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We as a people have abdicated our responsibility to protect ourselves, to educate our children, to live in reality and not in a fantasy. We failed to understand the difference between reality and naivety.
For the last 30 years we have believed that our position in the world was so secure that we have the ability to fight for other people’s causes and not worry about our own. We convinced ourselves that Israel was so strong that we didn’t have to defend it, advocate for it or worry about it. We threatened Israel that we would withdraw our support from it if the country didn’t “get in line with our values”. We believed that the Jewish people were so secure that we could teach our children to be highly critical of Israel. We deluded ourselves into believing that Israel didn’t need us and that the Jewish people didn’t need Israel. We convinced ourselves that certain social issues like abortion, immigration, gay rights, social justice or Islamophobia were more important to us than the future security of Israel and the Jewish community.
It has become glaringly true that what happens in Israel affects the rest of the Jewish world. We deluded ourselves into believing that advocating for Muslim immigration from countries that export terrorism would be no threat to us. But we failed to realize that most of the immigrants coming from these Muslim countries have been taught since they were babies that the Jews are the sons of apes and pigs.
We allowed ourselves to become fragmented. We told ourselves that Tikun Olam is the most important thing above and beyond our own security. We told ourselves that supporting the Democratic Socialists of America and being Bernie Sanders supporters was okay despite their positions on Israel. We told ourselves it wasn’t a big deal that Linda Sarsour was one of the heads of the Women’s March.
Even though we are in fact among the most persecuted peoples in the world, we didn’t think it was a problem that we were included on the list of privileged oppressors instead of among the oppressed. We were told that we didn’t really have a position in the hierarchy of Identity politics because we were white. And we accepted it. We weren’t able to recognize the difference between an enemy and a friend.
We were so confident in our personal security, physically, emotionally, practically and professionally that we took on the causes of others and ignored our needs. The events of October 7 and the aftermath have demonstrated to many, but not to all, that we were wrong.
It is true that we must move forward, but we must also look back and understand the mistakes that we made, take responsibility, and be brave enough to realize where we went wrong. Because to properly move forward, we must understand how we got here. We must take back the narrative, educate our children, and teach our flock in the synagogues. The Jewish people currently have a tremendous amount of power, both personally and collectively, and we must choose to use it. We must not ignore the reality that we have enemies, real enemies, here in America and of course in Europe, and we must identify them.
Yes we must build bridges, but effective bridges, strong bridges, bridges that we can come to rely on. Not bridges which will crumble the moment there’s any pressure applied. These are hard truths, but they’re not hard to understand, now. We are at an inflection point, This is the moment we choose to live and thrive or we choose to stagnate and die. We have a choice, it is still in our power, but if we do not recognize this reality and act now that window will fade. And we will be all left alone to deal with the fear and the unknown. Unless we all want to become marranos, then we must act…the time is NOW
Daniel Rosen is the former leader of the TorchPAC pro-Israel group at New York University whose activism against campus antisemitism was reported on in the New York Post, the New York Sun, and multiple Jewish newspapers as well as the Village Voice. He worked for the Jewish Agency and now serves as co-CEO of a local family business.
Powerful essay — and spot on! But not all American Jews lost their way.. Members of the Jabotinsky/Betar/Herut/Likud movement and the ZOA stayed focused on Israel, Zionism and Jewish survival and security.
Not we, everyone.
With due respect Mr. Rosen, you and many other so-called “liberal” (more accurately progressive) Jewish Americans confused progressivism with Judaism and confused your enemies with your friends. It’s never too late to change, of course, but if you can’t see that enabling and carrying water for anti-American, anti-Western, collectivist ideologies – while demonizing all of us (including that portion of the Jewish community which does lean right) on the small government right as nazis – wouldn’t work out well for Jews, well shame on you. Cancel culture, caricaturing and demonizing dissent, pushing absurd theories were all bad things from the start, and affect many people. They didn’t become bad just when they turned on the Jews. All of us, Jew and Gentile alike, who saw through these ideologies from the start told the Jewish community this and were ignored.
