Thank you, Jerry, for your empathy. Yeah, the NPR reaction is scary -- but I've seen dislike of Israel equated with Jew hatred far too often. Or maybe the hatred is there and the turmoil in the Middle East is just bringing it out.
This is a fear I have lived with all my life, really. Most Jews live with it, and just kind of bury it and go on (because we have to. Because you can't live your life in fear and you can't let it paralyze you.) This is what it means to be in exile -- to be at the mercy of the winds of political change. Many Jews in Europe got caught when the gates of exit were barred. They couldn't get visas, there was no country that would take them. When I was younger, I used to have nightmares of concentration camps, of there being no place to go. I guess the only thing to do is be aware, be wary, and be ready (if need be) to run. That means updating the family passports (something I need to do anyway) and making sure the baby has one. I suppose that's why my brother Lenny considers Israel safer than the U.S. If a person is meant to die, it doesn't matter where he or she lives -- it will happen, whether it happens in a terrorist bombing or a mugging gone sour. But in Israel, at least, I know that my fellow Israelis are not likely to kill me for being Jewish. Sorry that I'm not giving you the puns you need (although I see that Ben did). I've been feeling this way all day. Judith > >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 04/24/02 01:30PM >>> ><snip> >Funny that even though I am proud to be an >American, it does not take much to make me afraid of things happening here. >(And I know you guys are going to jump on that.) ><snip> > >Judith, > >I will not jump on you for those feelings. > >I too am proud to be an American, most of the time. > >I am so sorry that you feel afraid. Thank you for admitting it. It reminds >me that although I currently have no need to be afraid, others do. And >that this country still has a ways to go. > >The intolerance and hatred you fear is exactly what this country should be >fighting against most strongly. > >This article on CNN shows it is alive and well here in this country. And >amongst NPR listeners? Whodda thunk? >http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/News/04/24/npr.yiddish.radio.ap/index.html > >This is exactly why I needed some puns. > >Filled with empathy, >Jerry Johnson ______________________________________________________________________ Structure your ColdFusion code with Fusebox. Get the official book at http://www.fusionauthority.com/bkinfo.cfm Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
