When I was a kid, whenever there was a shooting or significant crime, my mother would intone regarding the perpetrator: “Please don’t let it be a Jew.” This week, after the shooting at Joel Osteen’s megamall and discount worship center, I’m angry.
What do you know about terrorism and urban warfare to call the Israeli response ‘disproportionate ‘. Would raping Gazan women be proportionate? This is Jewish cringe. Throw that word in as a virtue signal …
I’m not Jewish but I get this. You cannot complain of racism, xenophobia or antisemitism if you’re a minority, foreigner or Jew - that’s playing the race card or identity politics.
I am ashamed when an atrocity is perpetrated and my first thoughts are “Don’t let the suspect be Black”. My first thought should be for the victims but when the suspect is Black we have seen the system and citizens go after all Black people.
I don’t know what to do with your anger - but I acknowledge it. Be safe!
I’m gonna go out on a limb and suggest she confused Lakewood CO with Lakewood NJ?
The one in NJ is about 80% Orthodox/Hasidic and growing. Is it possible that in her &/@?€#% mind she Googled “Where are the most Jews?” and when Lakewood appeared near the top she assumed it was the one near her?
If she assumed this congregation was a big ol’ box o’Jews it would make sense. I mean not SENSE sense, but as least it would be a train of thought.
I am responding to the point that Jews have significantly altered behaviour in 2023. I feel that this symptom is also experienced to some extent by progressive people generally, moderate people from all communities who sense the rise of right wing authoritarianism and are checking themselves and those around them for the potential flare ups and future risks of violence in society. I have plenty of friends who are right leaning (moderately) and I sense the increasing temperature among them, I am watchful of them and myself so that I do not further increase that temperature. This must be far more palpable for the Jewish community. I wonder how we all proceed. The authoritarian impulse, as Adorno pointed out, is based in externally directed rage - towards the other, towards the scapegoat, towards the sources of their fear. How do we expose ourselves and alleviate that fear without becoming targets of the rage?
I think it was probably the paranoid schizophrenia diagnosis but you're correct that it's possible she was reacting to the evangelical support of Israel since they just can't wait for the end times. I did find some articles pointing out that she had antisemitic writings either on her person or at her home. If they were actually antisemitic and not just antizionist then that's a problem. But it's a problem that our media in general and this piece itself are doing nothing to address.
This is interesting because in Latvia, the last name Grīnbergs (the Latvianicized version of the name) is very common, but at least 95% of the holders of that name are not even remotely Jewish. The German land barons gave out German last names left and right to their Latvian and Estonian serfs in the 18th and 19th centuries. If there were any Latvian Jews with that last name, they were probably killed by the Nazis (Latvia lost nearly all of its Jewish and Roma populations during WWII, there was even a concentration camp here). A lengthy way of saying that in Latvia, no one would even think of a person with a Germanic surname as perhaps being Jewish.
That is interesting. Jews didn’t have surnames for most of our history. My understanding is they were assigned surnames to facilitate military enlistment under the czar. There are many names that are common among Jews and Germans, mainly due to a long history of cohabitation, afaik.
Also, incidentally, I didn't know that Jewish folks did the "god don't the perpetrator be [insert ethnic/religious group here]" thing. I'm of Middle Eastern/Muslim descent, so of course we do it (at least since 9/11 but probably before as well.) It saddens me that anyone feels this horrible twinge anytime there's a tragedy; it's even worse that it's more widespread than I knew previously.
Thank you, Michael. That speaks for so many of us. This year is the first time my daughters (age 24 & 26) have felt the painful hard place it is sometimes, just to be Jewish by birth. Julie (Stagedoor, many moons ago)
The world always has and always will demonize Jews. It won’t change, and there’s no avoiding it. There’s no point in hand-wringing or in trying to understand the rationale, because it’s not rational. And it’s insidious. They’ll be friendly to our faces, and then snicker behind our backs. All we can do is to step up and be known for who we are and to smoke out the haters so we know who they are. We need to confront the hate instead of hiding from it. Thank you Michael for doing just that.
Was she mad at Jewish Americans or was she mad at Israel? Jewish Voices for Peace is considered antisemitic by the ADL, so that's something to keep in mind. She certainly didn't do anything a sane person would do but the only information I've seen described her as having a message about Palestine on her weapon but not anything else.
Oh yes, they're totally 5th column for Hamas. Because there are no progressive Jewish people who simply don't support the Israeli government's policies for legitimate reasons.
Wait how did they not make a "rabbi hole" pun? Nazi morons...
What do you know about terrorism and urban warfare to call the Israeli response ‘disproportionate ‘. Would raping Gazan women be proportionate? This is Jewish cringe. Throw that word in as a virtue signal …
I’m not Jewish but I get this. You cannot complain of racism, xenophobia or antisemitism if you’re a minority, foreigner or Jew - that’s playing the race card or identity politics.