If you knew Daniel Rosen, you would know that a) he Is not a liberal and b) he wasn’t talking about himself but about the Jewish people in America as a whole.
Yes there are many Jews who understood from the start but a lot more and more importantly the louder majority ignored the obvious. Is point is that those of us who chose to live our lives quietly must become the loud and open the eyes of those who still have them closed.
So true. The best were silent. assuming truth needed no defence, while the worst had the megaphones of media, the cameras of News and Hollywood and tenured positions.
The worst in the liberal religious establishment led their flocks astray.
I’ve seen Rosen reporting from Israel near the border with Gaza recently. He seems like a good guy to me.
Kahane Chai! He warned us for years and was rewarded with an assassin’s bullet. But a lot of us paid attention and are still paying attention and reading his books over three decades after his death. We would do well by passing those books around now.
Liberal (and rich) American Jews totally lost the history and lessons of over two thousand years of Pograms visited upon the Jewish people by almost every culture on the planet…especially the Arabic people. Ibn Khaldun (The Muqaddimah) has a long treatise in his Introduction To History regarding hard tribes of the desert who become soft when they adopt pacifist ways and swear fealty to soft-headed leaders.
Excellent, thanks
This is what the Torah calls Teshuvah acknowledging the mistaken oath of the past and declaring that one is abandoning it and accepting e we HST needs to be done in the future I believe that the events of 10/7 have led to a massive rethinking of individual and.communal priorities in the American Jewish community in the same way that the horrific events unified the disparate sectors of Israel
I have been the canary in the mine for decades. I experienced the ‘tender mercies’ of Islamofascism first hand in Hebron 1972. Where I was stabbed attempting to save the life of an Arab kid. Then again in 1973 on the Golan.
I know the supremacist, racist, genocidal cult of islamofascism first hand and been warning that it is coming to the western world to no avail. None are so blind and so deaf that nothing will wake them up even when confronted in their own home.
This article is on target but the left will never accept or change
When neither side wants Peaceful co-existance – You will end up with endless war and violence.
Islam is never going to ask for Peace, history shows that. Hamas has never asked for Peace and never will – it is ‘to the death’ with them. All Mohammedism is ‘at its base’ that way. The Koran orders it.
But what shocked me was – Bibi is playing the same hand… Trump found that out himself. https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-i-thought-israelis-would-do-anything-for-peace-but-found-that-not-to-be-true/?__cf_chl_tk=EVC2CGwwpo5mL0NvaiikEvdH6zXGCFerPf7CmjUenCs-1698251667-0-gaNycGzNDOU
Whether or not the ‘MEDIA’ presents it like that or not… it is a War To The Death.
And ALL OF ISREAL (Right and Left) should consider it that way – and react that way.
“We told ourselves that Tikun Olam is the most important thing above and beyond our own security.”
“Tikun Olam”, in other words, social justice, socialism, collectivism, the welfare state, communism, Bolshevism.
Tikun Olam is founded on the evil moral code of altruism and self-sacrifice, which is the moral basis for collectivism in all its different manifestations, from tribalism to racism, from Bolshevism to Nazism, from Christianity and Judaism to Islam and Hinduism.
Islam commands the true believer to altruistically sacrifice himself for Allah, Mohammed, and his Ummah Tribe. Judaism commands the true believer to sacrifice himself for Yahweh and the Hebrew Tribe.
Atheistic Jews have always been overrepresented in social justice and socialist movements including Bolshevism, not because they’re Jews, but because of Judaism’s emphasis on altruism and Tikun Olam.
Marxism commands the true believer to sacrifice himself and everyone else to the Almighty State and Almighty Society. Nazism commands the individual to sacrifice himself for the Fuhrer and the Aryan Race.
