Author Jennifer Anne Moses was Shmuel Rosner's guest at Ha'aretz earlier this week. She is a religious Jew living in Louisiana and points out, very sensibly, that when someone says "Jesus loves you" at the grocery store, you don't have to open a federal case. I'm down with that. The person just means well. Moses, who moved to La. from the Washington area, then goes on to defend secularism in language I also endorse:
all Americans, religious or not, ought to be raising hell around the clock in order to get God, in any way, shape, or form, out of the public square. In the South in particular there is a real blurring of the lines between the idea that Christians make up the majority of the American populace and the idea, often spoken, that "it's a Christian country." Thus the giant Christmas wreath that, as of this writing, hangs over the tax-supported public LSU law school in Baton Rouge; the Christian prayers before football games at public schools high schools; and the loathsome and largely hypocritical practice of pushing a strictly Christian agenda through the bullshit subterfuge of "intelligent design." This kind of non-Christian Christianity - the Christianity of might makes right - works people up and gets votes. But if Jews were half as smart as we think we are, we'd recognize that what motivates most of this anti-democratic religious fervor isn't hatred, but fear, and the cure for fear isn't high-handedness, but empathy.
I agree with these sentiments entirely. Ours is a mostly-Christian country but we have to afford equal space and rights for minorities, and keep religion out of government. Fear is a powerful and destructive force in tribal interactions. But when it comes to Israel, Moses won't drink the potion she prescribes for America. She would seem to be an unreconstructed Zionist. She calls Israel "the Promised Land" several times and describes her joy speaking Hebrew there: "I was a Jew speaking a Jewish language in the Jewish land of Israel..."
When will Jews wake up to the fact that the rights we demand, and obtain, in this country are denied to Muslims and Arabs, and Christians, too, in Israel and occupied Palestine? "It's a Christian country" here is "It's a Jewish country" there, in a land that is also diverse. Just try visiting the birthplace of Jesus some time, thru any number of checkpoints. And "anti-democratic"? Take a look at the wall, or the fact that Arabs are not allowed to serve in the Israeli armed forces. How would Moses and I feel if blacks were not permitted to serve in the U.S. army? And if that policy were rationalized by the idea that we were at war with Ghana and Nigeria?
My headline calls this "hypocrisy." A better phrase is selfishness....
The analogy is not Ghana, a weak country a thousand miles away. The analogy is closer to Greece, where the Muslim minority is not permitted in the army. Why not devote the remaining years of your life to attacking them? Oh sorry, I forget it's only wrong when Jews do it.
"What motivates most of this anti-democratic religious fervor [in the South] isn't hatred, but fear."
Christ, what is Miss Jennie on about? If she'd bothered to consult David Hackett Fischer's magisterial "Albion's Seed," she'd have learned that America was FOUNDED by religious fanatics of various protestant stripes — Puritans in Massachusetts, Quakers in Pennsylvania, Anglicans in Virginia, and so forth.
Their religious displays aren't directed at anybody, nor are they anti-democratic; it's simply a case of the majority population expressing its culture, just as Catholics do in Catholic countries, Muslims do in North Africa, and Jews do in Israel. Raphael Moses (her ancestor?), a Jewish commissary officer who paid the final disbursement from the Confederate Treasury, didn't have a problem with it, at a time when public religiosity was more pervasive than it is now.
But Miss Moses seems that to think that centuries-old folkways should come to a screeching halt, just because she has graced the area with her presence. IN-credible. Just imagine some clueless Christian showing up in Israel and announcing, "You folks have got it all wrong; Shabbat's 'sposed to be on Sunday." Good luck wid dat … unlike tolerant Americans, the Israelis would have the good sense to show this unwelcome guest the door.
Hypocrisy or selfishness:
"Zionism's 'historical right' to Palestine was neither historical nor a right. It was not historical inasmuch as it voided the two millennia of non-Jewish settlement in Palestine and the two millennia of Jewish settlement outside it. It was not a right, except in the Romantic 'mysticism' of 'blood and soil' and the Romantic 'cult' of 'death, heroes and graves'… "The claim of Jewish 'homelessness is founded on a cluster of assumptions that both negates the liberal idea of citizenship and duplicates the anti-Semitic one that the state belongs to the majority ethnic nation. In a word, the Zionist case for a Jewish state is as valid as the anti-Semitic case for an ethnic state that marginalizes Jews." Professor Norman Finkelstein, "Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict,"
America was founded as a Christian Nation. If the Jewish people who have immigrated here since 1620 have a problem with that, they should move on to Israel or wherever. I wish them well.
