RSS
Do Jews Only Learn From Catastrophe?
Nineteenth century philosopher Max Nordau once reportedly told Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky that Jews don’t learn by reason, but by catastrophe. They won’t buy an umbrella because they see clouds in the sky, but instead will wait until they are drenched and have pneumonia.
In the United States, Jews are in great danger. They are unprotected, second-class citizens. No one believes that if African-Americans or gay people were under attack at campuses nationwide, they’d be treated this way. The world would be in an uproar. Yet, once again, it’s perfectly acceptable to hate Jews.
We must realize that Jewish history requires American Jews to have a plan B.
In New York City, Jews are terrified, wondering if they will be safe. Even if a perpetrator is arrested, they can be put right back onto the street due to New York’s bail reform laws. Jews have been attacked all across the city, and are being banished or assaulted at Columbia, NYU, and other educational and cultural institutions.
Jews are lost, without a unified leadership that has any organized plan to combat this hatred. Most have never before seen an environment where open antisemitism flourishes. And while a handful of Jewish youth have valiantly stood up, we largely see an American Jewry kvetching, complaining, bereft of the will or ability to truly fight back. Judaism requires action and self-defense, not just a brain.
On campuses where we hear “From the River to the Sea” — a call for mass murder of Jews — one wonders at what point do American Jews point to Hillel, the largest Jewish organization for students in the US, and ask “where have you been?” Have all of the years of multi-cultural dialogue with the Muslim community gotten us anywhere?
I haven’t heard of a single DEI program to support Jews at any of the schools featuring mass protests, or a single company counseling Jews who feel scared or in need. And we’ve seen silence from all of these liberals who have lectured us on these snowflake values for years.
At what point do American Jews consider plan B –aliyah to Israel? Some will argue that we’re not close to the time that Jews need to flee for our safety. Others argue we must stay and fight. But any American Jew who doesn’t have a plan B hasn’t read Jewish history. In Israel, Jews can live a real Jewish life. It’s not easy, but what happens if this becomes the last resort?
The materials being distributed on campus are heinous and atrocious. They feature calls for “resistance,” the glorification of terrorism, and support for Hamas and its massacre of 1,200 Israelis on October 7.
These are direct calls for violence at universities — and nothing will happen to the vast amount of these protestors who call for mass murder.
We live in a new world — or maybe an ancient one. But we must be prepared to take action.
Ronn Torossian is an entrepreneur and author.
The post Do Jews Only Learn From Catastrophe? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Treasure Trove spotlights a menorah designed in the early years of the State of Israel
This laurel branch Hanukkah menorah, designed by artist Maurice Ascalon (1913-2003), won first prize at the 1950 Tel Aviv Design Competition. Between 2,000 and 4,000 of these were made by the Pal-Bell factory in Israel, and they were sold not only in Israel but in select department stores around the world, including Macy’s in New York and Harrods in London.
The shape of the oil containers resembles ancient Roman lamps, while the large pitcher is a reference to the single jug of oil that lasted for eight days that is at the heart of the Hanukkah story.
These hanukkiyot were manufactured out of cast bronze with a green patina that was created using reactive chemicals, a process developed by Ascalon, resulting in an antique verdigris look.
Ascalon, who was born in Hungary and originally named Moshe Klein, immigrated to Palestine in 1934 after training in Brussels and Milan. He started the Pal-Bell Company in the late 1930s for the production of ritual and secular decorative items. “Pal” is short for Palestine and “Bell” is short for bellezza, Italian for beauty and an allusion to his time in Milan where the artist learned and perfected his sculpting skills. During Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, Ascalon designed munitions for the Israeli army and, at the request of the Israeli government, retrofitted his factory to produce arms for the war effort.
Ascalon closed Pal-Bell and moved to the United States in 1956, where he taught sculpture at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles and opened Ascalon Studios, which produces large-scale sculptures for public spaces and houses of worship.
The studio, which is now run by Ascalon’s son David and his grandson Eric, was retooled during the COVID pandemic to manufacture safety boxes that allowed health-care workers to assist a patient on a ventilator while minimizing exposure.
Treasure Trove wishes you a happy Hanukkah , which starts on Dec. 25. This year, as Peter, Paul and Mary sang, “Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice, justice and freedom demand. Don’t let the light go out!”
The post Treasure Trove spotlights a menorah designed in the early years of the State of Israel appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
RSS
Germany: 5 Killed, Scores Wounded after Saudi Man Plows Car Into Christmas crowd
Magdeburg Christmas market, December 21, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Christian Mang
i24 News – A suspected terrorist plowed a vehicle into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, west of the capital Berlin, killing at least five and injuring dozens more.
Local police confirmed that the suspect was a Saudi national born in 1974 and acting alone.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his concern about the incident, saying that “reports from Magdeburg suggest something bad. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
Police declined to give casualty numbers, confirming only a large-scale operation at the market, where people had gathered to celebrate in the days leading up to the Christmas holidays.
The post Germany: 5 Killed, Scores Wounded after Saudi Man Plows Car Into Christmas crowd first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Syria’s New Rulers Name HTS Commander as Defense Minister
A person waves a flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers, as people gather during a celebration called by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) near the Umayyad Mosque, after the ousting of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, Photo: December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo
Syria’s new rulers have appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency which toppled Bashar al-Assad, as defense minister in the interim government, an official source said on Saturday.
Abu Qasra, who is also known by the nom de guerre Abu Hassan 600, is a senior figure in the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group which led the campaign that ousted Assad this month. He led numerous military operations during Syria’s revolution, the source said.
Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed “the form of the military institution in the new Syria” during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday, state news agency SANA reported.
Abu Qasra during the meeting sat next to Sharaa, also known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, photos published by SANA showed.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said this week that the defense ministry would be restructured using former rebel factions and officers who defected from Assad’s army.
Bashir, who formerly led an HTS-affiliated administration in the northwestern province of Idlib, has said he will lead a three-month transitional government. The new administration has not declared plans for what will happen after that.
Earlier on Saturday, the ruling General Command named Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, SANA said. A source in the new administration told Reuters that this step “comes in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to establish international relations that bring peace and stability.”
Shibani, a 37-year-old graduate of Damascus University, previously led the political department of the rebels’ Idlib government, the General Command said.
Sharaa’s group was part of al Qaeda until he broke ties in 2016. It had been confined to Idlib for years until going on the offensive in late November, sweeping through the cities of western Syria and into Damascus as the army melted away.
Sharaa has met with a number of international envoys this week. He has said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.
Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family’s decades-long rule.
Washington designated Sharaa a terrorist in 2013, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad’s rule and establishing Islamic sharia law in Syria. US officials said on Friday that Washington would remove a $10 million bounty on his head.
The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times and left cities bombed to rubble and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions.
The post Syria’s New Rulers Name HTS Commander as Defense Minister first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login