My new article on Linkedin “Jews as Omicron’s Scapegoats”

A few days ago I was in Italy. I saw people on the street that looked like they were turned off, without a spark in their eyes, unhappy. Not only in Italy, a country seriously affected by Covid-19, but all over the world, people are tired of the appearances of new variants over and over again, just when we thought (and hoped) the pandemic was finally under control. Since the virus will not be vanquished, people will not be able to contain the cumulative stress, they will vent their frustration and helplessness, they first revolt against the restrictive government and in the end it will also blame the usual scapegoats, the Jews.

Already this week, antisemitic leaflets circulated in California’s Beverly Hills. The fliers included the names of Jewish senior executives who lead the world’s largest drug companies and accusations of a “Jewish agenda” behind the pandemic. Similar antisemitic propaganda is widely spread through social media platforms.

These leaflets and tweets are just the beginning of growing hatred towards Jews. A day will come when even scientists themselves will attribute the virus to that tiny group of people that has a history of being blamed by humanity. They will say that the Jews are the source of all the variants, just as in the Middle Ages people began to whisper and ask why Jews were not sick with the Black Death, and from there the plots developed and unfolded. Again, history repeats itself.

We are not responsible for the outbreak of the plague as the antisemites claim, but we are responsible for the wrong attitude towards it as a result of a lack of awareness on our part. The virus is a disruption in nature’s altruistic genetics system as a result of human egoism. It is a bit complex, but I will explain: the degrees of nature—inanimate, vegetative and animate—are intertwined on different levels, while we, the human species, are detached from the harmonious operation of nature. Humans have an increased egoistic desire that pushes us apart and weighs us down on each other.

The ego not only causes us to exploit each other for our own benefit, but also to exploit all the rest of nature. As a result nature, which is programmed for balance and perfection, provokes epidemics and crises to help us see the place of breach and breakdown and to invite us to mend it, that is, for us to connect emotionally and merge with the rest of the integral parts of nature. Then everything will fall into place.

We do not yet understand that we are part of one integral system and that its balance depends on the positive relations between us. This must become clear and evident. Even a quick glance at ourselves from the side reveals how far we are today from this desired state and our role as Jews in modeling it. We let the ego control us and separate us. The Jewish nation is aimed at being a light unto the nations and paving the way of unity to others. It is our mission. Israel and the nations of the world are intertwined in one global system, and the world feels strongly from within that we are indifferent to our role. It is little wonder then that the world points an accusatory finger towards us.

If we understood our role and implemented it, we could stand in front of the world and direct it to use the pandemic for correction; we could be a guide to become more united and compassionate to each other, as one man with one heart. When this happens, no affliction will surround humanity and antisemitism will cease.
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My new article on Linkedin “Jewish Unity – OK; Responsibility – No Way!”

An email I received regarding one of my op-ed columns on Times of Israel read as follows: “I think you are 100% correct that the biggest problem Jews face is their constant infighting and lack of unity. HOWEVER [caps in the source], I think you are making a very serious mistake when you end up, in fact, blaming the Jews for all the world problems including antisemitism.” I understand where this view is coming from, and I think this email merits an appropriate reply.

First, the idea that Israel are responsible for their fate, for better or worse, is not mine at all. It has been the view of our sages and spiritual leaders throughout the ages. It is actually the idea that the nations that afflict us are blameworthy that is quite recent. If you read the Talmud, Midrash, The Book of Zohar, and countless other authentic Jewish texts, you will find very few statements (if any) that place the blame on foreign kings and nations.

Below are a few notable examples of our sages placing the responsibility for our woes with us rather than with our enemies. These quotes only scratch the surface of what actually exists, but there is a word limit to newspaper columns. For more information, as well as ideas on how to foster unity, I recommend reading my books The Jewish Choice: Unity or Anti-Semitism and Like a Bundle of Reeds: Why unity and mutual guarantee are today’s call of the hour.

