King Canute – Alive and Well and Living in America

The apocryphal story of King Canute and the tide was first recorded by Henry of Huntingdon in the 12th century. In the original story, Canute demonstrates that he has no control over the incoming tide. He was trying to show his fawning courtiers that his earthly power is as nothing compared to the supreme power of God.
Modern journalism and politics often misrepresent Canute as believing that he had supernatural powers and was actually trying to hold back the tide.

It seems to me that many American Jews are trying to stop the tidal wave of inter-marriage that is sweeping their collapsing society. But they are misrepresenting the problem – in their eyes, the fault, as always, lies with Israel, not them.

Ronald S. Lauder has just published an Opinion piece in the New York Times – Israel, This Is Not Who We Are – in which he holds Israel responsible for American Jewry’s difficulties in “Passing the torch to this younger generation”. He then goes on to perpetuate the usual lies about Israel as “a nation that discriminates against non-Orthodox Jews, non-Jewish minorities and the L.G.B.T. community.” As usual, this sounds more like a description of Mr. Lauder’s homeland than of Israel.

The large number of comments from self-hating Jews, many threatening to withdraw their ‘support’ from Israel, gives a clear indication of the size of American Jewry’s problem.

As Mr. Lauder does not live in Israel, he might not be aware that we are a fully functioning democracy with a state-run legal system. Otherwise he might not write such distortions as “Last month, a Conservative rabbi was detained for the alleged crime of performing a non-Orthodox wedding ceremony in Israel.”

However you view this (absurd) crime, it is a crime. There is nothing “alleged” about it. If Mr. Lauder, like myself and many Israelis, does not like this bad law, he is welcome to join us and use our democratic system to change it. Moaning, in comfort, from America does not help at all.

I have visited the US a couple of times, as a tourist. I saw many problems; much that needs to be changed, but I would not dream of telling Americans how to run their country. In the words of my fictional hero Len Palmer – “It’s Not My Job”. (https://www.lenpalmerbooks.com)