In the meantime, telling the 90%+ Christian majority in America that we are obligated to support a theocracy called Israel to the tune of billions every year, but are not permitted to put up a Nativity scene on the courthouse square, even out here in flyover land….well excuse me. I won't be wishing that crowd anything but to burn in hell. The double standard is sickening.
Hypocrisy. That is why, I think so many people have increasing animosity towards the "Jewish community"
"Oh sorry, I forget it's only wrong when Jews do it."
Ianoi – no it's wrong when the SAME Jewish groups DEMAND a secular – to the point of absurdity – US with open immigration and DEMAND a Jewish state with Jewish only immigration.
I recall a few years ago a rabbi in Australia – forgot his name – published a series of articles against the Australian anti-immigration parties that were on the rise at the time – which focused on the importance of making Australia multicultural – even if it meant whites would become a minority it was then revealed he published a series of articles in the Jerusalem Post on why Israel needs to remain a Jewish state.
When caught, he blatantly said, in effect, zionism is good Israel, multiculturalism is good for Australia.
Just a point of clarification, some "Arabs" are allowed and do serve in the IDF. Druze and Bedouin soldiers are commonly seen and some of the roughest IDF soldiers you'll meet. One of the highest ranking officers in the IDF is a Muslim.
Many of the Israelis that I've met over the years are quite secular and would be pleased to have less religion in the public square – Jewish, Christian, and Muslim. They are rather indistinguishable from secular Americans in this way.
Jim Haygood misses the point – it's perfectly fine for any and all to express their culture – just do it on your own dime and your own property.
Jim – How would you like it if Spanish became the only language spoken in government offices in Miami? Wouldn't that just be a case of the local populace expressing their culture. And how would you like it if in Dearborn MI all kids got off on the Muslim holidays, but not the Christian ones since a majority of the people there are Muslim?
If you are fine with Christmas not being an official holiday in regions were Christians are a minority and fine with Spanish being spoken in regions where the majority enjoy speaking Spanish than I beg your apology, but if like me you prefer to have English as the official government language and for their to be no "official" government religion than you are being a bit of a hypocrite.
And how about those Greeks Phil? Can we expect you to hold them up to the same standards you require of the Israelis?
Chuck – why do I get the sense that you are the type of guy who wouldn't let Jesus into his golf club because he was Jewish.
Chuck – why do I get the sense that you are the type of guy who wouldn't let Jesus into your golf club because he was Jewish.
Jack K: classic leftist argument – create conditions to marginalize the core culture then use those conditions to further marginalize us.
If you and jewish bigots like Dershowitz are so hyper neurotic that you are threatened by a Christmas tree or even a nativity scene, then I suggest you seek help.
But most of us are tired of the ACLU/ADL rantings. YOu really want to start eliminate religion jack k? WHy do jews never complain about say , publically funded yoga classes – which comes from Hindu practice, or the pagan names of the days of the week – Wednesday, for example -yet go hyper when someone uses AD?
Don't try to lie – because that's what it is – lying – and tell you're concerned with separation of Church and state- which, for the last time, is not in Constitution (that is why for example they had a chaplain and still do). Stop using it as a excuse for your hatred of Christianity and the core culture here. Let's be honest, please.
"Why do I get the sense …"
Because your mother raised you to always suspect "antisemitism" in the goyim?
"Many of the Israelis that I've met over the years are quite secular and would be pleased to have less religion in the public square"
…How about the ACLU set up a branch office there, they can start by suing to remove the Star of David from the flag and medical symbols (as they did here, working with other Jewish groups, and yes the ACLU is defacto Jewish in its outlook). Maybe they can team up with the ADL to publish the 'september dilemma ' around the high holy days and pressure schools and even private companies that some people might feel 'uncomfortable' with public mention of anything associated with Judism.
They could also start lobbying to make immigration more 'inclusive' – because its pretty much Jews only now…
Somehow, I don't see that happening.
me/Jaqui – FYI – I have a christmas tree in my home.
Grow up "me". The world tires of little blowhards like you, just as it tires of the relgious zealots all claiming to know "truth". That goes for all religions.
"…How about the ACLU set up a branch office there, they can start by suing to remove the Star of David from the flag and medical symbols (as they did here, working with other Jewish groups, and yes the ACLU is defacto Jewish in its outlook). Maybe they can team up with the ADL to publish the 'september dilemma ' around the high holy days and pressure schools and even private companies that some people might feel 'uncomfortable' with public mention of anything associated with Judism"
Fine with me.
Really
Wow Jack K, great come back to my points. So I am blowhard but your grandiose edicts to remove thousand year old symbols and traditions from the public square are just humble musings on your part?
"Fine with me.
Really"
What about ending Jewish only immigration? or the JNF/Jewish only land titles?
How about allowing Palestinians to return to their own homes and land?
