Recently, I have been getting calls and inquiries from close and distant friends about how I am feeling. Having had two heart attacks and two unrelated near-death experiences, my first reaction was, “Why? Do I look pale?” Then I realized the question is being asked of a Jew in America in light of the brutal Hamas attack against Israel and the antisemitism it has unleashed in our society, especially on our college campuses.
Jews are a peculiar people. Representing two-tenths of one percent of the world population, they bench 100X their weight when it comes to making money, making scientific discoveries, or earning Nobel Prizes. Their belief as the chosen people tends to induce anger or envy in almost everyone else, for which they ultimately pay a high price.
Throughout history, the Jews have suffered from terrible PR and have often been slaughtered as a result. And, so, that begs the question, “How is it they have lasted longer than anyone else?” Mark Twain’s 1899 short essay “Concerning the Jews” is an excellent place for a closer glimpse at the question. Steve Smith’s introduction to MM 11/4/19 Anti-Semitism provides some further insight.
Jews are like the canaries in the mine. When societies allow Jews to live free and prosper, humanity advances. When Jews are threatened and Pogroms act as societal pressure valves, humanity tends to take a giant leap backward…
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