22 Comments
User's avatar
Michelle's avatar

And you have holidays celebrating this all year round... You admirable people! My friend in Israel is making a cream cheesecake for this Thursday! I wish I was there! (Not jealous 😂) 🙏❤️🍰

Jonathan's avatar

The five lessons felt so good to read; appreciate your reminder of some of our best Jewish stuff.

Jewish Grandmother's avatar

I knew all of this early on, and these attributes are certainly what attracted me to Judaism, but it is still great to see it analyzed and expressed so eloquently.

Suzanna Eibuszyc's avatar

Omitted here is a significant group of very vocal self erasing Jews who have dedicated their lives for power and money to kill Jews: individuals such as Bernie Sanders, Zack Polanski, Norman Finkelstein, Noam Chomsky, Peter Beinart, Gabor Mate, and Miko Peled. Addressing the influence of those within our own community who work against Jewish existence is a necessary first step in effectively fighting Jew-hatred. Disinfecting of the rot among our own should be step one.

Sam's avatar

We need a mass Biur Chametz , combined with the ritual of Tashlich purging or cleaning the earth of evil and throwing them away like the sins they are. Include every Jew that supports J Street, JVP,IfNotNow, GJP,JJP, Neturei Karta. That's a lot of Jews. But not enough-include any Jew who still forms their opinion on Israel by reading the NYT and MSM, vacations everywhere but has never thought to go Israel, is ashamed, apologetic, doesn't remember the Shema, and especially those jews who's become rich and famous by using their jewishness to do so without any chesed to their religion God fellow jews-Larry David, Seth Rogan, Paul Simon, Hannah Einbeinder-I'd be typing for days to include them all.

Suzanna Eibuszyc's avatar

100% correct, the elitist Lefties Hollywood Jews and their opulence will be eaten last, but they will be eaten. We have 1 Jewish State and 57 Muslim Countries, all Islamic theocracies, dictatorships, monarchies but they are ashamed, spinless, and cowardly to stand with Israel.

Sam's avatar

Imagine being so ignorant, so antisemitic, or such a self hating assimilationist, thinking that a democracy with 10 million people is the obstacle to "world peace" and not the Arab dictatorships with 450 million trying to destroy it for nearly 80 years-G Kasparov

Suzanna Eibuszyc's avatar

They are spinless and cowards.

Andrea Toole's avatar

I'm inspired by this and I AM Jewish.

Irwin Weiss's avatar

A lot of truth here, but Asians also have similar attributes in their culture, such as valuing education, respect for their family and elders, and other factors you mention.

As far as wallowing in victimhood, the Nobel Prize for this goes to the Palestinian population.

Dana Ramos's avatar

Yes, that is absolutely true about Asians (and some communities from India, which, I guess, you can include as "Asian?"). I'll tell you something funny. My daughter (Jewish) married a Chinese man who was born in China, raised in America (and he was, of course, an over-achiever because of the culture of Chinese immigrants). My daughter was very nervous about meeting his parents because she wasn't Chinese and they were hoping for a Chinese daughter-in-law. When she met them and they found out she was Jewish, they were absolutely delighted and talked about how closely related their attitudes about education, family, working hard, and so on. Also, there is a great story about the history of Shanghai and Jews which formed a very positive attitude toward Jews by many Chinese who benefited from the largess of Jewish immigrants to Shanghai in the 1800's. As a result of that fondness for Jews, Shanghai took in tens of thousands of Jews escaping the Nazis during the Holocaust. Unfortunately, however, the past three years, the leaders of China have been not-so-great and they are actually spreading antisemitism, mostly to show alliance with Iran.

Diana Schneidman's avatar

I was born in the fifties in the U.S. and knew many Holocaust survivors in a mid-size industrial city in the Midwest. Some were relatives (although not my parents or grandparents).

They had tremendous drive. They learned English and dived right in despite heavy accents. They married and had children rather than wait till "the time is right." They worked long hours. They expected academic achievement from their children even if they weren't steeped in American-style education or even had little education themselves due to the Holocaust.

By the way, we see the Holocaust thru the wrong lens. Living in an individualist society, we assume that Jews should have simply escaped or fought. But there is more to the story. Jews were more heavily tied to their family, including older relatives, so many who could have fled to America or elsewhere stayed behind in Europe. And within the camps, when a person escaped, there was revenge on the others they left behind.

William Sherman's avatar

I am an Irish Catholic man and have always admired Jewish culture - and now you have enumerated the reasons why! Thank you!

Bless America's avatar

ALL TRUE AND A BEAUTIFUL ARTICLE

Dana Ramos's avatar

Bravo to you, Vanessa, for writing this essay. Thank you.

Martin Sinkoff's avatar

💖💖💖💖💖

Dawn's avatar

I have admired the Jews for their courage and now I know why! Thank you Vanessa for a wonderful and informative article on Jewish culture—fascinating‼️ I Stand With You, ISRAEL and All Jewish People Worldwide❣️ 🇮🇱🇺🇸🇮🇱🇺🇸🇮🇱😻

Kelly's avatar

The Twelve Steps to Achieve World Peace A Series Based on the Prairie Key Global Peace Plan and Act

Step 1: Admit That Your Resources Are Fueling Endless War

https://kellydwills55.substack.com/p/the-twelve-steps-to-achieve-world?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=r5v2

Step 2: Believe That a Power Greater Than War Can Restore Peace (Conditional Sovereignty)

https://kellydwills55.substack.com/p/the-twelve-steps-to-achieve-world-c68?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=r5v2

Step 3: Make a Decision to Turn Your Resources Over to Peace

https://kellydwills55.substack.com/p/the-twelve-steps-to-achieve-world-fed?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=r5v2

Step 4: Take a Fearless Moral Inventory of Your Supply Chains

https://kellydwills55.substack.com/p/the-twelve-steps-to-achieve-world-327?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=r5v2

Step 5: Admit to Yourself and Others the Exact Nature of Your Complicity

https://kellydwills55.substack.com/p/the-twelve-steps-to-achieve-world-6d2?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=r5v2

Step 6: Become Entirely Ready to Have Your Resource Conditions Removed

https://kellydwills55.substack.com/p/the-twelve-steps-to-achieve-world-825?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=r5v2

Step 7: Humbly Ask Peace to Remove Your Complicity

https://kellydwills55.substack.com/p/the-twelve-steps-to-achieve-world-05a?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=r5v2

Step 8: Make a List of All Buyers You Have Harmed and Become Willing to Make Amends

https://kellydwills55.substack.com/p/the-twelve-steps-to-achieve-world-5f7?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=r5v2

Step 9: Make Direct Amends Wherever Possible, Except When It Would Harm Others

https://kellydwills55.substack.com/p/the-twelve-steps-to-achieve-world-afc?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=r5v2

Step 10: Continue to Take Inventory and Promptly Admit When You Are Wrong

https://kellydwills55.substack.com/p/the-twelve-steps-to-achieve-world-fb2?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=r5v2

Step 11: Seek Through Verification and Transparency to Improve Your Resource Conditioning

https://kellydwills55.substack.com/p/the-twelve-steps-to-achieve-world-c76?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=r5v2

Step 12: Carry This Message to Other Provinces and Nations

https://kellydwills55.substack.com/p/the-twelve-steps-to-achieve-world-523?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=r5v2

Please Read, Love, Comment and Restack!