Jews, stop hating Jews

At least distasteful and certainly false are theories that explain which people bear guilt when tragedy strikes. Only Prophets know such things if G^d told them. Falsely pretending to be a Prophet is a capital offense.

Still, it is not true that we cannot understand anything. Our Jewish Tradition gives some very distinct, undeniable insights. Here is a list.

1. G^d is in charge of it all. Judaism is clear that one G^d runs the whole picture, and not one god for good and one for bad.

2. G^d loves us. All He does is ultimately (not always immediately) for our best. Even human death, the most horrible thing under the sun, can be understood (by me) as for our good, while I want G^d to end Death now.

3. The energy that enables some Gentiles to hate Jews comes from Jews hating Jews for no (valid) reason at all. NB: Typically, the victims of antisemitic violence are our exceptionally saintly ones, and not those who do the Jew-hating. As soon as all Jews have enough empathy, patience, tolerance, and respect to love all Jews, no antisemite can hurt any of us.

4. We don’t blame Jews for antisemitism. Antisemites are the culprits. We even don’t blame Jews for hating Jews. Our internal discord comes from the tension put on all Jews by antisemitism, and the Gentiles who still didn’t uproot this yet. We don’t blame the victim. (We even don’t blame the villains. When Gentiles murdered Jews, we try to prevent repetition, but we can’t ‘get even.’ We leave it to ‘G^d to revenge their blood.’ What we can do are good deeds to perpetuate the good name of the murdered. Anger is an easy and cover-up emotion. Jews generally cry at a funeral.)

5. Yet, we are not mere rocks rolling down the mountain, leaves fluttering in the wind, or animals driven by instincts. Without blaming ourselves, we still have Free Choice to sidestep all animosity and unite with all Jews.

6. Judaism (not our sentiments) tells us of three exceptions, but they are extremely rare. 1. Jews who have turned into such monsters that they lost their human face (e.g. Gaddafi). 2. Jews who have no Jewish friend left. 3. Jews who hand over Jews to hostile Gentiles for persecution. So, we are still obligated to respect self-hating Jews who spread Antisemitic myths.

7. Easier to grasp than all Jews respecting/loving all Jews is the concept of Jewish unity. For inspiration, I’ll give a few examples.

When Jews start infighting, say: Let it go; it’s not important now.
When atheistic Israeli Jews attack ‘the dangerous’ religious, say: the next governments will all be center-left for at least a century. Oppose but don’t vilify those bound to lose control; it’s distasteful.
When religious Israeli Jews attack ‘the dangerous’ atheists, say: It is our failure that we did not succeed to kindle in them the Jewish passions that we feel (and possibly are blind to the Jewishness of their passions). If you must blame, blame yourself—or better: take responsibility for the two camps getting closer, instead of name-calling, distancing yourself from ‘them,’ and sawing discord.

It’s not just that unity gives more power or wastes less energy. The virtue and sacredness of unity are so exalted before the One who is One, that wicked but united armies deserve to win wars from holy but divided ones.

8. True unity doesn’t come from ignoring key differences. Rather, we must learn to agree to disagree, and at times, put disputes on the backburner.

9. In any important dialogue (also between spouses), both parties often feel the strongest that the other should understand us. The best way to get there is by prioritizing understanding the other. Listen when you used to preach. Most people, after being listened to, find it easier to listen too. If you must yell, be modest about how much time you need. Give the other time to yell too, so they won’t need a simultaneous shouting match.

10. The Ninth of Adar, this Wednesday, is one of the most appalling days of infighting in Jewish history. The Rabbis suggest we’d fast to rectify what happened. I’d say that this year, those who can, should come to Jerusalem to demonstrate against any legal overhaul but without any name-calling, doom-proclaiming, or blaming. Rather, 67% of all Israelis already agree we should just advocate what we want and express gratefulness.

Be an activist today, still. Fight for Jewish unity.

About the Author

MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. * As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. * This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2000 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog, to which one may subscribe too, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. * Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. * Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. * Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. * He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. * He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. * He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. * His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. * To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. * His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1