My heritage is also Eastern European Jewish and I've always been grateful to my ancestors who came and struggled in New York around the turn of the 20th century so that their kids could prosper. And prosper they did, especially on my father's side, where the first generation all became doctors, lawyers and teachers. They dropped Judaism for the most part--my father was not bar mitvahed, nor my brother, nor my own sons (whose father is Catholic--they were not baptized either). As a child, I absorbed the unspoken message that religion makes one a target for persecution--even growing up in NYC surrounded by other Jews in my public elementary school on the Upper East Side, I preferred to keep my Jewish heritage quiet.
I think there is a deeper spiritual dimension to this that I hope you'll explore. Epigenetic trauma, check. Spiritual wounding across incarnations, check. As a woman I find all the religions, even Buddhism, to be forbiddingly patriarchal. Traditional Judaism, Catholicism and Islam are like a three-headed Cerberus keeping people in female bodies barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen. My father's mother defied this, but she was unusual for her time. So when you talk about Jewish power, please remember to gender it. Note that all the examples you used were men. There have been some powerful, intellectual Jewish women of course. But as in most cultures, they are exceptional.
At this point I am only interested in mysticism, that is in the direct transmission of wisdom from the more-than-human dimensions. Sometimes this does happen within religions, and I'd like to know more about the Jewish Kabalistic tradition, for example. But in general it seems that religions, like nationalities and other artificial categories of difference, only serve to reinforce separations that serve no purpose (or only dark, Ahrimaic purposes, we might say).
If humanity and other life forms are to thrive on this planet, overcoming these artificial, man-made separations is critically important. So often we see the prophets (the mystics) of the major religions saying exactly that (do unto others, etc) but in practice, human tribalism takes over. Can we overcome this? Wouldn't it be nice to see the Jews take the lead?
Wonderful comment, thank you. In terms of kabala, I love the work of Gershom Scholem, who was close friends with Walter Benjamin. Scholem's book On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead is one of my favorites. As for negative female examples, I did mention Kathe Sackler and also the Theranos woman was from a once-powerful Jewish dynasty, the Fleischmann's (yeast). On the radical side, there is Emma Goldman and Rosa Luxembourg, who I could have mentioned!
The book that helped me understand the relationship between esotericism and esotericism in the monotheistic religions is The Transcendent Unity of Religion by Fritjof Schuon, who also wrote Understanding Islam.
My sense is that we need to evolve and reintegrate the religious impulse into a future-state of human society... people need ritual, ceremony, even pageant and something that points them toward the transcendent and divine... Islam has beautiful elements like the praying six times a day, which, if not a chore, is a way to remember your relationship to a transcendent dimension.
But yes, the patriarchal and repressive side of it has to go!
Please write about Islam next because one thing the whole Kanye fiasco made me personally re-examine is my own (fairly intense) Islamaphobia, which I also gained through personal experiences, and then, like Kanye, was unable not to apply to the entire group.
Huh, I know of Gershom Scholem but have never read him, I'll check that out. Benjamin, Goldman, Luxembourg, of course. Never heard of Fritjof Schuon, will check that out too.
Yes, to the need to reintegrate religion in a unifying rather than divisive way, for the future of humanity on this planet. I would like it to be in a Gaian way, a religion that honored our oneness within the Gaiasphere and the metaphysical spiritual dimension. Wouldn't it be awesome if instead of collapsing into the dystopian Anthropocene, we managed to leap into the magical, uplifting Gaiacene Era? I think this kind of positive imaginative visioning is crucial. We cannot create what we cannot imagine. So let's set ourselves the important and happy task of imagining a better future, new religions and all!
Some of Scholem’s lectures were recorded and are online. I found them easier to engage with than his books. I have more to say on all the above but I’m still digesting.
Exactly! I've noticed time and again that dystopianism, instead of being a healthy warning of where we don't want to go, becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Focusing on a "magical, uplifting Gaiacene Era" is ATTRACTIVE. Let's spend more time on that project, :) Btw, Daniel and Jennifer et al, I am New York Jew by birth ( Catholic dad) and proud to be part of a unique 18 million who seem to contribute disproportionately towards tikkun olam. This whole thread is a fine example. :)
Daniel is right that Jews have the potential to be (and often are) quite influential. Perhaps this is because education was always so valued, and in the modern era "people of the book" have a valuable skill set? I know I learned to read at the same time as I learned to talk, and I began writing not long after. My grandmother was taking me for "nature walks" as soon as I could walk, and by age 3 I could identify dozens of wildflowers and birds by name, thanks to her tutelage. Education at every level was highly valued in my family.
The question Daniel raises is whether Jews as a group have put their intelligence and drive to good use in society. Some have of course, but there has been a lot of focus on individual accumulation of wealth, playing the capitalist game better and better.
A next step in our evolution as a species, and in the spiritual development of each individual, of all cultural backgrounds, would be to truly begin to live the ethical principles our religions profess. We need more visions of "what a beautiful world it could be," fully spun out in movies and novels, which have been shown time & again to influence the way that reality emerges.
First we dream it, then we manifest it. We need to start dreaming positive dreams of a the thriving future we yearn of. And then, make it so!
Dec 17, 2022·edited Dec 17, 2022Liked by Daniel Pinchbeck
Very objective and well articulated, Daniel. I can imagine how difficult this was to write. Like being on a tightrope.
European Non-Jews who persecuted Jews and/or shoehorned them into cerebral occupations, as you describe, created Darwinian conditions for selective pressure.
Those with the most agile minds could imagine what they might face if they stayed in Europe and were also endowed with enough foresight to see what was coming and avoid it. Those who immigrated to North America, into a meritocracy (more or less) would obviously dominate a changing world. Strong family ties would enhance this dynamic. And nepotism, a feature which is as much a feature of elitism as it is ethnicity, could entrench it.
My Jewish ancestry, is from 1826, England, on grandmother's side, so will step aside. Have no sense of the culture or religion.
yes a major reason for this was Jewish commitment to literacy and textual exegesis... as society became more literate and as critical interpretation of current events and analysis of future trends became more important in the shift from feudalism to Capitalism, the Jews obviously had a huge advantage which seems to have continued to the present day. Also as I mentioned, Jews saw their survival dependent on their close connection to establishment power and hierarchy... this is, for instance, what happens in Ivy League institutions like Harvard and Yale, it is not just learning the truth but also learning how to maximize your skill in navigating power structures and finding your way to the top of them. This learned technique then propagates through many industries, from finance to media to culture. It is almost like a skill of mimesis. Anyway kind of thinking out loud here.
Also, let's not forget that Jews were super discriminated against and really had to form networks amongst themselves because Christian business people didn't want to work with them.
My grandfather fled Austria during the holocaust as a teenager, managed to get to Brazil and slowly worked his way to America. Once in America he became successful, in part because he leveraged his Jewish connections. But really, he was forced to. Even after his business success, he wasn't allowed to join the country club where he lived, because he was Jewish...
So we can't forget that Jewish groups were necessary because Christian groups wouldn't let Jewish people participate.
This is a very courageous line of inquiry and one that seems most effective held by members within the Jewish community — and I feel honored to hold a space of interest and compassion here; while as an outsider, I'll not likely chime in. While very different in format and style, I believe the comedian Ari Shaffir is also working through this very nuanced conversation in his recent special, which he released directly to YouTube, on a donation-based revenue model. I appreciate the cautious and trope-avoidant voice you're using — a much better choice than Ari's for the container you're creating here. Shalom!
