When did this happen?

I was poking around snopes.com today, seeing what new scams had appeared to snap at the heels of the unwary and what strange tales were unaccountably true, when I found this, a commentary given by former New York mayor Ed Koch on anti-Semitism. I was totally blown away, because he starts out talking about anti-Semitism and ended up talking about anti-Zionism. Has this equivalence, without a word of explanation or justification, been around for a long time? It almost makes me laugh, the idea that my having Jewish friends, supporting freedom of religion and opposing the enforcement of a state creed makes me necessarily a partisan for a far-distant country I have never visited, whose laws I have never read, and which seems to be on the road to becoming a good illustration to a book of Nietszche quotations. (Or, for that matter, that because I think NPR’s coverage is considered, fair, and insightful, I am anti-Semitic.) Quite similar, really, to the idea that because I love the land of America and the principles on which it was founded a long time ago, I must ignore those principles in order to slavishly follow the putative president whenever he waves a flag. Judaism is a religion; the Jews are a (in fact, the) diaspora; Israel is a country. Did I miss a memo?

Comments

I'd better reserve my spot in the ninth circle of Hell...

Apparently I’m an anti-Semite too. In fact, by Mr. Koch’s reasoning, I think even Steve, our favorite resident Jew, could be considered an anti-Semite. And great jumping Jehoshaphat, don’t let Mr. Koch watch the Daily Show. Its host, Jon Stewart, himself a Jew, is vehemently outspoken about his thoughts on Israel. Why, he even makes frequent self-deprecating jokes referencing his Jewish upbringing! Egad!

And what’s with this “ninth circle of Hell” stuff? I thought Hell (of the fire and brimstone variety) was a Christian invention.

wonko

Monday November 24, 2003 @ 03:31 PM (UTC)

Re: I'd better reserve my spot in the ninth circle of Hell...

Yeah, I kinda wondered about that, too. I’m pretty darn sure Hell is a Christian concept (I thought “outer darkness” was about as specific as the Torah got) - I think we covered it in Philosophy of Religion as well as in Humanities - and the circles I thought were an invention of Dante (the 14th apostle, from how much people heed his inventions—makes Milton the 15th I reckon)...

I guess if you’re going to be authoritarian and absolutist, you need Hell, whether it’s compatible with your putative religion or not.

I love the word “putative”. (Doh! Now I can’t use that as a Favorite Word blog! Or can I?)

felicity

Monday November 24, 2003 @ 05:47 PM (UTC)

It’s your blog, baby. And screw ‘em if they can’t take a joke.

sister sledge

Tuesday November 25, 2003 @ 08:04 AM (UTC)

If who can’t take a joke?

Tuesday November 25, 2003 @ 09:27 AM (UTC)

The rhetorical “them.” Ith jutht an exkthprethen.

Tuesday November 25, 2003 @ 10:41 AM (UTC)