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Submitted to YWN. Not edited in any way.
Dear editor,
Many people are saying that our anti-Semitic problem today is reminiscent of the 30’s.
But it is WE who are repeating what happened in the 30’s.From our rebellious introduction of new “hip” non-Jewish sounding music into our music industry.
To our subtle introduction of non-Jewish templates into our magazines and even blatantly obvious ones, WE are repeating the 30’s.
If I turn on the radio and I can’t tell whether I’m listening to a non-Jewish song or a Jewish one, we have a problem. if i walk into a store and i cannot tell whether its a jewish store or a non jewish store because it wasnt created with the spirit of judism in mind, we are going astray.
If I open a magazine and can’t tell whether it’s a Jewish magazine or a non -Jewish one we are LOSING OUR WAY.If we are going to cry about our anti-Semitic problem, the only people we can truly blame, is OURSELVES.
Reporters just confirmed that when David Duke was a young boy, he walked into a kosher supermarket and couldn’t even tell that it was made with the Spirit of Judaism. The rest is history.
When the public hears that the orthodox refuse to vaccinate, it encourages anti-semitism saying Jews only care about themselves.
It used to be that one could tell the difference between a Jewish and non-Jewish song by the quality.
Or when we move en masse to a suburb and don’t behave.
Don’t most Jewish owned stores and businesses have mezuzahs? I would consider that an indication that the store is owned by Jews.
We reject their culture, lifestyle and way of doing things. We mock their dieties. We smash their idols. We deny the authenticity of their scriptures. Note the anti-semitism began when Avaham Aveinu was the only Yid. Also not that even Jews who make a serious effort to live and act and believe like goyim, keeping only the slightest degree of Jewishness also run into problems. The cause of bigotry is bigots. No hiddush here.
Many of the major anti semitic movements throughout history were not based on a total fabrication, like the blood libel, but over holding all Jews culpable for the actions of the few. And a perfect example of this is painting all Jews as not “behaving” because of how a few percent act.
Bout time someone is calling a spade a spade!
On the other hand, today’s youth have access to kosher entertainment and concerts, where singers reach to the heavens bringing deeper emotional appreciation to divray chazal. Today’s restaurants have the highest standards of kashrus, not to mention glatt, chalav yisrael, pas yisrael and more. Today’s families have access to kosher magazines as beautiful as secular media. The overall focus on limud hatotah in nearly without precident in Jewish history.
Yes, we should be reaching for more ruchniyus.
BUT, to ignore our growth is unfair, and to say that this is the cause of all anti-Semitism requires nevuah.
@akuperma thats 100 percent not true i heard from my rebbi that theres an automatic balcance the more we try to intergrate with the goyim the more the antisemitsm would rise. theres an automatic balance the more we try to be part of american culture the more it rises thats what happened before the holocaust.
The more we assimilate the more likely the goyim will turn to “racial” anti-semitism rather than religious anti-semitism. The underlying reason is our refusal to fully assimilate. Note that in pre-war Germany and modern America, secular persons of Jewish descent are readily identified as Jews, and are attempt to impose an alien ideology on the general society. Those who choose to truely assimilate are not identified as Jews (e.g. John Kerry, can assimlate quite well).
See the Meshach Chachma in Parshas Bechukosai on V’af Gam Zos in great detail.
ac here here
one of the very first laws
the Nazis yemach shemom
promulgated was Jewish
shops must close on
shabbosI think the reason why there is anti-semitism, is an outcome of jealousy. They know that we say the Jews are the chosen Nation, but if we explain to them how they are also special, created with the image of Hashem, came in this world for a purpose etc.. then I think we would see a decrease in anti-semitism.
The hate won’t stop by calling it out. (As we see it doesn’t help, it just causes more hate.)And the same goes for us yeddin, if we are thought and focus on how special we are, then we won’t look to copy the goyim.
Listening to Goyish music causes the Measles
Chosid you were mechaven to the Klei Yoker in Parshes Devorim on פנו לכם צפונה.
Purim was a month ago. Many of our zemirot tunes come from Polish and Russian folk songs and even drinking songs. Chabad even adopted one of Napoleon’s marches even though the Baal haTanya supported the Tsar.