Brilliant Daniel - as a fellow Jew, I also believe that we Jews need to take more responsibility for our part in creating conditions for anti-semitism to exist. There's lots more to say on this subject, and I thank you for beginning the conversation.
Well, (rolling up sleeves), I perhaps, also based on my own personal healing work in my life (and this is a controversial likely unpopular opinion) understand that we humans, *at times* draw in even the most difficult experiences that we think we don't want through our vibrational frequency. For instance, I was bullied and outcast repeatedly through my school years - this was not at all random - but rather gravitated to me through a frequency I carried, part from my biographical attachment trauma from my very unstable (and Jewish) mother, and part from a deeper frequency of similar historical trauma as a Jew. I was extra sensitive to being an outcast and bullied, which drew these experiences in. Now, a question comes, why, and for what deeper evolutionary purpose?
I believe the wound is also the seed of the gift (or I often describe in the Initiation work I guide that the gift is the wound inside-out), and so, as I've moved through and beyond stories of pure victimization and self-pity, I have dug more into the gift latently waiting in these experiences, and shifted the frequency of my being, where, although still sensitive, I do not manifest these experiences nearly as much (although still a little).
Now, taking these personal experiences to the collective of the Jewish people ("my" people, maybe even "our," Daniel), what frequency are we carrying that draws in repeated experiences of persecution? And more importantly, what is the gift latently being held there, waiting for activation?
Perhaps, another way to frame this is to consider what is the "soul" of the Jewish people, or what purpose are we playing on this Planet? (assuming such a thing exists).
Jews, especially in North America, are occupying a unique place as a historically oppressed group that occupies many positions of privilege, both in wealth/status and education, but also in the coherence/belonging/shared identity/culture we hold, especially as largely "white" people (and this is to acknowledge there are many diverse forms/ancestries/bodies in Judaism, and white-European Ashkenazi Judaism are a vast majority). We essentially are holding a surely complex but, to me, ultimately a "super-power" place of the privileges of being "white" while also some of the "privilege" (coherence, culture, and radicalism) of other minority oppressed groups. Jews typically hold an unspoken (or often overt) solidarity with other Jews just because we share that culture/ancestry. (Ancestry is a whole other complex topic with the Jewish people..)
Ultimately, what I observe is that Jews hold the possibility for the deep empathy of oppressed peoples while holding many of the tools of the oppressors (and I don't totally love the either/or language of oppressed/oppressor). This position is not unique but has been there woven throughout our two millenia diaspora - and this now hits the original question I raised; to maintain simply a culture of exclusion and honesty, fear, and *not* actively seeking to understand nor live out our sole-purpose as a being (i..e seeing how our unique position can be and must be of service to the whole), keeps us in positions of being targeted.. and it makes sense when a people are suffocating from trauma, just coming up for air in "safe" shared space of belonging feels often like all that can be managed.
I exist in one of most beautiful Earth-based, back to our indigenous roots, Jewish communities in the greater bay area California, and increasingly we are becoming a cultural force that other, especially white, non-Jewish, folks are coming to because of the depth of the shared Earth-rooted tradition that we carry. However, I have also observed an often silent but more and more prevalent resentment from our non-Jewish friends and even allies for not being more aware of how to use our ancestral rootedness as a means not just to celebrate our own tradition but (ideally in my heart), hold space for others to also explore their identity/ancestry/faith, and make our practices of Judaism more inclusive, or at least sensitive to the needs of those on the margins who attend our spaces. This rather radical shift would look like seeing every person enter a Jewish space we hold as first and foremost another human, a shared kin, and that creating space that is honoring that, is a priori to creating a cultural space for "us," - in other words, that we culturally become aware of and create space that, without at all abandoning our culture, prioritizes the "we" above any sense of the "us" (and "them).
Lastly, (although this response is only still a start),. all of this could be seen through the lens of how we Jews hold the Israel-Palestine dilemma (which you carefully skirt Daniel).. As Jews, we are completely co-responsible/implicated in the Apartheid happening in Palestine, and certainly the issue is complex, and do believe that Jews have some right to habitation in the Holy Land - and again - to prioritize this above basic and grave human rights violations is a deep symptom of the trauma of persecution, which will come straight back to us as long as we continue to exert that onto others. I feel deeply that the Jewish people need to come together and acknowledge first and foremost that the situation in Palestine is Apartheid, furthermore, understand how it makes us a continued target - and then together, from that baseline, commit to doing the difficult work to change the situation, (which doesn't mean we have to at all give-up on "Israel") but will require us to sit together and dialogue, especially with Palestinians and global allies (and hold lots of space to bear witness to pain and consequence), so that new, unimaginable as of now, solutions can emerge.
Phew - that's a lot and still, I feel I only trace the contours of a very deep subject, having completely omitted the very mythical dimension of this conversation, which I would love to dialogue further about soon. Thanks for spurring this Daniel!
Spot on. I appreciate you bravely pointing out how vibrational frequencies of victimhood attract like circumstances. THIS HAPPENS SUBCONSCIOUSLY. No one is to blame. It's just a law the in the universe. It's also true for the deep feelings of powerlessness beneath the intimidator archetype. The more we own this instead of making it about them the sooner we--not just Jews--get out of the trap.
Kanye has been discussing some of the darker aspects of the entertainment/fashion industry. I hate to say it, but I think that it has been largely to his credit that he is talking about this subject in a way that does speak to an aspect of truth that people aren't willing to hear. The S&M dolls in the same room as the child models and all the rest of it. I am by no means trying to demean his Hitler comments but like Elon, and Donald, Ye speaks to a truth that few are ready to listen to. I am very much of the mind that it is important to find a middle-ground. Not between Hitler and what-ever, but a third way that completely abandons the party apparatus. I mean couldn't we all start there. And say we are not voting next time unless we find some other way to choose our leaders at the local as well as national level. I mean couldn't that be a kind of national protest that is taken up to establish the fact that there is widespread unrest that is growing.
The question is always how to organize something like that - a coordinated, collective abandonment of the two-party system. If you figure out how, let me know. I am interested!
I'm guessing that you could get 50% Of the electorate to agree with the statement that "The current electoral system no longer works". Could we get those same people to sign a petition saying as much and demanding a redress of grievances through a constitutional convention. We take it to the streets to make it happen since we know that the Congress with all of its entrenched interests will never call for it. We get majority signatures in 2/3 of the states or, 2/3 of states by total population (as it should be), and demand action from there.
In 1975 I volunteered to work at Kibbutz Amiad, by the Galilee Lake in Eastern Israel. It was an idyllic experience of international collaboration and democratic governance while efficiently turning the desert into bountifully productive land, an experience comparable to life today in well run ecovillages.
Returning to visit 30 years later, I was dismayed to find it transformed into suburban housing in which neighbors hardly knew each other.
I saw this turn from idealism to materialism in many other areas. I also noticed an unwillingness to address the Palestinian conflict by radical political interests that used the anxiety and fears generated by the conflict to gain power.
For example, in the 70s I visited wonderful collective farms in the Sinai Peninsula that were miraculously growing huge amounts of great veggies by drip irrigating the desert soil, but before that land was returned to Egypt, the Israeli government bulldozed all those improvements.
They destroyed their hard work instead of negotiating the possibility of inviting young Gaza families to move there and continue producing much needed food while helping alleviate the alienation and despair found in occupied Palestine, thus ignoring an obvious no cost diplomatic move that would have done wonders to pacify the region.