We attribute our woes in Egypt to evil Pharaoh. Yet, we conveniently ignore the words of our sages on this matter. Midrash Rabbah (Shemot 1:8) writes, “When Joseph died, they broke the covenant and said, ‘Let us be as the Egyptians.’ …Because of it, the Lord turned the love that the Egyptians loved them into hatred.” In other words, Pharaoh and the Egyptians did not turn against Israel because Joseph died, but because after his death, the Jews wanted to abandon the unity they had obtained under him and disperse among the Egyptians. This brought upon them the hatred of the Egyptians.

Here is another example from later in our history: In the days of the First Temple, Nebuchadnezzar II conquered the land of Israel and destroyed the Temple only after Jews became spiteful toward each other, slandered each other, shed blood, and “stabbed each other with the daggers in their mouths” (Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 9b).

The page just mentioned in Masechet Yoma (9b) also mentions the reason for the ruin of the Second Temple. In simple words it states, “The Second Temple … why was it ruined? It was because there was unfounded hatred in it.” Elsewhere, the Talmud writes (Yevamot 63a), “No calamity comes to the world but for Israel.”

In one of the most scathing texts ever written about Israel’s obligation to the world, The Book of Zohar details what happens to the world when Israel shun their obligation to set an example of unity to the world. In the part known as Tikkunei HaZohar (Corrections of The Zohar), correction no. 30 is probably the harshest: “Woe unto them,” the disunited Israel, “for they cause poverty and ruin, looting and killing, and destruction in the world. Woe unto them, for with these actions, they bring about the existence of poverty, ruin, and robbery, looting, killing, and destructions in the world.”

On a more positive note, here is what happens when Jews unite. During the period of the Second Temple, when Jews were united, the nations would “go up to Jerusalem and see Israel … and say, ‘It is becoming to cling only to this nation,’” writes the book Sifrey Devarim (354).

More recently, the book Maor VaShemesh writes, “The prime defense against calamity is love and unity. When there are love, unity, and friendship between each other in Israel, no calamity can come over them. … [If] there is bonding among them, and no separation of hearts, they have peace and quiet … and all the curses and suffering are removed by that [unity].” Similarly, the book Maor Eynaim stresses, “When one incorporates oneself with all of Israel and unity is made … at that time, no harm shall come to you,” and the book Shem MiShmuel adds, “When [Israel] are as one man with one heart, they are as a fortified wall against the forces of evil.”

The last example I would like to share is an inspiring quote of one of Israel’s greatest contemporary sages, Rav Kook. In his book Orot HaKodesh, which contains assorted writings penned at different times after World War I, Rav Kook writes, “Since we were ruined by unfounded hatred, and the world was ruined with us, we will be rebuilt by unfounded love, and the world will be rebuilt with us.”

I hope now it is a little clearer why I place the responsibility for our future on our laps, and stress that we can determine our fate through our choice between unity and division. I hope you read my books and appreciate the historic examples contained in it, but most of all, I hope we all unite and put an end to the troubles of our tormented nation, and the troubles of our tormented world.
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My new article on Linkedin “In America, Einstein Discovered the Omnipresence of Antisemitism”

You would think that someone as renowned as Albert Einstein, whose contribution to science in general, and to the US in particular, is unquestionable, would escape the plight of antisemitism. He did not. In a recently discovered letter from 1936, he wrote to a friend about his situation in the US: “A tremendous degree of antisemitism exists here,” he confessed.

After fleeing Germany in 1922 for the exact same reason, the scientist discovered that antisemitism knows no boundaries. It affects all Jews, regardless of social, academic, or political status. These days, wealthy Jews in Beverly Hills and at the top of Biden’s administration are making the same grim discovery.

In Einstein’s days, antisemitism in the US was overshadowed by the horrors of Nazi Germany. The scientist wrote that Jew-hatred in the US “never takes the form of brutal speech or action, but simmers all the more intensely under the surface. It is, so to speak, an omnipresent enemy, one that is impossible to see, and whose presence you only perceive.”