However, Rav Meir Simcha tells us the real reason. Thinking that Berlin (or Brooklyn or Monsey or Lakewood) is our Jerusalem. Rav Kook says that there are three types of olim corresponding to the three types of shofarot. The best type comes from a ram – those Jews who make aliya out of a religious desire to build the land and keep its mitzvot. The second type are those who come for nationalistic reasons. This is not the best shofar but it comes from a kosher animal so one may make a beracha. The third type are those who are pushed out by antisemitism. This is the shofar from a non-kosher animal. It may be sounded if there is nothing else but one may not make a beracha.
A black man can’t stop being black and a Yid cannot stop being a Yid. Do any of those who suggest we Yidden only have ourselves to blame also suggest that blacks only have themselves to blame for racial attacks?
Time for serious teshuva together.
Don’t think we can all just live in denial and think we can fool Hashem into thinking we don’t see hashems tragic wake up calls for teshuva
This topic reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:
Non-Jews respect Jews who respect Judaism. Non-Jews are embarrassed by Jews who are embarrassed by Judaism.
From a June 2013 article by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.There have been many factors in antisemitism. Conspicuous consumption fans jealousy. When rulers and aristocrats became indebted to Jews they borrowed from, libels freed them from their obligations. When priests couldn’t explain to their followers why Jews were successful, trumped up accusations followed with pogroms, when goyim murdered people, they could blame the Jews to hide their guilt, when armies ran low on money and provisions, dispossess the Jews to fund wars and enrich soldiers. The list of excuses is really enormous. Underlying much of it is our successful orientation to life (from the Torah), our success in almost any and all socioeconomic environments, our communal orientation, value of knowledge, adherence to ancient traditions, and our innovative perspectives. Yet, the Japanese and Chinese, are also very successful, and don’t face our obstacles. Is it because they were never chosen to receive the Torah, and have a special relationship to the Creator? Or perhaps they were never in such close proximity to enormous competing religious offshoots, as we have?
I disagree with the prognosis but not the symptom. I’m not from your neighborhood and have been all over the country and all over the internet. People are pre-disposed to being very anti-Semitic when there are no Jews about, or when they have never even met, seen, or know a Jew. It doesn’t matter if we exist or not, people have varying levels of mental issues.
But as to the substance of the letter. I wholly agree with the problem. Now that I’d like to be more Jewish, the email lists I find, the magazines I see are preposterous. With each one getting worse. I don’t need a Muslim Syrian Haggadah, and other unmentionables. There’s no reason to spend my time reading things I could waste my time with by watching Cable Television. Maybe this is why we’re losing people, because if you’re not a Bernie Sanders type, there is no point in being on any non-religious Jewish list.
a great quote on this is:
“if the yidden dont make kiddish, than the goyim will make havdalla”HaShem makes antisemitism in the world to remind us that we are different from the goyim so that we should act different.
bee- That was said by Rav Chaim Vollozhener.
Yep, Beis Halevi says the same thing, and that’s why Egypt turned on the Jews, “vayahafoch libom lisno osam.”
That being said, we should still not try to instagate anything.
jdf007
Antisemitism is ordained
When Yitzchok gave the
brochos he said that they
will have the upper hand if
we do not keep the mitzvosWe say in the haggada שלא אחד מהם עמד עלינו לכלותינו וכו’ והקב’ה מצילנו מידם through anti-semitism, Hashem saves us from assimiation.
This was submitted to a Lakewood newspaper as well. It chose not to print the part about creating stores with the spirit of Judaism in mind…
Many people are saying that our anti-Semitic problem today is reminiscent of the 30s.
As in ’30s Germany under Hitler? Who’s saying this?
introduction of non-Jewish templates into our magazines
I honestly don’t know what this means. Advertisements for luxuries?
If I open a magazine and can’t tell whether it’s a Jewish magazine or a non -Jewish one
we are LOSING OUR WAY.
Maybe so, but unless he’s referring to single ads taken out of context, this probably isn’t the case.
If shown all of the ads in a particular magazine at once, I think we could easily tell whether it was
Jewish. Or is it general-interest articles with no relation to Judaism that he objects to?
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