I recently attended a live taping of a Bari Weiss Honestly podcast where she interviewed Simon Sebag Montefiore, a noted historian. He feels that the past 75 years have been an aberration in Jewish history. That is, Jews sense of relative safety and security, particularly in Western democracies, was never going to last. Personally, I have faced the question as to whether or not I should change the name of my midwifery practice which identifies me as being Jewish, Besholem Birth Midwifery, to something not associated with Judaism. Since last Spring my practice volume has fallen almost to nothing. Last month was my web site’s best performing month with 111 site visits, but only two that resulted in actual contacts. Last April I was openly questioned by a couple interviewing me whether or not I supported Hamas, as they could not use my services if I did not. This is a place I never dreamed I would find myself in but here we are.
I would not change the name of your practice and I would advise your services in the Orthodox communities where more children are born than in the heterodox communities
I doubt that the average person would look at the word Besholem and would identify it as Jewish. In fact, the word is not really even Hebrew as spelled. Generally an obstetric practice depends on word of mouth, so I'd wonder whether someone has badmouthed you on the internet or something.
I read that after one of the released hostages spoke at the UN that a woke Jewish UK politician engaged in a disgusting exercise in moral equivalence by morning about Hamas so called casualties There is nothing worse than self appointed Jewish leaders engaging in such drivel
Famous Cat 3 American Jews: Bernie Sanders & Chuck Schumer or maybe they are another category altogether: Jews who are so left wing they actually support Hamas and “Palestine” and hate themselves and their own heritage IOW: useful idiot Jews
I have heard Bernie Sanders speak many many times. He is a supporter of Israel, just not Netanyahu. He has refused to throw Jews under the bus, when interviewed by Arab media. He spoke out forcefully against Hamas and October 7th. He hasn't liked what Israel has done in response to those attacks.
Israel has no PR machine to speak of. No one to counter the lies. And no accountability for officers whose actions are not honorable. This should change.
Not buying your argument. Netanyahu is brilliant and a great leader.. a war hero who understands what Israel faces on a daily basis… 200 million Muslims that want Israel annihilated. Sanders is a self-hating Jew and a nutcase. He makes me ashamed for not supporting Israel. He wants zero weapons delivered to Israel. You are very misguided about Sanders. He needs to be shipped to Gaza. I’d happily pay for his ticket.
I totally agree with this essay. Absolutely on target. You know, the "good" Muslims--and there are plenty--are also silent except for a handful on social media. We need them to speak out for us, and they want to, but they have the same and even greater fears that many Jews do. They could even be targeted for death by radical Muslims for speaking out. But we need them, and Christians, even more because there are two Billion of them with voices and social media and only 16 million of us.
no, but there are some very out-there Muslims on social media taking the side of Israel/Jews and condemning Hamas. LIke "son of Hamas," --have you seen his stuff? He has to live in hiding because of his posting and media appearances. Also some coming out of the UAE, etc.
Nearly every Jewish friend I grew up with is a category 3 Reform Jew. LGBTQ Jews also tend to fall into category 3. I have always felt that it is because they can CHOOSE their Jewishness. They can opt out of the struggle against antisemitism.
For example, a Black person cannot hide the fact that they are Black unless they are a very small percentage that are White-passing. We didn’t have the option of ignoring the Civil Rights movement.
I think that many of your category 3Jews have replaced Judaism with the woke left and the worship of the Democrat party. Although not completely anti-Semitic, Obama, Biden, Blinken and their ilk have been no friends of Israel. In spite of that, 3/4 of Jews still pull the D lever every chance they get.
I’ve spent the last ten years battling my alma mater, Vassar College, about its apathy towards rising anti semitism on campus. After 10/7, a tsunami of Jew hatred was unleashed by prominent faculty and most of the student body. I’ve written numerous letters to the administration and to the school newspaper, sent letters that were published in the New York Daily News, withheld all donations, spoken in person to the President and boycotted my 50th reunion because I knew there would be anti Israel protestors. Where has a decade of dedicated advocacy gotten me and other Jewish alums trying to combat anti semitism? Nowhere. Since 10/7, the administration has gone out of its way to accommodate every useful idiot who has praised the Palestinian “martyrs,” taken over schools buildings, chanted “from the river to the sea” and encamped on the library lawn. Vassar has been rewarded for this accommodation by anti semitic spray painting on prominent buildings and disruption of reunion. What’s happening at Vassar has happened at hundreds of campuses across the U.S. I have given up on a school I once loved and am trying to find other ways to speak out in defense of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.
I’m so sorry. I think only the students can make a difference with lawsuits. I assume there are not enough Jews to band together at Vassar. Shame- it was such a great school.
I wish I could read the whole comment. Substack has a bug for people with long user names: it clips off the right hand side of the comment. At least on my iPhone.
Let's be clear here. These Silent Jews don't read Future of Jewish. Being Jewish is just not a priority for them. And if October 7 hasn't "woke them up," nothing will.