Today, antisemitism in the US is already brutal in both speech and action. There have been several massacres in recent years, violent incidents have become ubiquitous, and hate speech is more prevalent than ever. For example, a few days ago, antisemitic fliers left outside homes in Beverly Hills declared, “Every single aspect of the COVID agenda is Jewish.” Moreover, the flier listed more than a dozen Jews in key positions related to the American health system.

There has always been antisemitism in America. It used to be easier to ignore it, and governments had an interest to conceal it since Jews were regarded as major contributors to the economy. In a country where money sets the tone, those who have it are the powerful. But when too many people have too little, as is happening now, the wealthy become targets. And when the wealthy are Jewish, it is a sitting duck, and the duck will be shot.

No one is impervious to antisemitism; it is a law of nature. Just as you cannot escape gravity, if you’re a Jew, you cannot escape Jew-hatred.

In fact, the root of antisemitism goes even deeper than the most basic laws of physics. The ancestors of the Jewish people waved the banner of altruism. They coined such terms as “Love your neighbor as yourself,” “that which you hate, do not do unto your neighbor,” and established their society on mutual responsibility and mercy.

Moreover, they did not build their society for themselves, but in order to be “a light unto nations,” to set an example for the world to follow. They were a chosen people, chosen to pass on the message that man can rise above self-absorption and form a thriving society without disparaging competitiveness and oppressing leaders. Is it any wonder that no one wanted their success? At the same time, if they fail, who will show the way out of the darkness of egotism?

Indeed, Jews represent the struggle between good and evil. When they succeed, they are a bright light that shines as a beacon of hope for the entire world. When they fail, they are worse than any selfish person on the planet. Not only do they wallow in self-centeredness, they also deny the world the necessary example in order to emerge from it. Therefore, when they are selfish, they are hated more than any nation, person, or being in existence.

The Beverly Hills flier we just mentioned targets such high profile individuals as CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, Secretary of Health Xavier Becerra, his assistant Rachel Levine, and founder and president of the American multinational investment management corporation BlackRock, Robert Kapito. There is a good reason for mentioning such high profile individuals. It shows that we cannot argue in our defense that we are contributing to the community; people want something else from us, and when they do not get it, they hate us.

Specifically today, when greed, selfishness, and narcissism set the tone, a different voice must rise—a voice that champions consideration and social responsibility. It is a far cry from the exemplary society of the ancient Jews, but it is a step in the right direction. Naturally, the ones who are expected to lead the way toward it are the Jews. It is our legacy and our obligation to the world. For its part, the world expects nothing less from us.

Now that the people of Israel are scattered around the world, we must grow and develop within the world. We must show the world that we place unity above division, that our society is an example they can follow, an example of unity above division, and care rather than alienation. Only a united people of Israel can lead humanity toward unity in its struggle against egoism, and the world will not forgive us if we fail it.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why is anti-Semitism rising?“

There are two forces operating in the world: the force of reception, which is the human ego, and the force of bestowal, the altruistic force that we need to attract to ourselves in order to reach balance and harmony among each other and with nature.

These two forces contradict each other.

In the egoistic nature of our world, there is a small group called “Israel,” which comes from the words “Yashar Kel,” which means “straight to the upper force,” that had once detached itself from the ego’s control, and achieved a genuine altruistic nature.

The more humanity—and the human ego—develops, the more the forces of reception and bestowal endure an ongoing struggle, and this conflict becomes expressed in our world as friction between Jews, i.e., the ones who bear the altruistic quality in potential, and non-Jews, i.e., the nations of the world, which defines the opposite quality of reception.

Antagonism between the two forces of receiving and giving aims at pulling us, the people of Israel, and then the rest of the world, toward the giving force.

At this juncture, antisemitism appears as a law of nature that helps Jews realize their mission: to unite above differences and be a conduit for an atmosphere of unity to envelop humanity.

Doing so would elevate humanity to another level of existence, one of peace, balance and harmony with nature.

Based on the video “Why the Urgency to Discuss Anti-Semitism Specifically in Our Time?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Question: The 83^rd year of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass,  was recently commemorated. A memorial monument of the Austrian Jews who were murdered on Kristallnacht and in the Holocaust was unveiled in Vienna.

