We have a guest writer today, please welcome Rabbi Zev Wineberg! Rabbi Zev Wineberg is Director of NeverEverAgain.org and author of Kabbalah Love: Life Course
“Antisemitism” as Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “Is the most ancient disease”.
Anyone familiar with Jewish history, perhaps with almost all of it, knows that irrational attacks targeted against Jews are just that, irrational. The word anti-Semite itself is a misnomer, having been invented in 1879 by the German agitator Wilhelm Marr. It was to designate the anti-Jewish campaigns under way in central Europe at that time.
Ultimately, all acts of maliciousness, including bullying or targeting any group or nation as a whole, originate from problems within the person or group-think doing the attacking. No rational thinker would ever assume that an entire group or nationality is intrinsically evil. Therefore, it is obviously an issue in the person or gang who is attacking.
As Jews, among the possible responses we have, there are these ten:
- There is the common one, not to take it personal.
- Fear. Anyone with any life experience realizes there can be, unfortunately a reaction of fear. As the word terrorism implies, it is there to frighten. Sadly, for those who succumb to the fear, the tactic must be deemed a “success.”
I personally took a pledge to never fear terrorism, for the consequence of fear is acquiescence.
This explains the timid fool, who instead of standing with the oppressed, takes the side of the oppressor! This is often seen in J Street insanity, in some sort of odd version of the Stockholm syndrome. To paraphrase Churchill, “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.”
Need we mention that the Jews of Germany were more “German” than the Germans! (In fact Reform, which mimicked the church (placing in in the temple an organ etc.) started in Germany and initially took out all references to Israel feeling their allegiance was to the Fatherland. And as Einstein commented, seeing both Reform in America and Germany, that people respect those who have self-respect, not inferiority complexes.)) - Compassion for mental instability. Friends of mine, a couple who came to our synagogue, related an incident to me. They were getting into an elevator in Colorado, and a man began hurling anti-Semitic slurs at them. The husband, with his Yarmulkah and beard, looks Jewish. I asked the wife, “How did it make you feel?” She said, “Well, I could see the person was obviously unwell, so I felt sorry for him.”
- Don’t Imbibe Negativity. Never believe negativity. Even, perhaps especially, if it is about you. Perhaps most importantly, the essence of anti-Semitism is jealousy. We all have innate jealousy, our primary jealousy is when we become miserable (either malcontent, frustrated or anxious thereby affecting our self-image.) This causes (as Rabbi Sholom Dovber of Lubavitch, explains in a lengthy discourse, Heichaltzu) a subconscious jealousy/hate, which consciously manifests as logical rationalizations, justifying malicious demeaning. This is the subconscious cause of antisemitism, terrorism, bullying, in fact all radical hate. Their “cause/excuses” are masking a violent jealous hate.
Content people never use demeaning violence or language. One of the wisest of Jews on the subject of anti-Semitism, no less a personage than Albert Einstein, loosely quoted from his book “Out Of My Later Years”
“The Germans hated not the Jews, for they are a race; for Jews come from all races; rather the Germans who stood for power / brute barbarism (a predilection of those who have lost the pleasure of love and compassion) tried to extinguish those who stand for – as all Jews do – social justice – goodness and kindness.”
One of the primary stresses in America today – in fact psychologists say, the primary stress – is the American discord.
Two weeks before the 2016 election, I got so sick of the media circus, I went on what has been my most addictive diet – no news!
Michael Medved who is a syndicated radio show host, former movie critic, as well as a Yale graduate and returnee to Jewish practice, says, polls show that though people (in general) think that their life is good, they nevertheless think life is bad.
At a conference, sponsored by Chabad.org and the New York Public Library (a 24 hour marathon of positive speeches) Medved said, he believed the perception of a negative world, comes from the media.
Truth be told, I believed him not.
But a mere two weeks after I went on my “no media diet…” my entire mood shifted. The few friends of mine who have tried this have come to similar conclusions. Instead of seeing negative, instead of feeling miserable, one sees all the beauty, the wonderful country, the wonderful kind people… statistics show as never before, we live in the best of times! According to Gallup data, Americans are the second kindest nation.
