Exactly who is a Jew?

As we are constantly bombarded daily with heart-rending images in Gaza where the Netanyahu government seems determined to commit the most vicious acts of genocide in the history of the world, it becomes more and more confusing for some to determine exactly who (or what) is a Jew?

At least to me, it does, for no one set of people can be so cruel! (I feel the same way about those in Somalia who are carrying out even greater atrocities which the world seems happy to ignore. But in Africa, we know that enmity usually goes along the tribal lines that were sown by decades of oppression and apartheid, and watered and fertilized by European conquerors.)

Anyway, as far as Judaism is concerned, I am a bit less certain, so have been searching sources to try and get a concrete answer. The more I searched, the more complicated it seemed to become, so I latched on to the definition in Webster.

 It states in part:

"In the modern world, a definition of Jew that would be satisfactory to all is virtually impossible to construct, for it involves ethnic and religious issues that are both complex and controversial. In daily life, for example, those who consider themselves Jews are generally accepted as such by Jews and non-Jews alike, even though such persons may not observe religious practices."

Interesting, for although I am black, I could describe myself as a Jew if I wished, although I am not Falasha from Ethiopia.

The Jewish line apparently comes down through the female and my maternal grandmother was a Jewess who converted to Christianity when she married my grandfather. If I wished to apply for Israeli citizenship, it would be easily acquired. (A fellow Jamaican friend of mine who had the exact same ancestry as I did, became an Israeli citizen, moved there, and lived in a Kibbutz for more than five years, before escaping to England. That is another whole story!)

 This whole genocidal campaign in Gaza has certainly moved the issue of Jewishness to the front burner!

In my book though, it all comes back to religion.

I concluded decades ago, that RELIGION IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL, and not only does history bear this out, but everyday occurrences today do.

But let’s get one matter straight, it’s not moderate, straight-thinking people in the religions who are the evil ones, but the ultra-conservatives, be they Christian, Muslim, MAGA, Jewish, Buddhist, whatever.

The joke is on me, for there was a time when I swore that the adherents to Buddhism were the only peaceful religious people in the world. Then violence broke out in Myanmar against the Rohingya people and videos surfaced of Buddhist monks burning their villages and attacking the people. These were shown worldwide.

That certainly burst my bubble.

If you are wondering why I am now waxing philosophical, it’s because I was listening to a radio interview on PBS today with an Israeli woman who lived in a Kibbutz next door to Gaza. Their compound was raided by Hamas on October 7^th, 2023, members of her family and friends were kidnapped and many were killed.

That’s when I learned that those who resided in the Kibbutz, accepted that Israel and Palestine could share borders and live in peace, for they were not the ultra-orthodox, rabid, religious Jews like their fellow Israelis living in places like the West Bank.

 Those are the ones who perpetuate the crap that they are the chosen people and that the Middle East was given to them by god and anyone who says nay is anti-Semnite!

 They are also the ones who have been included in the Netanyahu government for decades, operating an apartheid system that made Gaza into the largest prison in the world, thus leaving no alternative for the oppressed but terrorism.

The problem with terrorists however is that they tend to be cowards, be they IRA, Hamas whatever. For, instead of fighting those who oppress them, they inevitably attack innocent people and at times, even those who are sympathetic to their cause, as happened on October 7th! For they killed some fellow Arabs and kidnapped a Bedoin then!

Until the world gets rid of religious intolerance as practiced by right-wing adherents like Netanyahu and his cronies, cruel genocidal actions will continue all over the world.

And innocents will continue to be massacred.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of wars and criminals

In July 2023, Reuters reported that The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for the Russian president Vladimir Putin’s arrest. (The ICC is distinct from the International Court of Justice, an organ of the United Nations that hears disputes between states.)

This is because he is held responsible for the actions of his army and ‘Russian forces in Ukraine are responsible for rapes, widespread" torture and killings.’

The article further clarified that ICC can bring a prosecution against political leaders for "waging aggressive war" in the event of an unjustified invasion, or conflict not undertaken in self-defense.’

