You know, Netz, this might shock you, but I actually care more about this country than I do about Judaism. So much of American Judaism has become liberal Democratic politics that I simply stopped attending temple. I wasn’t referring to myself when I made those statements, obviously. I’m a Republican. I have no guilt. I was referring to the vast majority of American Jews in my age demographic. If you’re in fact an American Jewish baby boomer then you’re hardly one to be talking to me about not giving up.
American Jews have voted for every Democratic nominee since FDR. Your generation was trained to be wimps. Not me. I’m going to stand with other patriots here because I care about this country. My family has been here for five generations, so I’m not just going to give up. I only care about marrying someone Jewish because it’s what my grandmother wants. With every day that passes, however, it becomes a little more clear that I shouldn’t worry about that.
Many Israeli girls are liberal as well and more than happy to trade land for peace. American Jews care more about the Sierra Club than they do about Israel. They care more about saving some crack addicted murderer on death row than they do about our constitutional rights. Do you know how shameful that is? How many American GIs gave their lives to defeat Nazi Germany? Hundreds of thousands. And instead of confronting the new and real threat that we face from Islamofascism, these Jewish people care more about attacking Republicans and appearing culturally hip. It disgusts me... to the very core of my being. Don’t talk to me about balls. I know what is at stake. Liberals want to disarm us and subvert us to the Pali sympathizers at the UN. Well to that, I say NEVER.
I don’t really care if I marry someone Jewish or not. In fact, intermarrying might even lead to more children of Jewish descent being raised with conservative values, because you reduce the risk of them being raised by a liberal Jewish mother that fills their head with all that tikkun olam crap. Liberalism wrapped in a thin cloak of Judaism? No thanks. I was fortunate enough to have two Republicans for parents. I think they were the only ones at our temple.
Good luck with your wife and kids. I’ll never move there. This is the only country I’ve ever known and we’ve quite the fight on our hands if we are to restore a more perfect union.
After reading your retort I understand that your original missive is more or less congruent to my views so, I apologize to you but I still have some issues I feel I must air out with you in this public domain medium. In order to do this (if you are game) I need to deal with your points.
I was raised as a SUPER Patriot, NRA-America Love it or leave it household,(father fought in WWII) and supported the GOP right down the line, yet having a “AHAVAT YISRAEL” worldview that was both Zionist and practical. So I know a thing or two about pride in the flag, the right to bear arms and all that. Nobody we knew growing up were as Patriotic as we were. Nobody we knew went out skeet-shooting on Shabbat. Despite that, we mixed our love of country with our love of Jewish heritage and pride in both. When you state that you “care more about this country than I do about Judaism” a red light goes off in my head.
I rejected American Judaism as it was presented to me. Liberal Democratic politics that the Jews (for some reason) cling to is a denial of reality and Jewish history. I do not get it either but that is what we have. Given that, that does not mean you have to reject the whole G-damn barrel of apples. Do you know any Jew who actually relates to and likes going to the Temple? Do you know of any Liberal rabbi that sees Judaism other than a business?
As a Jewish baby-boomer (I'm 53) yes, my generation gave up but only through total assimilation, ignorance and rejection. How can one utterly reject Judaism when you know nothing about it? How can you embrace Zen-TM-Jane Fonda Buddhism when you don't even know what the Talmud is? Answer, ignorance and a desire to run away from who and what you are because you're embarrased or ashamed to be a friggin’ Jew! My generation was not trained to be wimps. It was a misconstrued, ignorant life path choice. It is not a black or white, wimp or rambo equation. Jews need to know more about themselves, history and yes, religious belief system in order to become what they like to call nowadays, “empowered”.
We stand by America, we stand by Israel because as Glenn Beck likes to point out, it is the right thing to do in this screwed-up world. American Jews who are DemocRATS should not be written off rather they must be TAUGHT and informed. I have managed to turn around some hard core Lefties in my time but it must be done tactfully and via reason. So please, do not write off your brothers and sisters.
You'd marry a Jewish girl only to please your grandmother? Marry a Jewish girl for yourself. Ask your grandmother why it is important to marry a Jewish girl and raise Jewish kids, ask her, please. Get the reasons behind her logic.
Regarding Israeli girls, yes many are liberal, cheese-eating surrender monkeys (like the French) but many more understand the situation and are politically to the right.
Your statement : American Jews care more about the Sierra Club than they do about Israel” is probably true and it is sad. I can only tell you that as Jews become more assimilated and ignorant as JEWS, they never make the leap to the Zionist camp, they can't, it's too far ahead of the game for them. You're being a 5th generation American Jews amazes me that you still even care, kol ha kavod to you!
I agree about your views concerning where Liberalism is leading the Jewish people. I am 100% with you on that. You over there have many battles to fight in order to restore America to what she was intended to be. Nobody is asking you to make Aliyah to Israel BUT we need your support by fighting the forces who want to destroy both Little Satan (Israel) and then Big Satan (USA). So, brother, I am in total agreement with you. I just put my energies into this project called Zionism and Israel both of which dovetail American values and the American psyche.
Lahetraot for now,
Netz