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Commentary
by Dr. Gerhard Falk |
The Rise and Fall of the
Haters
“For,
behold, the day will come, it burns like a furnace; and all the proud and all
those who do evil, shall be stubble; and the day that comes shall set them
ablaze, says the Lord of Hosts.”
(Malachi 3:12,19.)
This
article by Dennis Prager makes it clear that the Arab-Moslem attitude
towards us is the same which led to the mass murder of 6 million of our brethren
by the Europeans between 1933 and 1945.
It is
therefore of interest to remember what happened to all the mighty nations and
empires who persecuted and murdered us in the past. I call your attention to
these historical facts because I am convinced that the Arab-Moslem haters will
come to the same end as did Rome, the Crusaders, Spain, Poland, Germany, the
Soviet Union and so many others. Let us look at these examples, one by one, and
see the common pattern.
When the
emperor Constantine declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman
Empire in the fourth century, (325 C.E.) that religion owed its growth and
ascendancy to the Jews who had scattered about the empire since the Romans
destroyed Judea (132-135 C.E. [Common Era]) Numerous Jews had already moved into
various cities in the Roman Empire before 132. Many left Judea after the
Romans captured Jerusalem in 70 C.E. and came to Greece and and settled as far
away as Spain.
These Jews
became the first targets of the founder of Christianity, the Jew Saul or Paul,
who wrote letters to several of these Jewish communities. These letters are
called “Epistles” and are part of the Christian New Testament. Christians
call the Torah the “old” Testament. There is no “old” testament in
Judaism because there is no “new” testament. Furthermore, the word testament
means “hand on the testes” because the ancient people, knowing nothing about
reproduction, swore by their fathers' testes in court. This oath consisted of
literally placing one’s hand on the testes of the father. Lest this be viewed
as disgusting, it needs to be understood that people ignorant of science feel
compelled to swear by whatever is most important. Evidently, reproduction
guarantees the continuity of life and therefore such an oath is understandable.
The Biblical Israelis did this also. Please look at Berayshit, Genesis 24:2 and
Genesis 41:29 and learn about that ancient custom.
In any
event, the Roman Empire is no more. Israel exists again, but not Rome.
The Jews
were among the first to settle in Colonia Argrippina (Köln or Cologne) in
Germany. Nevertheless, the Germans who had come to that country from Asia after
the Jews claimed that Jews were not truly Germans and attacked the Jews, in
particular during the crusades beginning in 1095. The crusaders sought to
establish a Christian kingdom in Israel and aimed to drive the Moslems out of
that country together with the Jews. Finding the target of their efforts too
distant they killed Jews in the Rhineland and all along their route as they
proceeded to THE HOLY LAND. They did establish a Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem
for a time (1099) but lost that “kingdom” in 1143 when the “Saracens”
(Easterners in Arabic) or Moslems defeated the crusaders. As a result of the
crusades, feudalism was ended in Europe because the peasants who had left the
feudal estates refused to return to their erstwhile slavery. Feudalism was
defeated but the Jews survived in the cities that grew as a result of that
defeat.
When the
Romans settled in Spain, a good number of Jews settled there as well since the
Romans had destroyed their home in Israel. The Jews lived in Spain for a
thousand years when the queen of Spain, Isabella and king Ferdinand decided to
expel all Jews from Spain unless they converted to the state religion, Catholic
Christianity. Because the Jews had nowhere to go, except the Netherlands and in
a limited fashion Germany and Poland etc., many Jews financed the voyage of
Christophoro Colombo, a descendant of Jews, who then discovered the New World.
On the day Colombo (Columbus) sailed from Lisbon, the Jews sailed from there as
well, as they had been expelled from Spain and Portugal. In any case, that
discovery placed England into the foremost position to gain access to the New
World since England was located closer to America than any other European
country and had then a large navy. That navy destroyed the Spanish armada (navy)
in 1588. Spain then declined as a world power. The persecution of the Jews
caused the downfall of Spain.
England,
however, welcomed the Spanish and Portuguese Jews and England’s fortunes
improved thereafter. In fact, Benjamin Disraeli, a decendant of Portuguese Jews
became English Prime Minister in 1868 and again in 1874-80.
The
Russian Empire, which seemed impregnable, was the scene of a great and active
Jewish life. However, in 1881 the Czar (Ceasar) of Russia, Alexander III,
launched a vicious attack on the Jews of Russia, many of whom died in pogroms
(i.e. storms). The consequence was that a large number of Jews migrated to the
United States. The Russian Empire came to an end with the revolution of 1917
when Joseph Trotsky, real name Bronstein, commanded the revolutionary army. The
Czar, Nicholas, was murdered. The Russian Empire was finished. The Jews not only
survived but prospered in America even as a few migrated to Israel and
revitalized that ancient home of Goy (Nation) Yisroel.
The
Germans, always anti-Jewish, nevertheless permitted some Jews to rise to high
positions in the government and gave the Jewish community at least some
opportunities after the defeat of Napoleon (1815) and before the advent of
Hitler (1933). We need not recite the horrors of the Holocaust in which all
Europeans outside of England participated. The result was the utter destruction
of Germany (1945) whose Arab allies were already building concentration camps
and gas ovens meant for the population of Israel if their German friends had
won.
We Jews
survived. Nazi Germany is no more and Germany is at best a second rate country
far removed from its erstwhile preeminence in science, art, literature and
commerce.
Now the
Arabs and their supporters seek to ignite another Holocaust. Each day they kill
Jews, any Jews, to satisfy their belief that no Jew has a right to live and that
they have been divinely appointed to kill all Jews everywhere.
This week,
the Arab states representing 250 million people are meeting in Beirut, Lebanon
to tell the Jews of this world that unless we all commit suicide they mean to
come and murder us. Fortunately, the Jews of Israel and the United States can
defend themselves. We have a government that recognizes a terrorist when it sees
one. Indeed, the Arab killers and their allies seem once more to be an
overwhelming enemy who should be able to murder all of us, all 13 million of us.
Yet, you and I know they will not succeed. This brief history demonstrates that
we seem like an easy target to our huge enemies. Yet, our enemies always lose.
We always survive. So it will be again this time. The haters will lose, love
will win.
There is,
after all, only one issue between us Jews and our enemies. We believe that all
human beings have a right to live because we were born. That includes Jews but
also Arabs and other hate mongers. The Arabs believe that we Jews have no right
to live. That is the only issue between us. Therefore all the killing and all
the bloodshed imposed on Israel and the United States will end whenever the
Arabs recognize that they are not empowered to kill Jews at will but that we all
belong to one human family.
May the
Arab people take to heart the words of Thomas Jefferson, that “all men are
created equal” soon and in our day, Bimhayro v’yomaynoo,
Shalom u’vracha.
P.S.
Isn’t history fascinating? So turn off the TV and read a History of the Jews
instead. You deserve to do something for yourself for once.
Dr. Gerhard Falk is the author of numerous publications,
including Stigma: How We Treat Outsiders.
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