How important is it in your opinion to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust especially these days?

Answer: I don’t relate to it either negatively or positively since the reason for Kristallnacht and other such events has not been corrected yet. I believe that such events may repeat at any moment. We haven’t learned anything, neither the Jews nor those who hate us.

No one understands and no one relates to the true reason for anti-Semitism that is growing all over the world. We always look for culprits and want to show who started it, but we need to point only at ourselves, the Jews who don’t correct ourselves and are not drawn to connection between us and to connection with the world in order to finally bring it to the good connection.

So the reason for such events is still relevant, and we are still in that same night that took place decades ago and which continues to this very day.

Question: Should we remember and commemorate these events?

Answer: Of course we should do that, because then we have a chance to tell people that we need to correct the connection between us if we don’t want such events to repeat.

If we are connected with the right internal intention between us Jews, we will draw the whole world in this direction.
From KabTV’s “Conversation with Journalists”

Related Material:
“The Darkness Of The Crystal Night Continues” (Linkedin)
“The Lesson Still To Be Learned From Kristallnacht” (Times Of Israel)
The Real Cause For Anti-Semitism

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My new article on Linkedin “Only One Condition Justifies a Jewish State”

Today, seventy-four years ago, the United Nations decided to adopt the proposal suggested by the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) and create two separate states in Palestine—one for the Arabs and one for the Jews. The proposal, known as the “United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine,” created a de facto Jewish state, which became official some six months later. Regrettably, we’ve never lived up to our task, and we’ve never lived up to our title: the Jewish State. At best, we have been a “midway station” where we must decide our future: dissolve among the Arabs or build a model of unity for all of humanity.

The very notion of the Jewish state serving as a safe haven for Jews is wrong. This is not a justification for the existence a Jewish state. A Jewish state that does not set an example of unity will never earn the world’s support, and the Jews themselves will turn their backs on it, as is already happening.

The Jewish people are not a nation like the rest of the nations. They have no common origin, no common culture, and no distinct biological ancestry.

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The Jews are an ideological nation. When Abraham first started circulating his notions of mercy and kindness to all, people from every nation in the ancient world gathered around him and attempted to practice what he taught. They forged unions among people who were previously unfamiliar or even hostile to each other, yet believed in Abraham’s ideas.

The Hebrews polished and honed their union through centuries of trials and tribulations. Finally, after a prolonged exile in Egypt, they reached such a level of unity that they became “as one man with one heart.” At that moment, they were declared a nation.

Their nation was of a kind never before seen: a nation formed by people’s conscious choice to unite above their divisions, and for the sake of unity alone. They had no other reason to stay together other than the importance of unity above differences. But in doing so, they proved, in practice, that nations could make peace, that love above differences can triumph, and that war was not necessary. This is why as soon as they became a nation, they were tasked with being “a light unto nations,” namely with sharing their unique unity with the entire world.

Through the ages, the Jews were exiled and returned to the land of Israel several times. They were sovereigns in the land when they were united, and were expelled from it when they became divided. In a sense, the real “land” of the Jewish people is “the land of unity.” Put differently, our geopolitical state always reflects our level of union or division.

Yehuda Ashlag, author of the acclaimed Sulam [Ladder] commentary on The Book of Zohar, wrote about it in The Writings of the Last Generation. In his words, “Judaism must present something new to the nations. This is what they expect from the return of Israel to the land!” Baal HaSulam added that unless the Jews in Israel set an example of unity, “Zionism will be canceled altogether … Undoubtedly, either [the Jewish settlers in Israel] or their children will gradually leave the country, and only an insignificant number will remain, which will ultimately be swallowed among the Arabs.”

The world’s unfulfilled expectation that Baal HaSulam talks about will determine whether we can remain here or not. As then, so now, our physical residence in Israel reflects our inner level of union or division. Currently, our level of division is so high that there is no doubt we are well on our way to disintegration, just as Baal HaSulam warns. We will not want to remain here, and the world will not want us to remain here.

