Reform Jews Are No Shtetl Jews

To call today's left-wing, largely Reform and Conservative Jews, "shtetl Jews" would be a tragic misnomer. I come from shtetl Jews; they are no shtetl Jews. Most shtetl Jews and their offspring, who did not join the Communist party in the Soviet Union, retained a very strong sense of identity if by force, as well as a clear awareness of threats and danger. Those of them who were HOlocaust survivors, in many cases went to Palestine, and fought for the creation of the State of Israel. They did not wait for anyone's permission to do so. Weizmann and the rest, men who came from humble roots, rather than from elitist stock, (Weizmann, a biochemist, came from a village), lobbied President Truman to do the right thing and to recognize the nascent state, in spite of his own State Department, and threats from high level foreign policy officials, which he eventually did.

Violence preceded the creation of the State of Israel, not the least to the spread of propaganda by the Nazis in the Middle East, and ensued once again immediately upon the recognition of Israel as a sovereign state. It then followed the young state through its history, and at each turning point, including the reunification of Jerusalem, there were surely some American Jewish "leaders" who clamored for "sha, shtill!" mentality, claiming that innocent people will die if Israel asserts her rights, and that surely sooner or later the right time will come and Israel can reclaim what's rightfully hers peacefully. My friends, such time will never come.

If you want what's yours, you have to fight for it, sometimes through aggressive lobbying and diplomatic work, and sometimes, upon meeting with blind hatred, corruption, and instigation, with overwhelming force, if that's the only thing your enemy recognizes. Israel is now positioned better than at any time in her history. Many countries find blessing in conducting relations with Israel, and care far more about the advantages such an alliance brings to their people than about empty rhetoric from far-away corrupt politicos, who care nothing about them or their countries and cultures. Let us find courage and wisdom in the lessons of the past, and stand behind President Trump's decision to finally do the right thing that we have been waiting for 70 years, and stop treating ISrael like a pariah among sovereign states by recognizing its own chosen political capital as such. I think it's idiotic to pretend that Israel does not have its entire government in Jerusalem. Being blind to the facts on the ground will not somehow strengthen the claims of the Muslims to the Al Aqsa mosque.

On the contrary, readiness to engage in unprovoked violence against their neighbors, readiness to slaughter civilians to show their displeasure with political moves, weakens their claim of desire for peace, and their claim for spiritual connection with the Holy City. Israel is in a tough neighborhood, where strength, not weakness, is respected and recognized. Saudi Arabia is drawing closer with ISrael not out of desire to protect her, but because she sees ISrael as a strong country, a potentially useful ally against a mutual threat. Don't be under illusion that things would be different if somehow Israel grew softer on any point. The demands would be greater, the violence more intense. Israel should stand up for her basic rights, being treated as an equal among sovereign nations, and the United States should act out of position of strength and pursue an independent foreign policy, based on its own interests, not on empty threats from greedy corrupt illegitimate thugs, who also demand money from US taxpayers to avoid inciting their own abused and manipulated populations towards terrorism and misery.