No one seems to understand or care that Israel is fighting for its life and most have no idea of what Israeli is really like.
When I visited Israeli I was struck by its diversity and attitude of respect. Bedouin and Druze and Israeli Palestinians maintain their identity. The Dome of Rock is protected. On the day I toured the West Wall Tunnels three religious women sat on a bench praying toward the rockface standing between them and what was once a Jewish temple.
When I try to tell so-called progressive people about my experience of Israel they are too focused on their own prejudice to hear me. No country is perfect and Israel is no exception. But some countries are better than others and it makes me sad that people are so unable to see that.
Excellent piece. Additionally, Progressive anti-Semitism came from the now defunct Soviet Union, got planted in the psyche of the Left, and never departed.
I'm also going to say something that might ruffle a few feathers. What you described is Knowledge Vampirism in a nutshell. When you teach outsiders your cultural body of knowledge without requiring accountability or deep citation, you risk empowering those who appear oppressed but lack the moral code to carry that knowledge with integrity. In sharing that knowledge to fight for groups you deem oppressed or disempowered especially in solidarity with those groups, you might unintentionally create a power differential that invites covert narcissists to extract, distort, and weaponize the knowledge for their own image and influence.
This is what has unfolded with much of the modern progressive movement. Jewish thought, rooted in covenant, justice, moral accountability, and ethical responsibility, shaped many of the ideals that progressives now claim as their foundation. But instead of honouring that lineage, they have absorbed the values, rewritten the language, and removed Jewish identity from the narrative entirely. Jews are now portrayed as the problem within a moral framework they helped build.
This is Knowledge Vampirism in action: extracting a living tradition, denying its authorship, and repackaging it for personal or political gain under the guise of righteousness.
This isn’t just about Jews. But the deeper lesson here is this: when radical ideas are shared without structure, lineage, or responsibility to including the source of the principle along with the principle, they can be co-opted and weaponized. When one radical movement rises unchecked, history shows it will eventually provoke an equal and opposite reaction. The pendulum swing is human nature. This is a call for all who see themselves as keepers of cultural, spiritual, or ethical knowledge, to share wisely and with discernment.
Josh, terrific piece. Brilliantly outlines the whole weird distorted contradiction in the way the world embraces our philosophy and morality and then rejects us and accuses us of the opposite of what we have taught for centuries. Gets your head spinning.
They want to extract the morals from the Story, and then delete the people who tell that Story and live inside of it.
Which is the United Nations in a nutshell: "Swords into plowshares..." carved into the plaza outside U.N. headquarters where world leaders can't stop condemning Israel. It's nuts.
Josh, you are such a beautiful and powerful writer! Thank you for reminding us Jews of why we are a light unto the nations even if our enemies can't see it.
"That Zionism is not liberation, but 'white supremacy.' ”
Actually, Zionism is Jewish nationalism. No different than Scottish, Chinese, Ukrainian nationalism, that is, the pride of a native people in their native homeland.
"in our darkest hours, we never abandoned the idea that the world could be better — that it must be better. That’s where your 'activism' comes from."
Even deeper, in our darkest hour we never abandoned the commitment to the Covenant, that Israel was our sacred homeland.
"here’s the cruelest part: Jews are being attacked in the name of the very justice they helped birth. The people who gave the world its conscience are now told they have none."
The quintessential definition of hypocrisy.
"the intellectual equivalent of burning down your parents’ house after cashing their checks."
Another version: a son who murders his parents pleading for mercy in court on the grounds he is an orphan. The Hebrew-Yiddish word for it is chutzpah.
"They echo slogans designed to keep them in the good graces of movements that don’t actually care about them."
The Movement actually declares: Globalize Intifada, Jihad Now, Resistance by Any Means. In other words, if their Movement succeeds, they are dead meat walking.
"The Far-Right might chant about blood and soil, but the Far-Left talks about 'anti-normalization' "
The Left (now most lefties are actually not that far from the AltL)'s rallying cries of Free Palestine, From the River to the Sea, Globalize Intifada, Jihad Now, and Resistance by Any Means are actually Blood and Soil (kill Jews in the name of "Palestine") tarted up in CRT, Wokism, and Intersectionalist language.
No one seems to understand or care that Israel is fighting for its life and most have no idea of what Israeli is really like.
When I visited Israeli I was struck by its diversity and attitude of respect. Bedouin and Druze and Israeli Palestinians maintain their identity. The Dome of Rock is protected. On the day I toured the West Wall Tunnels three religious women sat on a bench praying toward the rockface standing between them and what was once a Jewish temple.