Therefore, there is only one condition that justifies the existence of a Jewish state, and only one condition that merits being called “Jewish”: If we are united, we are true to our legacy and merit the title, “the people of Israel.” If we are divided, we are back where we came from: a collection of people who have nothing in common and feel nothing but hatred for each other.

On the other hand, if we want to unite above our differences, we have every right to tell the world: Don’t interfere with our lives here in Israel; we are building our union so as to set an example for the world. Everyone will accept this. Everyone knows this is our calling, and everyone knows that our calling is to benefit the world. Therefore, if we work on our unity, and for no other reason, everyone will support our efforts.
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My new article on Linkedin “No One Loves a Nation Whose Members Hate Each Other”

I have been told that the problems in supply chains afflicting the global economy have gotten so bad, and the prognosis is so dire, that some countries are considering shutting down international trade and trying to become self-sufficient. It is clearly an impractical idea, but it shows how desperate some countries have become, and how pessimistic they are about the future. There is a solution, but it involves reciprocity and consideration of others, and no one wants to go that way. So, for the time being, we will continue to suffer.

Look at what we have done to our planet. We have polluted it, corrupted it, and depleted it of resources and much of its beauty for the illusion of power and control. We could have achieved so much more with a fraction of the effort and a fraction of the resources we have drained from the planet, but for this, we would have to work shoulder to shoulder with each other, and no one wants that.

Regrettably, the situation will continue to worsen until everyone points their finger at the Jews and blame them for everything that is wrong with the world. Around this, everyone will be happy to unite, and not around anything else.

It is not only the world, but many Jews feel guilty, too. Look at how many Jews justify Jew-haters! Moreover, Jews who do so are not treated as traitors, as they would be anywhere else, but as progressive, justice-seeking people. Why are we like that? It is because deep down, we feel that the world is correct in its accusations, that we really are responsible for the world’s troubles. We cannot rationalize it, but we feel it nonetheless. Even if we do not admit it, our meek resentment to the most absurd allegations proves that we do not feel innocent.

Especially now, when the world has become such an interdependent, closed system where everyone affects everyone else, anything bad that someone does immediately impacts the entire world. We, Jews, are expected to correct the world. Since the world is broken, in the eyes of the world, as well as in our own eyes, it is our fault.

Think about it, no nation has conceived such a notion as Tikkun Olam [correction of the world], certainly not as one of its core values and goals. No nation has pinned its entire essence on love of others, to the point where one loves one’s neighbor as oneself. No nation has made mutual responsibility such a deeply rooted principle that its members feel entitled to demand it of each other. And finally, the sages of no other nation blame their defeats on unfounded hatred among the members of the nation, instead of on external enemies.

Even with regard to the nations of the world, our calling has always been a positive one. As soon as we became a nation, we were designated as a chosen people—chosen to exemplify those core values just mentioned: Tikkun Olam through love of others and mutual responsibility. Is there anything the world needs more than these?

Yet, instead of living up to our vocation, we have become the opposite. We are a display of self-loathing, inner division, and mutual derision. We are arrogant, but we have nothing to be proud of since people don’t need technology; they need to love and be loved, and we are denying them their needs through our negligence in our duty.

No one loves a nation whose members hate each other, all the more so when that nation was forged to be the trailblazer toward unity. If we reject our calling, who will pave the trail?

We are an assortment of members of nations from all over the Near and Middle East, who once united “as one man with one heart.” Because of our unique example, we must lead the way for the unity of the world, and the only way to do it is through our example.

Each of us is a descendant of those members of the nations. The nations will not be able to unite without our example. Our ancestors were “ambassadors” of the nations, and we are their heirs; it is incumbent upon us to carry out our ancestors’ legacy: to be a light unto nations and redeem the world of hatred. If we unite among us, the world will follow through. If we shun one another, the world will shun us.
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My new article on Linkedin “When the World Votes Unanimously Against You, It Is Time to Wake Up”

About ten days ago, the UN General Assembly voted 160-1 in favor of a draft resolution to renew funding for UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine. Hidden within the six items of the resolution were clauses stating that “refugees [from 1948, including their children and children’s children] wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date.” The resolution also states that “compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return.”