Why do I get the impression that Jack K is a dishonest scumbag who just can't stand thinking that the double standard he insists upon is under scrutiny?
Because he is.
For the record, Jack, I'm a direct descendant of William Bradford and don't play golf. I also happen to have just a little Jewish heritage on both sides of my family. When my MD cousin and I are out on my boat we amuse ourselves that we got our intelligence and skinflint ways from our great great grandfather Jacoby, a tailor from Vienna.
" or the fact that Arabs are not allowed to serve in the Israeli armed forces"
Phil, just one correction here: they are not allowed to serve in the Air Force as pilots (Israel claims this is not so ) or the Mossad, but there are Druze units- and I think the bediuon are used as trackers – like Indian guides in the old west.
A better illustration would be the fact Jewish intermarriage is effectively illegal, and the whole JNF/Jewish only land ownership , Jewish only immigration, and the refusal of right of return for Palestininans ethnically cleansed in 48, 67 and onwards.
I have a bigger question for readers here: How long can this blatant moral hypocrisy continue ?? How will it end?
Kevin MacDonald claims on his blog that there will never be a crisis of conscience for the Jewish elite – any confrontation will just be interpreted as anti-Semitism – like Jimmy Carter's book.
Jack K, one more point you claim one of the highest ranking officers is a Muslim. Not really; Druze practice a religion considered a heresy by Muslims. The only reason the Druze side with the Israelis, even though the Israelis treat them like second class citizens, is because thanks to Zionism their precarious place in that region became an either or.
But we're still waiting for you to support: Open immigration for Israel – or diversity immigration, right of return and suspension of Israeli apartheid practices.
Oh and you say 'some' 'arabs' are 'allowed' to serve…so owing to your duel loyalty you'll be OK with us only 'allowing' some 'jews' to serve in government?
According to a March 2005 media report, approximately 8,000 non-Jewish soldiers were serving in the IDF. The IDF did not have any Muslim or Christian chaplains. The IDF sponsored Orthodox Jewish conversion courses for Jewish soldiers who do not belong to Orthodox Judaism and for non-Jewish soldiers seeking to convert to Judaism. The IDF does not facilitate conversion to other religions. Military service is compulsory for Jews and Druze. Orthodox Jews could obtain exemptions from service for full-time religious study. Some Arab citizens, mainly Bedouin, were accepted as volunteers. Approximately 90 percent of Israeli-Arabs do not serve in the army. Israeli-Arab advocacy groups charged that housing, educational, and other benefits, as well as employment preferences based on military experience, effectively discriminate in favor of the Jewish population, the majority of whom serve in the military. In December 2004, the Ivri Committee on National Service recommended to the Government that Israeli-Arabs be afforded an opportunity to perform alternative nonmilitary service. By the end of the reporting period, the Government had not yet considered these recommendations. The USA spends extra to afford Jewish-American soldiers their own special meals.
Firsthand report from the only Jewish chaplain in Iraq
It was just hours before the start of the Sukkot holiday, as the Blackhawk helicopter cut across the Iraqi desert, on a mission to transport important cargo. No, these were not top-secret military supplies, nor ammunition for the battle against Iraqi insurgents. Actually, it was an emergency supply of lulavs and etrogs.
As the only Jewish chaplain stationed in Iraq, life is, well, interesting. Iraq was once the pinnacle of the Jewish world – dating back 2,500 years ago when Jews were exiled from Israel after the destruction of the first Holy Temple. The Talmud was written here, and prophets are buried here.
And now, I am leading services at the only synagogue in town. My "shul" is a prefabricated plywood building that serves as the chapel here at Camp Striker, adjacent to Baghdad International Airport, where I've been stationed since May.
My main responsibility is to ensure every soldier's free exercise of his religion, as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. That means contacting Jewish soldiers and helping them with their needs – whether it be counseling, kosher food, or the question of whether it's permitted to wear regulation leather Army boots in light of the restriction against wearing leather shoes on Yom Kippur.
How many Jewish soldiers are stationed in Iraq? It's difficult to get an accurate count, because they often avoid designating their "faith group" in military databases, especially once they find out they'll be deployed to an Arab country. They may not want the word "Jewish" printed on their ID necklaces (dog tags). If they're captured in Iraq or Afghanistan, what kind of treatment could they expect?
Once a week or so, I'll ride in a Humvee up to Camp Victory, the massive military complex from which the generals run the war, using Saddam's lakefront Al-Faw Palace as their headquarters. Saddam's initials are everywhere, his egomaniacal way of making sure a conqueror would have to dismantle the whole building to erase his legacy. The place is quite ostentatious, with the second-largest chandelier in the world (after one that hangs in Buckingham Palace). Camp Victory also has an array of ornate stone and marble vacation cottages that had been reserved for Saddam's family and cronies. It's all arranged around an enormous man-made lake – the perfect location for my "congregants" and I to do the Tashlich service after Rosh Hashana.