Maybe Israel should go full on Canaan against “Palestine”, after all they are a bunch of pagans occupying the land promised by God to Abraham and his descendants and are preventing peaceful use thereof by the rightful owners. Bomb Gaza to hell: leave a huge crater in the desert. Fulfill the so far false accusation by most of the world that Israel is committing genocide. Israel has nothing to lose by making it so, and everything to gain.
Just last week I was asked by a potential client, is Besholem Hebrew in origin. Another said, I can tell you are Jewish by your practice name “but no offense.”
I think the Category 3 Jews are like the child in the Passover Haggadah who asks, “What does all this have to do with me?” They do not consider themselves a part of us unless it is enjoying Seinfeld, bagels, and Larry David.
Echoing what has been said by many in these Comments, I have been experiencing the same sad, frustrating phenomenon with a number of friends and family for years. All three well-defined categories, but number 3 is the most prevalent. They simply don’t care, or care so marginally as to be inconsequential.
Whether it’s out of fear, cowardice or apathy, Israel and antisemitism (unless, notably, it’s the “White Supremacist” variety), is simply low in their priorities, if a priority at all. I strongly believe that a corrupt, utterly-biased “mainstream media” has played an outsized role in their silence. But as frustrating as it is, I couldn’t look myself in the mirror if I didn’t try to wake these “silent Jews” up. I like to think that i occasionally score a hit, even if it’s fleeting.
Thank you for writing such a spot-on essay. And thanks to other Commenters—it helps to know that we’re not alone in our struggles.
The changing attitude of the left-wing towards Israel is particularly notable, and something I wrote about in 'The Shifting Sands of the Left Wing' a couple of weeks ago. You mention how anti-Israel today's students are, yet in the 1960s to 1980s they were fully supportive of Israel, and in fact a favourite pastime of Brit students was to spend summer breaks on a kibbutz - whereas now they're more likely to be found waving pro-Palestinian banners in street marches.
Wow Janet- that is actually terrifying. What does Hamas have to do with giving birth?
I recently attended a live taping of a Bari Weiss Honestly podcast where she interviewed Simon Sebag Montefiore, a noted historian. He feels that the past 75 years have been an aberration in Jewish history. That is, Jews sense of relative safety and security, particularly in Western democracies, was never going to last. Personally, I have faced the question as to whether or not I should change the name of my midwifery practice which identifies me as being Jewish, Besholem Birth Midwifery, to something not associated with Judaism. Since last Spring my practice volume has fallen almost to nothing. Last month was my web site’s best performing month with 111 site visits, but only two that resulted in actual contacts. Last April I was openly questioned by a couple interviewing me whether or not I supported Hamas, as they could not use my services if I did not. This is a place I never dreamed I would find myself in but here we are.
I would not change the name of your practice and I would advise your services in the Orthodox communities where more children are born than in the heterodox communities
I doubt that the average person would look at the word Besholem and would identify it as Jewish. In fact, the word is not really even Hebrew as spelled. Generally an obstetric practice depends on word of mouth, so I'd wonder whether someone has badmouthed you on the internet or something.
I read that after one of the released hostages spoke at the UN that a woke Jewish UK politician engaged in a disgusting exercise in moral equivalence by morning about Hamas so called casualties There is nothing worse than self appointed Jewish leaders engaging in such drivel
Famous Cat 3 American Jews: Bernie Sanders & Chuck Schumer or maybe they are another category altogether: Jews who are so left wing they actually support Hamas and “Palestine” and hate themselves and their own heritage IOW: useful idiot Jews
Bernie Sanders is the biggest POS ever.
And Soros.
I have heard Bernie Sanders speak many many times. He is a supporter of Israel, just not Netanyahu. He has refused to throw Jews under the bus, when interviewed by Arab media. He spoke out forcefully against Hamas and October 7th. He hasn't liked what Israel has done in response to those attacks.
Israel has no PR machine to speak of. No one to counter the lies. And no accountability for officers whose actions are not honorable. This should change.
We need a vision for our future.
Not buying your argument. Netanyahu is brilliant and a great leader.. a war hero who understands what Israel faces on a daily basis… 200 million Muslims that want Israel annihilated. Sanders is a self-hating Jew and a nutcase. He makes me ashamed for not supporting Israel. He wants zero weapons delivered to Israel. You are very misguided about Sanders. He needs to be shipped to Gaza. I’d happily pay for his ticket.
Bernie is also a Jew-hating Jew.
Well said.
Listen to David Mencer. On YouTube
Yes there is. Listen to David Mencer. I hear him on YouTube.
I totally agree with this essay. Absolutely on target. You know, the "good" Muslims--and there are plenty--are also silent except for a handful on social media. We need them to speak out for us, and they want to, but they have the same and even greater fears that many Jews do. They could even be targeted for death by radical Muslims for speaking out. But we need them, and Christians, even more because there are two Billion of them with voices and social media and only 16 million of us.
