By Jack Engelhard
November 28, 2005
Originally, I wanted to title this, "Yes, We Have No Pope," but couldn't get it to rhyme. Well, Thanksgiving is done and so, judging from the traffic and stampeding in the malls, the Christmas season is officially upon us -- whoops. Did someone say Christmas? Anyhow, this is for my Christian friends, because we have some explaining to do.
Listen, or rather, don't listen to the Abe Foxmans we've got out there flapdoodling. Foxman, as you've no doubt read, is horrified that America is becoming too Christian. As I said, we have no pope. Foxman speaks for Foxman and maybe a few others around the office. I assure you that 99 percent of all American Jews do not belong to Foxman's ADL, and that 85 percent of all American Jews are affiliated with nothing more than being good citizens, working hard, and bringing home the bacon. (Whoops, again!)
I use the word "affiliated" for a reason. Some time ago a synagogue lady approached me, I don't remember where, and asked if I was affiliated. Huh? I had no idea what she was talking about. Affiliated to what, to whom? Well, she explained, what synagogue do I attend and to what organizations do I belong?
Well, I attend whatever synagogue is closest to my home, and where the rabbi gives sermons that support the USA and Israel. (Of the USA, rabbis are 100 percent. When it comes to Israel... let's not get into that.) As for organizations, zero. Trust me on this. I am the majority. We are not affiliated.
How do I know this? I just know this, that's all. I know this the same way you know that the vast majority of American Christians -- even church-going -- are not "affiliated" with those church leaders who are obsessed with, or rather against, Israel, and are so gung-ho about boycotting the Jewish state. You may go to that church, but are paying your dues to God, not to the fanatical European-style anti-Semitism that's been afflicting and prevailing atop certain U.S denominations.
My concern is that some of my Christian buddies may actually believe that someone out there, like a Foxman, speaks for the Jews. I keep telling you, we have no pope.
This rant (you've already guessed?) is about those organizations on the Left. Recently (and habitually), a bunch of them lobbied AGAINST Israel. Incredible, but true.
These pompous self-hating lunatics do not speak for me, and be assured they speak for only a handful of other pompous self-hating lunatics. Even more recently, a "rabbi" who adheres to the dogmatic, extremist and fundamentalist Left, well, he opened his mouth long enough to accuse conservative Jews of being Nazis. Yes, this counts as "dialogue" from our friends on the Left. (You've got them, and so do we.)
The true righteousness and sanity comes from our organizations that dwell within the great middle and the Right.
This we do have - many organizations. We love to organize and give ourselves titles. In other words, we are all presidents. (This does keep us busy and off the streets.) A certain Israeli prime minister remarked (half-jokingly) that he rules not just plain citizens, but a nation of prime ministers.
The reason we love to organize so much is because it brings chaos, and we are big on chaos. Ben Hecht tells this story in his autobiography: There he was, in New York, and he finally got all the "affiliated" presidents together to raise the alarm, and raise money, for the Jews dying in Hitler's concentration camps.
The meeting broke up within minutes when one president said of another president, something like - "If Stern is in on this, I'm out!"
But Elie Wiesel tells another story. This goes back two centuries ago in Eastern Europe. A great rabbi was walking along with his pupil and as they passed a church they noticed a Gentile walking by. "Never do business with that man," said the rabbi. "He walked past his own church and didn't cross himself."
That's the point. We love it when Christians are true to their Christianity. This makes us safe. As long as you go on being truly Christian we can go on being Jewish, or whatever we want. Isn't that the deal we've got going from both ends? Love thy neighbor, right? Yes, that is the deal.
Merry Christmas to you, Happy Hanukkah to me. We've done it like this for some 200 years and it works.
Special note: Bestselling author Robert Spencer calls it "courageous, a rousing thriller" and the raves keep coming in for Jack Engelhard's latest novel that's got all the news that is not fit to print. Catch "The Bathsheba Deadline," Engelhard's explosive newsroom thriller that's running as a serial on Amazon.com. Parts 1 and 2 are available now for digital download by visiting Amazon.com. The novel will run exclusively on Amazon.com with a new installment each month until completion.
Views expressed by the author do not
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