The High Holidays were really great. On Rosh Hashana I served about 130 meals – using only a one-burner stove and without running water. We had apples dipped in honey, pomegranates, gefilte fish, and honey cakes that my wife sent from the U.S. About 40 people showed up on the first night. I had plastic flower centerpieces on the tables, and I managed to get kosher wine for kiddush, which was a big hit; since alcohol is strictly forbidden by the Army in Iraq, for many soldiers this was the first taste of alcohol they'd had in a long time.
Blackhawk Battalion
How did I get here in the first place? After spending a few years learning at Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem, I'd been working in Boston on a Jewish community development project, and was looking for something different. I came across the U.S. Army Chaplaincy website late one night and sent an email for more information. From that point on, the Army recruiter handled all the details, putting me in touch with other observant Jewish chaplains. I signed up for a three-year hitch.
In January, I left my wife and two little girls in Boston and signed in at the three-month-long chaplain school at Ft. Jackson, SC. There were about 80 students, some from denominations I'd never even heard of. We learned how to interview a soldier applying to be a conscientious objector, dialogue with foreign religious leaders, request federal funds for religious programming, and other tasks of the trade. We spent weeks role-playing counseling situations, slept out in the field for several nights at a time, and had long philosophical discussions about good and evil.
Six weeks after I graduated, I was on a plane to Iraq, joining the fabled Third Infantry Division's aviation brigade outside of Baghdad. My battalion consists of about 400 soldiers who maintain, fix and fly Blackhawk helicopters, the U.S. Army's version of the minivan. Our pilots pick up and deliver everything: mail, food, medical supplies, and of course assault teams of camouflaged soldiers on missions to take out suspected terrorists or search for weapons.
At first my wife thought I was nuts. But she saw the excitement on my face and knew this is what I wanted to do. But more so, she realized the importance of helping Jews reconnect with their heritage, no matter where they're located.
I try to call home every day, but it's tough with the time difference. My joke is that Iraq is "eight hours ahead of the East Coast, but a thousand years behind." If I time my call right, I can catch my wife and kids in the car as they head to school in the morning. Then I try to call my wife again when she's by herself and have a longer conversation. We email all the time, and occasionally get to see each other on the webcam. I'll see them sitting in our home in Boston, and they're looking at an oasis of date palms behind me, while helicopters fly overhead. If someone's looking for a surreal moment, he'll find plenty here.
Jewish Networking
As the only Jewish chaplain in Iraq, I'm a bit of an oddity to say the least. Wherever I go, I see soldiers squinting at the patch on my uniform, just above my name tag on my right chest. It's an embroidered depiction of the two tablets of the Ten Commandments, crowned by a small Star of David.
All types of Jews are in the military. Young enlisted guys barely out of their teens, women with master's degrees who fly helicopters, veterinarians (yes, the Army still has a Veterinary Corps), doctors, psychologists, lawyers, infantry foot soldiers, Arabic interpreters. We've got privates and colonels in Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine uniforms, plus civilians working here for the U.S. State Department or private contractors. Guys with last names like O'Laughlin, McCann and McCay, and others named Cohen, Sternberg and Kaufman.
There's the reporter for the Wall Street Journal. The farm girl from Montana who is now a sergeant and eats only kosher food. And there's the Jewish grandmother from New York who is in Iraq, incongruously, to help interrogate high-value terrorist suspects.
The other day, as I stepped into the transient housing tent known as "The Stables," a young civilian standing there spotted the Ten Commandments patch and introduced himself. He said he was originally from Tennessee, but now lives in the Philippines, where he's an active congregant in one of the two synagogues there. He'd just arrived in Iraq beginning his second tour as a private "security consultant," headed to Fallujah for the next year or so. We exchanged email addresses, and I promised to put him in touch with another Jewish contractor I'd met who's working in Fallujah – a retired Denver cop teaching police tactics to Iraqi law enforcement officers. Jewish networking is alive and well here, too.
Chow Hall
"Camp" is an accurate word for our Army base. It's pretty Spartan – really just a huge cluster of dusty tents, trailers and a few plywood constructions housing about 13,000 Americans. Permanent structures are few, because U.S. policy is to give the impression that we're not in Iraq for the duration – only long enough to help the Iraqis run their own country.
A big lizard scurried in front of me today. It was the first live creature, other than humans, that I've seen in five months here. This place is so hot that nothing seems to live here. I never imagined heat like this. It's like sticking yourself into an oven set to 125 degrees. Our "tents" are actually rows and rows of CHUs ("containerized housing units"), the Army's way of describing a converted metal shipping container big enough for two people.
Have I become accustomed to life here? Well, spend enough time in 125-degree temperatures with choking sand and dust in every nook and cranny, listening to the unbelievably loud and terrifying booms of outgoing and incoming artillery rounds, as well as the round-the-clock deafening roar of helicopters flying through the sky; using port-a-johns a lady wouldn't set foot in; living in tents with a dozen other soldiers or converted metal shipping containers barely seven-feet wide; and in a bizarre way, you just get used to it.
There isn't much kosher food for me to eat in the chow hall, so I usually bring in a self-heating camping meal from a care package or a kosher MRE ("Meals, Ready to Eat") – long-life military rations. Our battalion food service officer dropped off 23 cases of them at my office not long ago, so I can never claim to go hungry.
I mainly go to the chow hall to grab a Dr Pepper and schmooze with my fellow soldiers. The chow hall is the unofficial hub of the camp, where people meet each other, seminars and promotion parties are held in the side rooms, and giant flat-panel TV sets line the walls broadcasting CNN, Fox News and other shows taped earlier in the US.
More than once, a soldier has spotted my yarmulke and introduced himself as a fellow Jew. So I try to eat there at least once a day, for good visibility if nothing else.
War Routine
I am frequently reminded of the danger and tragedy of war. I've been called to assist in counseling a squad that lost three guys in one day, as well as an entire helicopter crew who witnessed a mortally wounded soldier die in the back of their aircraft.
In a counseling capacity, I often deal with guys who have reached "The Point." The Point is usually reached nine or 10 months into a deployment, when a soldier has been in some hot, dusty, nasty, inhospitable corner of the world so long he's forgotten why he's there to begin with. He takes on what the Army would define as a really bad attitude, often gets into trouble, and then I, the chaplain, am called in to help him "chill out," to use the medical term.
Above all, a chaplain needs to be a good listener. That's why I posted a translated verse from the Book of Proverbs on my office door: "A worry in a person's heart – he should discuss it with others."
As I write this, I'm still thinking of the soldier I spoke with yesterday, the youngest of nine children, whose father unexpectedly passed away two months ago. At age 22, he didn't have a lot of life experience and was having difficulty coping with his personal tragedy.
About 45 minutes into the conversation, I realized that he was at the verge of suicide. I asked him about it, and he said that he'd returned to his bunk just two nights before with the intention of shooting himself in the head with his Army-issued rifle. It turns out he'd forgotten to bring his ammunition with him, but if not for that detail, he'd have been dead that night.
I had him leave his weapon in the office, and we walked together down to the camp clinic where fortunately I found a psychologist friend of mine on duty. The three of us had a long conversation, and the soldier was sent to an extended group therapy retreat up north at Camp Liberty.
And then there's the time I got called to testify for a soldier stationed at a small patrol base in Baghdad, who claimed that Judaism forbade him from washing pots in which pork products had been cooked. I had to inform his superiors that, regrettably, this claim was not true. (He may have confused us with Muslims.) We later discovered the guy wasn't even Jewish – he was just looking for a creative way to get out of work. Unfortunately for him, he picked the wrong religion to pretend to belong to.
And so goes the day.
Light Unto Nations
Shabbat is the best part of the week. That's when I host services and a meal, either here at Camp Striker or at some dusty outpost my assistant and I have been flown to, joining with guys who perhaps haven't heard Hebrew or worn a kippah in months or even years.
I try to get everything ready on Thursdays, because no matter what time Shabbat comes in each week, no matter where you are in the world, there just doesn't seem to be enough time to get everything done. It's like a rule of life. You could be unemployed with absolutely nothing to do all day in Alaska in the summertime, and I guarantee you will be rushing to get everything ready before you have to light candles at 11 p.m.
I've received lots and lots of care packages from synagogues, Hebrew schools and individual supporters in New York, California and everywhere else in between – even Israel. People send prayer books, food, and all the other necessities a Jew would require while living in a plywood-lined tent without a kitchen or running water and less-than-reliable electrical power.
The Torah prophesizes that we Jews will be exiled from our land and scattered to the four corners of the earth, where our job is to find ways to spiritually elevate our surroundings and be a "light unto the nations." That's why Jews seem to be everywhere on the planet, and a U.S. Army camp in Iraq is no exception.
So while the news is filled with battles of Sunni vs. Shiite, and insurgents vs. surge, my slice of military life has more to do with scrounging for kosher salami and trying to convince non-Jewish guys from the Arkansas National Guard to help build me a sukkah. So if you know anyone here who could use some "re-Jew-venation," drop me a line using the comment section below.
Author Biography:
Shlomo Shulman grew up in Beverly Hills, graduated with a degree in journalism from San Diego State and worked in the field of environmental education. A round-the-world journey eventually took him to Jerusalem, where he studied at Aish HaTorah. He lives with his family in Massachusetts, and is currently the only Jewish chaplain stationed in Iraq.
This article can also be read at: link to aish.com
me,
What does the first amendment say to you? Does it say to you that the government should not abridge religion only for its citizens, or that religion should not have a place in government?
Where in the Constitution of the United States does it say that the United States is a Christian Nation and as such should follow the customs of Christianity?
The fact is, the only place religion is brought up at all is in the first amendment. With nothing else to go on, it is fairly clear that the constitution is decidedly anti-establishment of a state religion.
From a gentile…
Defenstanator – Where does it say the federal government will force schools and towns to remove Christmas trees and/or ban carols.
Why did and does Congress have a Chaplain?
That amendment was to prevent the establishment of an Anglican/Roman like federal church – there were state churches up until the 1840s in states like Connecticut. It was never meant to ban prayer in schools or anything of the kind – the phrases 'separation of church and state ' is constantly cited the term only exists in a letter from Jefferson – that's what that twisted ruling is based on – well Adams wrote that our constitution is for a moral and religious people, it is fit for no other…are we to have a court ruling on that anytime soon?
………………………..
The tortured, twisted interpretations of the constitution reflects largely, Jewish influence in law – Why do Jews always spearheaded these movements to ban Christmas trees yet demand we fund Israel, and Jewish only holocaust memorials – one of which is blatantly in the style of a menorah? that's the issue here.
Funny in New York City, a city not lacking in Jews the new 'standard' at public schools is that the menorah is ok but a cross is not.
Which reminds me, for years no one had a problem with crosses on ambulances – like the red cross – until Jews sued to have remove. I am sick and tired of their hypocrisy.
Greece lifted legal discrimination against Turkish speaking ethnic Turk and ethnic Greek Muslim citizens of Greece in 1991.
The first Muslim officers in the Greek army were appointed in 1996.
There is also a Muslim population within Greece of Greek ethnic origin. A succinct description of this population is not possible. See link to en.wikipedia.org
for more details.
There are many forms of evil in the world, but Americans are not as directly implicated in them as they are in the massive crimes of Zionism.
I am angry at ethnic Ashkenazi Americans for manipulating the US political system into supporting a criminal population of genocidal thieves and invaders.
While the actual manipulators are a minority, the majority are passively permitting extremist fanatic racists to speak and act on behalf of the American Jewish community.
Zionist Israel is at least as evil as Nazi Germany of the 30s but German Americans forthrightly condemned Nazi racism and aggression, and I have read that less than 3% of ethnic German Americans felt a connection to or expressed support for Nazi Germany.
"He lives with his family in Massachusetts, and is currently the only Jewish chaplain stationed in Iraq."
Considering Jewish martial traditions in this country, I can't imagine he's got a lot of customers either. Even during WWII they had appalling 4F rates.
Jews Serve in World War II
by Seymour "Sy" Brody
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the United States declared war on Japan and Germany, American Jewish men and women responded to their country's call for the armed forces. Over 550,000 served in the Armed Forces of the United States during World War II. About 11,000 were killed and over 40,000 were wounded. There were two recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, 157 received the Distinguished Service Medal and Crosses, which included Navy Crosses, and 1,600 were awarded the Silver Star. About 50,242 other decorations, citations and awards were given to Jewish heroes for a total of 52,000 decorations.
Jews were 3.3 percent of the total American population but they were 4.23 percent of the Armed Forces. About 60 percent of all Jewish physicians in the United States under 45 years of age were in service uniforms.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt praised the fighting abilities and service of Jewish men and women. General Douglas MacArthur in one of his speeches said, "I am proud to join in saluting the memory of fallen American heroes of the Jewish faith." At the 50th National Memorial Service conducted by the Jewish War Veterans of the United States, General A. Vandergrift, Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps, said, "Americans of Jewish faith in the Marine Corps have served with distinction throughout the prosecution of this war. During the past year, many Jewish fighting men in our armed forces have given their lives in the cause of freedom. With profound sympathy and respect, I join you in paying homage to them at this memorial service."
The recognition of the bravery, dedication and sacrifice made by Jewish men and women in combat was expressed by the military leaders of the American Armed Forces. General Mark W. Clark, Commander, ]5th Army Group, said, "Thousands of Americans of Jewish faith are serving under my command, carrying their share of the burden in the battle in Italy. Many of them have been killed in the service of their country. To American soldiers of Jewish faith go my most sincere thanks for their faithfulness, diligence and bravery in battle. To those who have passed on must go a nation's gratitude."
