Why do Jewish husbands die before their wives? They want to.” Jackie Mason
i am only an authority on who I am and where I’m at, nothing more and that’s probably a stretch. On top that, I am always learning more as time goes by. At least, talking about myself is familiar territory. I have had something on my mind for quite a while now. It has to do with the purposeful confusion regarding opposition to the carnage in Gaza and antisemitism, further complicated when you’re Jewish.
I am not sure if people really understand the difference between being Jewish and being Israeli. At the risk of sounding like an idiot, my chosen specialty, being Jewish is a religion and being Israeli is a matter of citizenship. I’m gonna tell you something else. The only reason why Israel was fabricated in the desert is because it gave European countries a way to get rid of the Jews living within their own borders.
A bunch of old Jews got together thousands of years ago to write the Old Testament. I am being kind when I call this book rather self-serving. Of course, show me any of the core books and documents from any religion, and I’ll show you some terrific press. Now, calling us the Chosen Ones right up front was a recipe for social disaster. Many of us were brought up thinking it was actually true. The 100% emphasis on education goes all the way back to the time of my favorite Moses, Charlton Heston. Oh, that was not his real name. He was born Chaim Hestonblatt.
As far as I know, we are the only ones, who are both a religion and an ethnicity. I identify as part of the tribe, but not the faith. Yes, they are my people, which has nothing to do with my country. In a way, I have the citizenship credentials to question and criticize the policies of my people, when they fall under the umbrella of being landsmen. “My fellow, Jewish citizens of America, how the fuck can you, in good conscience, support the genocide in Gaza? Shame on you.”
I have been following the slaughter in Palestine and as naive as it may sound, I don’t understand how Israel is allowed to do what they are doing every damn day? Did you know that Gaza has the world’s largest concentration of child amputees? Not only that, Israel has not allowed the delivery of wheelchairs from Australia for months and months. Does it make me antisemitic to say Israel’s treatment of all Palestinians is a kind of cruelty that defies description? What they are doing mirrors Hitler’s treatment of Jews and his Final Solution.
Jews have always been world-class, deal makers. One visit to the Diamond Exchange on 47th St. in Manhattan and you will understand exactly what I’m talking about. They will take all your money and leave you feeling great about the deal you just made. I shit you not.
The religion has continually adapted to the times. Even all the way back in biblical days, Solomon’s wife converted to Judaism, because everything has forever been negotiable. The Reformed Jewish religion was created in the mid-1800’s to ease up on the hard disciplines of the religion, making it more compatible with “modern” times. I was forced to go to Hebrew school in preparation for my Bar Mitzvah ceremony at age 13, magically transforming into a “Man”. After only 5,000 years, it was astutely decided that a girl should become “Woman” and have the same ceremony, called a Bat Mitzvah. Do you get my drift?
There have always been Jews here, who have fanatically supported Israel’s right to do most anything. American Jewry has been contributing to Israel’s outsized bankroll for years. When I was a kid, money was sent to plant trees there, in honor of someone. I am not totally sure all the trees made it into the ground. The truth is, regional dominance has always been their end game.
College campuses erupted last year, when Israel went absolutely crazy, seeking blood retribution for the Oct. 7th assault on the country. This is not the place to debate Israeli “complicity” in the matter, giving them carte blanche for revenge, leveling Gaza to the ground, killing thousands in the process. They continue to do the most awful things imaginable, but this not a story I even have the words for, that’s how despicable it is.
Gaza is a goddamn, endless pogrom, no different than what the Jews experienced during Hitler’s reign, initiated by the Kristallnacht, The Night of Broken Glass……………………….
I just had to walk away from my desk, because I started crying uncontrollably. It is pretty much impossible for me not to feel it. What can I say?
On the night of November 9, 1938, the Nazi’s ransacked homes, businesses and synagogues throughout Germany and Austria, killing and imprisoning thousands of my people. I cried, because it is part of who I am. Now, Israel has become the perpetrator of crimes against humanity. Shame on them and shame on countries like ours that have aided and abetted these murderers.
This takes me right to the doorstep of AIPAC, guilty of funneling millions of dollars to those US politicians favoring Israel’s slaughter of innocent, human beings. They have almost single handedly made objecting to Israeli policy a show of antisemitism. “Free Palestine” are two words that will have you ostracized from your community and/or campus.
Our government, regardless of leadership, has wholeheartedly supported Israel’s inhumane policies. Both countries have been using each other since the Israeli state was carved in the sand. We needed an outpost in the Middle East to protect our access to the region’s rich, oil reserves. The US turned its back on my people, when they were desperate to get out from under Nazi oppression, but time and circumstance changed and America needed to use us. For their part, Israel has played the US like a Stradivarius and they still are.
I grew up in NYC in the 1950’s. Jewish population hit around 2 million in the City, representing about 25% of the total. It was very deceiving to grow up during that time. Let me tell you, when I got to Kauai a bunch of years ago, I remember standing on line at the bank and noticing i was the only white guy there. On top of that, my people are a small minority here. It is certainly the mathematical truth of who we are. I love it and I love Kauai.
However, there is no escaping the Jewish Ego. Years ago, I was walking from the parking lot at Kauai Coffee, to an event there. It was evening and while walking, a guy introduced himself to me and I did the same back. When my last name fell from my lips. he immediately responded, “You’re one of us!” You know, you can be proud of your heritage, without being elitist. Different is not better, it is just different.
For obvious reasons, I can safely assume the majority of you are goyim (Yiddish translation for gentile, with a hint of disdain). You are not one of us! Of course you’re not and I am not one of you and who cares anyway? All of us should treat everyone like they are one of us. The human beings in Gaza are our parents, our brothers, our sisters, our children.
May God Bless Us All.
PS: The real minority in this country are the billionaires, who have all the power. I don’t think that’s fair, do you? They need our help.
LISTEN TO IT HERE:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/1292459/episodes/19860965-jewish-israeli-etc