Presently I notice the most radical Israeli factions gaining financial and political momentum, this will increase violent repression and fuel the ambition of creating a Greater Israel in the fertile Ukrainian lands being depopulated now by the war.
To compound this trend, we continue feeding this cruel apartheid regime with copious amounts of tax dollars that we badly need here to address our own domestic problems. It is precisely here where we could make a positive difference, by electing representatives that will help restore control over our nation’s purse.
My quick honest thoughts on Israel: the decision to put the Jewish state there was utterly perverse. Israel is a tiny amount of land. Jews were utterly traumatized by the holocaust. At first (this is my understanding) Israel tried to treat the Palestinians well, their quality of life was far above other Arab populations.
Saudi Arabian rulers hated this. It made them look bad, so they funded the PLO to destabilize Israel. Certainly Israel has responded with intensely punitive and inhuman methods, but I can also see it from the Israeli point of view, as they believe their survival is precarious.
What is the answer? I really don’t know. Should the Jews leave Israel? Not going to happen. The wealthy Jews could buy some land for a second state for the Palestinians?
I honestly don’t know the answer. I agree the situation is horrible, treatment of Palestinians is awful, but I also think that Israel’s sense of existential threat is legitimate and real. They really have very little territory -- a 3 hour drive across the whole country.
Have either of you spent an extended period of time in Israel (beyond volunteering on a kibbutz thirty years ago) or spoken to Israelis with permanent residency in Israel? I admit that I get very irritated engaging in conversations with American Jews who have strong opinions about Israel when they’ve never even visited let alone lived in the region. I lived in Israel as an adult (employed and parenting young children while there) for seven years and I still don’t feel qualified to engage in conversations like these, but I will often chime in and offer to make connections to intelligent empathetic Israelis (some dual citizens, some not) who are involved and engaged in activism in Israel because I think their voices are critical for conversations like these. The conflict in the region cannot be learned or experienced via news or books or opinion pieces. Immersing yourself in the culture by living there for an extended amount of time, especially in regions where there is a lot of mixing between Arabs and Jews (ie the lower Galilee region where I lived) offers a very very different perspective.
I’m happy to connect you with individuals I think well-versed in this topic, in varying sectors of the population.
I'd love for there to be an entire conference on this topic in the near future. Thank you for taking an important step! There is a lot to unpack....and there is a lot of fear and grief to work through.
I have lots to say about this topic but for now check out the following Substack by Chris Hedges in case you haven't read it: The Chris Hedges Report Dec 11 2022 -- Israel and the Rise of Jewish Fascism..."The mask is being lifted from the face of Israel’s apartheid state, exposing a grinning death’s head that portends the obliteration of the few restraints against the killing of the Palestinians..."I object to the phrase Jewish Fascism but have no problem calling what's going on in Israel right now Israeli Fascism or Zionist Fascism. The essay is about the ultranationalist, ultraorthodox characters, little better than criminals, who Netanyahu is bringing into his new cabinet and who openly admit to wanting to kill all Palestinians. I know you skipped mentioning Israel but there's a point to be made here -- why do Jews (yes, feeling threatened and cornered JUST LIKE THEIR FOREBEARS IN EUROPE) so easily duplicate in a son imitates father fashion the extremism of the anti-semites from which they fled?
I think some Israeli Jews must feel threatened and existentially precarious, hence this horrific reaction to Palestinians. Also, see my comment above to Sergio (you two would like each other by the way).
Wide-sweeping generalizations about “Israeli Jews?” Daniel, would you make a wide-sweeping generalization about any other culture or ethnic group? Be mindful of comments like these if you’re truly trying to have a thoughtful heart centered conversation.
Hi Jen, Sorry I agree with you. I will retract that. Thanks for calling it out. I really don't have the knowledge to understand what is happening with Israel and the Jews there. The new government does sound concerning however.
Yes, let's make wide-sweeping generalizations about ALL OTHER CULTURES AND ETHNIC GROUPS where with few exceptions, those in the majority or in power lord it over the others. Let's be honest: for the most part, human beings are an imperfect species to put it mildly. As for "Israeli Jews," yes that includes Peace Now (almost moribund in the current climate) and many others struggling to view Palestinians as deserving of the same rights to dignity, freedom, abundance as the Jews claim. But apparently a majority feel otherwise
As someone who identifies in some way, on some days, as an Israeli Jew, I don’t believe that generalization applies to me and I don’t believe that generalization applies to most of the people I actually know from actually living, working, parenting, going to the grocery store, etc etc while living in the actual country. What I’m saying is that generalizing is dangerous and that when someone takes responsibility for trying to lead a thoughtful conversation about a very nuanced topic, that person has the responsibility to be mindful with their languaging. You, on the other hand, can comment in all caps all you want.
Yes, given Jewish history and directly the events starting in 1948 with Arabs scheming to obliterate the new state of Israel, no wonder Israeli Jews feel threatened and precarious. But that's no excuse not to MOVE IT UP A NOTCH AND FIND THE PLACE INSIDE THEM THAT COMES FROM THE HEART. The Palestinians are imperfect humans too but forever the Israeli state has had the edge with power and armaments and US billions behind it. And they keep seeing the Palestinians as -- well, to cut to the chase -- as unclean. The whole kosher thing transferred to other humans. There's a problem with Judaism, huge problem in my view, seeing themselves as the chosen people, the promised land...This leads to Jews feeling superior, they'll hate me saying it but that translates into a version of an uber race...and gee, where have we heard that before?
Most tribes, or nations, religions, have a sense of pride that can easily segue to a sense of superiority. The difference with Israelis is they are caught in a completely untenable political/geographic situation, as Daniel describes.
Feeling superior is a remarkable gel that rewards the collective ego, reduces fear and provides justification for the poor treatment of Palestinians.
They are mired in their own terrible history and the way out is fraught with so many difficulties it makes my head spin trying to reason it all out and come up with solutions, in my own mind.
The Israeli emotional reaction and behavior is distinctly human, as is their turning to Netanyahu for leadership.
There is a tendency to 'other' Israel right now. But look around. The global zeal for power and control and materialism. When we look at Israel we are looking into a mirror. Their problem illuminates a shared responsibility for their frailty, their being abused, their abuse, reaction to abuse collectively..and so on.
Of course, most nations, tribes, religions have a sense of pride that can lead to superiority. But that doesn't excuse what's been happening in Israel for decades. Yes, Israel is threatened from outside but there are two sides to that story: paranoia and fear and hatred of the Other do not make for clear seeing. Clear seeing means something like finding somewhere the trust to establish two states there, otherwise the only option is obliteration of the Other. And that is not only a tragedy, it's morally wrong
Dec 17, 2022·edited Dec 17, 2022Liked by Daniel Pinchbeck
When I saw the headline of this piece last night I said to Larry - wait, Daniel's Jewish? How could I not know that? Larry said, how could you not know that! Of course he is! Maybe I took it for granted and we never spoke about it? Too much else was going on at the time, perhaps. But anyway, I think this piece calls for the new substack "letters" or "chat" option. Could go back and forth for quite a while. My credentials are first generation Jewish on my dad's side (he and his parents escaped Nazi Germany in 1938). German Jewish second gen on my mom's side. Totally secular Reformed upbringing. Even had a Christmas tree every year. After college, in 1985 I kind of accidentally immigrated to Israel. Seemed like a cool thing to do a great way to get away from home. I lived there until 1996. Worked at the Israeli Embassy in DC for a few years too during the Oslo Peace Accords.