The role of Jews in the Navy was best expressed by Admiral Harold R. Stark, Commander, United States Navy in Europe: "The officers and men of the United States Naval Forces in Europe join to honor those gallant Americans of Jewish faith who, during the past year, have laid down their lives for their country … We mourn them as brothers – brothers who cannot be with us to share this European triumph toward which they gave their lives."
The comments made extolling the sacrifices and bravery of Jewish men and women by the military leadership of the United States in World War II were based on their exploits in the field.
Jews were 3.3 percent of the total American population but they were 4.23 percent of the Armed Forces.
Perhaps Jack K's description was accurate.
Zhulu :
BS, as usual, Jewish groups take more pains to mask then mend – they are always try to create charades like this. Yeah they weren't the core group supporting communism either will be next claim.
Combat stats, please.
WASPs , including my family which was stupid enough to serve a government that would soon betray not only the US, but East European Christians as well , lost 10% of their fighting age males. WASPs made up the officer corp – and had the highest casualty rates bar none. The wartime casualty ratio of Scots-Irish Appalachia is about 6 times higher than New York City's
"Jews were 3.3 percent of the total American population but they were 4.23 percent of the Armed Forces.Perhaps Jack K's description was accurate."
Grant and Sherman found them so useful they purged them from the officer corp and banned them from military zones…oh, I know it was anti-semitic, right?
WASPs have an incredible martial history. Some of the greatest soliders in the world.
But that wasn't what you were arguing, now was it?
zhulu ;
I said Jews have/had a poor record of military service.
Since like other subjects it is impossible to discuss rationally and we are given fake statistics and no serious analysis I can only base it on two things:
a. mine and other's perceptions (including personal family history, old bluebook new york) and what I know of military history.
b. the fact they go out of their way to combat that image with articles like this.
It reminds me of the Rosenberg's trial where the ADL and others insisted on getting Jewish prosecutors to combat the (correct) perception that communism, and all its bloody terror – was largely instigated by Jews…or if you want to use purple prose – 'international' Jews.
I would also suggest pursuing through that new book of Dodd's letters during WWII.
and zhulu, why the hell pretend? They can't be good at EVERYTHING can they? Not many Jewish outdoorsmen, naturalists, …but I suppose after I said that you'll bombard me with stats proving otherwise. Whatever.
Yeah, there's plenty that fought bravely, and I am sure there are some great oriental hip hop singers too, that doesn't mean that…oh forget it..
Mr. Martillo,
You are either insane, or a vicious bigot. And yes, bigotry aginst jews is – I have to use the word – anti-semitism. Amazing, isn't it, how much this jews=nazis meme has caught hold? well, if the killed are on a level of moral equivalence w/ the killers, then, well, the blot of the holocaust is wiped away in one stroke. jews, nazis – same thing! But your assertion that "Zionist Israel is at least as evil as Nazi Germany of the 30s" is the raving of a madman. So let me see: Israel kills a few thousand palestinians, and that's equivalent to killing 6 million jews, roma, homosexuals, etc. of course to kill 1 palestinian – to kill 1 human being – is terrible. But your concern for the palestinians is clearly a sham – more of them have been killed by their fellow arabs than by israelis, but oddly you don't care about that. That's because the palestinians are just a stalking horse for an impulse that singles out the jews and judges them by a standard different from that which is applied to any other nation. Though perhaps I'm mistaken; perhaps you also write irate emails to blogs about the treatment of Tibetans. (not that that's even analogous.) No? Just Israel?
And to another moron: Israel is not a theocracy. It's a democracy; in fact, the only one in the Middle East. Indeed it's a country w/ a vibrant political opposition and a raucous and ongoing debate about the treatment of the palestinians. In short, it is far from a murderous and monolithic conspiracy against Palestinians; it's a country w/ a healthy tradition of self-criticism – that is, criticism of Israel by Israelis.
I wonder who the "me" is on this blog – surely it can't be Philip Weiss. In any event, "me," let's take a look at your statement "BS, as usual, Jewish groups take more pains to mask then mend – they are always try to create charades like this." "As usual, Jewish groups" – ah, those perfidious Jews! And the stigmatizing "they." "They" are up to no good, you know! Masking, not mending. Creating charades. Tricky, is what I'm saying – can't trust 'em. Don't have, how shall I put it, straightforward business dealings like your upright WASP types. Sorry, pal – that's anti-semitic rhetoric. And, btw, don't waste my time by saying "why do you always yell anti-semitism blah blah blah." Plenty of critical comments about jews, Israel, or both could be made which aren't anti-semitic. And many which are. Yours are in the latter category, since they reflect simple animus against or dislike of jews. Prejudice against jews is anti-semitism, tout court.
