Sun 12th Mar 06
Dear friends and
family,
For the Jews
living here and in the rest of the world, the state was a dramatic about face
from a downward plummeting fall into the dark oblivion of the holocaust, to a
phoenix like ascent to the heights of hope and a future of being one of the
most admired nations in the world.
In an effort to
learn a bit about how the Arab Israelis were doing I attended a series of
lectures the other afternoon, at the Van Leer Institute in
There was a
lecturer on social medicine from the Hebrew university, a sociology professor
from Bar Ilan university,
the head of a government advisory committee on Arab/Jewish integration from
Judging by this,
the Arabs are doing very well. I felt proud that, my country,
These people
weren't ranting and raving against a foreign country casting blame for
discrimination and injustice in some other country, as their brethren do in
neighboring countries like
They could do
this here because
Their leaders
and intellectuals are only permitted to speak out against
Instead of
handling their problems they blame the rest of the world, especially
I'm sure there
are many scholars, among them Arabs, in those countries and elsewhere searching
for an explanation for this dichotomy.
I suggest that
the answer lies in the co-existence encouraged in democratic countries. In
Conflict,
however, is only the negative side of Arab/Jewish co-existence. There's also a
positive side, this is competition.
An Arab
Israeli's success is in part due to his need to compete against Jewish success.
The combination of Jews and Arabs living together in
The character of
the modern state of
The clash between Jewish and
Arab nationalism, no matter how severe, does not change the fact that the two
are here to stay, on the one hand Jewish and Arab nationalism, on the other the
combined living of the two groups.
There isn't only
clash and conflict, there is also fierce competition in every sphere; science,
law, medicine, art, agriculture and commerce.
It's great that
Arabs and Jews are proud of their nationality. National pride goads people to
achieve greater heights in every sphere.
Unfortunately
this positive competition is played out only at the highest socio-economic
level of Arab and Jewish society in
At the lower
levels only the clash part of living together is played out. The only
competition here is to see who can be more violent.
The rabbis of
the Talmud understood the danger to society of the existence of these low socio
economic levels. For them the real problem is not poverty but the existence of
a poverty level in society.
This is a level
like a step in a ladder where one can go up or down. The solution must cause
them to go up and prevent them from going down, not just give them something to
eat or to wear.
After being in a
low socio-economic level for a generation or two people drop out of society and
instead of being part of it become its enemies and their only desire in life is
to destroy the community that put them there.
Society can't
have a situation where people at a lower level of society will always remain
there. This is a danger to its own existence.
If we continue
to neglect this situation the community will eventually disappear.
Since the time
of the
The need for the
continuation of the community is at stake. If the community disappears then the
world begins to totter.
That is why the
solution to the problem, "Gmillut Hesed" (The distribution of loving-kindness) was
regarded as one of the pillars on which the universe rests.
With "Gmillut Hesed" any needy
member of the community could get a loan without interest. It saved many Jews
from hunger, but most of all it showed Jews that they weren't destined to be in
a low socio economic level forever.
It showed how
they could rise up the ladder and gave them the confidence to try to rise up.
In this way
people remained part of the community and not its enemies. It kept the Jews
together as a community and played an important role in the survival of the
Jewish nation in the face of constant threats to its existence.
Instead of
leaving the Arabs to figure out their own form of "Gmillut
Hesed" our government could easily set up "Gmilut Hesed" for them and
help them get on their feet and step up the ladder to be part of Israeli
society and not its enemies.
Have a great no
news day.
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