My friend, Ben Chorin, has eloquently expressed much of what I've been thinking and feeling lately. To save you the click, here are his thoughts:
I have had no interest in blogging lately but not for lack of anything to say. I'm actually bursting with thoughts on a variety of topics. But they all seem inconsequential in the light of a number of not unrelated circumstances.
The Iranians will soon have nuclear warheads pointed in our direction and it's quite clear that nobody is going to do anything about it, including us.The Europeans are awash in nihilism: they have no sense of purpose, no will to fight, no will to have children. They have subordinated their national identities to a soulless mega-bureaucracy that enforces arbitrary standards on the diameter of toilet bowls and such. They want the Jews dead.
And what are the Jews up to? We are descending into barbarism. The gay parade and some of the reactions to it; ugly violence within Satmar, Ponevezh, Lubavitch; the humiliation of the dispossessed of Gush Katif; the abandonment of the city of Sderot to the mercies of Hamas rockets with no reaction; a justice system that gets more brazenly corrupt from day to day; a government run by spinmeisters.
All these phenomena were set into motion long ago. Europe self-destructed in World War II. National identities never recovered. Instead most European countries turned into bland secular welfare states infantilized by their dependence on the United States for security. They are united only by their contempt for any people that has retained any sense of purpose, decency and identity.
And all the problems of the Jews listed above point to one thing: a lack of leadership. This too has its roots in Europe's self-destruction. If you want to know where today's Jewish religious, moral and political leaders are, you need look no further than right here (warning: graphic).
It is taking time but we will recover. Europe won't.
2 comments:
It is really terribly depressing. My worry, my daily anxiety of late, is that it is we, through the lack of leadership and lack of anyone with any real potential for leadership on the horizon, who will not survive.
I often feel that way as well. OTOH, and I say this as an historian, Jewish survival absolutely defies every historical law. In addition, the last few wars have proven that the people are strong, determined and steadfast. It's the elites (governmental, cultural, judicial and academic)who are tired. If they would simply give up their lock on the money and power we would all be better off. Indeed, I believe that if they don't, the people will help them do so.
So, there are grounds for hope.
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