- Imbibe Positivity. On a practical note, I had the privilege of translating “Kesser Shem Tov,” the collected wisdom and teachings of one of the greatest Jewish Masters, Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov. As I went through the wisdom that forever changed Jewish inspiration into positivity, love, & joy, I realized, that the very core of his teachings (a very deep Kabbalistic concept) is that though naturally, we imagine that the world outside of us causes the world inside of us, it is actually the positive emotions we hold, that paints the world. Amazingly this is the great revelation of quantum physics, namely that the emotions we hold, affect the physical atomic “reactions.”
We create positive emotions by:
A. Expressing our gratitude to G-d for all the good He graciously bestows (particularly, every morning, for the first thought of the day sets the tone for the day) – in fact the very word Jew comes from the word to be grateful!
B. Our choice to unconditionally love and never fear.
C. Our confidence that Moshiach will soon redeem us all!
We see this prophecy clearly manifesting, with the return of Israel and millions of Jews to our homeland, and in general, how much more receptive the world is today, than ever before, to Jews, Judaism, human rights etc. Though the media may make one think we are always on the brink, studies show that we are actually progressively becoming less violent and more peaceful.
In America according to Pew, unbelievably the most respected religion is Judaism, and there is a 70% support for Israel. This figure is replicated remarkably in India, and in many other countries.
- Beat Stress. Another very important and life transforming teaching of the Holy Baal Shem Tov is, “When you see the good in the bad, the bad will become good.”
When our inner world is filled with positivity, this will change the outer – so please, in response to the heinous unwarranted hate, increase exponentially in, (even “unwarranted”) grateful love, and faith. What if how you feel changes the world?!
There was a study done in Washington D.C. in which thousands of volunteers meditated for an afternoon – and based on 3,000 – previous studies it was predicted that it would drop the murder rate by 25%! which occurred.
- Arm. It is also very important to not have a “battered wife” syndrome. Every single Jew should learn a form of defense such as Krav Maga, the Israeli Defense Force “judo”. As an example, a Arab terrorist came into a Jewish woman’s home in Israel and using Krav Maga, she caused him to flee. Where permissible carry Pepper Spray or a weapon. G-d-forbid to have to, but, as the same G-d who says “Do not murder” teaches, we must kill to prevent others from being killed. It says, “Do not stand by idly, when your brothers’ blood (including your own) is being spilled.” If the punks that are harassing innocent women and children get harmed (or when necessary, killed) the violence quickly, perhaps not totally, but in the vast majority of cases, ends.
Since safety is the primary goal, Jewish communities should consider organizing and implementing a Shmira patrol group. Many of the recent spate of crimes were crimes of opportunity and a Shmira group would serve to reduce those. Additionally a new system designed by Israeli security specialists, “Gabriel”, are for communities to install. This will give law enforcement immediate visual info. It would also make sense (I have written to Zaka…) – to create an app whereby anyone needing “help” could ideally just say that, and it would connect to trained volunteers, as well as local law enforcement. If you are willing to sponsor please be in touch – go to “Contact,” on my website, LacademyofLife.org
- Educate. Most importantly, we Jews are called to be “A light onto the nations.” We do this as the Rebbe teaches by being Jewish. We demonstrate, that man is not an animal – we are subservient to a higher code. In fact, G-d specifically chose, from all of humanity Abraham. As G-d says: “For I have known Him, because He instructs his sons and his household after him, that they should keep the way of the Lord to perform righteousness and justice;” In other words, specifically because we are a light onto the nations we were chosen. By nature, without law order and subservience to G-d, as all of human history shows, man devolves into a “man eat man” chaos. This was the primary reality before the flood, and then the light of Judaism civilized. As we call it, the Judeo-Cristian ethic. And hence, particularly now more than ever before, it is our obligation to share the Seven Noahide principles; which are the only way to ensure that the world is based on a bedrock of civility – the world needs you! Share AskNoah.org
- Study Torah/Chitas. This Shabbos as I was studying, a hunch I had was confirmed. The Rebbe quotes from Zohar (page 164A)
“The protection of the Beis Hamikdosh (G-d’s Holy Temple) was done personally by G-d, as it is written “If G-d protects not the city, the watchman is useless;”
The Holy Letters (of Torah) Their Protection Is Like The Protection of The Beis Hamkidosh, through G-d Himself!