I was happy to learn from a PBS report on December 23rd, that “South Africa launched a case at the United Nations’ top court accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and asking the court to order Israel to halt its attacks — the first such challenge made at the court over the current war.”

South Africa’s submission to the International Court of Justice alleges that “acts and omissions by Israel … are genocidal in character” as they are committed with the intent “to destroy Palestinians in Gaza” as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnic group.”

This excellent submission put forward by the South Africans needs widespread support, for when you see the reports on the nightly news showing the results of the days activities in both Ukraine and Gaza, there is little difference between Putin and Netanyahu’s government.

In fact, in terms of cruelty, the Israelis seem to be way ahead.

I am certainly no defender of Putin or the Russians, but in their effort to steal the Ukrainian’s land, the Russians seem to be targeting mostly soldiers, whereas in Gaza, the government and the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) clearly aim to eliminate as many women and children as possible!

In a chilling report on December 31, 2023, The Daily Ground reported that the Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, told the Israeli army radio that ‘Israel must control territory in Gaza and significantly reduce the number of Palestinians living there. "If there are 100,000 or 200,000 Arabs in Gaza and not two million, the whole discourse about the day after will be different," he said.

If that news report is correct, since the population of Gaza is around two million, this means the likes of Smotrich have no reservations or qualms about wiping out up to 1.9 million Palestinians in Gaza!

If that isn’t genocidal, nothing is.

It has been very clear for some time that the Israeli government is also not simply setting out to kill as many of this generation of Palestinians as possible but also as much of the future generations as well.

So, they are promising to carry on this campaign for much longer.

This campaign cannot only cause Israel to become an international pariah, but also ensure that the country cannot ever exist in peace, for by their own actions, they are simply forcing the future generations in the territories that it oppresses, to become terrorists!

You know, some powerful people like to label all criticism of the Israeli actions in Gaza as anti-Semitic. This is absolute nonsense however, as social media is replete with videos ofJews from all over the world, including descendants of victims of Hitler’s genocide in Germany, opposing the Netanyahu government’s acts of genocide against the Palestinians and the apartheid regime that passes for democracy in Israel!

Even Haaretz, the Israeli newspaper has been reporting that ‘Protests calling to oust PM Netanyahu are taking place night across Israel, including a Tel Aviv solidarity rally with the families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.’

No one is more responsible for what is taking place in Gaza today, than that Israeli prime minister Netanyahu and his blood-thirsty cabinet which cannot see beyond totally eliminating the Palestinian population.

So far, their army has killed almost 22,000 Palestinians in Gaza and under the watchful eye of the IDF, settlers in the West Bank have been murdering Palestinian farmers and stealing their land.

That is what the government of Israel wants as they are determined that the Palestinians should never have their own state but simply remain in eternal bondage or flee their land.

The proof of this is reported in the Times of Israel on December 31, 2023, which quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying during a press conference at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv that 'he was “proud” he prevented the establishment of a Palestinian state and took credit for “putting the brakes” on the Oslo peace process.' 

2024 will see no improvement in the Middle East and many have been wondering if the Falasha’s living in Israel are not in danger of elimination too.

This concern is based on a declaration made even before November 8^th by Judith Varnai-Shorer. This influential politician is a powerful former Israeli Consul for General the Southern United States, a former ambassador to both Hungary and Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as a former minister of congressional affairs at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC. Her most recent post was desk director at the Center for Policy Research.

In a video circulating on You Tube, she is heard warning other powerhouse Israelis at a secret meeting in the US that major problem Israel has is with ‘the young generation of the black community.’

That smells like trouble for the young Ethiopian Jews. The older ones migrated to Israel and while their population is listed at 85,000, some 20,000 were born there according to Israeli statics.

Research for yourself the terrible discrimination the Falasha’s are currently subjected to in Israel!

The European Jews who control Israel, clearly don’t want any people there who are not lily white and by giving them full support, the Americans are being drawn into that mire.