Seamus, thanks

Submitted by sara (United States), Sep 25, 2009 at 17:18

Salutations Seamus,

Thank you for your kind words. I read these forums and am at times moved to respond in an effort to help them see another perspective. I tried hard with JSheff and as you see, we had to agree to disagree. As I have noted, the world is really separating into 2 camps, the western world that is, not alligned along nationalist lines any longer but into 2 basic perceptional differences. The left/liberal camp believe that privacy trumps security, that equality and fairness can exist if we only will it, that negotiating with and appeasing the arabs will one day be productive, that 'human rights' are a cudgel for bashing Israel's attempts to protect herself. I could go on, but it is really a fundamental difference in thinking and perception of reality. A young college kid recently argued with me that numbers wise, many more people die in car accidents than from terror attacks and that therefore we are giving too much attention to Islamists. How do you reason with something like that?

I am trying to be optimistic and believe that these idealist utopian thinkers will in time become more realist and pragmatic and understand that there are no solutions to the Arab-Israel issue, only deterrence and accomodation. In fact, I am currently in an email argument with my Rabbi and his mailing list about his circulating a release by RHR (Rabbis for Human Rights) asking the Israeli govt to consider the Goldstone report. I became very agitated that in a synagogue, where one is suposedly in a haven from attacks, that they consider this a Jewish obligation in the pursuit of Justice.

It boggles my mind that the majority of the congregation are not supportive of Israel. What have we come to in 60 short years:? I actually wrote a piece some years ago called "Generational Amnesia", about how quickly things are forgotten, how we forgot that there was no mention of Palestinians before 1967, how we gave back the Sinai, Gaza, and compared it to the book of Joshua, where a leader would come forth, keep the people on the right path, then die and the people would turn away from righteousness within one generation.

Anyway, all this ranting to say that I read your comments as well Seamus and I am puzzled as to who your 'folk' are? I would be interested to hear more about them. I have read your history with Israel and it is fascinating. Also, you appear to be a religious man but you are not Christian or Jewish. What then? I myself as you have surmised, am Jewish. But Judaism in Israel is inextricably linked to nationalism and Zionism so I have difficulty discerning the religious aspects from the cultural historical background of my people. But we are a people, less than 15 million worldwide and dwindling every year with the DNA Jews not passing on support for Israel or even for Judaism to their children.

I look forward to your response,

sara

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