The little ugly Zionism

Once upon a time, there was a very ugly lady. It’s not nice to say but she really looked not so hot. No one liked her in any way whatsoever. At least, that’s how it seemed.

One day, however, it turned out that she had a distant lover. He used to live in the village and almost everyone had forgotten him after he moved out. After dreaming about being close to her for a long time, he decided to make a move.

Following some beginners’ hesitation, he confidently started approaching her and telling her what he thought of her.

At first, of course, she found this a bit hard to believe. Make fun of someone else! But soon she had to admit the obvious. She had a fan.

But there was more. She transformed, just as in the famous fairy tale of the ugly duckling. His protestations of love did their work. She started feeling good about herself and she began to look the part. How uplifting to see her reach her natural beauty and well-deserved happiness!

But then it happened. All the guys in the village who never laid an eye on her or abused her, now started flirting with her. Of course, she was not amused.

Not only did she have a lover already, and were these guys not such hotshots, these guys always ignored her, but now they pursued her?

But there was more than superficial attraction that seemed to motivate this new but hopeless competition: jealousy. They wanted what this distant fellow had gotten himself. We saw her first! (So much for seeing.) This guy doesn’t even belong here!

The new lovers, however, as lovers should be, were hopelessly naive. They proclaimed that they were not hostile to the other fellows. They welcomed them as friends. Yet, often, after they were invited warmly, these “friends” really started terrorizing them, and especially him.

And all these hungry eyes on her really became more obnoxious and embarrassing after they got married. They started pursuing her as if they were entitled to be her partner instead. Her new husband had to defend her on more than one occasion. In the end, they had to limit their access to their apartment. And in the beginning, bystanders understood.

Everyone said: leave her alone, she is a married woman now. But these jealous guys did not want to give up. We saw her first, they lied. She’s really ours.

They began to be extra hostile to his family in the village (whom they never loved so much in the first place) so much so that they had to flee! Unbelievable. Luckily, the house of the generous lovers was large enough, so they moved in there.

Then the hateful ones started bothering the newlyweds’ house, so much so that at a certain moment, the family decided to make an unclaimed piece of land around the house as its beautiful garden with a high fence.

Now the envious villagers had a fresh fake excuse for their attacks. They stole the land! We’re only angry because they got themselves this garden. This was our garden! These people are scum!

Their naivety still had not stopped. They tried to appease the haters, but only encouraged their hatred and endangered their own night rest.

When the years went on, however, the town started getting tired of defending the couple. If these guys did not give up, maybe they were on to something? He is very possessive. (It’s his own wife!) They never have friends over. The local paper started slandering them.

It started to get uglier and uglier … until a new sheriff arrived in town.

He wasn’t such a sweetheart, but he knew how to stand up for the beleaguered happy couple. He practically ended the conflict. Everyone shamefully realized that he was right and they had been wrongly silent.

And so this fairy tale, as it should, also had its happy ending.

LEGEND:

A very ugly lady – the barren Land of Israel.
No one liked her – largely uninhabited, 2000 years never a country.
A distant lover – the displaced Jewish People.
He used to live in the village but moved out – the Dispersion.
After dreaming about being close – 2000 years of prayers.
To make a move – early Zionist return to the Land.
Some beginners’ hesitation – at first, not so many people returned.
She found this hard to believe – Zionism had little effect.
She transformed – the Land started blossoming.
His protestations of love did their work – the Zionists worked her.
All the guys who ignored or abused her – local Arabs who took the Land for granted and abused her until the Jews appeared.
Now started flirting with her – suddenly wanted to dominate her.
The new lovers were hopelessly naive – the early Zionists.
They welcomed them as friends – they proposed a bi-national State.
These “friends” started terrorizing them – pre-State Arab terrorism.
They got married – the State of Israel was proclaimed.
Had to defend her – in wars for their very lives.
On more than one occasion – numerous times.
To limit their access – by secret service, police, army.
At first, bystanders understood – the UN approved Israel.
Hostile to his (never loved so much) family so that they had to flee – Jews (always hated there) had to flee the Arab countries.
So they moved in – the Jews from Arab countries immigrated.
An unclaimed piece of land – the Jordan River West Bank illegally occupied and disregarded by the Hashemite Kingdom.
Beautiful garden – Jews settled and worked the Land there too.
A fresh fake excuse for their attacks – end the occupation.
These people are scum – Jews are terrible!
To appease the haters the Peace Process.
Endangered their own night rest – thousands of Jews were murdered and maimed.
The town – the Family of Nations.
It’s his own wife – every People deserves a State but the Jews.
They never have friends over – if they have no real peace with any of their neighbors they must be at fault.
It started to get uglier and uglier – there was no end to military build-up against Israel.
The local paper started slandering them – media bias.
Until a new sheriff arrived in town – Trump and Haley.
He wasn’t such a sweetheart – Trump is scandal-ridden.
Everyone shamefully realized – the UN, Arab leaders first.
They had been wrongly silent – abandoning the Jews.
Happy ending – forgive my wishful thinking.

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