Wherever, a Tzaddik goes, G-d protects Him continually, as it states, “G-d protects both my going and coming.”
The Rebbe Explains: This is connected to the studying of Torah, meaning, through studying Torah, we are protected in the same manner as, “G-d protects both my going and coming,” just as a Mezuzah!In other words – and something I personally have discovered, and I know others who do likewise find similarly, every single morning it is critical to study, or at least read the Daily Chitas. This is available in many apps, magazines such as Dvar Malchus, Chayeinu, or through Chabad.org.
Chitas was instituted by the Previous Rebbe, and it is, to read/study the daily Chumash, the Daily Tehhilim (as it divided into the monthly cycle) and the Daily Tanya.
Many times I wrote to the Lubavitcher Rebbe requesting help and the reply almost invariably was to study Chitas – to be honest I couldn’t see any connection.
However once my, perhaps laziness or whatever… wore off, and I started doing Chitas, my problems dissipated.
The most accurate way to explain this is to imagine if you are on a ship. Now you can either face stormy weather in which all your energies are spent simply surviving or you can have a beautiful ocean, and your little bit of effort results in a smooth meaningful sail.
The letters of Torah (particularly of Chitas) are ultimately Divine names which as Kabbalah teaches, through which the entire universe is sustained. To put it bluntly, the Holy Zohar teaches, that “The Ten Sayings through which G-d created the world (in Breishis/Genesis – the continual flow of Divinity, creating reality) depends on the Jewish people studying the Ten Commandments.”
In other words, as we even just say these holy words, we produce (like flipping the switch) the Divine positive energy! Please, for your and everyone’s sake, start; – give it a week, and see if you can feel how your life is smoother, indicating, like the Mezuzah, a daily protection.
10. Vote Right. Though I am loath to enter into the political arena, it would be foolhardy to ignore. You know a man told me in our Synagogue, that his grandfather was one of nine Jews in the Reichstag (German Parliament) who, are you ready for this? Who elected Hitler! : (
So it seems, that we Jews, particularly coming from love, have a very hard time understanding hate.
The truth of how people become antisemitic when as mentioned, the vast majority, particularly Cristian, particularly Evangelical, Americans have a positive view, is directly linked to the legitimizing of anti-Israel / anti-Semitic rhetoric. Some are unaware or ignore the consequences of the “pro-Palestinian” lobby, an army of millions of Muslims (with incredible overseas funding) who are behind the anti-Semitism, in Europe and, as we tragically see, on American campuses. The most egregious legitimizer was former President Obama. As for something to become mainstream, the “higher” its “authority,” the deeper it penetrates. Many amazingly still cannot recognize how his policies such as giving Hamas tens of millions of dollars each time they maliciously rained rockets on innocent Jews in Israel, supporting the radicals in Libya (still in chaos…) the radicals in Egypt (which their army had to overthrow…) radicals in Syria (causing over half a million deaths and millions of “refugees, which) were a deliberate tactic of ISIS to spread Islam. Jihad according to Islam is also through overrunning (as Islam historically has done) populations. Historically Jihad is responsible for at (the very least) 270,000,000 murders (the most violent ideology in history, as unlike all faiths that see everyone as potential converts (or in Judaism as potential Jews or Noahides) Islam classifies people into either Good Muslim (which as we see itself is in civil war since the year 700 (that’s over 1,300 years!) or bad Jew, Cristian, (which in a benevolent Islam, may live as a dhimmi (subjugated humiliated second class citizen with zero power) or as Infidel / idolater that must be killed (according to recent accounts, when Islam invade India in the medieval period, it caused the largest wholesale massacre in human history 400,000,000.) Furthermore not only did President Obama try to facilitate the ability of Iran to destroy Israel (and the west – as his bizarre nuclear deal which allows them to have the technology to know how to make a bomb and in 2025 make them! (for in fact, unbeknown – as most people don’t understand Islam – Obama never made a deal, he made a “hunda” (an Islamic term of a max. ten year “peace agreement” in which the Muslim country rearms to attack) giving your hard earned money to fund the murderous Iranian Quds international terrorist destabilizing group, operating in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and more clandestinely, practically everywhere. You didn’t know 50% of the money Iran received from U.S. was given to them?
