"Jesus the Nazarene practiced sorcery and black magic, and led Jews astray
into idolatry. He was sexually immoral, worshipped statues of stone, was cut
off from the Jewish people, and refused to repent." Sanhedron 107b
"The books of the Christians must not be saved from fire." Shabat 116a
"The best of the Gentiles should be killed." Soferim 15, rule 10
For the uninitiated, these few passages are excerpts of the Talmud, a book
considered to be as sacred to Judaism as the Quran is to Islam.
--
Scottish Anti-USA
Well, considering what the Gentiles have been saying about and doing
to the Jews for the last 2,000 years, it seems like a mild response.
Perhaps you should consider two more matters:
1. One does not feel the taste of the wine at the beginning but the
longer it grows old in the pitcher, the better it becomes, thus also
the words of the Torah: the longer they grow old in the body, the
better they become. (Soferim 15:6)
2. The Scottish are the only people in Europe who have never
persecuted their Jews.
Murchadh
> 2. The Scottish are the only people in Europe who have never
> persecuted their Jews.
http://www.theherald.co.uk/leader/archive/6-3-19102-22-49-30.html
Anti-Jewish prejudice
Scotland must never take tolerance for granted
Last week, Dr Jonathan Sachs, the chief rabbi, gave a lecture with the
provocative title "A new anti-Semitism?" The question-mark was
deliberate because he wanted to pose a question about anti-Jewish
prejudice and whether it had worsened, in England at any rate. Anthony
Julius, the lawyer and writer, has defined English anti-Semitism as
"something that Jews more often overhear than are confronted by". The
ugly noise of prejudice seems to be louder and is appar-ently being
heard more clearly in Scotland, too. The evidence is anecdotal (because
Jews say they are are too frightened to be quoted about their
experiences), but Stephen Kleiner, a leading Jewish figure in Glasgow,
has told The Herald today that there is a perception in the Jewish
community of a greater undercurrent of anti-Semitic feeling. It is,
apparently, mainly verbal, but it has included menacing telephone calls.
Where has this growth in anti-Semitism come from? Members of the Jewish
community have blamed sections of the media for fanning it. Greville
Janner, a former president of the Board of Deputies, recently accused
the New Statesman, the left-wing publication, of explicit anti-Semitism
after it published a controversial front cover of the Star of David
cutting through a union flag behind the headline "A kosher conspiracy?".
It must have been particularly galling, worrying, and anger-inducing for
those Jews who view liberals and the left as traditional allies in the
fight against anti-Semitism. We should all be engaged in that fight.
The New Statesman controversy seems to have had little impact in
Scotland, but Scottish Jews appear to suffer more prejudice today. That
is deeply worrying, anyway, but it is particularly so because Scotland
has been spared overt anti-Semitism. That is because most Jews, who
settled in Glasgow from the 1880s, did not compete with Scots in the
labour market. The Jewish immigrant community was self-contained and
possessed skills that were in demand. By the 1920s there were signs of
assimilation. Jews took advantage of education opportunities and were
more upwardly mobile than any of Scotland's other immigrant communities.
Although they did not experience systematic discrimination, social
prejudice, vile enough in itself, flourished. However, there was gradual
improvement. Glasgow - or more accurately, East Renfrewshire - has a
state- sector Jewish primary school popular also with non-Jews. But
prejudice is possible in anyone, and it seems we can never take
tolerance and understanding for granted.
Things appear to have taken a turn for the worse. Members of the
Scottish Jewish community also blame parts of the media here for
encouraging anti-Semitism (or making it easier) because of their
reporting of the Middle East conflict. Mr Kleiner suspected that
worsening anti-Semitism emanated from the Middle East. The Herald has
criticised the policies of Ariel Sharon's coalition government towards
the Palestinians. It is understandable to retaliate when terrorist acts
claim innocent lives in Israel. To criticise Mr Sharon for pursuing a
strategy (if such it is) that seems doomed to failure because it has no
obvious positive outcome is not to support Palestinian terrorists and
their barbaric acts, or to be anti-Israeli or anti-Jewish (or to seek to
extend anti-Semitism). To oppose Robert Mugabe is not to be
anti-Zimbabwe or anti-black African. Newspapers such as The Herald that
deprecate prejudice in any form make the distinction; their readers
should, too.
Dr Sachs believes that anti-Semitism is alive, well, and dangerous. He
described it last week as the most successful theology of modern times,
having outlived fascism and Soviet communism. He also recognised that it
was not yet dangerous in Britain because it had not entered the
mainstream of political discourse. We must remain extremely vigilant to
ensure that never happens.
--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG