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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!)

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.

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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.


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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