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Joel Bainerman has been thinking about Middle East political and economic subjects since 1983. His research studies and published archive can be viewed at www.joelbainerman.com.
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By Joel Bainerman
February 6, 2007
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Like many young Jews growing up in the 60s and 70s, my Jewish identity was shaped by the ideas of Rabbi Meir Kahane. Like the vast majority of Kahane's admirers, I was not into making bombs or playing with guns. But I found his message appealing because of the clear-thinking approach he offered to deal with Israel's most pressing problems. Since the Rav's death more than 16 years ago, supposedly at the hands of an Islamic terrorist (later acquitted), the void he left had not been filled.
Until now. Enter one Obadiah Shoher. He says this of his book, Samson Blinded: "Several authors have honestly expounded the Middle East conflict in general and terrorism specifically, but moral preconceptions stopped them short of articulating the rational consequences of their thought. I argue for efficiency and separating politics from moralism."
He acknowledges that Obadiah Shoher is not his real name. He prefers to keep his true identity concealed because, in his words: "Rav Kahane was forced out of the Knesset for simply promoting transfer of Israeli Arabs to Palestine."
Last month I received an anoynomous email message with a request that I view this website and download and read the book Samson Blinded. [link to www.samsonblinded.org].
I did, and let me tell you what I found.
I found a "new and improved" Kahane: someone whose basic ideas and concepts are based on what Kahane believed, but unlike Kahane, has much more expertise in analyzing global politics and political history. Kahane wrote of Israel's problems as of 1990. Shoher is writing now on the past 16 years since Oslo. With the benefit of Kahane's beliefs, and the hindsight of post-Oslo Israel, his insights and conclusions go far beyond Kahane. He is everything Kahane was, and more.
In addition to the book that he has written, Shoher puts out three weekly short essays which are delivered to a person's email address. These are often not even on Israeli issues, but world affairs that have nothing to do with Israel. He comments on current affairs as they are taking place. His ability to discern what is going on, and then relay that conclusion to the reader, is truly unique: a voice which doesn't exist anywhere in the mainstream world of analyses of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
As a thinker he is brilliant. As a writer he knows exactly how to sell his points to his readers -- something which Kahane could do. But Shoher does it much better because he is a better writer and global affairs analyst than Kahane was.
The book is tough to read because the text is so dense -- and requires time for the message to sink in -- yet the writing is superb so it is, ultimately, a very enjoyable reading experience.
I have had some email exchanges with those that send out the weekly essays for the writer -- and have asked: "so when do we get to meet Mr. Shoher and ask him to lead us?"
What would I want him to lead?
Because he has good ideas. Like this one:
He says there should be announced the creation of a new autonomous region of Judea -- run by Torah law with full civil courts in place. It will be up to the residents of Judea to fight and if necessary die to retain Judea and Samaria under Jewish control. Judea would consist of all of Judea and Samaria, Jerusalem until Beit Shemesh, the Gush, Kiryat Gat, Gadera, Beersheva, the Negev and Eilat. This new state would be a partner with the existing state of Israel -- which would represent the secular residents of the country.
Sounds like a perfect way to solve the problem of the State of Israel being totally divided down the middle on this issue. Thank you, Mr. Shoher. Like Rav Kahane -- his solutions make sense -- and they serve the interests of the Jews of Eretz Yisrael.
Shoher's analyses are void of any rhetoric or ideology -- which enables the reader to better understand the issues he raises. He knows he has the answer -- but he lets the reader come to that conclusion. His writing style -- setting out to convince the reader, not arrogantly lecture to him -- is appealing and thus effective in getting his message across.
For now, Shoher is keeping his identity a secret. Perhaps after enough Israelis read his book he will come out of the shadows when the time is right. Maybe he figures the way to become the leader of the people is to have them ask him to lead -- after enough of them have read what he believes Jews in Eretz Yisrael should do to strengthen their presence in their homeland and ensure a safe future.
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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