Is It Time for the Jews to Leave Europe?

Is it time for the Jews to leave Europe?
Link - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2015/03/is-it-time-for-jews-to-leave-europe.html

I am deeply saddened with the extent and prevalence of Anti-Semitism in Europe. Jeffrey Goldberg, the author of the article has put together a comprehensive and precise educational document.

I have been collecting information for a while to speak and write an article on rise of Anti-Semitism and how to mitigate and reverse the trend. Personally, I have been doing my tiny little share of work towards it through education at the annual Holocaust and Genocides event for the last eight years, and standing up for Jews (just not Jews, but all humanity that is harassed) every time and against any one when I saw the ugly head of Anti-Semitism.

February 15, 2015: A man worships in the 
Ohel Abraham synagogue, near where the anti-Semitic 
riots in Sarcelles erupted last summer.

Reading this article in Atlantic has  discouraged me beyond my own abilities to be positive. I can empathize with the Jews how they feel about this. What's wrong with Goddamned God to put his own creation through such turmoil?   For the last two hours, I was obsessed with the ugly thought, "I cannot do anything about it" and wanted to shut down and walk away.

I am back again, took a deep nap and woke up with a strong feeling, that I will not be discouraged, and I will continue to do my share of work.

One of my tiny judgments is my observation that the partial "rise" in Anti-Semitism in Europe and across the globe has to do with Netanyahu's brutal policies towards Palestinians. Much of the 'current" prejudice against Jews may  actually be anti-Netanyahuism, rather than Anti-Semitism. 161 of the 166 Nations consistently feel slapped by him, as he went against their resolution (UN) every time. He blatantly violated the UN resolutions, he even slapped Joe Biden with more settlements against the US policy.  That is no way to build a nation, and it has its own expressions reflected in Anti-Netanyahuism, which unfortunately the people of Israel are paying.

Like most of the moderate and progressive Jews, I am reading and expressing all aspects of the issue, with a few  judgments here and there and resisting and questioning myself at my blog Israel Palestine dialogue. I have spent a considerable amount of time, writing over 100 articles and I am not going to give up, if I do, how can I blame others for chickening out?

There goes my half a day and I feel this is an investment in righteousness. I am deeply committed to do my share of Tikkun Olam in building cohesive societies where no one has to live in apprehension or fear of the other.

Anti-Semitism is a curse on humanity, it is a dangerous virus that messes the social fabric, and take it from me, those who have this virus, are also infected with the brother viruses like Homophobia, Islamophobia, xenophobia, racism and misogyny. If you got one, you got the others. We must all take a stand against these evils of the society, that feed off each other.

This is a historic documents to read and teach about the evils of inhumanity, hatred, bias, stereotyping and prejudices towards the minorities.  This is the story of minorities every where, as a Muslim kid, I have experienced a touch of the similar incidents mentioned in this article, but shamefully not as much as others to feel the agony in full, but I feel the apprehension and sadness, and it is painful to me.  What I clearly see is the harassment of Hindus, Christians, Shia and Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan;  Hindus, Buddhists and Ahmadiyya Muslims in Bangladesh, Muslims Christians and Dalits in India, Jews in France and other nations, Palestinians in Israel, African Americans, LGBT and Muslims in the United States. It is there every where.

We all have to do our share of work in our own circles, immediate neighborhoods and communities. Shame on us, if we take the attitude, "I don't want to offend them" or worse,
"they are not against me, why bother"  If we seek goodness of people around us, all will be the beneficiaries of goodwill.

Jeffrey Goldberg's article " Is it time for the Jews to leave Europe" in the Atlantic magazine. is worth studying.

A few excerpts where I paused and was lost are;

"I’ve spent much of the past year traveling across Europe, in search of an answer to a simple, but pressing, question: Is it time for the Jews to leave? Europe is a Jewish museum and a Jewish graveyard, but after the war it became, remarkably—and despite Hitler’s best efforts—home once again to living, breathing Jewish communities. Is it still a place for Jews who want to live uncamouflaged Jewish lives?"

“I know this is a dangerous thing to say … but the Holocaust didn’t satisfy.”

"Another man, of Sudanese background, explained that the Koran itself warns Muslims to fear double-crossing by Jews. “They killed the prophets and tried to poison the Prophet Muhammad,” he said. I did not hear critiques of Israel’s occupation policies."

"Europe has blamed the Jews for an encyclopedia of sins. The Church blamed the Jews for killing Jesus; Voltaire blamed the Jews for inventing Christianity. In the febrile minds of anti-Semites, Jews were usurers and well-poisoners and spreaders of disease. Jews were the creators of both communism and capitalism; they were clannish but also cosmopolitan; cowardly and warmongering; self-righteous moralists and defilers of culture. Ideologues and demagogues of many permutations have understood the Jews to be a singularly malevolent force standing between the world and its perfection."

Full article by Jeffrey Goldberg is at http://israel-palestine-dialogue.blogspot.com/2015/03/is-it-time-for-jews-to-leave-europe.html

Mike Ghouse 
www.MikeGhouse.net
Speaker on Israel