Antisemitism

Submitted by Hesse Meilch (United States), Feb 15, 2005 at 11:41

As I have come from South Africa and live in the US, I refer to the gradual decline in numbers of Jews in South Africa and the fast assimilation of US Jews as the Kaifeng syndrome.

The Jews in China also assimilated and dissapeared.

I think as Jews we are a group who did not convert to Islam or Christianity and are therefore living proof that the basic beliefs of these religions may be incorrect.

We all want a bit of conformity and this is what irritated the Church Leaders is that, we would not conform.

Therefore antisemitism has been transferred from individuals to Israel and is now seen as a nation that everyone can hate.

Interesting that the new` superpower China like Ireland has no history of persecution of the Jews and that the University of Nanking hosted a conference on Jewish studies.

I think that in some areas in the US, Judaism is very vibrant and alive certainly the Chabad is doing a great job in keeping the flame glowing.

Also the amount of quality Jewish Journalists and authors on CSpan is stunning to me.

Even with our small numbers in the Senate and Congress we seem to have Jews being voted to be heads and vice heads of powerful committees.

We also give the perception that because we value education and therefore succeed in one generation that we are more powerful and rich than we really are.

We always hear stories about rich and successful Jews but rarely about poor Jews.

So there is always a form of envy by non Jews. This envy can easily be translated into anti-semitism . The irony of the whole situation is that the fastest growing Jewish community in the Diaspora is Germany.

In retrospect the biggest error that our ancestors made was to take on an Empire at its peak.

Rome. South Africa took on England, Hungary took on Russia. In each case they were crushed. So today America is at its peak as a military power and I think that the flame of freedom that it carries will gradually conquer the non democratic country without more wars.

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