Jewish people
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: America's first Muslim president?
June 8, 2009
The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Merchant must take responsibility for careless shopper?
Mark Steyn: A superpower that feeds on mediocrity cannot survive for long on leftovers from the past
Richard Z. Chesnoff: How do you say 'kumbaya' in Arabic?
June 5, 2009
Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: In quest of spirituality
Caroline B. Glick: Obama's Arabian dreams
Charles Krauthammer: The Settlements Myth
June 4, 2009
Paul Greenberg: The War Comes to Little Rock
The Kosher Gourmet
by Judy Hevrdejs: Splash it on! Tap your inner jazz musician and improvise when stirring up a vinaigrette
June 3, 2009
The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Q. Should terrible teacher be exposed?
Jonathan Rosenblum: The Israel Lobby: Missing in Action
June 2, 2009
Dennis Prager: The Speech President Obama Won't Dare Give in Egypt
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Pressure on Israel raises war risk
Oct. 29, 2003
Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)
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Jewish World Review
Sept. 14, 2004
/ 28 Elul 5764
American Jews should consider emulating the eagle, rather than the ostrich
By
Jackie Mason & Raoul Felder
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http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
It has been said that "Jews are the people of 'The Book'." From what we observe today, "The Book" is not a survival manual and may end up being the Koran.
There are three things certain in life: death, taxes and anti-Semitism. Well, death is death, taxes are down and anti-Semitism is up. Like some demon seed that lay dormant, sleeping, covered over or ignored, it has now sprouted once again. The hated symbols are scrawled across the grave stones in Jewish cemeteries and on the walls of the ancient capitals of Europe and the Near and Middle East. Jews are blamed for every thing from the destruction of The World Trade Center to the war in Iraq, and are called "baby-killers" in relation to the Palestinian problem, even while the world's media prints the photographs of the arms of small slaughtered Jewish children hanging from the side of a bus that Palestinian terrorists had decided to destroy.
American Jews are peculiarly disconnected from these happenings, and apparently are determined to make their disinterest evident in unfolding world events by their support of the Democratic candidate for President. An ostrich buries its head in the sand, and in so doing leaves another part of its anatomy vulnerable. American Jews should take heed and perhaps consider emulating the eagle, rather than the ostrich.
In a recent poll conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, American Jews who were likely voters favored Kerry 75-22 percent. The problem like it or not that American Jews do not choose to deal with, is that to some degree, the life and well-being of any Jew, anywhere in the world is connected to the fate of Israel. This is true even for the Jews that go to country clubs, ride polo ponies or name their daughters Tiffany. When the Nazis came into power, with equanimity they murdered Jews who had blond hair and blue eyes, and had been loyal German soldiers for the Kaiser, along with the ones with yarmulkas and long beards.
The Jewish knee jerk reaction to vote Democratic is unrelated to any particular advantage the party offers them as it relates to the modern world their allegiance is basically historical beginning with President Roosevelt and then becoming embedded in their psyches, intractable to events and even reality. They believed that somehow Roosevelt was their savior, abolishing discrimination against them, securing their survival by successfully waging the Second World War thereby incurring a debt to the Democratic party in perpetuity.
In point of fact, Roosevelt was a canny politician who believed he had the Jews in his pocket they having voted for him in each of three elections from eighty-three to ninety per cent. Therefore he had to do little for them. He ordered the Saint Louis with its 909 Jewish passengers sent back to their fate of ending up in Hitler's ovens. Not remembered is the fact that America did not declare war on Germany even after Pearl Harbor. It was Germany who declared war on us.
Roosevelt, notwithstanding Churchill's plea, would not order the bombing of the Nazi's transportation web which would slow the delivery of Jews to the concentration camps even after Churchill's prophecy to him that history would condemn both of them for his refusal.
Churchill instructed his Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden "Get everything out the Air Force you can, and invoke me if necessary...There is no doubt that this is probably the greatest and most horrible crime ever committed in the whole history of the world..." But only the American Air Force had the capacity to do this and Roosevelt refused to give the order.
Roosevelt was not an anti-Semite, but like many fancy Protestants of the day, was indifferent to the plight of minorities. This was also apparent in his attitude toward African Americans who since Roosevelt have been joined at the hip to the Democratic party. In one of the earliest secret tape recordings made in the Oval Office, we hear a group of distinguished African American leaders plead with Roosevelt to integrate the Armed Forces and allow them fight side-by-side with white Americans, rather than, as in the Navy, be relegated to cooks, long shoremen and basically, servants for officers. Roosevelt's offensive concession: he would let them play in orchestras because, all the euphemisms aside, they got rhythm.
Roosevelt's successors were not much better for Jews, in the context in which they served in office. From Jimmy Carter who engineered a sellout of Israel at camp David to Hillary Clinton who hugged Mrs. Arafat and called Dick Morris a "F______ Jew bastard", to John Kerry who called Arafat "a statesman" and, in his unending acceptance speech at the Democratic convention did not manage to mention Israel even once.
On the other hand, Nixon, Reagan and the present President have been the guardians of Israel's survival. President Bush however, has been extraordinary in this regard. American Jews who do not like Bush are quick to point out that the Religious Right and President Bush are only supportive of Israel because it fits into their beliefs that there must be a state of Israel in existence when the Christian Messiah comes.
The unworthy thought crosses our minds that if your house were on fire and your neighbor puts out the fire, and he does it because he does not want a burned-out wreck of a house next to his own, rather that out of any love for your family, does it really make a difference? Either motive leaves you and your family with your home. And also, as far as Israel is concerned, when the Messiah comes, we will have plenty of time to ask him if this is a return visit or not.
In the Greenberg poll, when the Jews being polled were asked, "which area [out of a given list] would be MOST important to you in deciding how to vote for a candidate for President?", only 15 percent mentioned Israel. Unfortunately there are six million reasons why they are wrong.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington
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JWR contributors Jackie Mason and Raoul Felder need no introduction. Comment on this column by clicking here.
© 2004, Jackie Mason & Raul Felder
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