The same is true of Christians – “The roots of America’s welfare state lie in the Populist-Progressive Era of the late 19th century and early 20th century, especially with the Protestant social gospel movement, which held that Christian ethics and “social justice” should drive public policy, including wealth redistribution, trust-busting, graduated tax rates to punish the rich, cradle-to-grave handouts, and missionary-style imperialistic ventures abroad to spread the faith and make the world “safe for democracy.” The concept of social justice, which jettisoned the idea that we actually earn and deserve what we get in life, was first adopted by the Jesuit Luigi Taparelli in the 1840s, as drawn from the work of St. Thomas Aquinas.” – Richard M. Salsman
It’s time to get a better moral code.
“It is obvious why the morality of altruism is a tribal phenomenon. Prehistorical men were physically unable to survive without clinging to a tribe for leadership and protection against other tribes. The cause of altruism’s perpetuation into civilized eras is not physical, but psycho-epistemological: the men of self-arrested, perceptual mentality are unable to survive without tribal leadership and “protection” against reality. The doctrine of self-sacrifice does not offend them.” – Ayn Rand
Nobody is altruistic ever. They do good things because they feel good in themselves. Your definition of altruism is what the rest of the world calls self sacrifice and the ONLY religion calling for that is Islam, they teach their kids to want to die as young as possible. No other religion does that despite Rand’s academic writings.
Our rezidentura Jew Hater strikes again. Your most bigoted post yet. I guess no one is turning up at your Objectivist tiki-torch rallies.
You are no different than the cheap Jew haters whining about Bolshevist Jews in their lame effort to start yet another holocaust. Or the wannabe Nazi Jew haters whing about the Khazars in their efforts to relive their moment of glory in a restored Third Reich
“Tikun Olam is founded on the evil moral code of altruism and self-sacrifice, which is the moral basis for collectivism in all its different manifestations, from tribalism to racism, from Bolshevism to Nazism, from Christianity and Judaism to Islam and Hinduism.”
Maybe you should go to a synagogue and tell the assembled Jews what you have written here. I dare you, you effing coward. Your obsession with altruism has made you insane. It’s pretty much all you ever think about. See a psychiatrist…..you need one.
In many ways you are the coming of the new and improved Hitler. Unlike you, most people are kind and caring….you know, altruistic. The bane of your existence. You exude hate and selfishness.
Civilization, primitive and otherwise, requires men live together in cooperation. It has nothing to do with self-sacrifice – quite the opposite. Civilization requires leadership / hierarchy to advance the greatest opportunities for ALL.
Rand’s religion is irrational and incoherent: “Existence exists by the grace of existence.” Her dogmas are made worse by her dismissive and condescending tone. No wonder so many Randians are intolerable bores.
First THX, allow me to point out that your Mrs. Alice O’Connor was one of those atheistic Jews who wanted to improve the world with her own (rather sensible but somewhat utopian) philosophy. But that is neither here nor there.
I want to explain to you and other readers what “Tikun Olam” (Ashkenazi pronunciation of the exact phrase is “l’sikun olam) actually means in context, and where it is found in the Jewish liturgy. It is in a very lovely prayer at the end of every service, every day. A widely-used Orthodox prayerbook translates the sentence fragment in which it appears as invoking G0d “to perfect the universe through the Almighty’s sovereignty.” That messianic plea is a rather far cry from social justice! So perhaps this little paragraph will clear up in many people’s minds what all that talk of “tikun olam” and make them realize what it really means.
I would be interested to know when “Tikun Olam” began. Clearly it wasn’t present in the Israel of the Old Testament or the New Testament. The Prophets as well as Christ accused the leaders of mistreatment of the poor, orphans, widows, etc.
Slavery was accepted both in the Old Testament times, and the New Testament times, and was never forbidden. Equality for women was never promoted. A society where everyone has the same lifestyle was never promoted. So what does traditional Judaism (or even traditional Christianity) have to do with the Leftist ideas about “social justice”??
I have said it before on this site: unhappy Gentiles means Jews as scapegoats. Black Plague? Burn the Jews! Crop failure? Kill the Jews! Poverty under a feudal system? Blame the Jews! It is no wonder that many Jews are drawn into the social justice movements to appease Gentiles.
