But after 3500 years of persecution it is still there
The Temple of Solomon was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BC. And the temple of King Herod was razed to the ground by the Romans in 70 AD. With the captured temple treasure, the Roman emperors built the Colosseum after the Jewish War. The history of the suffering of the Hebrews goes far back to ancient Egypt. In all eras and at all times, the peoples of this world have incurred guilt by expelling, disenfranchising, humiliating and killing the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
England, Spain and France expelled the Jews from the country. In Russia and Poland they became victims of regular pogroms. Germany, the land of poets, thinkers and composers, systematically killed 6 million of them. And it was just 100 years ago that many U.S. restaurants had “No blacks or Jews allowed” signs.
What sacrilege have the Goldmans and Bloombergs committed that they have been the doormats of this world since ancient times? A major motive is certainly primitive envy. Although the proportion of Jews in the world population is barely 0.2%, every fifth Nobel Prize is awarded to a Jewish scientist. About 30% of faculty members at elite U.S. universities such as Harvard and Yale profess the Jewish faith. Mankind owes a multitude of social, cultural and scientific advances to Jewish fellow citizens.
Paul Ehrlich founded chemotherapy. Bob Dylan, aka Robert Zimmerman, gifted the civil rights movement with his song “Blowing in the Wind.” Sigmund Freud revolutionized psychology and Albert Einstein described the theory of relativity. Steven Spielberg led some of the most successful film projects as a director. And the passionate users of Facebook should not forget that Mark Zuckerberg is also the son of Jewish parents. This list could be continued page by page.
The Sabbath day of rest is a monumental achievement of Judaism that the international labor movement also rejoiced over. Modern hygiene regulations and many medical precautions have their roots in the Torah. Social coexistence would be almost inconceivable without the 10 Commandments, which Moses received on Mount Sinai. And world literature would be much poorer without the prophets of the Old Testament.
At the Wailing Wall, the western enclosing wall of the Herodian Temple, the survivors of cruel persecutions shed real tears. From 1948 to 1967, the Temple Mount was under Jordanian administration. During those two decades, Jews were not allowed to pray at their most important shrine. When in 1967 the Arab states told the world that they would drive the Jews into the sea once and for all and liquidate the state of Israel, the Western world cried crocodile tears. But things turned out quite differently. The small nation, though outnumbered a hundred to one, won the war in six days. Neither the forces of the political left nor the ultra-right were happy about this astonishing turn of events. Israel was quickly accused of imperialism – despite its modest size of a small German state.
Between 130,000 and 150,000 rockets have been directed at Israel by Hizbulla. Hamas bestially slaughtered 1300 men, women and children a few days ago. There was no outcry at the regulars’ tables and coffee meetings. Instead, demonstrations formed in major cities around the world to congratulate Hamas on its atrocities. “Down with Israel” is not far from the cry “Jew perish!”
A small people without any protection and home. In 1896 Theodor Herzl published the book “The Jewish State”. He saw the solution to the Jewish dilemma in a national home of their own in Palestine. Amid the horrific images of the gas chambers, the vast majority of the United Nations voted in 1947 for the Partition Resolution, which allowed for the establishment of a Jewish state in 1948.
For millions of people, the favored solution for overcoming anti-Semitism would be the dissolution of Israel as the first step and the abolition of Judaism as the second. But the violence against the maltreated creatures with the Star of David on their jackets would only come to an end when the last Lea and the last David had disappeared from the face of the earth. What is the explanation for this absurd hatred of educated people, to whom we should all be deeply indebted because of their achievements?
Here is my own guess. The Bible describes Israel as the people of God. Moses, the prophets and Jesus, whom Christians revere as the Son of God, lit a bright light in a dark world. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life!” And in the Gospel of John, Jesus Christ makes a crystal-clear announcement: “Salvation comes from the Jews!” This statement challenges us to make a decision. I personally suspect that the fight against Judaism is also a fight against this statement of Christ. /KDJ
