The illusions are gone. We are living in a time that demands intellectual fortitude, moral clarity, political intelligence, creative genius, and spiritual stamina.
Part of this renaissance should be ceasing to use the term ‘anti-semitism’! We are Jews, we come from Judea. Our enemies claim they are Semites and thus can’t be ‘anti-Semitic’. What we have seen for the past two years is pure unadulterated Jew hatred. Start using that term and not some 19th century term coined by German Jew hater Wilhelm Marr. Time to liberate ourselves and our movement from this inaccurate term by a non-Jew. Am Yisrael Chai!🦁💪🇮🇱
"Our enemies claim they are Semites and thus can’t be ‘anti-Semitic’..."
Yet, disingenuous as they are, they aren't even semites, anyway.
Unlike the Jews, who --- beginning with Abraham himself --- studiously avoided out-marriage [see Gen 24], all the OTHER early semitic peoples (incl the Arabs) practiced it routinely, and had consequently ceased to be semites by the end of the Bronze Age.
"What we have seen for the past two years is pure unadulterated Jew hatred. Start using that term..."
I would offer "judeopathy" --- it has the same clinical sound to it as "antisemitism" (while being less contrived), and comes FAR closer to the poisoned heart of the matter.
"...and not some 19th century term coined by German Jew hater Wilhelm Marr."
Marr favored 'antisemitism,' as a term, precisely because it made it possible for post-Enlightenment-Era Jew-haters like himself & his friends to find each other without having to even use the WORD, "Jew" --- an important matter for them, as the embarrassment of publicly admitting to Jew-hatred during that period (which had come to find it. . . gauche) presented them with a theretofore inextricable conundrum. . . .
What wise words! For myself, seeing these wonderful reunions brought me to tears. I really believe you can build on this and stand up to the weaklings in the world. Israelis are wonderful people and your beautiful Country is beyond belief. Standing together is the most important thing you can do. 🙏
‘The Jewish People are a strong people, and Israel is a strong country.’ I have heard this said of us in many places and by people of quite a few institutions in The West now, in our monitoring work. We are admired, in fact. And not only in The West. This is nice to hear. The success of Jewish Nationhood and solidarity are being copied in some of these countries now too. Thus we continue: Agile, resilient, and upstanding, amongst many other qualities of Jewish excellence.
Mazel Tov. That took you 2 years to allow it to emerge through your hard work and contemplations of all sorts. 'That' brainstorm is dense in the best ways. A Few Minutes Guide For the Perplexed. Do Not Use or more specifically REFRAIN from using the following:'antisemitism'; 'west bank'; 'holocaust'; so-called 'palestinian'. Your text could become as an edited version A 10- Points Guide as to how Jewish individuals/groups/organizations are best to proceed 'from here to enternity'. That 10-Points Guide MUST accompany a game called Tenish:) 10 Utterances 10 Commandments 10 Trials of Abraham 10 Sephirot Rebbe's 10 Mitzvot Campaign etc. A most simple metaphor for our metafuture is that we need to be on the same page. Literally and Metaphorically. Practically the 'same page' implies the proscribed weekly Torah Parshot and their proscribed daily aliyah study. As a uber minimalist, trust me, a little bit goes a long way. But it takes a long time that way. C'est la vie. The way you continue to outdo yourself is a phenomenon. It is like a solo game of Leap Frong. I hereby promise myself that I will read this minaturized tome a minimum of 3 more times this week.
Truly a Chag Sameach. Thank you for this strong message of hope, an eloquent reminder of the things that bind us together and the strengths we bring to the present task. I am forwarding to the leaders of my Vancouver community, who have managed, to a remarkable degree, to work together with each other to get us through these awful two years. May they go from strength to strength. I am praying for all the Israeli families, the reunited ones and the grieving ones. Praying hard!
A quote from this excellent essay: "The Jewish story has always been a relay race across generations. The baton is in our hands now, and history is watching how we run." Yes.