I am fluent in Hebrew, a secular, non-Zionist card-carrying Israeli (dual citizenship with the US) who abhors Netanyahu and all the corrupt right-wing politicians fear-mongering and inciting hatred. With the help of the British mandate, the land of Palestine was stolen from the Arabs. And result has been what you wrote, Daniel. The oppressor oppressing another. It's horrific. As if the Palestinians weren't people too.
Crazy thing is I love Israel so much and hope to spend more time there again in the future. But I’m also sickened by it. It’s so fucking complicated.
Rachel Maddow’s podcast Ultra (have you heard it?), along the same lines as Ken Burns recent documentary about white supremacist in the government who controlled immigration policy during the 30s and 40s, deals with forgotten history. Although Philip Roth didn’t forget about it (The Plot Against America). It has me worrying about where a Jew can live safely. I don’t know. Ultra illustrates how Jews have pretty much always been hated in the US, and the government has been full of conspiracy-theory, Jew-hating, Nazi sympathizers for EVER. Nothing new here.
Everything you wrote about is so true and confounding – we are such a small number but so over-represented in many areas. Daniel, do you know who Lee Carroll is? He is famous for channeling a being named Kryon. I did events with him many times through my bookstore. He was always fascinated by the Jews, Hebrew and Kabballah. He wrote an essay about Jews and reincarnation many years ago that boiled down basically to this: Jews NEVER step out of being Jews. Lifetime after lifetime. So they have perfected their ways. Their talent. Their intelligence. So that is why we excel. We have perfected it.
I found some of the text: “Many years ago we told you that there's something specific about the Jews. We told you that they have what we then called "pure karmic attributes of humanity." Difficult to explain, but they carry the core of the seed of humanity. If you are one that would believe that indeed you come around many times [reincarnation], and have many lifetimes that you cannot remember, the difference between the Jews and other Human Beings is that you have agreed to come many times in-a-row to be Jewish. Therefore, within your DNA is carried multiple lifetimes of this attribute of being Jewish, perhaps even thousands of years of it! When you decide not to come back into that family, then the "rules" are that you never return. Sometimes this shapes your attitudes and sometimes it shapes even more than that. This is different than those who come and go and have a much greater variety of selection within many karmic groups. You have mostly had only one.
Some of you are without hope because of this. It rings strong in your DNA. You have the same challenges every time, and often they are about struggle, life and death, and even the horror of those who would actively seek to destroy you. You say, "We have never been able to do what we came for!" And I want to tell you that you would be right, except things have changed. That is why Kryon is here.”
Hi Susan, I appreciate your comments, but I would prefer to drop this very speculative info from Kryon the channeler. To be honest it sounds very sketchy to me.. and vaguely anti-Semitic. Channelling is a very complex subject which I will write about at some point. People may have some access but it also gets distorted by their own subconscious etc. I feel I have had many different "lives" and not all Jewish ones! I don't buy this at all and find it very strange / strangely awful.
I think for Jews to live safely, we somehow have to act upon the Tikkun Olam / Tzaddik element. This is not really something for non-Jewish people, even, to know or think about, as that just raises more suspicions from many. The idea of Jews having a kind of spiritual mission of healing and reconciliation is not just for Leonard Cohen and Dylan, but also for Zuckerberg, the Sacklers, Larry Fink, people in the financial world etc. Jews can't exploit the masses and the poor, and expect to not be the targets of populist rage when times get hard. While there is no central Jewish organization, I am sure there are ways that ethical arguments can be raised in the institutions that represent Jewish tradition. This is not really my world, but that is my sense of it.
well done Daniel. this is tough stuff to expose yourself too but this is how truth builds strength in the world, by people exposing truth with dialogue.
i have a friend who was a music journalist that went into full zionist activism mode a couple years ago, who took on a viscous zeal for fighting this demon of anti semitism. she sees enemies in everybody outside, and she has a community of people who feel the same way and are starting to indicate a sharp increase towards separation from the outside. she seems to hold the same despise against roger waters for his way of “anti semitism” than for kanye’s.
aside from that, when you don’t have something transcendent unifying your culture, then scapegoating is an easy way to unify. also we will
always look for a transcendent connection and we will find a material figure to worship if we remain secular. kanye is TRYING to be the next hitler, in some way, and trying to become president in a real way.
Oh my. I have many thoughts. I'm Jewish by birth as well, on my mother's side, but ended up subjected to a lot more Christianity because of growing up in Appalachia. So I witnessed anti-semitism as a child first hand, which was confusing, because we weren't practicing Jews, but Christian rednecks would still say nasty stuff to me, mostly about Jews killing Jesus, including my teachers and other kids at school.
I decided to celebrate Hanukkah this year, for the first time in maybe 10 years, because so much hatred has been spewed lately, and I also read the Torah from start to finish, which I'd never done before. (That's a whole other story.)
As to the "problematic" elements you discuss, perhaps you're writing negatively about all these successful Jewish people, who you don't know in real life, because they’re also subjected to the antisemitic underbelly that still exists in America. They're maybe a more desirable target for the haters because a subconscious resentment of Jewish people still exists broadly in our culture.
Consider how many other people are out there in these same roles and MUCH worse (military/prison/nations oppressing women) that are acting super evil and we don’t know their names and they aren’t Jewish.
At this point, with all the negative attitudes around Jewish people, I don't think it's helpful to contribute to that derogatory discourse unless one vocally opposes it.
Hi Charlotte, you make good points. Why should Jews be held to a higher standard than anyone else? I don’t know… I do feel there is something in our karma / destiny / whatever that require it… but perhaps I am wrong. As I write and research this, I keep looking up figures and finding so many I think of are Jewish… the head of Goldman Sachs, Bloomberg, Larry Fink, etc… if this power could be used more wisely or for a systemic positive solution, would be amazing.
Another thing that I want to learn more about, and maybe you would also be interested, is that from my understanding, the condition formerly known as Aspergers (now known as ADS-1 or High-Functioning Autism, or "Autism requiring minimal support") has a higher prevalence in the Jewish population (4x higher in one report I saw).
This condition also seems to have a high prevalence in finance, tech, and science, and seems to further these pursuits in some cases. It would be interesting to see research into these numbers and what they might mean. Some of the people you named are known for having the condition...
I also often ponder, because I have two aspie family members (both on the Jewish side), if we are moving towards an aspie-society and what that might look like, because the condition continues to rise steadily in the population, and if it's growth rate continues as is, that will have cultural implications.
I understand the impulse, because we want to do well for the world. I want to be held to a high standard myself. Many minority groups feel they must outperform the majority in order to be accepted and well-liked.
I'm no expert on the Torah, but having read it recently, I will say that one of the key and most-repeated messages in the book is that Jewish people are chosen by God to rule the world and that Jewish people are superior to others because they are the chosen people. And that's just what it says...
So... if people believe that message, then they will have no ethical problem ruling over others.
Trying to understand Jewish origins, the starting point... is an incredibly interesting topic. The more we can obtain historical clarity the more we can explore taboo subjects without fear of repercussions or prejudiced thinking. The ability to ask questions is key to understanding.
I understand completely. I just put myself in the shoes of an Israeli and try to work through all the emotional reactions and reflexes towards a practical solution. Explanations and understanding of their situation is not the same as condoning or excusing it.
