We are approaching a period of atonement. And sometimes I wonder who should be atoning. I hope you don’t mind my fanciful thinking; in the pain we have experienced this past year. It may sound blasphemous. But perhaps God should be atoning ( metaphorically of course) as much as we atone to God for our shortcomings. The rabbis envisage God suffering…
Daniel Deronda:George Eliot and the Jews.
In 1290 Jews were expelled from England. In 1656 Cromwell failed to persuade parliament to welcome Jews back officially. In 1753 the Jew Bill giving Jews citizenship was defeated by the antagonism of the Church and the merchant classes. And it would not be for a hundred years that all disadvantages were removed. So, it is surprising that in such an…
Certainties
We humans love certainties. We think we know, but more often than not, we stumble on. Our history is replete with failed systems and misguided leaders. Look at the Bible. Even the best of them is fallible. And the Bible makes no attempt to cover up or excuse the mistakes of our religious and political leaders. Judges, kings, priests, rabbis,…
Dangerous Apostates
Jews hating Jews has a long history. Going as far back as the Bible. But medieval religions made a real art of it. The psychology of these apostates is fascinating but also so relevant today. Some felt rejected by their Jewish communities over theological issues which made them bitter and determined to take revenge. Others simply preferred to join the…
Douglas Murray
I do not think that Israel has a better more articulate or fearless non -Jewish supporter of Israel than the British journalist, author and commentator Douglas Murray. Someone who on a wider scale has articulated the belief that the Western world has lost its soul and is in danger of terminal decline. More than anyone else from outside of our…
Robert Wistrich and Jew Hatred
Many, many books have been written about the Holocaust and antisemitism. Amongst my favorites is Anthony Julius’s Trials of the Diaspora ( for an English slant) and David Nirenberg’s Anti-Judaism from an American perspective. But when it comes to a broad and detailed analysis of antisemitism, and a profound knowledge of history, the late Robert Wistrich (April 7, 1945 – May 19, 2015) who was taken…