Yet the more Jews “give” – be it “Land for Peace” or funding charities that address ever ill in society, Anti-Semitism never goes away. Some Jews will almost kiss the feet of their killers as if they deserve this kind of treatment. It’s very distressing to witness.
What Jews need to realize is that Anti-Semitism is Satanic. There are spiritual forces behind it that will not stop until the Lord Himself puts an end to it. Nothing you do will appease those blinded by this Satanic hatred. They will continue to invent lies about you as an excuse for their hatred.
Time to stop trying to placate them, because it will not work.
Hi, Cheryl. If you are curious about where “tikun olam” comes from, here is a paragraph that I just wrote to THX above:
I want to explain to you and other readers what “Tikun Olam” (Ashkenazi pronunciation of the exact phrase is “l’sikun olam) actually means in context, and where it is found in the Jewish liturgy. It is in a very lovely prayer at the end of every service, every day. A widely-used Orthodox prayerbook translates the sentence fragment in which it appears as invoking G0d “to perfect the universe through the Almighty’s sovereignty.” That messianic plea is a rather far cry from social justice! So perhaps this little paragraph will clear up in many people’s minds what all that talk of “tikun olam” and make them realize what it really means.
I wish the author had not used the word “we” so much. I’m Jewish and did not share any of the beliefs to which he refers. Instead, I have been openly critical of them, have felt it necessary to leave my congregation and Reform Judaism generally because of them, and ceased my contribution to a number of nominally Jewish organizations as they became shills for the Left. I stopped contributions to the ADL back in the Foxman days and told it I was doing so because they seemed more concerned with half a dozen good old boys telling Jewish jokes in a bar in Coeur d’Alene than they wete in the threats to Jewish students on college campuses which was occurring even then. So, Mr. Rosen, don’t say “we.” Some of us had our eyes wide open. And what did we get for it? Ridicule and exclusion. Maybe you should apologize for that, too.
Yes, yes, yes Kasandra! Thank you for stating the opinion of someone who knows what being Jewish is — and is not.
Sorry, stop voting democrat, stop funding colleges, use your money to help and arm Israel. Learn to wean yourselves from those ‘socialists’ thoughts. Know who your allies are.
Let’s not forget that Jewishness is not only the religion, but it is an ethnicity, which is fairly unique. Anti-Semites, as the Nazis, consider you a Jew by your lineage, they wouldn’t care if you converted and were a practicing Christian. So these secular Jews, and I consider myself one, are just as hated and will be hunted should that ever happen again, regardless of their atheism or support for other causes. We fool ourselves if we think of this as being aimed at Jews for their religion. I’m sure most of the victims of the 10/7 attacks were not religious Jews, but if they were in Israel, they were presumed to be ethnically Jewish (many weren’t Jews or Israelis, but presumed so).
Jews aren’t an ethnicity. That is a myth! Hitler even spoke about Jews being a religious group and only used the construct of “race” or “ethnicity” to marginalize Jews because he knew a spiritual fight was much harder.
The overwhelming majority of Jews are of European DNA ; not middle eastern.
70% of American Jews vote Democrat against their own best interests. 60% of American women vote Democrat against their own best interests. Democrats support the abortion and brainwashing and mutilation of children. Lots of Humans make bad decisions against their own best interests. Israel is now in a major war. Now all of us are looking at world war 3 and nuclear death coming at all of us. Nobody is going to change or do anything about it.
Exactly right! It didn’t take much for all the leftist filth and their ignorant fellow travelers to show their true Nazi-esque Jew killing colors. It’s shocking to see the Hamas genocide-cheering filth populating apparently falsely named “elite” institutions.
There are two types of Jews: The Jews who live in Israel and the Jews who don’t.
I think it’s delusional to believe that “ the Jewish people currently have a tremendous amount of power, both personally and collectively…” Where? In America? In the UN? In universities?
On city streets? In a supermarket? In New York City? On a plane? In this mealy mouthed administration? In social media?
The strength of the Jewish people has always come from God, belief in God, the Torah and love of the land of Israel, and the nation of Israel.