I am ashamed when an atrocity is perpetrated and my first thoughts are “Don’t let the suspect be Black”. My first thought should be for the victims but when the suspect is Black we have seen the system and citizens go after all Black people.
I don’t know what to do with your anger - but I acknowledge it. Be safe!
Oops, TX not CO. Lotta Lakewoods!
I’m gonna go out on a limb and suggest she confused Lakewood CO with Lakewood NJ?
The one in NJ is about 80% Orthodox/Hasidic and growing. Is it possible that in her &/@?€#% mind she Googled “Where are the most Jews?” and when Lakewood appeared near the top she assumed it was the one near her?
If she assumed this congregation was a big ol’ box o’Jews it would make sense. I mean not SENSE sense, but as least it would be a train of thought.
I am responding to the point that Jews have significantly altered behaviour in 2023. I feel that this symptom is also experienced to some extent by progressive people generally, moderate people from all communities who sense the rise of right wing authoritarianism and are checking themselves and those around them for the potential flare ups and future risks of violence in society. I have plenty of friends who are right leaning (moderately) and I sense the increasing temperature among them, I am watchful of them and myself so that I do not further increase that temperature. This must be far more palpable for the Jewish community. I wonder how we all proceed. The authoritarian impulse, as Adorno pointed out, is based in externally directed rage - towards the other, towards the scapegoat, towards the sources of their fear. How do we expose ourselves and alleviate that fear without becoming targets of the rage?
I think it was probably the paranoid schizophrenia diagnosis but you're correct that it's possible she was reacting to the evangelical support of Israel since they just can't wait for the end times. I did find some articles pointing out that she had antisemitic writings either on her person or at her home. If they were actually antisemitic and not just antizionist then that's a problem. But it's a problem that our media in general and this piece itself are doing nothing to address.
You are high if you believe that.
Thanks Michael. You articulated the essence of being an American Jew but that can’t be articulated because it takes an article not a tweet.
(Also there is a small typo where you wrote Americans instead of Jew in your article and I think it’s worth the quick edit)
We didn’t want to create a fuss so we anglicized our name from Greenberg.
This is interesting because in Latvia, the last name Grīnbergs (the Latvianicized version of the name) is very common, but at least 95% of the holders of that name are not even remotely Jewish. The German land barons gave out German last names left and right to their Latvian and Estonian serfs in the 18th and 19th centuries. If there were any Latvian Jews with that last name, they were probably killed by the Nazis (Latvia lost nearly all of its Jewish and Roma populations during WWII, there was even a concentration camp here). A lengthy way of saying that in Latvia, no one would even think of a person with a Germanic surname as perhaps being Jewish.
That is interesting. Jews didn’t have surnames for most of our history. My understanding is they were assigned surnames to facilitate military enlistment under the czar. There are many names that are common among Jews and Germans, mainly due to a long history of cohabitation, afaik.
Mental illness aside, I can't imagine what good it would do to try to murder people at a church in Texas in the name of the Palestinians in Gaza.
Also, incidentally, I didn't know that Jewish folks did the "god don't the perpetrator be [insert ethnic/religious group here]" thing. I'm of Middle Eastern/Muslim descent, so of course we do it (at least since 9/11 but probably before as well.) It saddens me that anyone feels this horrible twinge anytime there's a tragedy; it's even worse that it's more widespread than I knew previously.
Thank you, Michael. That speaks for so many of us. This year is the first time my daughters (age 24 & 26) have felt the painful hard place it is sometimes, just to be Jewish by birth. Julie (Stagedoor, many moons ago)
The world always has and always will demonize Jews. It won’t change, and there’s no avoiding it. There’s no point in hand-wringing or in trying to understand the rationale, because it’s not rational. And it’s insidious. They’ll be friendly to our faces, and then snicker behind our backs. All we can do is to step up and be known for who we are and to smoke out the haters so we know who they are. We need to confront the hate instead of hiding from it. Thank you Michael for doing just that.
thank you for saying the things i’m too scared to say.
Ditto
Was she mad at Jewish Americans or was she mad at Israel? Jewish Voices for Peace is considered antisemitic by the ADL, so that's something to keep in mind. She certainly didn't do anything a sane person would do but the only information I've seen described her as having a message about Palestine on her weapon but not anything else.
I would guess she was mad at Evangelical Christians, since they staunchly support the state of Israel.
JVfP is Not a Jewish org. Its funding goes to HAMAS circuitously.
Oh yes, they're totally 5th column for Hamas. Because there are no progressive Jewish people who simply don't support the Israeli government's policies for legitimate reasons.
Not these frauds