Since the revelation of the Bibas murders, I can’t believe there are Jews who still won’t speak up.
why not? The media hasn't changed, no one else has, so why would the silent Jews?
If they’re relying on mainstream media they are getting a distorted version, including Hamas lies.
I can’t recall a single anti-Hamas demonstration in any of the Muslim communities around the world.
no, but there are some very out-there Muslims on social media taking the side of Israel/Jews and condemning Hamas. LIke "son of Hamas," --have you seen his stuff? He has to live in hiding because of his posting and media appearances. Also some coming out of the UAE, etc.
Yes. He’s great. Also Bassem Eid and some others. Very short list though.
Nearly every Jewish friend I grew up with is a category 3 Reform Jew. LGBTQ Jews also tend to fall into category 3. I have always felt that it is because they can CHOOSE their Jewishness. They can opt out of the struggle against antisemitism.
For example, a Black person cannot hide the fact that they are Black unless they are a very small percentage that are White-passing. We didn’t have the option of ignoring the Civil Rights movement.
Most silent Jews are cat 3 I think
I agree totally.
I think that many of your category 3Jews have replaced Judaism with the woke left and the worship of the Democrat party. Although not completely anti-Semitic, Obama, Biden, Blinken and their ilk have been no friends of Israel. In spite of that, 3/4 of Jews still pull the D lever every chance they get.
Yep
I’ve spent the last ten years battling my alma mater, Vassar College, about its apathy towards rising anti semitism on campus. After 10/7, a tsunami of Jew hatred was unleashed by prominent faculty and most of the student body. I’ve written numerous letters to the administration and to the school newspaper, sent letters that were published in the New York Daily News, withheld all donations, spoken in person to the President and boycotted my 50th reunion because I knew there would be anti Israel protestors. Where has a decade of dedicated advocacy gotten me and other Jewish alums trying to combat anti semitism? Nowhere. Since 10/7, the administration has gone out of its way to accommodate every useful idiot who has praised the Palestinian “martyrs,” taken over schools buildings, chanted “from the river to the sea” and encamped on the library lawn. Vassar has been rewarded for this accommodation by anti semitic spray painting on prominent buildings and disruption of reunion. What’s happening at Vassar has happened at hundreds of campuses across the U.S. I have given up on a school I once loved and am trying to find other ways to speak out in defense of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.
I’m so sorry. I think only the students can make a difference with lawsuits. I assume there are not enough Jews to band together at Vassar. Shame- it was such a great school.
I can’t wait to see Trump cut off all funding to these piece of shit schools.
I wish I could read the whole comment. Substack has a bug for people with long user names: it clips off the right hand side of the comment. At least on my iPhone.
Let's be clear here. These Silent Jews don't read Future of Jewish. Being Jewish is just not a priority for them. And if October 7 hasn't "woke them up," nothing will.
I know. I had some specific people in mind when I wrote this. I hope they stumble on it.
Very well said! Thank you! I so wish that I had a solution to this dilemma.
Thank you. Me too.
Maybe Israel should go full on Canaan against “Palestine”, after all they are a bunch of pagans occupying the land promised by God to Abraham and his descendants and are preventing peaceful use thereof by the rightful owners. Bomb Gaza to hell: leave a huge crater in the desert. Fulfill the so far false accusation by most of the world that Israel is committing genocide. Israel has nothing to lose by making it so, and everything to gain.
Just last week I was asked by a potential client, is Besholem Hebrew in origin. Another said, I can tell you are Jewish by your practice name “but no offense.”
I think the Category 3 Jews are like the child in the Passover Haggadah who asks, “What does all this have to do with me?” They do not consider themselves a part of us unless it is enjoying Seinfeld, bagels, and Larry David.
Echoing what has been said by many in these Comments, I have been experiencing the same sad, frustrating phenomenon with a number of friends and family for years. All three well-defined categories, but number 3 is the most prevalent. They simply don’t care, or care so marginally as to be inconsequential.
Whether it’s out of fear, cowardice or apathy, Israel and antisemitism (unless, notably, it’s the “White Supremacist” variety), is simply low in their priorities, if a priority at all. I strongly believe that a corrupt, utterly-biased “mainstream media” has played an outsized role in their silence. But as frustrating as it is, I couldn’t look myself in the mirror if I didn’t try to wake these “silent Jews” up. I like to think that i occasionally score a hit, even if it’s fleeting.
Thank you for writing such a spot-on essay. And thanks to other Commenters—it helps to know that we’re not alone in our struggles.
Thank you David.
I had no idea about this. I thought the Nazis tracked all the Jews. Wouldn’t they need ID showing they were Christian?
The changing attitude of the left-wing towards Israel is particularly notable, and something I wrote about in 'The Shifting Sands of the Left Wing' a couple of weeks ago. You mention how anti-Israel today's students are, yet in the 1960s to 1980s they were fully supportive of Israel, and in fact a favourite pastime of Brit students was to spend summer breaks on a kibbutz - whereas now they're more likely to be found waving pro-Palestinian banners in street marches.