In chemistry, there are mixtures and compounds:
Jews in America are in a mixture, but think they’re in a compound. They don’t want to be separated out from the rest of America; but that is what has happened.
Jews in Israel, on the other hand, are part of a compound, integral to the nation and the land flowing with milk and honey.
Individual Jews may disagree, but the nation of Israel is united to defeat evil so all Jews can live.
The spiritual, foundational template for the establishment of the United States of America was, but is no longer, the exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt to the promised land.
This was the shared value between America and Israel. No more.
Jews have two choices:
To live among anti-Semites
or to live in Israel.
I see three things happening to save the world after Israel, with God’s help, saves itself:
The aliyah of Jews from America and around the world to Israel that will rival the biblical exodus.
The Iranian people will overthrow and completely destroy their evil regime – maybe they will have been inspired by Israel’s victory.
A war will be fought in America to prevent the United States of America from becoming the United States of Islam.
Beautifully put.
I was horrified to discover most of the poor souls butchered in their own homes were unarmed like sitting ducks waiting for slaughter. I read only 2% of the populace of Israel was armed. When did that absurdity happen? Think of the lives that possibly could have been saved or at least eliminated some of the blood thirsty murderers. Not just coming late to the realization of self destructive thinking and alliances, but arming oneself, becoming strong physically and mentally, aligning with like minded people both Jewish and gentile is critical now. One of Hitlers first actions was disarming the Jewish population, how could anyone forget that? Tragic most Israelis and American Jews have willingly disarmed themselves. The wake up call is now.
Since Israeli citizens being disarmed was no secret, I don’t doubt that Hamas and Iran took that in to account in their operational planning. The phrase “Know Your Enemy” applies here and they knew that the average Israeli was wide open for attack. The large number of people who were killed shouldn’t have had to die defenseless.
The absurdity of disarming the Israeli civilian population happened on November 4, 1995 when a disgruntled conservative law student shot and killed Prime Minister Yitzchok Rabin. Talk about the shot heard ’round the world! If this assassination had not taken place a great many Israelis would either still be alive or would have died peacefully of old age. That law student should have looked down the road at unintended consequences before he acted.
Your friend is not an island unto himself, though he might be lonely in his current milieu. There are a great many of us who lean very far to the right — Donald Trump supporters, pro-2A, voting or running on the libertarian or conservative side of the Republican party, and so forth. We are predominately mainstream or Haredi Orthodox and we most assuredly do not support any of the garbage that leftist “progressives” (neo-feudalists) howl about. If you’d like to do your friend a favor, tell him to look online at an organization like Chabad.org and start reading their blogs. He will not feel very lonely anymore.
Everybody wants to lecture or mock or mostly blame the tiny population of American Jews for some Jews being liberal. Liberal Christians are the voting block to be concerned about (other than vote fraud, of course).
Overlooked is organized influences on American Jews. Many American Jews are not scholars of religion or even Hebrew coming from a generation before them who wanted assimilated successful and most of all safe Americanized Jewish children. These grown children flocked to Reform Judaism, for example. Then the infiltration of far leftism into this and other Jewish institutions was, in my opinion, deliberate. The members follow along happily believing they are good if they cry for people in Gaza, not themselves. Its not as accidental as it seems. Its the swan song of communism. It enables the goals of islam. It endangers Jews.
Our parents thought safety and life would be found in assimilating to a perceived benign America . What has been found is weakness, hatred, and death at the hands if a very different America. .
A tiny population? Sorry, Ms. Cat but that “tiny” population votes upwards of 70%. Overwhelmingly Jews are liberals. Those 70% or upwards have abandoned God! It’s only the small % of the Orthodox that are conservative and religious.
Yes, there are many Christian’s who are not Christian’s and are libs. But, Jews make up 2% of the pop and vote 70% for Dems
Nuff said
Look, someone could kill the children of a liberal democrat, and they would still want to bail the killer out of prison. The liberals woke up for about one week after 9/11 and then went right back to anti-war, anti-American protesting. How many Jewish college students are out protesting against Israel this week?