The Bat Mitzvah girl and Rabbi Lee Diamond
Lee Diamond – Jewish or Jews & Stuck in the Middle East
Jewish or Jews
Will Herberg authored an important American sociological concept in his book:
“Protestant Catholic and Jew” *
Protestant religion
Catholic religion
Jewish religion
All adjectives
And no nouns
We were Americans of Jewish persuasion
They were Protestant and Catholic Americans of their own persuasion
We loved it!
We were Americans just like them
Different strokes for the same folks
Same language
Same history
Same Thanksgiving
Same 4th of July
Same national anthem
Same literature
Same music
Same dress
Same curriculum in schools
Same flag
Same nationality
We were Jewish Americans
Not— JEWS
Emancipation required Assimilation
As the entrance fee to America
A Cheap ticket
No more nouns
No longer a separate people
Or separate Culture
Or language
Or separate literature or history
Now adjectives — “Jew” ish
And we became THEM in our own eyes
Not like them
But THEM,
And we lost US
To the point of being unrecognizable As US.
Nothing in common with ourselves
Nothing in common with our own narrative
We forgot Jerusalem
And we withered
We could no longer speak
Because we were
No longer Jews.
Just modified Americans
* Will Herberg—1955
Stuck in the Middle East
Bibi is now at 10 Downing Street
complaining about the
Balfour Declaration.
100 years ago, Lord Balfour
Started a process that was to
Become the beginning of Jewish National redemption.
He is asking for an apology—
We didn’t get it all, claims Bibi
Abbas, is also demanding an
Apology from the British for the same declaration!
An apology to the Palestinians for
Creating the problem with The Balfour “fiasco”— As they refer to it.
Imagine the British demanding an Apology from the Americans for the
Boston tea party !
Imagine the native Americans
Demanding an apology for the celebration of Thanksgiving!
Or a demand from Mexico; an apology for the annexation of Texas as a result of the Mexican American war.
Wars are fought
There are winners and losers
Spoils go to the victors
Losers must come to terms
Alliances are formed
Alliances change
Promises declared
Promises modified
Governments determine in their
Own best interests.
Bibi is living a dead dream – stuck!
Abbas Is stuck in dead dream
Both of them stuck
And both unable to move on.
The apology must come from both to their own peoples.
They are causing their own children
To fight a senseless and useless war and sacrificing our children.
In A war without a victor
A unending war
Bibi/Abbas
Hear us
We don’t even want your apology
WE ARE NOT STUCK!
Don’t condemn us to your insanity
Of Blame and counter blame
Let Our Peoples Go!
Signed:
The peoples of Israel and Palestine