"Even during WWII they had appalling 4F rates."
Huh, I heard just the opposite. What's your source for this?
Me:
what is your source for Jewish 4F WW2 rate?
Let us be extra careful with our accusations…so much of the case against the Jewish community is self-evident including their dual loyalty that embellishment is unnecessary.
"so much of the case against the Jewish community is self-evident including their dual loyalty…." "so much of the case against the Irish community." "so much of the case against the Mexican community." OK, I get it now: this blog is simply a place for anti-semitic scumbags to hang out and rave incoherently, before crawling back under their wonted rocks.
Baron:
Jews have killed thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands and displaced through ethnic cleansing well over a million Palestinians
Jews were the core leadership and core make of Bolshivik Russia – and their regimes killed millions.
and baron don't call this anti semitic -well you could, I won't care, but I am sure Goldhagen's similarly titled book didn't bother you one iota:
“Stalin’s Willing Executioners”?
link to vdare.com
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Yuri Slezkine’s book The Jewish Century, which appeared last year to rapturous reviews, is an intellectual tour de force, alternately muddled and brilliant, courageous and apologetic. Slezkine’s greatest accomplishment is to set the historical record straight on the importance of Jews in the Bolshevik Revolution and its aftermath. He summarizes previously available data and extends our understanding of the Jewish role in revolutionary movements before 1917 and of Soviet society thereafter. His book provides a fascinating chronicle of the Jewish rise to elite status in all areas of Soviet society—culture, the universities, professional occupations, the media, and government. Indeed, the book is also probably the best, most up-to-date account of Jewish economic and cultural pre-eminence in Europe (and America) that we have.
The once-common view that the Bolshevik Revolution was a Jewish revolution and that the Soviet Union was initially dominated by Jews has now been largely eliminated from modern academic historiography. The current view, accepted by almost all contemporary historians, is that Jews played no special role in Bolshevism and indeed, were uniquely victimized by it.
………
If they could twist the truth about this, about Palestine in 1948 – then tweaking combat records isn't much of a stretch.
As I said, I am basing my assumptions on their track record my personal history and personal observations from family members who served. Jews never liked serving anywhere anyplace because they never considered themselves part of the nation even when they duped others into doing their fighting.
Baron, lots of name calling, no answers. Hmmm
"me," you remain a bigoted ignoramus w/ no understanding of the jewish-american experience. almost all jewish americans are proud to be jewish – and proud to be americans. just as a christian can be proud of both his faith and his country. and the fact that you talked to other bigots about events 60 years ago somehow fails to impress. your statement that we are making others fight "our" wars is an old anti-semitic canard, like that notion that we run the arts, the press, etc etc. It's dime-store conspiracy theory. And btw, if the Vietnam war was "our" war, then I guess you can indict us both as communists and anti-communists. The situation in Palestine in 1948 is a tale of extraordinary complexity, and of idealism, altruism, and incompetence. The UN, the British, the Arabs, and the Jews can all come in for both praise and blame. In short, not at all the simple-minded caricature you're retailing. As for Jews and communism, also a complex and nuanced tale (and I should say that I'm a jew and a fervent anti-communist). To be a Marxist idealist in the 19th c. – that is, to be against Tsarist autocracy and serfdom – is a far cry from plotting Stalin's terror, of which the Jews were prominent victims. Indeed, the demonizing of "rootless cosmopolite" Jews in the USSR is a study in itself.
Ah, more pearls before swine…
Oh, "me," and one more thing: while Stalin did indeed kill millions, the idea that his dictatorship can be described as "[the Jews'] regimes" – as in "their regimes killed millions." – is beyond stupid. I had no idea this sort of root-and-branch anti-semitism still existed. I hope you're proud of your affiliation w/ age-old attitudes that helped make the holocaust possible.
Oh, and as for your VDARE guy, anyone who can say something like this: "Perhaps the Christian taxpayers of England made a good investment in their own future when they agreed to pay King Edward I a massive tax of £116,346 in return for expelling 2000 Jews in 1290." I'm sure that's the kind of "ethnic cleansing" you can get behind.
Baron, nothing but name calling an wild accusations collimating with 'we are the victims'.
Even before Stalin the Bolshiviks were killiing millions – including specifically targeting Russian clergy and destroying churches.
as the link and books document – the NKVD and commissariat were about 80-90% Jewish, they were financed by Jacob Schiff, and of course we know the New York Times white washed the crimes.
Yes there were Jewish victims of the Bolshiviks just like their were German victims of the Nazis.
Oh how is it this nobel prize winning author can't get his latest published in america?
Solzhenitsyn breaks last taboo of the revolution
link to books.guardian.co.uk
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