I grew up in Philadelphia and earned a doctorate in one of the most competitive health professions. The school was overwhelmingly Jewish. I can honestly say that nearly all of my friends were Jewish. While I lived and worked in the Philadelphia area almost all of my close professional associations were with Jews. This is my conclusion ( as a gentile) regarding liberal Jews:
—The parents of my graduate school classmates suffered cruel and bitterly disappointing discrimination in business, professional organizations, fraternities, country clubs ( where business deals are often made), and admission to competitive colleges and professional schools. This was **still** a very recent experience for them and their parents **still** were dealing with the consequences of this discrimination. They correctly identified the discriminators are being Christians.
—There were hundreds of ways in which Christianity was shoved up their noses and it started the moment they entered kindergarten. Jewish holidays were **never** acknowledged. There were the Christmas decoration, carols, and Christian religious music sung in the class and chorus, and ( of course) the yearly Easter Bunny. The literature chosen for study reflected Christian themes, and many of the Jewish students had attended government schools where the King James Bible was read daily and the Lord's Prayer recited.
— While I was growing up, Philadelphia still had “blue laws” that required the mandatory closing of all businesses on Sunday, the **Christian** Sabbath. Wow! How's that for a weekly reminder of who is running the show in town.
— Constant reminders of Christian domination continued even in professional school in the mid-1970s. The school was empty during the Jewish holidays but the schedule marched on without them. A few kind gentile professors would repeat the lectures for the Jewish students but most would not. ( And...Remember, in the 1970s most of the professors were gentile since this generation of professors reflected previous discrimination against Jews.) The professional school being under the direction of the Christian dominated state legislature was closed for the major Christian holidays, though.
—Then while many active Christians support Israel they do it for what is perceived by my Jewish friends for a very weird reason: The Second Coming! Naturally, my Jewish friends wonder about Christian commitment to them as real people. They have good reason to believe that the Christian's real commitment to Israel is as a tarmac for Jesus’s landing.
—The Holocaust was **still** a very personal event for my classmates. Nearly every one of my Jewish classmates could name very close relatives exterminated in countries that were supposedly officially Christian. Christians killing ( or neglecting to defend Jews) wasn't seen as a “family value”.
So...That is why many of my friends were very hesitant to trust Christians or Christianity. Seriously,...Can you blame them?
I am a committed Christian and our entire family ( my children are now adults with families of their own) are very active in our denomination.
Sounds like you pretty much despise the pre 1970s America and it’s Christian culture and traditions.
You got your way when the left used the federal government to crush our culture and destroy or communities.
I’m Jewish, and I agree with everything you said. Good post, very accurate IMO.
When you get that kind of history (all accurate) as a kid growing up, distrust of religious Christians can be hard to overcome. Of course, that history ignores that the Christians of today, for the most part, aren't the Christians of the past 1700 years or so. The Catholic Church has grown tolerant, if not outright accepting, of Jews. And much of American Protestantism and Mormonism is downright philo-semetic.