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Liora Jacob's avatar

Sadly, the phenomenon of the self hating “kapo Jew” is not uncommon throughout Jewish history. Whether through profound ignorance or some deep seated psychological need (ie Stockholm Syndrome) such individuals turn their backs on their own people, land, culture and history. What they never understand until it is too late is that there is no great success in being on the last train to Auschwitz.

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Surak's avatar

Oh no, Senator Schumer was not silent. He spoke up. He endorsed Mamdani in a tweet. That is unforgiveable.

I keep writing something in conflict with halakha, but I think our survival requires this drastic step - to change the definition of Jewishness. It is intolerable that George Soros is as Jewish as I am under halakha. Judaism should be a religious community, not an ethnicity. No one holds the Catholic Church responsible for the policies of Biden and Pelosi, who are seen as lapsed Catholics. We Jews should not be responsible for leftists who reject HaShem, His word, and His land, just because we share some DNA.

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Mike Perceval's avatar

“The Un-Jews have not merely abandoned Israel—they have become its most effective internal saboteurs, offering the intellectual scaffolding and political license for its delegitimization.”

Thank you for that heartbreaking, but important piece, Bob…

I’ve been watching this from the outside for many years, and often sensed tension in conversations with Jewish friends when I would bring it up. I came to realize that the tension resulted from an instinctive sense of protectiveness and loyalty towards fellow Jews, even if one vehemently disagreed with them.

It made a profound impact on me when I first encountered that loyalty in an Orthodox Israeli Shayetet 13 Commander. It was unlike anything I’d ever known, but I understood and respected it.

That first encounter was almost fifteen years ago now, and the world has changed dramatically since then. I will turn 70 this year, have read widely, travelled extensively, and worked in many countries around the world. Over time, I encountered antisemitism here and there, but I have never witnessed anything even remotely like the explosion of antisemitism, anti-Israelism, and anti-Zionism that has occurred since October 7, 2023. And it is clearly getting worse.

Since October 7, I’ve had many encounters and conversations with people, including a number of professing Christians, that expressed a surprisingly strong antisemitic animus towards ‘the Jews’, Israel, and Zionism. Their views have obviously become hardened via self-reinforcing and affirming social media echo chambers, and it has been disturbing, discouraging, and frustrating to grapple with the strong ‘psychosis’ that I am convinced holds many of them in its grip.

I mention all that, however, to make the following points:

1) The overwhelming majority of people I interact with regarding these issues are conservatives. Many are professing Christians, with the remainder atheists or agnostics. What the entire group largely has in common, is a conservative worldview and patriotism. Typically, they are either MAGA Republicans, Independents, or Conservative Democrats who now vote Republican.

Often, they will point to the significant Jewish presence and influence in the entire gamut of ‘progressive’ and leftist causes, which they see as threats to America, and then extrapolate from there to such things as, ‘the Jews control America’, ‘the Jews are principals in the Globalist schemes that include trans-sexualism, trans-humanism, open borders, uncontrolled immigration, undermining Christian influence in America’, etc. And it is very often these same Un-Jews that you reference, that they use in making their arguments.

2) Another potent argument commonly expressed amongst these people, is that much of the persecution of President Trump has been heavily influenced by progressive or leftist Jews. This, again, is seen as an attack against America, and I believe this one has a significant basis in truth.

In fact, I believe that the entire ‘warfare by law fare’ that we witness daily here in the United States, was originally conceived and deployed against Benjamin Netanyahu by Israeli liberals and leftists, adapted for use against Trump during his first term, and is now being used against them both. It very definitely disgusts and angers large numbers of Trump’s supporters, serving to significantly fan the flames of antisemitism in America.

What I’m trying to get across, is that it is not only Israel that is being harmed by the ‘Un-Jews’, together with progressive Jews who may also be supporters of Israel; it is the Chosen People as a whole who are being harmed.

Ironically, the inverse of that thinking may be a factor in the anti-Israeli, anti-Netanyahu, anti-Trump/MAGA agenda that motivates many progressive Un-Jews. In other words, from their perspective, they probably see the strong actions taken by Israel and Netanyahu as being the principal cause of antisemitic rage, and think they can mitigate it by standing with the activists opposing both, as well as Trump.

I’m not sure what ‘the answer’ is, but I do believe that openly calling out the problem is a very important step in fighting against it. In other words, I believe the strong reticence to acknowledge ‘the sins of the people’ in the past, out of a very understandable protective impulse for the people as a whole, is no longer viable.

In the highly-charged, explosive atmosphere of the world today, it is increasingly important for strong Jewish voices to criticize, rebuke, and, if necessary, condemn, those Jews who are, knowingly or unwittingly, harming Israel and, by extension, the Jews of the Diaspora, by their actions.

Am Israel Chai!

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Bob Goldberg's avatar

Thanks Mike ! And your observation about non-Jews loving Israel and the Jewish people more than the un Jews is something I’m going to write about in the near future we need to make common

cause with Zionists everywhere !

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Mike Perceval's avatar

Thank you Rob…

As you are no doubt aware, this entire field is full of nuance; so much so that it can become bewildering and frustrating to the point of abandonment for those who attempt to gain a clearer understanding of ‘reality’.