My heritage is also Eastern European Jewish and I've always been grateful to my ancestors who came and struggled in New York around the turn of the 20th century so that their kids could prosper. And prosper they did, especially on my father's side, where the first generation all became doctors, lawyers and teachers. They dropped Judaism for the most part--my father was not bar mitvahed, nor my brother, nor my own sons (whose father is Catholic--they were not baptized either). As a child, I absorbed the unspoken message that religion makes one a target for persecution--even growing up in NYC surrounded by other Jews in my public elementary school on the Upper East Side, I preferred to keep my Jewish heritage quiet.
I think there is a deeper spiritual dimension to this that I hope you'll explore. Epigenetic trauma, check. Spiritual wounding across incarnations, check. As a woman I find all the religions, even Buddhism, to be forbiddingly patriarchal. Traditional Judaism, Catholicism and Islam are like a three-headed Cerberus keeping people in female bodies barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen. My father's mother defied this, but she was unusual for her time. So when you talk about Jewish power, please remember to gender it. Note that all the examples you used were men. There have been some powerful, intellectual Jewish women of course. But as in most cultures, they are exceptional.
At this point I am only interested in mysticism, that is in the direct transmission of wisdom from the more-than-human dimensions. Sometimes this does happen within religions, and I'd like to know more about the Jewish Kabalistic tradition, for example. But in general it seems that religions, like nationalities and other artificial categories of difference, only serve to reinforce separations that serve no purpose (or only dark, Ahrimaic purposes, we might say).
If humanity and other life forms are to thrive on this planet, overcoming these artificial, man-made separations is critically important. So often we see the prophets (the mystics) of the major religions saying exactly that (do unto others, etc) but in practice, human tribalism takes over. Can we overcome this? Wouldn't it be nice to see the Jews take the lead?
Wonderful comment, thank you. In terms of kabala, I love the work of Gershom Scholem, who was close friends with Walter Benjamin. Scholem's book On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead is one of my favorites. As for negative female examples, I did mention Kathe Sackler and also the Theranos woman was from a once-powerful Jewish dynasty, the Fleischmann's (yeast). On the radical side, there is Emma Goldman and Rosa Luxembourg, who I could have mentioned!
The book that helped me understand the relationship between esotericism and esotericism in the monotheistic religions is The Transcendent Unity of Religion by Fritjof Schuon, who also wrote Understanding Islam.
My sense is that we need to evolve and reintegrate the religious impulse into a future-state of human society... people need ritual, ceremony, even pageant and something that points them toward the transcendent and divine... Islam has beautiful elements like the praying six times a day, which, if not a chore, is a way to remember your relationship to a transcendent dimension.
But yes, the patriarchal and repressive side of it has to go!
Kind regards,
D
Please write about Islam next because one thing the whole Kanye fiasco made me personally re-examine is my own (fairly intense) Islamaphobia, which I also gained through personal experiences, and then, like Kanye, was unable not to apply to the entire group.
Huh, I know of Gershom Scholem but have never read him, I'll check that out. Benjamin, Goldman, Luxembourg, of course. Never heard of Fritjof Schuon, will check that out too.
Yes, to the need to reintegrate religion in a unifying rather than divisive way, for the future of humanity on this planet. I would like it to be in a Gaian way, a religion that honored our oneness within the Gaiasphere and the metaphysical spiritual dimension. Wouldn't it be awesome if instead of collapsing into the dystopian Anthropocene, we managed to leap into the magical, uplifting Gaiacene Era? I think this kind of positive imaginative visioning is crucial. We cannot create what we cannot imagine. So let's set ourselves the important and happy task of imagining a better future, new religions and all!
Some of Scholem’s lectures were recorded and are online. I found them easier to engage with than his books. I have more to say on all the above but I’m still digesting.
Exactly! I've noticed time and again that dystopianism, instead of being a healthy warning of where we don't want to go, becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Focusing on a "magical, uplifting Gaiacene Era" is ATTRACTIVE. Let's spend more time on that project, :) Btw, Daniel and Jennifer et al, I am New York Jew by birth ( Catholic dad) and proud to be part of a unique 18 million who seem to contribute disproportionately towards tikkun olam. This whole thread is a fine example. :)
Daniel is right that Jews have the potential to be (and often are) quite influential. Perhaps this is because education was always so valued, and in the modern era "people of the book" have a valuable skill set? I know I learned to read at the same time as I learned to talk, and I began writing not long after. My grandmother was taking me for "nature walks" as soon as I could walk, and by age 3 I could identify dozens of wildflowers and birds by name, thanks to her tutelage. Education at every level was highly valued in my family.
The question Daniel raises is whether Jews as a group have put their intelligence and drive to good use in society. Some have of course, but there has been a lot of focus on individual accumulation of wealth, playing the capitalist game better and better.
A next step in our evolution as a species, and in the spiritual development of each individual, of all cultural backgrounds, would be to truly begin to live the ethical principles our religions profess. We need more visions of "what a beautiful world it could be," fully spun out in movies and novels, which have been shown time & again to influence the way that reality emerges.
First we dream it, then we manifest it. We need to start dreaming positive dreams of a the thriving future we yearn of. And then, make it so!
YES. YES. YES to this entire comment.
Very objective and well articulated, Daniel. I can imagine how difficult this was to write. Like being on a tightrope.
European Non-Jews who persecuted Jews and/or shoehorned them into cerebral occupations, as you describe, created Darwinian conditions for selective pressure.
Those with the most agile minds could imagine what they might face if they stayed in Europe and were also endowed with enough foresight to see what was coming and avoid it. Those who immigrated to North America, into a meritocracy (more or less) would obviously dominate a changing world. Strong family ties would enhance this dynamic. And nepotism, a feature which is as much a feature of elitism as it is ethnicity, could entrench it.
My Jewish ancestry, is from 1826, England, on grandmother's side, so will step aside. Have no sense of the culture or religion.
yes a major reason for this was Jewish commitment to literacy and textual exegesis... as society became more literate and as critical interpretation of current events and analysis of future trends became more important in the shift from feudalism to Capitalism, the Jews obviously had a huge advantage which seems to have continued to the present day. Also as I mentioned, Jews saw their survival dependent on their close connection to establishment power and hierarchy... this is, for instance, what happens in Ivy League institutions like Harvard and Yale, it is not just learning the truth but also learning how to maximize your skill in navigating power structures and finding your way to the top of them. This learned technique then propagates through many industries, from finance to media to culture. It is almost like a skill of mimesis. Anyway kind of thinking out loud here.
Also, let's not forget that Jews were super discriminated against and really had to form networks amongst themselves because Christian business people didn't want to work with them.
My grandfather fled Austria during the holocaust as a teenager, managed to get to Brazil and slowly worked his way to America. Once in America he became successful, in part because he leveraged his Jewish connections. But really, he was forced to. Even after his business success, he wasn't allowed to join the country club where he lived, because he was Jewish...
So we can't forget that Jewish groups were necessary because Christian groups wouldn't let Jewish people participate.
Non Jews created the very conditions that reinforced their own paranoia, as you describe here.
This is a very courageous line of inquiry and one that seems most effective held by members within the Jewish community — and I feel honored to hold a space of interest and compassion here; while as an outsider, I'll not likely chime in. While very different in format and style, I believe the comedian Ari Shaffir is also working through this very nuanced conversation in his recent special, which he released directly to YouTube, on a donation-based revenue model. I appreciate the cautious and trope-avoidant voice you're using — a much better choice than Ari's for the container you're creating here. Shalom!
I don't know his work and will check it out. Thanks!
Yes! Watched his comedy special and laughed SO hard! Sent it to all my Jewish friends.