According to the Pew Research Center, Obama’s radical ideology has become the opinion of 17% of Americans, representing 45% of the Democratic party. What is so disturbing, is that they are the most active, vocal and fanatic Democrats. Their ideology being an offshoot of a radical believes that the “end justifies the means.” Instead of the ideal of democracy and unity, namely the “consent of the governed”, radicals (as expressed by angry – hence evil) people, ignores protocol, law, order, justice, respect, & civility, in its desire (as we saw with Hitler in Germany) to implement its autocratic ideologies.
As Dr. Kulic, a preeminent psychiatrist told me, the desire to control others stems from a sadism.
Now far be it from me to accuse tens of millions of people (17% of our country) of all being malicious, however as disturbing as Hitler with his sadistic anti-social murderous desire was, because emotions and ideas, as mentioned descend from leaders to followers, it were the nazis – otherwise normal people – who actually fulfilled happily this intent.
Of-course, as we see clearly with Brexit, as well as perhaps with the almost majority that elected Trump, people resist totalitarianism.
It is impossible to ignore that the Democratic party has followed the ideology of radicalism, and as it relates to Jews, its benchmark, is seen in the support or denial of Israel. Those who deny Jews the freedom to live in their homeland, in peace and security, as Martin Luther King said, and is obvious to those whose heads are above the ground, are plain old anti-Semites.
Anti-Semitism as mentioned in the top of this article is a fake word – you see, as people become more “sophisticated”… it didn’t appear seemly, to single out a religious group. Hence newfangled cockamamie theories, such as Jews being hated for “racial reasons” or being hated as “they oppress the Palestinians,” were concocted. If this truly was the cause, people would be clamoring for equal rights of Palestinians, in the many Arab countries in which they live!
By way of example, Palestinians living in Lebanon are denied the right to own property, nor do they qualify for health care, and are banned by law from working in a large number of jobs, 75 professions!
Rami Khouri, a prominent Lebanese journalist, wrote in The Daily Star, that
“All Arab countries mistreat millions of Arab, Asian and African foreign guest workers, who often are treated little better than chattel or indentured laborers…The mistreatment, abysmal living conditions and limited work, social security and property rights of the Palestinians [in Arab Countries] are a lingering moral black mark.”
Unless, as one Arab writes in the Gates One Institute, the issue is anti-Israel, the inhumane treatment of Arabs by Arabs is of no concern.
This proves that those who are pro-Palestinian are simply using, as those who believed in the blood-libel, a convenient libel for their murderous intent.
Need we mention, that the African slave trade which inhumanly, ignobly and reprehensibly continues to this very day, was and is, perpetrated by Arab Muslims. There are an estimated 10,000,000 black slaves who died (though often those who hunted and kidnapped were blacks, supported by Arab traders) en-route or during raids from Africa.
In simple words, anyone who aligns themselves with “pro-Palestinian” is nothing less than a neo-Nazi or a naive timid appeaser. As is well known, the Palestinians, were offered numerous times a country; It is not their own country they seek, it is the lack of a Jewish country.
This is why the mere idea of a Jewish country caused murderous riots by Arabs through the middle-east (eventually causing 700,000 Jews to have to flee homelands (which they had dwelt in for often 2,500 years.)