It’s so much easier to just hold on to ‘black’ and ‘white’, and cast everyone into simple ‘buckets’.

But, those who succumb to that understandable temptation, do so to their our own peril and harm, often together with those they love or care for.

There is legitimate criticism all around. Even within the ranks of professing Christians who support Israel, there may be a number of potentially divisive and contentious points of disagreement. And, I’m sure it’s not much different amongst the Chosen People, whether in Israel, or the Diaspora.

G-d bless, guide, and keep you, and all Israel! Mike

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Rachel A Listener's avatar

There is a word in English called “IF”.

There is a word in Hebrew called “IM”.

In The Shemah apparently GD is speaking.

It says “If you continue to listen carefully to God’s Commandments in order to do them”

One of the Commandments is to speak truth to one’s neighbor.

Thank you for trying to unbury hidden truth.

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Kid Charlemagne's avatar

Mamdani is not a city councilman. He is an assemblyman. He won the same way AOC won. Low voter turnout. Turnout citywide was 30%.

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artichoke's avatar

He was also helped by the switch to ranked-choice voting, which tends to favor far leftists worldwide wherever it is used, typically in Europe. Cuomo got the most first-place votes so in a conventional primary, he would have won the plurality. But due to ranked-choice, Mamdani won with his greater number of 2nd thru 5th place votes.

And don't ignore what a terrible candidate Cuomo was. The former governor who arranged for so many nursing homes to be infected with Covid when we had no cure, and to die from it.

But still, Mamdani and Cuomo were both doing better than the incumbent Adams, who I would have expected to be popular. He's black, he's fairly middle of the road on a lot of policies, he's not especially pro-Jewish to say the least so he should be palatable to the antiZios. But they dumped him for Mamdani.

Maybe Adams can win the general with the help of a lot of Dem voters and the non-Dems.

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Kid Charlemagne's avatar

Unfortunately Mamdani got the most first place votes. Rank choice votes will be announced on July 1.

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artichoke's avatar

Oh. I guess the stats I saw were the pre-voting polls. That's a bad look for NYC. Even if we stave it off this time, that's the new generation that will be voting for 50 years.

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BO Baracas's avatar

Wait but who gets to proclaim themselves the Arbiter of "true Jewishness"?

Who gets to define what acceptable Jewish opinions are?

You?

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

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Bob Goldberg's avatar

There is one clear red line .. oppose a Jewish state and Jewish ties to the land of Israel you are not Jewish

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BO Baracas's avatar

i dont think its that simplistic.

For instance, the reason Israel denies its war crimes: and justifies having an aggressive IDF, is because they refuse to invite UN peacekeepers to keep their borders secure.

UN peacekeepers, indeed, could patrol separatist areas like Gaza and the West Bank. Keeping SETTLERS out.

And keeping the Palestinians from launching rockets or other attacks.

Finally, Israel cannot keep inviting all the world's 50 million Jews, to a country the size of a postage stamp.

Israeli citizenship should be limited to native born citizens ONLY.

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Reality Seeker's avatar

There's approximately 15/16 million in the world, not 50 million. Approximately 7/8 million already live in Israel. There is still room for more Jews to move to Israel. Israel needs more Jewish population. More European Jews are moving to Israel as their birth countries become more dangerously Islamic.

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BO Baracas's avatar

how?

what kind of housing & civil infrastructure?

whats the land's real carrying capacity?

i'm a civil engineer and Earth First guy sooo.... 💁🤣

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Reality Seeker's avatar

There is plenty of land in the Negev. Israel has all the technology to make it blossom. They are already doing so. Not a first choice for most people, but as the country grows, more people will move to the Negev if necessary. I realize it's not so simple.

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BO Baracas's avatar

u know how people are.

every mf wants a 3 bedroom house on 5 acres.

set em up in brutalist concrete, i say.

soviet style apartments

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Andrew P 111's avatar

No nation in its right mind would ever depend on the UN for security.

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BO Baracas's avatar

they freed South Korea (1953) and the Balkans (1999).

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Andrew P 111's avatar

The Jews seem to have a need to remain on the good side of the Democratic party no matter what, consistently voting and contributing to the (D)'s. This is probably because they know the (D) party is the dominant US party, and they expect Israel to be disestablished someday, and all the Jewish Israelis there will have to run for their lives suddenly, and all migrate to the USA. If they were on the bad side of the (D) party, the Democrats wouldn't let them in when that moment arrives, and they all know it.

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Diana Murray's avatar

It looks bad but in the general election Mamdani will oppose the incumbent, Adams, who is running as an independent.

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Andrew P 111's avatar

It is impossible to say what happens in the general election. Mamdani is running against Adams, Cuomo, and Sliwa. One interesting possibility is Mamdani, Adams, and Cuomo will split the (D) vote, and allow Sliwa to win.

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IsraelActivistCalendar's avatar

Fake. Not even one NY Jew voted for Mamdani!

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William Tuesday's avatar

Here in NY even my crazy Leftist Jewish neighbors voted against this guy. The orthodox all voted for Cuomo. I’m not sure there are enough anti Zionist Jews in NY to elect anyone

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