Fatal delusions
On Yom Kippur, we prayed that in the coming year, we should be spared various afflictions.
Michael Kuttner
Included in the list of possible tribulations was something translated as the “plague.” When this prayer was originally composed, the “black death plague” rampaged through Europe and posed a deadly threat to every inhabitant. Although its deadly effects decimated Jew and Gentile alike the associated virus of Jew hate emerged to target local Jewish communities.
Fast forward to 5784 or 2023 in the civil calendar, and unsurprisingly we discover that once again, various plagues threaten us. More people than ever seem to be expiring suddenly from unexplained causes, and influenza plus mutated covid keep resurfacing.
All this is enough to keep our researchers and scientists busy with Israeli experts at the forefront of ongoing battles to find treatments and cures.
Still widely overlooked, unfortunately, is another insidious malady which, although capable of infecting all and sundry seems somehow to particularly target members of the Mosaic persuasion.
I call this plague the “fatal delusion” syndrome.
It frequently can result in long-term and lethal damage. Unlike some diseases, this one is often easily identified and diagnosed, but its sufferers tend to ignore the symptoms. Moreover, those suffering from this sickness never seem to learn from past experiences, and as a result, they are prey to recurring bouts. No matter how severe the physical damage may be, targeted individuals still live in a state of denial and refuse to acknowledge reality.
Is it a genetic Jewish gene or just plain human stupidity which causes those afflicted to ignore the end results?
You be the judge.
The infamous Oslo Accords were foisted on an unsuspecting Israeli public thirty years ago. In one fell swoop, it rescued arch-terrorist Arafat from Tunisian exile and enabled his gang of terrorists from the PLO to set up shop in Israel’s backyard. Our starry-eyed left progressives saw this as the dawn of a messianic age. No amount of warnings of impending danger and mayhem could dissuade them from embracing this mirage. Not even the inevitable carnage involving the murder of Israelis and the maiming of thousands stripped the blinkers from the eyes of ideologically mesmerised parties and individuals.
The insanity of those who, despite all evidence to the contrary, continued to embrace the deniers of Jewish historical rights reached a new level. As Israelis were being murdered, their response was that they “were sacrifices for peace.” The establishment of a so-called Palestinian State in the heart of Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem remained and indeed remains the mantra of today’s left and a brainless international community.
One would logically think after all that has transpired, with Abbas’s record of holocaust distortion and his track record of corruption and duplicitous deceptions, lessons might have been learnt.
No such luck.
One of the architects of the Oslo fiasco, Yair Hirschfeld, was recently quoted as describing Oslo as a “PR failure” NOT a disaster.
In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, Yossi Beilin, another progressive icon of the Peres era, demonstrated how fatal delusions are still thriving. He maintained that “Abbas could still be a peace partner because he is against violence and believes in peace. Moreover, his likely successor, Marwan Barghouti, incarcerated in an Israeli jail for the multiple murders of Israelis, is committed to the two-state solution.” In case readers still didn’t understand, Beilin went on to explain that, in his opinion, the ideal future arrangement would include control of the Temple Mount by the PA/PLO, the Kotel under Israeli control and the Arab refugees being offered “symbolic” and financial arrangements. Needless to say, handing back most of Israel’s heartland and capital should also be on the agenda.
This is the rationale of those who brought us the Oslo disaster and who, given half a chance, would inflict round two on a long-suffering Israeli public.
Delusory hallucinations are not confined to the left progressives of Israel. It makes an appearance anywhere that Jews feel history cannot be repeated.
In recent times, much joy and celebration has been made over the fact that for the first time since the 1930s, a “Jewish” soccer team has been established in Berlin. Maccabi Berlin has now been welcomed to the German soccer league. One can either cheer or grimace at this resurrection from the not-so-distant past, but it was the subsequent statement by a team board member that caught my attention.
He was quoted as saying: “I have many German friends, Christian friends. I never speak about the Shoah. Perhaps his father or grandfather was in the SS. For me, everything is open. It was eighty years ago – it’s past. Now we try to be accepted as Jews.”
After all that has transpired and given the steady rise of Judeophobia again in Germany, one has to wonder what sort of universe this German Jew is living in. Previous generations of German Jews who strived to be accepted and fought for the fatherland discovered to their ultimate horror, that their reward was anything but gratitude.
Amnesia and wishful thinking is not confined to soccer players or Israelis now residing in a country that has such a dubious relationship soaked with its Jewish citizens.
The Conference of European Rabbis has moved its headquarters from London to Munich. With much fanfare and celebration, its new building incorporating religious, social and cultural facilities was opened in the presence of Bavarian Government officials and other VIPs. A German Jewish leader exulted that eighty-five years after Kristallnacht, Jewish life is once again “flourishing” in Munich. Another speaker claimed that the presence of this notable institution in Germany would enable more outreach to the general population, and as a consequence, this would, in turn, eliminate the rising tsunami of Jew hate now developing.
Anything more misguided I have yet to discover.
The stark reality is that there is no longer any viable future for Jews in Europe. Delaying the inevitable by fantasising is an exercise in fatal delusions.
One would think, given the current configuration of the United Nations and its associated bodies, there would be some realisation that its obsession with all things Israel will continue and even get worse. The track record speaks for itself and one wonders for how long the diminishing democracies might continue to put up with the double standards and blatant hypocrisy.
The annual General Assembly farce whereby some of the world’s worst human rights abusers address the multitudes of delegates is a perfect example of the moral bankruptcy that afflicts this organisation. When the Iranian President and the President for life of the PA/PLO, Abbas, can be allowed to spew the vilest lies one has to question the value of being a member.
Despite all evidence to the contrary, Israel’s Prime Minister, in his speech, demanded that the UN change its one-sided attitude towards Israel. Obviously, the UN Secretary General missed that plea because in his summary of world affairs, he trotted out the usual specious claims about the lack of peace between Israel and the terror groups which are erroneously described as partners for peace.
The number of Israelis who still believe that the UN is an unbiased force for good is rapidly diminishing. Amazingly, there are still some who ignore the obvious signs and intend, like the passengers on the Titanic, to go down with the ship.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for those suffering from fatal delusions.
Michael Kuttner is a Jewish New Zealander who for many years was actively involved with various communal organisations connected to Judaism and Israel. He now lives in Israel and is J-Wire’s correspondent in the region.
