Friday, September 18, 2009

Happy Jewish New Year 5770.

SHANA TOVA,- HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR JEWISH PEOPLE EVERYWHERE ESPECIALLY IN ISRAEL.

Is there any independent nation state other than Israel which creates such negative reactions to every even mildly positive comment about it? It's almost as though Israel is the country which some people most love to hate. Why? Are her enemies so much worthier than the Jewish citizens of Israel?

One glance at the letters pages of the general media, as well as even our own AJN, is enough to make one feel absolute despair if one is part of the 80% of the community of more or less active supporters of this tiny sliver of land which is referred to as "the Jewish homeland" and that is called Israel.

Apparently Israel has all kinds of different supporters, while one wrote to the AJN wondering why anyone would support such a terrible country and thinks that, because of a film he saw called "Defamation", supporting Israel at all is 'irresponsible'. I don't blame him entirely because films can have that effect. When I saw the Australian film "Samson and Delilah', I too felt ashamed of Australia as it is portrayed to the world in that one very moving story.

However, because I know a little more of what lies behind that sorry tale about our Aborigines in the outback, I also know that it is not the whole story, therefore 'those who live in glass houses should not throw stones'.
Making judgments based on knowledge is one thing,- making false assumptions based on ignorance or dogma or inherent bias and then wanting to believe evil propaganda is totally different.

Israeli speakers too should be aware that they face an ignorant and hostile world far too ready to embrace the anti-Zionist, pro-Arab and Islamist view of their country and the Jewish people without the interest to put it all into context. With typical Jewish chutzpah, academics in particular seem to have developed an arrogant disregard for the whole truth and no responsibility towards the security of this nation State. Israeli professors in particular,outside their country cannot claim 'academic freedom' to express their particular brand of nationalism. It does not allow them the freedom to preach 'incitement to hatred', which is only one step ahead of 'treasonous speech' and many steps beneath the 'freedom of speech' which they covet at home.

I wonder why the interest in Arabs vs. Jews among those vociferous critics?
If the Palestinian Arabs would be the bastions of fairness, democracy, human rights, women's rights, progress in some spheres of benefit to humanity or even just to themselves,- if they would do anything worthwhile to help themselves and their own people instead of their perpetual victimhood as 'refugees' and victimization of Israel and Jews,- if only they would have 'taken the bull by the horn' and said to themselselves, let's learn to build like the Jews instead of destroying like the Taliban,- then I would understand feeling for them as being worthy of Jewish and Western support and taking sides against the Israelis.

But who among their brethren cares for them? They obviously don't deserve it.
The Western governments know exactly who they are dealing with,- on both sides. They know exactly who deserves to be treated with respect and compassion,- and who doesn't. They know on whom they can rely in times of trouble and whom they cannot.
They also know who they are dealing with at home!

The only true friends Israel can rely on through thick and thin in this world, is the Jewish world,- the 80% who are organised and are respected and the Israelis had better understand that! Israel is all we've got as a people.

The rest don't care. Love and respect is a two-way street,- nationally and individually. Israel has earned it from us,- others have not,- not those jews who sit in comfort and criticise her from afar, nor those who love to hate her here, nor her enemies over there.

SHALOM,- may peace prevail upon all lands including Israel. May the Almighty save the innocents in all conflicts because humans are not good at it even when they try.
"Look what's happening all over the Islamic world, dear God, even when our Aussie troops try to save them from their own, they get themselves killed and blamed. You dear God are to blame,- do something about it!".MM

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