Uncle Sham
As 4 July is celebrated by Americans at home and around the world it is a good time to reflect on whether the “goldene medina” is still the Promised Land for Jews.
Michael Kuttner
At the same time it is timely to take a long hard look at how Washington views the real Promised Land these days.
There is no denying that for the oppressed and targeted Jews of the Russian Tsarist Empire the prospect of escaping pogroms and settling in a country where the streets were allegedly paved with gold was an irresistible attraction. Moreover, the perceived absence of discriminatory laws and the freedom to practice religion made the USA a potential veritable heaven on earth.
Up until 1920, over two and half million Jewish refugees found their way to the shores of America. Fleeing the lethal and pernicious hate sanctioned by the Tsarist regime and the Russian Orthodox Church entire families undertook the often perilous and uncertain journey to an unknown land on the other side of the globe. Some stopped on the way and made their home in seemingly more hospitable western European countries. This of course turned out eventually to be a case of leaping from the frying pan into the fire.
Others embarked on ships whose captain promised them safe passage to America only to eventually dump them in England or Scotland. Not knowing any English they believed that they had arrived in the new world only to eventually discover that instead they had been landed in Liverpool, London or Glasgow. They soon discovered that they had fled Russian hate only to now be confronted with British class discrimination but at least they were free to live as Jews.
Ironically some were subsequently deported to the Australian penal colony as part of the British ethnic cleansing of the lower classes. Others headed to settle New Zealand where the prospect of free passage, free land and no discrimination beckoned.
There is no doubt that the mass influx of Jews to the USA benefited not only that country but also laid the foundation for the future development of the community.
In the early 1920’s however it all came to a grinding stop as laws limiting immigration, especially by Jewish “aliens” were enacted and admission to the “land of the free” became selective and discriminatory. By the 1930’s the gates were firmly shut as Jews desperate to escape Europe found that the USA did not want them. In addition, exclusion from certain clubs, quotas for universities and rising hate from the Klu Klux Klan and the Nazi Bund organizations were unwelcome reminders that Judeophobia lurked.
Jewish leadership by that time had already adapted itself to normal Diaspora mode and therefore instead of vigorous protests against discriminatory policies, keeping quiet and venerating “saintly” FDR was the establishment’s default alternative.
The other trend which manifested itself at that time and gathered steam as the years progressed was the assimilation of increasing numbers who strived to be accepted as Americans. This meant ditching traditional Jewish observance and either adopting an Episcopalian version of Judaism or severing religious connections altogether.
Today we can see the results all too clearly.
Rampant assimilation among all but the Orthodox affiliated has resulted in not only a tenuous connection to organized Jewish life but also as collateral damage a definite drift away from identification with Israel as the real Promised Land.
As the Democratic Party morphs slowly but surely into an anti Israel mode the majority of Jews continue to vote for them regardless of what woke progressive nonsense they might sponsor. The old time Jewish Democrats who proudly identified as supporters of the Zionist dream are retiring or leaving the scene and are increasingly being replaced by those whose connections to anything Jewish is tenuous at best.
Unlike Australia where two Governors General have been Jewish or New Zealand where two Jewish Prime Ministers were voted into office there is no chance that a Jew will ever be elected as President. Demographics and political realities make that clear.
As American Jews join in the hoopla for 4 July it is sobering to reflect for a moment on exactly how the relationship between Uncle Sam and Israel has developed since 1948.
Much is made of the fact that five minutes after David Ben Gurion declared Israel’s independence in 1948, President Harry Truman recognized the newly recreated Jewish State. We know that despite pressure from the State Department not to extend recognition Truman acted to do so because of two factors. One was representations made by his former Jewish business partner and the other was the realization that as part of the Cold War the Soviet Union and its satellites were miraculously poised to do the same. Truman was no born again Zionist and in fact his Administration imposed an arms embargo which could have proved fatal especially as the perfidious British were eagerly supplying weapons and military advisers to the Hashemite Jordanians. Fortuitously, Communist Czechoslovakia came to the rescue with surplus arms and planes.
It is important to remember these usually covered up facts because this pattern of duplicitous dealings has been repeated over the years right up until the present time.
At first Israel had to rely on France for procuring urgently needed weapons but that came to a grinding halt when De Gaulle abruptly stopped deliveries. The US eventually replaced the French but this was not always guaranteed. From time to time deliveries were halted when the Administration decided that it didn’t like a particular Israeli response to terror. In 1967 the US broke its promise to guarantee unrestricted passage for Eilat bound vessels and despite the clear intentions of Egypt, Syria and Jordan to attack and wipe out Israel, the US refused to do anything more meaningful than relying on the UN. This meaningless organization had already withdrawn its pathetic peace keeping force and essentially given Nasser the green light.
If this sounds like the current scenarios you would be correct in assuming that nothing has changed.
Much is made of the fact that America has contributed billions to Israel over the years and that it has its back at the UN.
Overlooked is the fact that it is not all a one way street. Israel has provided the US with innovative technological expertise in the defence field and unrivalled intelligence in the fight against international terror. Membership of the UN is a dubious advantage these days as it has been subverted by non democratic regimes.
Decisions by the US to rejoin UNESCO and the UN Human Rights Council are perfect examples of the latest weak kneed responses to the gang bashing of Israel in international forums. The former does not recognize the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount, the Kotel and half of Jerusalem while the latter ignores blatant human rights abusers, obsessing instead on the Jewish State.
The problem is that increasingly the White House and State Dept believe that they are entitled to interfere in our internal affairs.
The latest example is boycotting Ariel University’s research and development because it is situated in an area deemed illegal yet, in fact, is perfectly legal according to the internationally approved San Remo Agreement.
In another case of boycotting, the US Embassy in Israel refused to invite the Minister of Finance and Public Security Minister to their 4 July party. Two Ministers democratically elected to the Knesset are shunned because the US Administration does not like their political views. What a shameful way to behave to a supposedly close friend.
As a result of the changes now taking place in the Democratic Party and the weakening attachment of an increasing number of detached Jews, the once solid support is inexorably slipping away. Add in the post Zionist groups and self loathers and you have every reason to wonder whether this 4 July marks an acceleration of the slippery slide for American Jews.
Once upon a time America was indeed a safe haven for Jews escaping violence and wanting to practice their faith freely and in security.
What will it take and how long will it be before the realization sinks in that the future for Jews looks increasingly doubtful?
Likewise Israel needs to prepare for the day when it can no longer automatically rely on Uncle Sam.
Paraphrasing our psalms: “Do not put your trust in princes [or in presidents, premiers, or prime ministers], in mortals, in whom there is no help…