Brilliant Daniel - as a fellow Jew, I also believe that we Jews need to take more responsibility for our part in creating conditions for anti-semitism to exist. There's lots more to say on this subject, and I thank you for beginning the conversation.
what else should be said?
Well, (rolling up sleeves), I perhaps, also based on my own personal healing work in my life (and this is a controversial likely unpopular opinion) understand that we humans, *at times* draw in even the most difficult experiences that we think we don't want through our vibrational frequency. For instance, I was bullied and outcast repeatedly through my school years - this was not at all random - but rather gravitated to me through a frequency I carried, part from my biographical attachment trauma from my very unstable (and Jewish) mother, and part from a deeper frequency of similar historical trauma as a Jew. I was extra sensitive to being an outcast and bullied, which drew these experiences in. Now, a question comes, why, and for what deeper evolutionary purpose?
I believe the wound is also the seed of the gift (or I often describe in the Initiation work I guide that the gift is the wound inside-out), and so, as I've moved through and beyond stories of pure victimization and self-pity, I have dug more into the gift latently waiting in these experiences, and shifted the frequency of my being, where, although still sensitive, I do not manifest these experiences nearly as much (although still a little).
Now, taking these personal experiences to the collective of the Jewish people ("my" people, maybe even "our," Daniel), what frequency are we carrying that draws in repeated experiences of persecution? And more importantly, what is the gift latently being held there, waiting for activation?
Perhaps, another way to frame this is to consider what is the "soul" of the Jewish people, or what purpose are we playing on this Planet? (assuming such a thing exists).
Jews, especially in North America, are occupying a unique place as a historically oppressed group that occupies many positions of privilege, both in wealth/status and education, but also in the coherence/belonging/shared identity/culture we hold, especially as largely "white" people (and this is to acknowledge there are many diverse forms/ancestries/bodies in Judaism, and white-European Ashkenazi Judaism are a vast majority). We essentially are holding a surely complex but, to me, ultimately a "super-power" place of the privileges of being "white" while also some of the "privilege" (coherence, culture, and radicalism) of other minority oppressed groups. Jews typically hold an unspoken (or often overt) solidarity with other Jews just because we share that culture/ancestry. (Ancestry is a whole other complex topic with the Jewish people..)
Ultimately, what I observe is that Jews hold the possibility for the deep empathy of oppressed peoples while holding many of the tools of the oppressors (and I don't totally love the either/or language of oppressed/oppressor). This position is not unique but has been there woven throughout our two millenia diaspora - and this now hits the original question I raised; to maintain simply a culture of exclusion and honesty, fear, and *not* actively seeking to understand nor live out our sole-purpose as a being (i..e seeing how our unique position can be and must be of service to the whole), keeps us in positions of being targeted.. and it makes sense when a people are suffocating from trauma, just coming up for air in "safe" shared space of belonging feels often like all that can be managed.
I exist in one of most beautiful Earth-based, back to our indigenous roots, Jewish communities in the greater bay area California, and increasingly we are becoming a cultural force that other, especially white, non-Jewish, folks are coming to because of the depth of the shared Earth-rooted tradition that we carry. However, I have also observed an often silent but more and more prevalent resentment from our non-Jewish friends and even allies for not being more aware of how to use our ancestral rootedness as a means not just to celebrate our own tradition but (ideally in my heart), hold space for others to also explore their identity/ancestry/faith, and make our practices of Judaism more inclusive, or at least sensitive to the needs of those on the margins who attend our spaces. This rather radical shift would look like seeing every person enter a Jewish space we hold as first and foremost another human, a shared kin, and that creating space that is honoring that, is a priori to creating a cultural space for "us," - in other words, that we culturally become aware of and create space that, without at all abandoning our culture, prioritizes the "we" above any sense of the "us" (and "them).
Lastly, (although this response is only still a start),. all of this could be seen through the lens of how we Jews hold the Israel-Palestine dilemma (which you carefully skirt Daniel).. As Jews, we are completely co-responsible/implicated in the Apartheid happening in Palestine, and certainly the issue is complex, and do believe that Jews have some right to habitation in the Holy Land - and again - to prioritize this above basic and grave human rights violations is a deep symptom of the trauma of persecution, which will come straight back to us as long as we continue to exert that onto others. I feel deeply that the Jewish people need to come together and acknowledge first and foremost that the situation in Palestine is Apartheid, furthermore, understand how it makes us a continued target - and then together, from that baseline, commit to doing the difficult work to change the situation, (which doesn't mean we have to at all give-up on "Israel") but will require us to sit together and dialogue, especially with Palestinians and global allies (and hold lots of space to bear witness to pain and consequence), so that new, unimaginable as of now, solutions can emerge.
Phew - that's a lot and still, I feel I only trace the contours of a very deep subject, having completely omitted the very mythical dimension of this conversation, which I would love to dialogue further about soon. Thanks for spurring this Daniel!
Spot on. I appreciate you bravely pointing out how vibrational frequencies of victimhood attract like circumstances. THIS HAPPENS SUBCONSCIOUSLY. No one is to blame. It's just a law the in the universe. It's also true for the deep feelings of powerlessness beneath the intimidator archetype. The more we own this instead of making it about them the sooner we--not just Jews--get out of the trap.
Kanye has been discussing some of the darker aspects of the entertainment/fashion industry. I hate to say it, but I think that it has been largely to his credit that he is talking about this subject in a way that does speak to an aspect of truth that people aren't willing to hear. The S&M dolls in the same room as the child models and all the rest of it. I am by no means trying to demean his Hitler comments but like Elon, and Donald, Ye speaks to a truth that few are ready to listen to. I am very much of the mind that it is important to find a middle-ground. Not between Hitler and what-ever, but a third way that completely abandons the party apparatus. I mean couldn't we all start there. And say we are not voting next time unless we find some other way to choose our leaders at the local as well as national level. I mean couldn't that be a kind of national protest that is taken up to establish the fact that there is widespread unrest that is growing.
The question is always how to organize something like that - a coordinated, collective abandonment of the two-party system. If you figure out how, let me know. I am interested!
I'm guessing that you could get 50% Of the electorate to agree with the statement that "The current electoral system no longer works". Could we get those same people to sign a petition saying as much and demanding a redress of grievances through a constitutional convention. We take it to the streets to make it happen since we know that the Congress with all of its entrenched interests will never call for it. We get majority signatures in 2/3 of the states or, 2/3 of states by total population (as it should be), and demand action from there.
In 1975 I volunteered to work at Kibbutz Amiad, by the Galilee Lake in Eastern Israel. It was an idyllic experience of international collaboration and democratic governance while efficiently turning the desert into bountifully productive land, an experience comparable to life today in well run ecovillages.
Returning to visit 30 years later, I was dismayed to find it transformed into suburban housing in which neighbors hardly knew each other.
I saw this turn from idealism to materialism in many other areas. I also noticed an unwillingness to address the Palestinian conflict by radical political interests that used the anxiety and fears generated by the conflict to gain power.
For example, in the 70s I visited wonderful collective farms in the Sinai Peninsula that were miraculously growing huge amounts of great veggies by drip irrigating the desert soil, but before that land was returned to Egypt, the Israeli government bulldozed all those improvements.
They destroyed their hard work instead of negotiating the possibility of inviting young Gaza families to move there and continue producing much needed food while helping alleviate the alienation and despair found in occupied Palestine, thus ignoring an obvious no cost diplomatic move that would have done wonders to pacify the region.
Presently I notice the most radical Israeli factions gaining financial and political momentum, this will increase violent repression and fuel the ambition of creating a Greater Israel in the fertile Ukrainian lands being depopulated now by the war.
