NAKBA II FOMENTS ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE

I am sorry to see that violence against Jews who may actually condemn what Israel is doing is more likely to take place after Israel's cruel brutalization of the Palestinian people in general and now the terrible massacres in Gaza. Ironically, Israel's policy of isolating Palestinians from Israelis has led to a Palestinian youth who know Jews only as people carrying guns, beating old women and shooting children at will.
Israel's apartheid system can only serve to polarize the situation. Opening the border crossings throughout Palestine and Gaza may carry some risks but they are, I believe, risks of a much lower order than the terrible slaughter we see in Gaza today.

Israel's one hundred eyes for an eye practices seem meant to exacerbate anti-semitic violence. Israel's disproportionate violence and the making of Gaza into a hell for some years now is reprehensible. Of course this can hardly help young Jews identify with Judaism if they confuse the positive side of Judaism with the imperialist and subimperialist practices using supposedly religious words without any real understanding of the heart of Judaism.

Israel, like the United States, needs to stop using violence like it is a panacea. Both nations seem to find it possible to utter pseudoreligious nonsense in order to justify war and massive violence against other nations. Yet neither nation is entitled to slaughter because of some divine plan.

Nor is it reasonable to imprison starve and otherwise deprive the 1.4 million residents of Gaza in order "national security".

National security is based primarily on mutual respect and this means respect for the human rights of the peoples of all nations involved. Yet we see national security defined so irresponsibly, so irrationally and so oppressively that the deeds are frankly imperialistic and the acts of a conquering invader; pure offense and very little defense.

Fortunately more and more Jews here in the United States and Europe are starting to criticise Israel because of this obvious extremism and this will help portray some of the political diversity that actually exists but is usually hidden due to intimidation from right wing zionists.

Left in the Reeds

After a little research I see that the so called Jewish Center is the Chabad Lubovitch House almost at the southern tip of the peninsula upon which Mumbai rests.


Having heard of the ruthlessness of the attackers I held out little hope for those hostages that might have been held in the Naiman House. The Rabbi and his wife were among those murdered. The picture of this lovely couple somehow touched my heart. I know they are but among more than a hundred killed in the multi-pronged attack but the story of these religious people made the tragedy small scale enough for me to comprehend emotionally. I simply wept.

Fortunately their son Moshe was saved and he is well named. He was left in the reeds and survived.