I have been seeing many discussions online that result from the conflict that has even going on ever since Palestinians were called Philistines. Most of the hate speech I’ve seen is from Zionists expressing displeasure at opponents of Zionism. Although I have mixed heritage, including Hebrew, I consider myself an opponent of Zionism. Although I have seen few, if any, examples of anti-Semitism in these discussions, it is on the rise in Europe, and KKK Republicans have a long history of it here.
From the immigrant enclaves of the Parisian suburbs to the drizzly bureaucratic city of Brussels to the industrial heartland of Germany, Europe’s old demon returned this summer. “Death to the Jews!” shouted protesters at pro-Palestinian rallies in Belgium and France. “Gas the Jews!” yelled marchers at a similar protest in Germany.
The ugly threats were surpassed by uglier violence. Four people were fatally shot in May at the Jewish Museum in Brussels. A Jewish-owned pharmacy in this Paris suburb was destroyed in July by youths protesting Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. A synagogue in Wuppertal, Germany, was attacked with firebombs. A Swedish Jew was beaten with iron pipes. The list goes on.
The scattered attacks have raised alarm about how Europe is changing and whether it remains a safe place for Jews. An increasing number of Jews, if still relatively modest in total, are now migrating to Israel. Others describe “no go” zones in Muslim districts of many European cities where Jews dare not travel…
Inserted from <NY Times>
We need to remember that Judaism is not Zionism, just as we need to remember that Islam is not terrorism. Jews and Muslims are people, just like you and me. There is no justification for violence against them or bigotry toward them, just because a few of their number are committing despicable acts.
10 Responses to “Judaism is not Zionism”
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Like you and many others TC, I too have mixed heritage and some Jewish blood in the distance – but I could never agree with Zionism which seems to have learned a lot of lessons from the Nazis and to be applying Nazi (and Stasi) methods on everyone they dislike. We are all human beings and should remember that first above all, and treat people as individuals not jump to conclusions…. only then will the Human Race have a chance of surviving – I hope!
Zionism is a form of theocracy, and like every other form of theocracy, it trashes the very faith it is supposed to support. There is no form of theocracy I would support. I damned well will NOT be told by any government what to believe. Today some politician may agree with me, tomorrow the person in the same office may be an idiot. I don't understand why this is so difficult for people to grasp.
One thing I see running through the comments is the continuing confusion about the word "love." When God, or a faith, or a faith leader, tells you to "love one another," s/he is NOT telling you to have affectionate feelings for one another. That is not how our souls and bodies work (and if God made us, s/he certainly knows that.) You cannot decide to have particular emotions (although you can make yourself certifiably insane trying to!) No, in this conrext, to love one another means to take actions for the other person's benefit. Not that this is always easy either, but at least it is possible! Having affectionate feeling for everyone is not.
That is the best explanation I have ever read about love one another.
Thank you Edie. It is heavily dependent on the explanation of C S Lewis, but many people have pointed out that this is what the parable of the Good Samaritan implies.
I think Zionist are religious fanatics and they have no respect for anyone else's beliefs. I put them in the same category as our Right-Wing nut jobs.
Thanks Tom for this informative article
You are right, TC. Judaism is not Zionism and Islam is not terrorism. How easy it seems for a whole group if people to be blamed for the actions of a few. Has the world always been this way or are we just getting so much information now that we can't process it all?
From Wikipedia . . .
"Judaism … is the religion, philosophy, and way of life of the Jewish people."
"Zionism … is a nationalist movement of Jews and Jewish culture that supports the creation of a Jewish homeland in the territory defined as the Land of Israel."
As one can see, one is a religion, a very old religion, while the other is a movement, a relatively young movement.
And I agree with TC, Islam is not terrorism.
No matter what religion or ethnic group, extremists are there. When we paint and entire group of people with one brush stroke, we do damage to the vitality of individuals within that group.
When I as a Christian in Canada cut my hand, I bleed red blood and it hurts. When a Jew cuts his hand, he bleeds red blood and it hurts. When a Muslim cuts his hand, he bleeds red blood and it hurts. As people, we love our children and our joy is to see our children grow up and have children of their own. These are universal.
It is the fundamentalists of any religion, of any group, that accentuate the differences in people, rather than celebrating the similarities.
Europe treats its Jews like the U.S. treats its brown people. Racism is ugly no matter where you find it.
Hi TomCat,
yesterday my comment has been removed although I didn't submit anything offensive – I repeated the words inserted from NY Times (to point out that I agree). Thanks for the post.