When I try to tell so-called progressive people about my experience of Israel they are too focused on their own prejudice to hear me. No country is perfect and Israel is no exception. But some countries are better than others and it makes me sad that people are so unable to see that.
It's the human condition, unfortunately. Don't waste energy of them.
Brilliant piece, Josh!
Excellent!!! Thank you!!
Bravo Joshua!!!!!!! Such an utterly accurate, emotional, brillant writing.... EVERYONE should read it...... Blessings.....
Excellent piece. Additionally, Progressive anti-Semitism came from the now defunct Soviet Union, got planted in the psyche of the Left, and never departed.
They don’t like Christians either..
It's the Judeo-Christian values they hate, too, yes.
Yep. We still need you.
Well done Josh
Great piece Josh.
I'm also going to say something that might ruffle a few feathers. What you described is Knowledge Vampirism in a nutshell. When you teach outsiders your cultural body of knowledge without requiring accountability or deep citation, you risk empowering those who appear oppressed but lack the moral code to carry that knowledge with integrity. In sharing that knowledge to fight for groups you deem oppressed or disempowered especially in solidarity with those groups, you might unintentionally create a power differential that invites covert narcissists to extract, distort, and weaponize the knowledge for their own image and influence.
This is what has unfolded with much of the modern progressive movement. Jewish thought, rooted in covenant, justice, moral accountability, and ethical responsibility, shaped many of the ideals that progressives now claim as their foundation. But instead of honouring that lineage, they have absorbed the values, rewritten the language, and removed Jewish identity from the narrative entirely. Jews are now portrayed as the problem within a moral framework they helped build.
This is Knowledge Vampirism in action: extracting a living tradition, denying its authorship, and repackaging it for personal or political gain under the guise of righteousness.
This isn’t just about Jews. But the deeper lesson here is this: when radical ideas are shared without structure, lineage, or responsibility to including the source of the principle along with the principle, they can be co-opted and weaponized. When one radical movement rises unchecked, history shows it will eventually provoke an equal and opposite reaction. The pendulum swing is human nature. This is a call for all who see themselves as keepers of cultural, spiritual, or ethical knowledge, to share wisely and with discernment.
For those who want to read about Knowledge Vampirism: https://www.hackingnarcissism.com/p/knowledgevampires
Josh, terrific piece. Brilliantly outlines the whole weird distorted contradiction in the way the world embraces our philosophy and morality and then rejects us and accuses us of the opposite of what we have taught for centuries. Gets your head spinning.
Well put.
They want to extract the morals from the Story, and then delete the people who tell that Story and live inside of it.
Which is the United Nations in a nutshell: "Swords into plowshares..." carved into the plaza outside U.N. headquarters where world leaders can't stop condemning Israel. It's nuts.
Brilliant, crystal clear, courageous and just. Bravo Josh!
Josh, you are such a beautiful and powerful writer! Thank you for reminding us Jews of why we are a light unto the nations even if our enemies can't see it.
Ellen Goodman......................an absolutely brilliant essay Joshua and so profoundly researched.
Its always a pleasure to read your articles.
The betraya is exactly what I feel. Thank you for putting it into words.
"That Zionism is not liberation, but 'white supremacy.' ”
Actually, Zionism is Jewish nationalism. No different than Scottish, Chinese, Ukrainian nationalism, that is, the pride of a native people in their native homeland.
"in our darkest hours, we never abandoned the idea that the world could be better — that it must be better. That’s where your 'activism' comes from."
Even deeper, in our darkest hour we never abandoned the commitment to the Covenant, that Israel was our sacred homeland.
"here’s the cruelest part: Jews are being attacked in the name of the very justice they helped birth. The people who gave the world its conscience are now told they have none."
The quintessential definition of hypocrisy.
"the intellectual equivalent of burning down your parents’ house after cashing their checks."
Another version: a son who murders his parents pleading for mercy in court on the grounds he is an orphan. The Hebrew-Yiddish word for it is chutzpah.
"They echo slogans designed to keep them in the good graces of movements that don’t actually care about them."
The Movement actually declares: Globalize Intifada, Jihad Now, Resistance by Any Means. In other words, if their Movement succeeds, they are dead meat walking.
"The Far-Right might chant about blood and soil, but the Far-Left talks about 'anti-normalization' "
The Left (now most lefties are actually not that far from the AltL)'s rallying cries of Free Palestine, From the River to the Sea, Globalize Intifada, Jihad Now, and Resistance by Any Means are actually Blood and Soil (kill Jews in the name of "Palestine") tarted up in CRT, Wokism, and Intersectionalist language.