Disclaimer: I am not a politician or a diplomat and I am not yet involved in political activism. I am just trying to do what I can to offer some ‘context’ as an entertainer by profession and an activist for Jewish culture and Yiddish language. I grew up in, and love the concept and potential of the very young State of Israel.

Preamble:
According to Nobel Prize winning author Isaac Bashevis Singer, Yiddish is:

“a language of exile, without a land, without frontiers, not supported by any government, a language which possesses no words for weapons, ammunition, military exercises, war tactics.”

Reading this over and over made me wonder if perhaps there is a lesson to be learned from Yiddish history and ‘experience’ that might offer a clue to creating an environment for Peace, fulfilling the ‘Hope’ of the Jewish people for thousands of years, to be a free people in our own country. Free from hatred, free from violence and free to pursue Life, Liberty and Happiness in our own democratic home – with all the complications democracy brings – in peace and harmony with our neighbors and the world.

‘Zay a Mensch’ (Be a Mensch)

As a child of Holocaust survivors, this Yiddish ‘vertl’ (idiom), was the mantra of my life. Be a ‘good person’, a decent human being, who truly believes in the Golden Rule and actively pursues the equality of all humanity, the value of every living being, regardless of their color, creed, religion, age, ethnicity, geography or gender. Being human is all it takes to qualify.

Seeing the horrors of the now infamous October 7th Hamas ‘Pogrom’, the hostage taking and the violent rape, dismemberment and vicious murder of children, women and men, old and young – the worst antisemitic attack on the Jews since the Holocaust – has triggered all the survival instincts of our people. The subsequent deaths of innocent Gazan civilians, and the meteoric rise of antisemitism worldwide, has devastated my psyche and forced me into a deep depression and search for an answer.

But who or what is a ‘Semite’?

Webster’s Dictionary: Semite (Noun)
1.a: a member of any of a number of peoples of ancient southwestern Asia including the Akkadians, Phoenicians, Hebrews, and Arabs
b: a descendant of these peoples
2: a member of a modern people speaking a Semitic language

We are all ‘Semites’

This is my conclusion:

For thousands of years, the Jewish people have thought of ourselves as ‘The Chosen People’ – A Light Unto the Nations – which has probably been one of the many causes of the massive hatred and suffering we have experienced through the millennia. ‘Chosen’ by whom or for what purpose is the greatest of Jewish and global debates, with opinions ranging from the far left to the far right – religiously, politically and culturally (e.g. Fiddler on the Roof: ‘Choose someone else’)

But not since biblical times were we the conquerors or the aggressors, until just before the creation of the State of Israel, when simultaneous vicious attacks and counter attacks between Palestinian Jews and Arabs began as the world prepared to allay its collective guilt over the Holocaust and declare a Jewish State in 1948. Since before its creation, Israel has defended itself, against all odds – only 75+ years – surrounded by the extremism of those on both sides who refuse to accept the presence of ‘Semites’ on any land they claim historically or otherwise. Nevertheless, it is important that all people understand the millennia long historical context of ‘Semitism’ in the Middle East as well as the relatively short 75 year historical record of how the State of Israel has been surrounded by millions of people and a multitude of countries and extremist military and religious factions dedicated to its, and its peoples, destruction.

But Peace, Justice and Reconciliation are Possible

Not everyone is so extreme…

Based on my many Israeli friend’s and my own experiences growing up in Israel, I truly believe that the majority of Israelis and Palestinians who live in the territories in and around Israel want peace and freedom for themselves and their families. The corrupt and inept minority leadership of the ‘Palestinians’, whether Hamas and the many extremist terrorist factions and gangs or the Palestinian Authority, have left their own people to suffer from the inside and out. Yet, how difficult it is to have peace within a system that teaches its youngest children that one dead Jew plus three dead Jews equals four dead Jews AND a ticket to heavenly martyrdom with 72 virgins. Likewise, extremism is present on the Israeli side that feels that Jewish lives are of higher value than the ‘others’, Semites all.

Comprehensive Acceptance Education Reform (CAER) will be one of the many necessary elements to facilitate peace, justice and reconciliation in a new Middle East.

‘Chosen’ for What?

But back to what the Jews have actually been ‘chosen’ for? Aren’t we supposed to be the ‘Light Unto the Nations’ that I was taught we always aspired to be!? Is this how a ‘Light Unto the Nations’ behaves when confronted by evil?

The need to defend Jewish lives has permeated our DNA throughout history and we have ‘survived’ all of the attempts to eradicate us, but as I see the horrible death and destruction we have endured and have, in our rage, caused others, my heart breaks and I can no longer be silent. I can not help but believe that the current Israeli government’s war on Hamas, at any price, is misplaced and will cause continuing war and hatred for generations to come.

Although I understand the genetic rage and desire for immediate revenge, the policies of the current Israeli government will not bring about the release of the hostages, nor will it facilitate peace, justice (beyond the ‘eye for an eye’ street justice of killing those who killed you, not the kind you would find in a court of law; e.g. Nuremberg) or reconciliation, all of which will be necessary for a true peace to exist in a Two State solution.

The Plan
To be implemented in conjunction with all remaining Democratic Government Entities and NGO’s based on the historic lessons of the Post World War II – Displaced Persons Camp Network 1:

• IMMEDIATE TEMPORARY CEASEFIRE
  • 3 Month Minimum + measurable milestones
  • Multi-National Peace Keeping Force
• Establish Neutral Zones for Displaced Persons Camps
  • For up to 2 million Gazans
  • 3 zones: USA/EU-UN/Egypt-Pan Arab
  • Jose Andres/World Kitchen
• Reconciliation/Education/Vocational Programs
• Hostage Release/Surrender

○ Court Representation/Multi-National Court ■ Justice will be served

• New Elections in Israel/Palestinian State Border Negotiations
• Declaration of State of Palestine (Based on original Oslo plans)○ Repatriation

○ Economic Alliances

■ Plan for Reconstruction
● ‘*Semite’ Alliance For Peace & Prosperity

‘Zol Zayn Sholem Oyf Der Velt’
‘Let There Be Peace Upon The World’

1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Displaced_persons_camps_in_post%E2%80%93World_War_II_Europe

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