Following the vote, the draft was referred to what is known as the “Fourth Committee,” to formulate the resolution that will be submitted to the UN General Assembly on December 1 for a final vote. If the resolution is adopted, and it will be, it states that its “recommendations” are to be implemented by September 1, 2022. De facto, this means that the UN has decided to terminate the State of Israel as a Jewish state.

If there is anything good about this decision, it is that we can finally see how undesirable we are in the eyes of the world, and I always prefer the bitter truth to sweet lies. I think that in the near future, we will see the UN calling on all “residents” (a PC word for “Jews”) who are not indigenous to the region and moved to Israel over the past century and a half to return to their original countries. I am certain that the UN will even assist in their return, as this is what the world wants.

Despite the seemingly hopeless situation, I believe that our greatest concern and the key to saving the country is not the UN’s decision but our own opinion about it. It is bad enough that the world voted unanimously against us, but it is nothing compared to our real problem, that we tacitly agree with the UN. This is why we have not protested or plan to protest, why we have no plan to stop the final resolution, and no desire to bring the matter up for public discussion. Most Israelis do not even know the resolution exists.

No one will benefit from the abolition of the State of Israel. Before the State of Israel existed, we had two world wars in just over two decades. The State of Israel was established so that Jews could fulfill their historic role. Even if Israelis are unaware of this and the world has given up on Israel, the Jews will not be relieved of their calling.

We are a nation forged by unity above huge chasms, and we were designated to set an example to the world that such unity is possible. That is why the State of Israel was established soon after the most horrific display of hatred among nations in history, which ended in nuclear explosions. If Israel fails to live up to its vocation, what will stop the world from repeating that scenario?

If we justify our existence here by striving to unite as our ancestors did, above the huge chasms among us, we will not need to explain anything to anyone. On the contrary, the world will stop anyone who tries to disrupt our work toward unity.

Just as the world watches our every move and condemns us now that we are divided, it will watch our every move and praise us when we are united. This UN resolution is proof that the world wants none of the myriad things we have given it. It is time to give it what it really needs: the ability to unite. And the world will be able to unite only if we lead by example.

For more on the importance of Jewish unity, see my book The Jewish Choice: Unity or Anti-Semitism.
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My new article on Linkedin “Likelihood of Second Holocaust Increases”

About two weeks ago, The Guardian published the results of a survey commissioned by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. The survey found that “Just over half of Britons did not know that 6 million Jewish people were murdered during the Holocaust, and less than a quarter thought that 2 million or fewer were killed, a new survey has found. The study also found that 67% of UK respondents wrongly believed that the government allowed all or some Jewish immigration, when in fact the British government shut the door to Jewish immigration at the outbreak of the war.” Even more disconcerting is the fact that “56% believe that something like the Holocaust could happen again today.”

Surveys conducted in other western countries found similar results. The writing is already on the wall; will we read it in time?

When we consider what is happening in Poland today, the soaring antisemitism in Germany, the rapid Islamization of France, Britain, and other countries, it is clear that soon, there will be no need to ask people their opinions about Jews. They will show their hatred very openly and very violently. If we could plead ignorance before and during World War II, we cannot plead it now when everything is caught on video, often in real time.

Nothing has changed over the past eighty years. Just as the most “enlightened” country struck the Jews then, the most “enlightened” countries are leading the campaign against us now. The deeper the world falls into crises—from viruses to inflation to international tensions, migration, fundamentalism, you name it—the more it blames the Jews. For now, it is happening under the guise of criticism of Israel, but we should not kid ourselves; it is pure, old-fashioned Jew-hatred, and it will end very badly, as it always has.

If we want to eliminate antisemitism, we must understand its root. All of the world’s problems stem from poor human relations. There are no problems other than our hatred for each other.