Part of this renaissance should be ceasing to use the term ‘anti-semitism’! We are Jews, we come from Judea. Our enemies claim they are Semites and thus can’t be ‘anti-Semitic’. What we have seen for the past two years is pure unadulterated Jew hatred. Start using that term and not some 19th century term coined by German Jew hater Wilhelm Marr. Time to liberate ourselves and our movement from this inaccurate term by a non-Jew. Am Yisrael Chai!🦁💪🇮🇱
"Our enemies claim they are Semites and thus can’t be ‘anti-Semitic’..."
Yet, disingenuous as they are, they aren't even semites, anyway.
Unlike the Jews, who --- beginning with Abraham himself --- studiously avoided out-marriage [see Gen 24], all the OTHER early semitic peoples (incl the Arabs) practiced it routinely, and had consequently ceased to be semites by the end of the Bronze Age.
"What we have seen for the past two years is pure unadulterated Jew hatred. Start using that term..."
I would offer "judeopathy" --- it has the same clinical sound to it as "antisemitism" (while being less contrived), and comes FAR closer to the poisoned heart of the matter.
"...and not some 19th century term coined by German Jew hater Wilhelm Marr."
Marr favored 'antisemitism,' as a term, precisely because it made it possible for post-Enlightenment-Era Jew-haters like himself & his friends to find each other without having to even use the WORD, "Jew" --- an important matter for them, as the embarrassment of publicly admitting to Jew-hatred during that period (which had come to find it. . . gauche) presented them with a theretofore inextricable conundrum. . . .
Amen, EJV! It is a whole different beast and deserves the name Jew hatred. It is time we accepted that.
This. 100%.
What wise words! For myself, seeing these wonderful reunions brought me to tears. I really believe you can build on this and stand up to the weaklings in the world. Israelis are wonderful people and your beautiful Country is beyond belief. Standing together is the most important thing you can do. 🙏
‘The Jewish People are a strong people, and Israel is a strong country.’ I have heard this said of us in many places and by people of quite a few institutions in The West now, in our monitoring work. We are admired, in fact. And not only in The West. This is nice to hear. The success of Jewish Nationhood and solidarity are being copied in some of these countries now too. Thus we continue: Agile, resilient, and upstanding, amongst many other qualities of Jewish excellence.
Strong, focussed and empowering words. Thank you, Joshua.
Mazel Tov. That took you 2 years to allow it to emerge through your hard work and contemplations of all sorts. 'That' brainstorm is dense in the best ways. A Few Minutes Guide For the Perplexed. Do Not Use or more specifically REFRAIN from using the following:'antisemitism'; 'west bank'; 'holocaust'; so-called 'palestinian'. Your text could become as an edited version A 10- Points Guide as to how Jewish individuals/groups/organizations are best to proceed 'from here to enternity'. That 10-Points Guide MUST accompany a game called Tenish:) 10 Utterances 10 Commandments 10 Trials of Abraham 10 Sephirot Rebbe's 10 Mitzvot Campaign etc. A most simple metaphor for our metafuture is that we need to be on the same page. Literally and Metaphorically. Practically the 'same page' implies the proscribed weekly Torah Parshot and their proscribed daily aliyah study. As a uber minimalist, trust me, a little bit goes a long way. But it takes a long time that way. C'est la vie. The way you continue to outdo yourself is a phenomenon. It is like a solo game of Leap Frong. I hereby promise myself that I will read this minaturized tome a minimum of 3 more times this week.
Part of the recovery and fighting antisemitic narratives and hate speech on social media is using the evolving potential of AI.
It is far from a level playing field but we need to reshape minds with targeted counter-messaging.
This technology has been actively developing over the past 2 year.
See “the digital iron dome” site to learn more how Jews can confront hatred. Fascinating.
Absolutely. Today we dance. Tomorrow we return to repair and rebuild with clarity and purpose. Together.
Truly a Chag Sameach. Thank you for this strong message of hope, an eloquent reminder of the things that bind us together and the strengths we bring to the present task. I am forwarding to the leaders of my Vancouver community, who have managed, to a remarkable degree, to work together with each other to get us through these awful two years. May they go from strength to strength. I am praying for all the Israeli families, the reunited ones and the grieving ones. Praying hard!
A quote from this excellent essay: "The Jewish story has always been a relay race across generations. The baton is in our hands now, and history is watching how we run." Yes.
So profound. Beautifully written, brilliant, you are the forerunner and visionary.