The State of Israel
Another freedom, or thought that emerged this morning, when I woke up, thinking of course, was that this country does allow me the right to express freely my thoughts as they surface. At times, I am grateful for that right, but not completely convinced by any degree of certainty that it is good for me to think so much and so deeply.
Much of yesterday was spent, with family and friends, looking at our son's pictures on line from his amazing trip to Israel, Turkey and Jordan. A life-long fascination, for me, has been the culture of what I call "Yidishland" which represents the old world Jews from the ghettos of Eastern Europe. These individuals are governed first and foremost by strict religious commandments and prohibitions (613 in fact, see the post below for more clarification), and many, not all. men dress in a certain style of black clothing, while women cover their heads and bodies as a display of modesty. This representation is a simplification. This is the generation of my grandparents and their parents, and for some Jews, a small minority, this continues to be their own generation and that of their children here in the United States as well.
Although many of the suicide bombings have stopped in Israel, (thank God), many new internal conflicts surface in the coming weeks and months regarding the turn over of the Gaza strip and the West bank to Palestinian control. The issue regarding this land partition and its impact is a subject for ten blogs, so I will not focus on it in this particular post. What worries me most now, as I sit here and write these comments, is that much conflict, violence and strife is likely to result from the conduct of one Jew towards another in this complex exchange of land and ideas, creating more discourse than already exists between our neighbors, and those who do not feel as if the Jewish state has a right to exist. I worry endlessly at the idea or thought of ill feelings, discourse and hatred from Jew v. Jew, and all my prayers, thoughts and feelings for today, and all these days, will extend to the hope that this type of intra-religious conflict does not surface and create rather than solve more problems in an otherwise fragile process and nation.
As a side note, but noteworthy nevertheless, President Bush is the first U.S. President since Herbert Hoover who has appointed no Jews to his cabinet. To me, this factor is significant, and may in more ways than known impact and speak volumnes on his ultimate position on U.S. relations with Israel.
Thank you for your minds.
Much of yesterday was spent, with family and friends, looking at our son's pictures on line from his amazing trip to Israel, Turkey and Jordan. A life-long fascination, for me, has been the culture of what I call "Yidishland" which represents the old world Jews from the ghettos of Eastern Europe. These individuals are governed first and foremost by strict religious commandments and prohibitions (613 in fact, see the post below for more clarification), and many, not all. men dress in a certain style of black clothing, while women cover their heads and bodies as a display of modesty. This representation is a simplification. This is the generation of my grandparents and their parents, and for some Jews, a small minority, this continues to be their own generation and that of their children here in the United States as well.
Although many of the suicide bombings have stopped in Israel, (thank God), many new internal conflicts surface in the coming weeks and months regarding the turn over of the Gaza strip and the West bank to Palestinian control. The issue regarding this land partition and its impact is a subject for ten blogs, so I will not focus on it in this particular post. What worries me most now, as I sit here and write these comments, is that much conflict, violence and strife is likely to result from the conduct of one Jew towards another in this complex exchange of land and ideas, creating more discourse than already exists between our neighbors, and those who do not feel as if the Jewish state has a right to exist. I worry endlessly at the idea or thought of ill feelings, discourse and hatred from Jew v. Jew, and all my prayers, thoughts and feelings for today, and all these days, will extend to the hope that this type of intra-religious conflict does not surface and create rather than solve more problems in an otherwise fragile process and nation.
As a side note, but noteworthy nevertheless, President Bush is the first U.S. President since Herbert Hoover who has appointed no Jews to his cabinet. To me, this factor is significant, and may in more ways than known impact and speak volumnes on his ultimate position on U.S. relations with Israel.
Thank you for your minds.
14 Comments:
There are times when all we can hope for is for humanity to rise above the fray and come together in peace. As you have observed, this is a very delicate matter that balances on very high emotions and ideals and it is obvious by your words that you feel this on a very personal level.
I'm hoping for peace above all on this one, my thoughts are with you and the people of the region.
YOU ARE SO MISGUIDED BARB.
QUESTION DID SONNEY BOY FEEL JEWISH ENOUGH TO OPEN A PRAYER BOOK WHEN HE WAS THERE? DI HE PUT A KVITEL IN THE WALL ASKING GOD FOR THE SPEEDY RECOVERY OF HIS SISTER? WAS THERE ANY IMPACT ON HIM THAT WILL MAKE HIM WANT TO BE DIFFERENT THAT BEFORE HE WENT?
kvtetch,
As usual, I do not think you have dealt with the issues I raise in my post. I am more concerned with your anger lately towards me, and your lack of the command of the English language, both which could use much improvement.
But to be civil, I will answer your questions. Yes, my son went twice to the Kotel and prayed, and inserted papers inside the wall, from himself and from me.