No animal hates another animal. The hunted are afraid of the hunters, but there is no hatred among them. In fact, it has been proven that were it not for the hunters, the hunted animals would not thrive in good health.

The world’s anger at the Jews is the result of the vocation of our nation. We were meant to set an example of unity. We were designated to demonstrate such sublime notions as “Love your neighbor as yourself” and mutual responsibility, which we have given to the world.

But we have failed the world. Our division is not only our problem. It is first and foremost the problem of the world because when we are divided, we are not an example of unity, but of division. As a result, conflicts break out all over the world and the nations blame them on the Jews. Instinctively, they feel that their conflicts are the fault of the Jews, even if they cannot rationalize it in words. Nevertheless, if you look at our history (see reference below), you will find that the world embraces us when we are united, and punishes us when we are divided.

Indeed, the Holocaust could reoccur. However, it is not because the world is growing hateful toward us once again, but because we are growing hateful toward each other to levels that the world cannot tolerate. Whatever efforts we make to curb antisemitism, they will fail unless we unite. If we unite, we will need no efforts to curb antisemitism; it will dissolve by itself.

For more on the importance of Jewish unity, see my book The Jewish Choice: Unity or Anti-Semitism.
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My new article on Linkedin “Nowhere Left to Run”

In 1938, after Polish citizens perpetrated pogroms against Jews in Poland, the influential Jewish poet and songwriter Mordechai Gebirtig wrote a song warning Polish Jews of the impending danger. “Fire, brothers, fire! Our city is all on fire!” he wrote. He testified that he cried like a baby when he wrote those words. Even though the song became popular and the refrain was, “And you are holding back and do not lend a hand,” it did not help.

Like him, kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag, author of the Sulam [Ladder] Commentary on The Book of Zohar, foresaw the calamity. Being a resident of Warsaw, he warned the Jews there and tried to arrange for hundreds of Jewish families to come to Israel (then Palestine) and save themselves. Regrettably for the Jews, the leaders of the Warsaw community talked them out of the plan promising that no harm would come to them.

Last week, on the eve of Polish Independence Day, hundreds of protesters gathered in the Polish town of Kalisz and vowed to chase the enemies of the homeland to Israel, referring to the 3,500 Jews living in Poland today. They burned books, shouted “Death to the Jews!” and no one stopped them.

This is happening not only in Poland. Every day we hear of another demonstration against Jews in some place in the world. Jews are spat on in New York, beaten up in Belgium, their stores are daubed with neo-Nazi graffiti in Germany, they are murdered in France, and synagogues and cemeteries are desecrated around the world.

Unlike the days of the Third Reich, today everyone sees what is happening. In some cases, the attacks are broadcast live on social media. The one thing that has not changed is our complacency, our blindness to the truth that we are in the midst of an antisemitic wave that is growing like a snowball and that no one can or wants to stop.

We must not succumb to such obtuseness. We must acknowledge the (very) inconvenient truth: If Jews before World War II had somewhere to run, at least to some degree, today there is nowhere left to run. There is no safe haven for Jews.

The only refuge we have left is the bond between us. We must forge a bond so tight that it forms a shield against those who want our harm. Now is the time to return to our core values: “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and “as one man with one heart.”

There is a spiritual power in the bond between us. It is the bond that bound us together in ancient times. It has always been our protection; when we nurtured it among us, it melted the hatred of the nations toward us.

We are not an isolated nation. Our ancestors came from all over the Fertile Crescent, and the people who lived there eventually spread throughout the world. The Jewish nation holds within it representatives from all those nations, and that tiny, indistinguishable link connects us to every nation on Earth. Therefore, when we make peace among ourselves, the nations of the world respect us and make peace among themselves. On the other hand, when we are disunited, humanity spurns us and blames us for the fights that break out among them.

To help ourselves and help the world, we must stop running away and look at one another, the brothers we hate. We must rise above the animosity we feel for each other not because we want to, but because it is what the world needs, and the only thing that will make it stop persecuting the Jews.
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