The real reason for the Arab hate – as clarified to me by a former Arab terrorist who converted to Christianity and wrote the book “A Mind Of Terror” (in which he analyzed the Arab pathological hate) stems actually back from (amazingly as the Medrash – ancient Jewish teaching writes) the fact that, as the Bible tells us, Yishmoel, the ancestor of the Arabs, was both expelled from the house, as well as Israel; he went to live in Arabia (notice Arabia /Arab.) Though it may seem hard for one to imagine, that there is a four thousand year old grudge (and certainly I wish not to perpetuate negative emotions – for I wish on no-one shame) but this – as we see in countless societies the shame, say in the Balkans, Ireland (and the desire for vengeance) is centuries upon centuries, and reinforced generationally. In Judaism, as we attribute our loss to our sins, we see it not as shame, but something to rectify.
Those who think they can turn a blind eye to their brothers and sisters – hoping, as we mentioned, by ingratiating themselves to haters and neo-nazis…. are seeing, that antisemitism, like a disease – once going more mainstream, can become viral.
Bonus: Understand It’s Evil.
The ultimate goal of evil – as pretty much the goal of every force, is self-propagation – it does this, as we saw in the Holocaust, as we see in terrorism, and as we see in bullying, and antisemitic bullying; by shaming, which can include violence, but in a unpredictable manner… for if the innocent:
A. Believe they are guilty.
B. Become afraid; Then not only will they give power to the bully, but they will emulate it out of fear.
As the Talmud states “Mercy towards evil, is to cause, not only evil to the merciful – but to become evil!” For as one’s motivation is fear, which is self-protection, this then creates a subconscious desire… “If you can’t beat em’ join em’.” Of course as most protective subconscious desires, it is erroneous (for those who hate based on their irrational jealousy, won’t somehow start loving.)
To a large extent Obama, a product of radical ideologies from his childhood mentor, black radical Frank Marshall Davis, who was a known communist, who belonged to a party subservient to the Soviet Union… Many are unaware that the Soviet Union spent the majority of its budget on subversion, or as they call it “Disinformation.” The tactic of disinformation, as the most authoritative book on it, written by General Ion Mihai Pacepa, is to cause an internal collapse. Pacepa is the highest ranking Soviet General to defect and was head of the Secret Service of Romania where his career spanned 1951–78. In the art of war, Sun Tzu style – they have succeeded in their three highest propaganda goals. Remember this style of propaganda, is not by Soviets, rather by getting, or more accurately supporting disenfranchised radicals, who by entering into the consciousness of the society, will cause its collapse. 1. Pro-Palestinian, as Ion Mihai Pacepa says, the entire notion there ever was a “Palestinian state” was a Soviet idea, one in which he personally trained Arafat. Remember the Arabs fought three wars before they ever claimed there was such an Arab, called a Palestinian – Mahmoud Abbas got a “degree” from a Moscow “University,” and the list is endless. 2. Pro gay and lesbian. 3. Anti-American. It is amazing, that these three clarion calls, are the absolute hallmarks of “liberalism”.
Additionally, Obama chose to listen to twenty years of radical anti-American vitriol, as a member of Reverend Jeremy Wright’s Church. As Stanley Kurtz writes: You don’t join a church when there are literally of at least a million others, unless it is the message you desire. As Kurtz writes in 2008 (so this was a prediction, and as they say hindsight is 20/20, published on CBS) “Far from purging its radical Left, however, the Democratic party is now just inches away from placing it in the driver’s seat. That is the real meaning of the fiasco at (Reverend Wright’s) Trinity Church.”
In conclusion: There is no nation that has crisscrossed civilization – lived with, been persecuted by… – those who hate the Jews, as no less a psychological personage, than Dr. Freud who replied when asked as to the psychological reason for anti-Semitism, “Miserable bastards;” It is in the nature of misery to – from jealousy –to seek to make others miserable through random acts of violence.
If four thousand years have taught us anything, the solution is never in contorting oneself to the whims of deluded maniacs, rather By Proudly Carrying The Torch of G-d, of Judaism, of Love, Hope, Giving, Kindness and Belief – The Moshiach Who Is Practically Here, Will Come!