To compound this trend, we continue feeding this cruel apartheid regime with copious amounts of tax dollars that we badly need here to address our own domestic problems. It is precisely here where we could make a positive difference, by electing representatives that will help restore control over our nation’s purse.
Sergio Lub
yes I just read this story... https://www.instagram.com/p/CmIQnSvMAZW/
My quick honest thoughts on Israel: the decision to put the Jewish state there was utterly perverse. Israel is a tiny amount of land. Jews were utterly traumatized by the holocaust. At first (this is my understanding) Israel tried to treat the Palestinians well, their quality of life was far above other Arab populations.
Saudi Arabian rulers hated this. It made them look bad, so they funded the PLO to destabilize Israel. Certainly Israel has responded with intensely punitive and inhuman methods, but I can also see it from the Israeli point of view, as they believe their survival is precarious.
What is the answer? I really don’t know. Should the Jews leave Israel? Not going to happen. The wealthy Jews could buy some land for a second state for the Palestinians?
I honestly don’t know the answer. I agree the situation is horrible, treatment of Palestinians is awful, but I also think that Israel’s sense of existential threat is legitimate and real. They really have very little territory -- a 3 hour drive across the whole country.
Have either of you spent an extended period of time in Israel (beyond volunteering on a kibbutz thirty years ago) or spoken to Israelis with permanent residency in Israel? I admit that I get very irritated engaging in conversations with American Jews who have strong opinions about Israel when they’ve never even visited let alone lived in the region. I lived in Israel as an adult (employed and parenting young children while there) for seven years and I still don’t feel qualified to engage in conversations like these, but I will often chime in and offer to make connections to intelligent empathetic Israelis (some dual citizens, some not) who are involved and engaged in activism in Israel because I think their voices are critical for conversations like these. The conflict in the region cannot be learned or experienced via news or books or opinion pieces. Immersing yourself in the culture by living there for an extended amount of time, especially in regions where there is a lot of mixing between Arabs and Jews (ie the lower Galilee region where I lived) offers a very very different perspective.
I’m happy to connect you with individuals I think well-versed in this topic, in varying sectors of the population.
I'd love for there to be an entire conference on this topic in the near future. Thank you for taking an important step! There is a lot to unpack....and there is a lot of fear and grief to work through.
I have lots to say about this topic but for now check out the following Substack by Chris Hedges in case you haven't read it: The Chris Hedges Report Dec 11 2022 -- Israel and the Rise of Jewish Fascism..."The mask is being lifted from the face of Israel’s apartheid state, exposing a grinning death’s head that portends the obliteration of the few restraints against the killing of the Palestinians..."I object to the phrase Jewish Fascism but have no problem calling what's going on in Israel right now Israeli Fascism or Zionist Fascism. The essay is about the ultranationalist, ultraorthodox characters, little better than criminals, who Netanyahu is bringing into his new cabinet and who openly admit to wanting to kill all Palestinians. I know you skipped mentioning Israel but there's a point to be made here -- why do Jews (yes, feeling threatened and cornered JUST LIKE THEIR FOREBEARS IN EUROPE) so easily duplicate in a son imitates father fashion the extremism of the anti-semites from which they fled?
I think some Israeli Jews must feel threatened and existentially precarious, hence this horrific reaction to Palestinians. Also, see my comment above to Sergio (you two would like each other by the way).
Wide-sweeping generalizations about “Israeli Jews?” Daniel, would you make a wide-sweeping generalization about any other culture or ethnic group? Be mindful of comments like these if you’re truly trying to have a thoughtful heart centered conversation.
Hi Jen, Sorry I agree with you. I will retract that. Thanks for calling it out. I really don't have the knowledge to understand what is happening with Israel and the Jews there. The new government does sound concerning however.
Yes, let's make wide-sweeping generalizations about ALL OTHER CULTURES AND ETHNIC GROUPS where with few exceptions, those in the majority or in power lord it over the others. Let's be honest: for the most part, human beings are an imperfect species to put it mildly. As for "Israeli Jews," yes that includes Peace Now (almost moribund in the current climate) and many others struggling to view Palestinians as deserving of the same rights to dignity, freedom, abundance as the Jews claim. But apparently a majority feel otherwise
As someone who identifies in some way, on some days, as an Israeli Jew, I don’t believe that generalization applies to me and I don’t believe that generalization applies to most of the people I actually know from actually living, working, parenting, going to the grocery store, etc etc while living in the actual country. What I’m saying is that generalizing is dangerous and that when someone takes responsibility for trying to lead a thoughtful conversation about a very nuanced topic, that person has the responsibility to be mindful with their languaging. You, on the other hand, can comment in all caps all you want.
Yes, given Jewish history and directly the events starting in 1948 with Arabs scheming to obliterate the new state of Israel, no wonder Israeli Jews feel threatened and precarious. But that's no excuse not to MOVE IT UP A NOTCH AND FIND THE PLACE INSIDE THEM THAT COMES FROM THE HEART. The Palestinians are imperfect humans too but forever the Israeli state has had the edge with power and armaments and US billions behind it. And they keep seeing the Palestinians as -- well, to cut to the chase -- as unclean. The whole kosher thing transferred to other humans. There's a problem with Judaism, huge problem in my view, seeing themselves as the chosen people, the promised land...This leads to Jews feeling superior, they'll hate me saying it but that translates into a version of an uber race...and gee, where have we heard that before?
Most tribes, or nations, religions, have a sense of pride that can easily segue to a sense of superiority. The difference with Israelis is they are caught in a completely untenable political/geographic situation, as Daniel describes.
Feeling superior is a remarkable gel that rewards the collective ego, reduces fear and provides justification for the poor treatment of Palestinians.
They are mired in their own terrible history and the way out is fraught with so many difficulties it makes my head spin trying to reason it all out and come up with solutions, in my own mind.
The Israeli emotional reaction and behavior is distinctly human, as is their turning to Netanyahu for leadership.
There is a tendency to 'other' Israel right now. But look around. The global zeal for power and control and materialism. When we look at Israel we are looking into a mirror. Their problem illuminates a shared responsibility for their frailty, their being abused, their abuse, reaction to abuse collectively..and so on.
Of course, most nations, tribes, religions have a sense of pride that can lead to superiority. But that doesn't excuse what's been happening in Israel for decades. Yes, Israel is threatened from outside but there are two sides to that story: paranoia and fear and hatred of the Other do not make for clear seeing. Clear seeing means something like finding somewhere the trust to establish two states there, otherwise the only option is obliteration of the Other. And that is not only a tragedy, it's morally wrong
When I saw the headline of this piece last night I said to Larry - wait, Daniel's Jewish? How could I not know that? Larry said, how could you not know that! Of course he is! Maybe I took it for granted and we never spoke about it? Too much else was going on at the time, perhaps. But anyway, I think this piece calls for the new substack "letters" or "chat" option. Could go back and forth for quite a while. My credentials are first generation Jewish on my dad's side (he and his parents escaped Nazi Germany in 1938). German Jewish second gen on my mom's side. Totally secular Reformed upbringing. Even had a Christmas tree every year. After college, in 1985 I kind of accidentally immigrated to Israel. Seemed like a cool thing to do a great way to get away from home. I lived there until 1996. Worked at the Israeli Embassy in DC for a few years too during the Oslo Peace Accords.
