It's very good. Something else I'd like to see somebody tackle is a habit analogous to the Muslim takfir, where we accuse each other of being bad Jews, on theological grounds. My Jewishness is of a diaspora-socialist background like yours, and I don't practice the religion at all, other than going to somebody else's seder and Rosh ha-Shana dinners most years, but I find myself constantly tempted to attack Benjamin Netanyahu, for example, who also doesn't practice the religion any more than Ben-Gurion or Rabin did, as a bad Jew, because he violently rejects the commandment to care for strangers. I'm sure this is stupid on my part, but is there some legitimate way to make the point?
Only tangentially related, this makes me think of one of my favorite songwriters, Leon Rosselson, who's song, "My Father's Jewish World" is an amazing statement related to this essay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezlqqSxm0Rk
yeah. very longstanding dilemma for left Jews (from before Israel was established; many socialists and communists always thought zionism was a bad idea.)
This is a much needed article for those trying to make sense of this seeming contradiction.
thanks! wasnt' sure there'd be much interest, so nice to hear someone found it useful!
It's very good. Something else I'd like to see somebody tackle is a habit analogous to the Muslim takfir, where we accuse each other of being bad Jews, on theological grounds. My Jewishness is of a diaspora-socialist background like yours, and I don't practice the religion at all, other than going to somebody else's seder and Rosh ha-Shana dinners most years, but I find myself constantly tempted to attack Benjamin Netanyahu, for example, who also doesn't practice the religion any more than Ben-Gurion or Rabin did, as a bad Jew, because he violently rejects the commandment to care for strangers. I'm sure this is stupid on my part, but is there some legitimate way to make the point?
Not sure; I guess I just kind of default to saying he’s an evil bigoted shithead...
Only tangentially related, this makes me think of one of my favorite songwriters, Leon Rosselson, who's song, "My Father's Jewish World" is an amazing statement related to this essay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezlqqSxm0Rk
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
He lived in England half belonging half a stranger
Always feeling much as I do, on the outside looking in.
In time he grew to be an unbeliever,
Religion had become a mental chain
Abandoned God, became a Jewish atheist
and then, with pride a communist until the day he died
...
Now my father's Jewish world is lost forever
burned in the flames of hatred, nothing is left but ash and dust
and Yiddish lingers on our [inaudible] nostalgia
How can I make some meaning from what passed
The state they say is Jewish carved from stone and land
Brings only shame by torturing and killing in our name
yeah. very longstanding dilemma for left Jews (from before Israel was established; many socialists and communists always thought zionism was a bad idea.)
But did you listen to the song? :)
(his earlier song "The Last Chance" is also an interesting meditation on Israel)
This post is also relevant to Alan Dershowitz extremely bad take on Elon vs Soros in the WSJ...
oh god I missed that.