4 May 24
“It never troubles a wolf how many the sheep be!”
Plato
A long-time friend, currently living in the LA area, called yesterday expressing concern for the physical safety of himself and family.
He is Jewish, and like most of my Jewish friends, not particularly religious. Only rarely does he (at least marginally) observe Jewish holidays. If fact, in our conversations he often expresses cynical skepticism concerning all religions!
However, he is understandably concerned about the current, well-orchestrated, well-organized, violent anti-Jewish fervor, which is now unmistakable in every corner of our nation, and by no means confined to college campuses!
An aside:
I don’t like, nor do I use, to term, “anti-Semitic.”
It comes from “Shem,” the first son of Noah of the Old Testament Flood Story. One of Shem’s ascendants was Abram, who was re-named Abraham. One of Abraham’s ascendants was Judah, fourth son of Jacob (Jacob was later re-named “Israel”), from whom the term “Jew” originates.
The first time we even hear the term, “Jew” in the Old Testament, the State of Judah (southern kingdom) is at war with their former brethren (northern kingdom), now the State of Samaria, as the two family groups had suffered an unpleasant territorial break-up around 930BC, and thereafter were not on speaking terms!
The point is: modern-day Jews can thus surely claim to be “Semitic,” but Shem had many children and grandchildren, so every other ascendant of Shem, including most Arabs and many Europeans (probably including me) can make the identical claim!
Hence today, the term “Semitic” is so non-specific as to be meaningless, much like the term”Gentile,” which loosely translates to: “… not related to anyone in particular”
“Anti-Jewish” more precisely describes the violent hatred embraced by Nazis in the 1930s, and what is rearing its ugly head once again, now in the USA, and is promoted by the same people!
Back to my story:
My Jewish friend forwarded me a letter (email) he received yesterday from a Jewish academic organization, listing a number of “precautions” American Jews should be taking these days.
Most related to lowering personal profile.
All sound advice, of course, but admonishment to “go armed” was conspicuously absent from the list, a glaring omission I pointed-out!
I continued that the pernicious malady of “Learned Helplessness” seems to universally infect the entire Jewish community here in America, and in Europe!
“Learned Helplessness” is when a person repeatedly faces stressful situations, but makes no effort to exercise control, even when means of control are available!
Many Jews, it seems, have institutionally convinced themselves that they are forever helpless victims, and thus stubbornly refuse to change their circumstances, even when change is possible.
My friend of course (being one of my students) does not fit that mold, does go armed, even has “weapons of war” at his disposal. In the same way, all my Jewish students audaciously reject “Learned Helplessness,” but many among their brethren continue to obstinately cling to it, despite what they know of world history, and what they plainly see happening abound them now!
Just as took place in Germany in the 1930s, leftist politicians in America (particularly in CA) have created conditions that favor violent criminals, simultaneously punishing/hobbling good and decent citizens, with whom leftists (themselves being neither good, nor decent) feel no connection.
Wolves are being subsidized. Sheep are on their own!
We’re presently witnessing “Learned Helplessness,” in action. Self-declared sheep needn’t imagine they’ll die of old age!
Time for Jews, who have deliberately imposed “sheepdom” upon themselves, to wake-up. Sheep face a bleak future!
“… either you get eaten by a wolf today, or else the shepherd saves you from the wolf, so he can sell you to the butcher tomorrow”
Ogden Nash
/John