I could ask you when the last time you went to Israel was (assuming, of course that you have ever set foot inside the Holy land), when you did something to insure the survival of the Jewish state.
I thought, according to the Torah, that it was for G-d to judge, but I see from each and every one of your posts and correspondences that you are more judgmental than ever. Perhaps you have taken upon yourself a role too big for your own shoes.
Like you, I would like to see a lasting peace. Unfortuately, that region has thousands of years of conflict, and it's difficult to see just how it's all going to end.
It takes some very visionary leaders to make it happen, yet I'm not too sure they're all in place.
A JEW FINDS A GENIE LAMP AND THE GENIE GRANTS THE MAN ONE WISH. HE REPLIES ALL MY LIFE I WANTED TO SEE PEACE IN ISRAEL. HE SHOWS THE GENIE A MAP AND ASKES IF HE CAN STAIGHTEN OUT THE SITUATION THERE .. THE GENIE REPLIES I AM ONLY A MERE GENIE CAN YOU FIND SOMETHING THAT IS EASIER TO DO. SO THE JEW THINKS AND REQUESTS THAT THAT HIS JEWISH WIFE OF MANY YEARS, BE ABLE TO GIVE HIM THE BEST BLOWJOB IN THE WORLD. THE GENIE REPLIES CAN I SEE THAT MAP AGAIN.
BARB I TYPE IN BETWEEN MANY THINGS I DO NT CARE IF MY ENGLISH SUCKS YOU GOT THE POINT DIDNT YOU.
I WANT YOU TO SEE WHAT IT IS LIKE TO HAVE ANNOYING COMMENT WITH NO BASIS FOR ANYTHING ON YOUR BLOG. DONT LIKE IT DO YOU?
Fred and godless mom,
Thank you for your kind and beautiful words.
Welcome to my blog, fred. I hope you come back to visit again.
your latest post is so true those jews are geferlich.i couldnt have said it better myself.
Barbara,
You know me through my blog. And yes, I DO live in Boro Park. I DO cover my hair. I DO dress modestly, and my husband wears the traditional black suit, hat, and tzitzes. But all similarities end there.
Barbara, you are not being fair. You post a blog knocking ALL OF US based on words from a blog, and from a tiny percentage of all of us. We are educated, we are kind and compassionate, we devote ourselves to charity, we never let a fellow jew down. our charity organizations, our Bikur Cholim organizations are like no other! We are there in the hospitals every day, bringing kosher fook in to ALL jews, and not just the frum. We love our fellow jews. We work hard. We are polite to others.....etc.
As far as not acknowledging the state of Israel; We recognize it, we love it, we daven at the Kosel as often as we can, but one thing we know for sure; Until Moshiach comes, it can never be fully ours. My brother lives in Jerusalem, and is a Ruv in a shul there. We go to "Kever Ruchel" to say T'hillim. We know, in our hearts and souls that this is the land. and will be again. When Moshiach comes.
Please, Barbara, you are doing an injustice to the 99.9 percent of us that you do not know and have never conversed with.
it is really childish to bring the ball to the play ground and not let us use it unless you get your way. why dont you open up your latest for discussion. or are you afraid of the truth. your the liberal one who claims all blogs are places for commentors to comment. open up the damn door.
sorry barbara there is no jewish seat in the cab. as there should be no black or spanish seat. That aside there is a rather diverse group of people seating there. the view that one should get a seat just because you are one group or another is wrong.
On another subject the ortho community is more pro Israel than the general jewish community. Your blanket attack on the boro park jewish community is wrong. A large number of ortho jews send there children to Israel for post high school study and it is this community that has a larger % of its population make alliyia than the general jewish population as well as spend tourist dollars there as well.
why do all these things come back to how much Bush sucks? If he made a premeditated decision to put in a token jew everyone would have said "Look, he put in a jew to save face!"
also, why do you refuse to write the word god? out of respect? it's kind of unusual, it like writing F@#% YOU! but not feeling guilty because you didn't actually curse
Bochia,
Some people do not write the entire word God, saying that it is too sacred to write the name in its entirety, and therefore leave out the o. Out of respect for the religious, I do this, but this is not my personal habit.
As for Bush. You know that I am not a Bush lover, or even liker for that matter. This time is very scarey with the Supreme Court vacancy, and now with these issues surfacing in Israel for us. Just my two cents.
Wow!........just dropped in to see how things were....
What on earth is going on here?
"thekvetcher"...I hate to say this, but you sound incredibly hostile and sinister....whatever happened to discussion?
You say that you wish to discuss things...if that is truly the case, then why are you hurling insults instead?
"Open up the damn door.." Excuse me pasing comment as a mere visitor, but it seems to me that if the door was closed you`d never have got your nasty tuppence ha`penny posted in the first place.
Try discourse instead of hatred...life becomes easier and more humane when that happens.
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