It is shameful for five million souls to rely on others, to offer their neck for the axe and cry for help without trying their own strength to defend their property, honor, and the life. Ahad Haam about the Kishinev massacre. Reads like he wrote about Gush Katif.
Jews used to fear a lot, and the fear made them law-abiding. Abiding the law all the way to death.
Jews knew for sure of the upcoming Kishinev pogrom in 1903, and organized considerable self-defense units. When police and army surrounded and disarmed them, the units acquiesced with no fight. They were ready to fight pogrom mob, but not the law enforcement agencies, even though the law was clearly discarded in the anti-Semitic Russia.
Few Jews opposed the Holocaust massacres. Most submitted to what they deemed legal orders of Germany.
Israelis largely detest the Arabs, and want a Jewish state, but submit to treacherous government that pushes for a Jewish state with Arab majority.
Jews are not afraid to fight and die. We fought Gonta's army in the Ukrainian town of Uman; we lost and died, but died decently. Jewish soldiers were decorated with the highest medal more often than any other ethnic group in the USSR during the WWII. Israelis bravely fought against the superior Arab forces.
Consider this: Jews illegally kept and employed firearms in Tsarist Russia which threatened our national existence. Jews refrain from illegally procuring and employing firearms in Israel whose government poses a similar threat. Arthur Koestler explained the phenomenon in his Darkness at Noon: people who associate themselves with the system persist in their delusion even when the system represses them.
After the Kishinev massacre, Jews recognized that the government is our enemy. In the subsequent Gomel pogrom, Jewish self-defense opposed the police by force. What would it take for the Israelis to do the same?
There must be more people thinking like you. One problem is that the persecuted think their persecutors are one of them — "They are Jews, too." — We have to drop that notion. If a Yasamnik touches the hair of a child or woman or man, he or she is assaulting a Jew, and we should do whatever we can to protect the Jew who is assaulted, whether it is seen as legal or not. Nadia Matar should not have been arrested alone. The whole group should have demanded equal treatment, and crowded the police vehicles and beat back when beaten.
Absolutely. Obadiah wrote similar things repeatedly.
situation different needs consideration.after kishinev it was clear the gov't was the enemy. there was no hope of a jewish minority changing the gov't therefore armed resistance was necessary.In israel the alternative of governement change must be exhausted first. a worldwide jewish national movement brought to bear to pressure this change. the time is ripe as the present gov't is inept and weak igoring real threats and responsible for many military deaths. this vulverablitly should be exploited to the utmost to pressure political change. paul eidelbergs suggestion should be explored. feiglins party should be given attention.the jewish nation has no voice. it is international and is too silent. who will unite us against our worst enemy. the government of israel and protect our beloved brothers the jewish people in Israel?
Moshe, if only that were possible. Arabs and leftists dominate Israeli democratic process. Media is also under the government control. American Jews are mostly assimilated, liberal, secular or reformist mostly (I don't see the difference between liberla conservatism and reformism; there are many sensible conservatives). They can't be educated - that's a matter of values, axioms. Torah, Jewish nationalism, Jewish land are either everything or nothing. What do you say to those who argue for democracy, tolerance, liberalism, ethnic-blind Israel?