Wednesday, May 10, 2006

The Kindness of Fools - Part I

Many centuries ago our Sages passed on to us the following words of wisdom:

“He who is compassionate to the cruel will ultimately become cruel to the compassionate” (Tanhuma, Parashat Mezora,1; Yalkut Shimoni, I Samuel, Chapter 121.)

It seems that there are those amongst the Jewish People who have yet to learn this lesson.

American Jewish organizations gear up to help Arab Israelis

The Jewish community in the United States is gearing up for a new challenge: raising funds to promote equal rights for Israel's Arab minority. Having proved its strength in struggles for the Jews of Russia, Ethiopia and Iran, American Jewish organizations are now readying to help improve the lives of Arab Israelis.

This initiative is an absolute disgrace for two very different reasons:

1) There can be no doubt that that the Arabs who posses Israeli citizenship do not recognize the legitimacy of the State of Israel existing as a Jewish / Zionist State. This applies equally to both to the masses (as can be seen here and here), as well as their leaders (as can be seen here and here).

Now, it's one thing to argue that the State of Israel has an obligation to ensure the rights of all of its citizens, regardless of their race or religion, and as such, has an obligation to provide services to Arabs who posses Israeli citizenship. However, this does not explain why private Jewish organizations should be raising funds to support those who are clearly enemies of the Jewish State!?!

2) This leads to the second problem I have with this initiative. Let's pretend for a moment that the Arabs of Israel were not enemies of the Jewish State; that they accepted the fact that the State of Israel was, is and will continue to be a Jewish State, and that they had no desire to change that reality.

(ahhh... how nice).

Even were this to be the case, it still does not justify spending private Jewish funding on the Arab citizens of the Jewish State.

* Are there no poor Jews in the State of Israel who could use a little support from their Jewish brothers and sisters?

* Are there no Jewish communities in the State of Israel that couldn't use a little boost?
* Are there no worthwhile causes or charitites whithin the State of Israel that seek to strengthen the Jewish People and State that are worht supporting?

* Have the Jewish communities outside the Land of Israel overcome all of their own internal challenges confronting them, such as the skyrocketing intermarriage rates, assimilation, waning Jewish identity and support for the Jewish State that they can afford to be throwing money at the Arabs of the Jewish State?

* Do those behind this initiative truly believe that by investing in the Arabs of the Jewish State that they will be able to buy their loyalty and friendship the Jewish State?

* If the Arabs of the Jewish State are so badly off, why is it that they choose to remain?

* Furthermore, if the situation of the Arabs of the Jewish State is so dire, why do we not hear of the Sheik's of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar rushing to provide financial aid to their "brothers"?

Of all the questions, the last is the easiest to answer.

Why should the sheiks of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar send aid to the Arabs living in the Jewish State when they can count on the misplaced kindness of their enemies (the Jews) to do the job for them?!?

There’s a sucker born every minute… and they seem to end up either in the government of the State of Israel or heading major Jewish organizations where they spend all their time developing absurd initiatives that cause the Jewish People and State more harm than good.



11 Comments:

Another great psak in the same vein by the Ramban: Through the mercy of fools all justice is lost.

Some Jews will never learn that our enemies hate us no matter what we do. During the Holocaust there were actually German Jews who as they were being put in the gas Chambers said to the guards. Just wait till the Fuhrer hears about this you are going to be in such trouble. This illustrates teh fact that some Jews will never learn.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at Wed May 10, 04:09:00 PM GMT+3  

I don't know if my writing can be compared to that of the RAmbam, but it's clear that this message holds true then as it does today - and we still havent learned from our mistakes.

By Blogger Ze'ev, at Wed May 10, 07:30:00 PM GMT+3  

Zeev: Former Likud MK Ayoub Kara is a Druze Arab. His views on EY are alot more to the right than the Mafdal people in your party.

I don't know if a sweeping generalization that "Arabs who posses Israeli citizenship do not recognize the legitimacy of the State of Israel existing as a Jewish / Zionist State." I know quite a few Arabs who are pro-Israel. They may not love singing Hatitkva, but their loyalty to the State stems from knowing what its like in other Arab countries.

By Blogger Jameel @ The Muqata, at Wed May 10, 09:54:00 PM GMT+3  

Jameel, you are right about Kara, and perhaps I should have specified that I was referring less to Druze and Christian Arabs, and more to the Muslim "Israeli" Arabs, who have made it clear that they reject the legitmacy of Israel existing as a Jewish State.

The Druze have made it clear that they have no aspirations of taking over the country or changing it from what it is, and have accepted Israel asa Jewish State, and as such, I have no problem accepting them.

By Blogger Ze'ev, at Thu May 11, 09:24:00 AM GMT+3  

Ze'ev: That's a start :-)

By Blogger Jameel @ The Muqata, at Thu May 11, 10:02:00 AM GMT+3  

Jameel, if my comment above is a start, then where are you hoping that I end up?

By Blogger Ze'ev, at Thu May 11, 11:10:00 AM GMT+3  

Ze'ev,

According to your post, you seem to be suggesting that all Arab Israelis are cruel. Have you ever met an Arab Israeli?

H

By Anonymous Anonymous, at Thu May 11, 12:39:00 PM GMT+3  

Where did i say that Israeli Arabs are cruel? I said that they do not accept Israel as a Jewish State - which has nothing to do with whether they are nice people or cruel people.

By Blogger Ze'ev, at Thu May 11, 02:05:00 PM GMT+3  

H- I was going to ask him the same question. And that he states "they do not accept Israel as a Jewish state" twice would suggest that he hasn't met any. Or many.

By Blogger tafka PP, at Thu May 11, 06:32:00 PM GMT+3  

This has nothing to do with whether or not one can be friends with the Arabs living in israel or whether they are nice people. What the above statistics (and common sense) show is that it is no surprise that these Israeli (Muslim) Arabs have a problem accepting the fact that the State of Israel is a Jewish State - where they can't possibly be viewed as equals.

It would only be natural for them to desire having the State of Israle become a fully democratic, state of its citizens type state, where their rights and aspirations could find fuller expression.

To believe otherwise is simply to ignore reality.

By Blogger Ze'ev, at Fri May 12, 12:13:00 PM GMT+3  

If you were basing anything you were writing on more than presumption, it would be more rewarding debating with you.

By Blogger tafka PP, at Fri May 12, 02:51:00 PM GMT+3  

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