Shalom Pollack: Pity….

 

Growing up in the US, I recall the uncomfortable, clearly  hypothetical question whispered out of earshot of  Gentiles:
Can the day ever come that the US  abandons Israel for her enemies, and if so, how would you react as an American?

Uncomfortable questions for comfortable Jews.

Even back in the seventies, when I was at Brooklyn College studying history, I had a few teachers who softly peddled  "pro-Palestinian" views( we knew then that it was a cover for the politically incorrect  label of anti-Semitism ),

That was then.
Today, it is the opposite: pro-Israel voices that are not couched in nuance and "even-handedness"  face social isolation and a career-ending.

How the pendulum swings.

My grandfather was one of the very few to be admitted to Columbia University with a name like Cohen. In 1920, that signaled a crack in the wall
Things only improved for Jews in academia from then on.

The Jewish community, though celebrating its rising contributions and acceptance by society, raised "hypothetical scenarios"  in hushed voices.
Jewish history amongst the Nations is full of disappointment.

But America is different, so we were assured by Jewish leadership!
We are not going anywhere. We are finally home after two thousand years.

When I last visited the US about ten years ago, I drove through the "old Jewish neighborhood.", now a dangerous place  for a Jew
There, my grandparents' generation established communities, businesses, schools, and synagogues.  I noticed that some synagogues, now churches,  still displayed faded quotes from the Torah in Hebrew engraved on them.
A world that was.

But it doesn't matter.

America is a big country. Jews can move on and build new synagogues, time after time if necessary.
Keep moving.
No problem.
It will always be our  America.
We have political and financial clout after all.

I recall about twenty years ago, a conversation with a former advisor to a pro-Israel senator.
We were discussing the fate of Jonathan Pollard and how the US justice system and establishment treated him far worse than others who were guilty of breaking far more serious laws.

I was concerned about how this reflected anti-Semitism in the highest places.
He had no sympathy for Pollard. He threw him under the bus, as did the Jewish establishment,  to secure their place as "good Jews."
His insensitivity to our hero was not totally surprising. Weak character is not a headline.
What alarmed me was when he said, "There is nothing to be concerned about Jews in America.
. Jews in Congress are way beyond our numbers, and we have broad support.
He was complacent, even smug.
That concerned me.

That was twenty years ago.
I don't know how he feels today.

Then, truly, both parties were pro-Israel and would not be seen with an anti-Semite.
However, the Democrat party has since led us down the path we see today. That left the Republican Party of Reagan, who battled against the anti-American, anti-Israel Left

Those for whom Jewish identity was more important than traditional party affiliation dared cross sacred party lines.
They found a haven. They could yet believe in the American dream, in the Exile that felt  like home. There was conservative America.

Question:
Is the solid rock of practical "American values"  and conservatism returning to a time before my grandfather slid through the cracks at Colombia?

My heart goes out to truly wonderful American Jews like Ben Shapiro, Dennis Prager,  and Mark Levine.
They love and contribute greatly to  America and what we cherish as  "American values," and at the same time love their Jewish identity and the Jewish state.
That should be OK
Amongst growing numbers of Americans, this position is becoming  Illegitimate

Tucker Carlson and company have revived a monster that Jews  knew in the 'Old World.' It wasn't supposed to follow them across the water.

As good and as determined as they are,  the walls are closing in on these good men and the Jewish community that they fight to defend.

The Left wall has already collapsed, hurled down  by good Jews like George  Soros and Bernie Sanders
Now the Right wall is leaning hard, as it teeters.

 A  sudden tidal wave of vicious accusations and attacks from unexpected places is indeed  overwhelming

Our fine Jewish spokesmen didn't expect this.
Who did?

No comparison is identical, but we of the post holocaust generations are saturated with the trauma of that era and the tragedies of not being  able to read the signs then..

I read a book about the long  history of Jews in Germany, entitled "The pity of It All."

Are we experiencing a curve on the  graph of American history that will correct itself, or is it something else?
Will there be another book written about pity?

What is the difference between German Jewry then and American Jewry today?

One big one is that today, there is a country where Jews don't have to justify and defend their Jewish identity.

shalompollack613@gmail.com

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