I am fluent in Hebrew, a secular, non-Zionist card-carrying Israeli (dual citizenship with the US) who abhors Netanyahu and all the corrupt right-wing politicians fear-mongering and inciting hatred. With the help of the British mandate, the land of Palestine was stolen from the Arabs. And result has been what you wrote, Daniel. The oppressor oppressing another. It's horrific. As if the Palestinians weren't people too.
Crazy thing is I love Israel so much and hope to spend more time there again in the future. But I’m also sickened by it. It’s so fucking complicated.
Rachel Maddow’s podcast Ultra (have you heard it?), along the same lines as Ken Burns recent documentary about white supremacist in the government who controlled immigration policy during the 30s and 40s, deals with forgotten history. Although Philip Roth didn’t forget about it (The Plot Against America). It has me worrying about where a Jew can live safely. I don’t know. Ultra illustrates how Jews have pretty much always been hated in the US, and the government has been full of conspiracy-theory, Jew-hating, Nazi sympathizers for EVER. Nothing new here.
Everything you wrote about is so true and confounding – we are such a small number but so over-represented in many areas. Daniel, do you know who Lee Carroll is? He is famous for channeling a being named Kryon. I did events with him many times through my bookstore. He was always fascinated by the Jews, Hebrew and Kabballah. He wrote an essay about Jews and reincarnation many years ago that boiled down basically to this: Jews NEVER step out of being Jews. Lifetime after lifetime. So they have perfected their ways. Their talent. Their intelligence. So that is why we excel. We have perfected it.
I found some of the text: “Many years ago we told you that there's something specific about the Jews. We told you that they have what we then called "pure karmic attributes of humanity." Difficult to explain, but they carry the core of the seed of humanity. If you are one that would believe that indeed you come around many times [reincarnation], and have many lifetimes that you cannot remember, the difference between the Jews and other Human Beings is that you have agreed to come many times in-a-row to be Jewish. Therefore, within your DNA is carried multiple lifetimes of this attribute of being Jewish, perhaps even thousands of years of it! When you decide not to come back into that family, then the "rules" are that you never return. Sometimes this shapes your attitudes and sometimes it shapes even more than that. This is different than those who come and go and have a much greater variety of selection within many karmic groups. You have mostly had only one.
Some of you are without hope because of this. It rings strong in your DNA. You have the same challenges every time, and often they are about struggle, life and death, and even the horror of those who would actively seek to destroy you. You say, "We have never been able to do what we came for!" And I want to tell you that you would be right, except things have changed. That is why Kryon is here.”
Here’s the link: https://www.kryon.com/k_chanelIsraelPI05.html
Perhaps as good an explanation as any?
Thanks Daniel.
Hi Susan, I appreciate your comments, but I would prefer to drop this very speculative info from Kryon the channeler. To be honest it sounds very sketchy to me.. and vaguely anti-Semitic. Channelling is a very complex subject which I will write about at some point. People may have some access but it also gets distorted by their own subconscious etc. I feel I have had many different "lives" and not all Jewish ones! I don't buy this at all and find it very strange / strangely awful.
I think for Jews to live safely, we somehow have to act upon the Tikkun Olam / Tzaddik element. This is not really something for non-Jewish people, even, to know or think about, as that just raises more suspicions from many. The idea of Jews having a kind of spiritual mission of healing and reconciliation is not just for Leonard Cohen and Dylan, but also for Zuckerberg, the Sacklers, Larry Fink, people in the financial world etc. Jews can't exploit the masses and the poor, and expect to not be the targets of populist rage when times get hard. While there is no central Jewish organization, I am sure there are ways that ethical arguments can be raised in the institutions that represent Jewish tradition. This is not really my world, but that is my sense of it.
You are very compassionate Daniel. We all have responsibility for change proportionate to the power we are able to exercise.
well done Daniel. this is tough stuff to expose yourself too but this is how truth builds strength in the world, by people exposing truth with dialogue.
i have a friend who was a music journalist that went into full zionist activism mode a couple years ago, who took on a viscous zeal for fighting this demon of anti semitism. she sees enemies in everybody outside, and she has a community of people who feel the same way and are starting to indicate a sharp increase towards separation from the outside. she seems to hold the same despise against roger waters for his way of “anti semitism” than for kanye’s.
aside from that, when you don’t have something transcendent unifying your culture, then scapegoating is an easy way to unify. also we will
always look for a transcendent connection and we will find a material figure to worship if we remain secular. kanye is TRYING to be the next hitler, in some way, and trying to become president in a real way.
Oh my. I have many thoughts. I'm Jewish by birth as well, on my mother's side, but ended up subjected to a lot more Christianity because of growing up in Appalachia. So I witnessed anti-semitism as a child first hand, which was confusing, because we weren't practicing Jews, but Christian rednecks would still say nasty stuff to me, mostly about Jews killing Jesus, including my teachers and other kids at school.
I decided to celebrate Hanukkah this year, for the first time in maybe 10 years, because so much hatred has been spewed lately, and I also read the Torah from start to finish, which I'd never done before. (That's a whole other story.)
As to the "problematic" elements you discuss, perhaps you're writing negatively about all these successful Jewish people, who you don't know in real life, because they’re also subjected to the antisemitic underbelly that still exists in America. They're maybe a more desirable target for the haters because a subconscious resentment of Jewish people still exists broadly in our culture.
Consider how many other people are out there in these same roles and MUCH worse (military/prison/nations oppressing women) that are acting super evil and we don’t know their names and they aren’t Jewish.
At this point, with all the negative attitudes around Jewish people, I don't think it's helpful to contribute to that derogatory discourse unless one vocally opposes it.
Hi Charlotte, you make good points. Why should Jews be held to a higher standard than anyone else? I don’t know… I do feel there is something in our karma / destiny / whatever that require it… but perhaps I am wrong. As I write and research this, I keep looking up figures and finding so many I think of are Jewish… the head of Goldman Sachs, Bloomberg, Larry Fink, etc… if this power could be used more wisely or for a systemic positive solution, would be amazing.
Another thing that I want to learn more about, and maybe you would also be interested, is that from my understanding, the condition formerly known as Aspergers (now known as ADS-1 or High-Functioning Autism, or "Autism requiring minimal support") has a higher prevalence in the Jewish population (4x higher in one report I saw).
This condition also seems to have a high prevalence in finance, tech, and science, and seems to further these pursuits in some cases. It would be interesting to see research into these numbers and what they might mean. Some of the people you named are known for having the condition...
I also often ponder, because I have two aspie family members (both on the Jewish side), if we are moving towards an aspie-society and what that might look like, because the condition continues to rise steadily in the population, and if it's growth rate continues as is, that will have cultural implications.
I understand the impulse, because we want to do well for the world. I want to be held to a high standard myself. Many minority groups feel they must outperform the majority in order to be accepted and well-liked.
I'm no expert on the Torah, but having read it recently, I will say that one of the key and most-repeated messages in the book is that Jewish people are chosen by God to rule the world and that Jewish people are superior to others because they are the chosen people. And that's just what it says...
So... if people believe that message, then they will have no ethical problem ruling over others.
Please do continue your enquiry Daniel,
I find the broad inclusiveness of your
perspective fascinating and compelling!
Trying to understand Jewish origins, the starting point... is an incredibly interesting topic. The more we can obtain historical clarity the more we can explore taboo subjects without fear of repercussions or prejudiced thinking. The ability to ask questions is key to understanding.
I understand completely. I just put myself in the shoes of an Israeli and try to work through all the emotional reactions and reflexes towards a practical solution. Explanations and understanding of their situation is not the same as condoning or excusing it.