I was brought up to despise the word appeasement. It was the ideology favored by much of the British aristocracy and political leaders before the Second World War. For years Lords and Ladies traipsed across the Channel to marvel at what Hitler had achieved for Germany, “what a very nice chappie he was” and “someone we can do business with.” Even…
Author: Jeremy Rosen
Royalty
I am amazed that so many Americans are enamored with the British Monarchy and with its least impressive of its scions who hog the headlines precisely because of their limitations. How interesting that so many royals are seduced by actresses! When I was the Principal of Carmel College in 1973, we hosted Prince Charles for the day to celebrate our 25th anniversary.…
The Igbo Jews
Please scroll down after the blog for my Weekly Torah. In 1960 Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom. As with many new African states, the borders of the country did not reflect earlier ethnic, cultural, religious, or political realities. Their boundaries were lines drawn on maps by the colonial powers who arbitrarily carved up Africa with no regard for…
Synagogues
It is only a month to the “Days of Awe,” the Yamim Noraim. Actually, I have no idea where the term High Holidays comes from. But each year I am faced with a conundrum. Do I go to a synagogue as a rabbi to perform or as a private person to pray? I don’t find most synagogues particularly good places to pray…
A Chosen People
I dislike the expression “The Chosen People”. It is not that I have any problem with the idea that different peoples may have different missions and cultures that are unique to them. It is just that I do not believe that this endows them with any automatic superiority. The idea of “The Chosen People” long predates Judaism. Every early power and…
Uncritical Race Theory
Let me say at the outset that Critical Race Theory is a dangerous, completely unsubstantiated pseudo theory of race that has now become dogma in academia. It, along with the equally false theory of Intersectionality, are the most serious threats to the sanity and unity of the United States since the Civil War. They are responsible for the current woke idea that the…