One of the things that I like about living in Israel is not constantly needing to mince words, all the time being scared to provoke attacks by Gentiles.
Having said that, I must add that this freedom to think and liberty to speak our minds as Jews should be coupled with being responsible about what we say, because Jews in the Diaspora may suffer repercussion from any careless words by us. However, this is certainly not the same feeling as always walking on egg shells that I remember from living in The Netherlands.
On this Holocaust Remembrance Day 2017 from Jerusalem, let me praise our PM Netanyahu for (again) pointing out, without hatred and without bitterness, another thing that needs to be said to Gentiles. Just very recently, it has become clear that the Allied Administrations already in 1942 knew full well that Jews were literally being exterminated in concentration camps in Nazi occupied Europe. How beautiful that the political head of the Jewish State has not shied away or delayed speaking out about this (tape: 31:55-46:30).
I just need to add four points of nuance. Yet, shockingly, these details make his historical rebuke even more biting, not less!
1. People versus administration. I was very moved to hear US airplane pilots who run bombing raids on Nazi factories close to Auschwitz ask permission to bomb the concentration camp too. Their request was denied, which showed that the regular chap who risked his life fighting the Nazis did not have this anti-Jewish streak. As so often, even nowadays, sentiments against Jews run the strongest in the higher echelons of society. The people who are trained to speak so politely, not seldom use that talent to camouflage their hatred against the Old People. Working Class people might say rude things, but since they are upfront, one can help them throw out their prejudices, and embrace their fellow Jews – most of whom are Working Class too – and help them being loyal to their fellow Jews.
2. In the rightful piercing criticism about the indifference for Jewish suffering that cost the lives of probably 4,000,000 Jews, not forgotten should be that thousands of Allied troupes have risked and given their lives to free the world of Nazi domination from in Europe. D-day should stand out, but also the major sacrifices by Russian soldiers should not be forgotten. How bitter though, that no sacrifice was too large to get Nazi rule down, but every sacrifice apparently was too big for stopping genocide on Jews.
3. Allied callousness not just showed in not bombing the death camps, but also in almost total immigration blockades to the US, Palestine, and the whole Western world. Even after the Holocaust, Jewish survivors were largely unwelcome everywhere, it seems. Even supporting the founding of the Jewish State Israel in 1948, seems a way for the Western world to do away with the Jews. Either the Arab armies would get them into the sea or not, but at least, they should not defile the Christian hemisphere more than they did already.
4. In contrast, in many countries in Asia, Jews were most welcome. It was a real pity that in the world of the Thirties and Forties of the previous Century, this was not widely known. Also now, this national hospitality is much too much neglected, possibly too because it make Western hostility towards Jewish refugees look even worse. Look how many Jews were absorbed and saved in The Philippines (1,300), China (18,000), Kyrgyzstan (45,000), Uzbekistan (339,250), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tazhikistan, and Turkmenistan (430,750).
Last but not least, modern Germany has shown that national repentance is possible, even for the worst of crimes. No one talks about forgiving or forgetting. Rather, one may acknowledge a horrible past and resolve never to go there again.
Just now, at last, proof has been found for the Armenian Holocaust. (The word Holocaust should be reserved for the Nazi genocide on the Jews. I make an exception here, because it was the Armenian genocide that encouraged Hitler. When those around him said: you won’t get away with murdering a whole people, he replied: O no? Who still speaks of the massacre on the Armenians? Every school child in Israel’s curriculum learns this.) Turkey should follow Germany’s example. Which would not mean that it should declare itself to be a nation of monsters. Quite the opposite! Turks should take responsibility to distance themselves from a monstrous past. Not from all national pride in their history – just from the part that stinks.
But not just Turkey. The whole of the Western world need to acknowledge what went wrong vis-à-vis the Jews and become our true friends and Allies in deeper ways. Some have been and are close to us, but they have largely been exceptions, except in the US where friendship with Jews seems the default attitude.
May the new clarity of deep Allied complicity with the Holocaust help Gentiles in the Western world to further distance themselves from indifference for Jewish life and demand safety for Jews everywhere. That is the only way for non-Jews to really feel good about themselves, just like a man can only feel good if he commits to always stand up to any Sexism (even his own), and White people only can look themselves in the eye when they will not tolerate Racism any longer.
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. Of the 15 (!) books he has in mind, the next two are about homosexuality in Judaism and new rabbinics. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2600 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 that also may contain updates to Times of Israel posts, to which one may subscribe, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. *
He's getting ready to publicize books on: "Free Will, "Judaism and Homosexuality, "His parents in the Holocaust, "Judaism, "A New Torah Translation and "A New Hebrew Grammar, "Co-Counseling, "Vegan Facts, "Immortality, and more. *
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 agrees that in a post-truth world, that's irrelevant, but then this is for the record. 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. His posts are spell, grammar, and style polished by AI, but all written by himself. *
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
