No, I don’t think anti-Semitism will live on because:
– History teaches that it will always be here. I think, that defeatism is stupid and a self-fulfilling prophesy.
– We see history repeat itself. That’s greatly exaggerated. The things that mainly repeat themselves are: fear and denial. History only repeats itself in as far as we don’t learn her lessons.
– Gentiles have no choice but to hate us. Everyone has a choice, Free Will. Having no volition would render us non-responsible. No one believes that Nazi’s, Neo-Nazis and other anti-Semites are guiltless. So, everyone has a choice.
– Apparently G-d hates us. No, He holds us to higher standards and is closer to us than to anyone. What is He waiting for to save us? He’s waiting for and putting His trust in humans to save the situation. That’s our task, to make things better – and then He will help (do most of the job). Hate and love are very close. The world will only be rescued from hatred, murder and war when the world starts loving the Jews.
Rather, what really hampers safety for all Jews are that:
– Israel’s survival is boosted by enhanced anti-Semitism. Aliya is heightened by Jew hatred abroad. So Israel’s fight against anti-Semitism around Israel and in the international press must always be half-hearted.
– Anti-Semitism is seen as byproduct of the Middle-East conflict. It’s rather the cause. Who are actually ready to call a spade a spade?
– The lifestyle, culture and ideological background of most people, billions of them (Christians, Catholics, Muslims, Humanists, Democrats and Communists), are rooted in Judaism. There will be prominent resentment and jealousy against the Jews and their leadership of Mankind unless it’s actively countered by these worldviews and unless Jews are actively honored and admired for their role as pioneers. Equality with Gentiles is the maximum some exceptional people or traditions are ready for and that’s not enough.
– There is an intimate connection between divisiveness between Jews and their persecution. Diminish one, you diminish the other. Elevate one, you elevate the other. Who are active in reducing animosity between Jews? A handful.
– Blaming the victim, the Jews, is still popular. As if Jews (a little bit or a lot) cause and are responsible for Jew hatred.
– Hatred against Jews and even more so irritation about Jews and even more so indifference about Jews seems the thing that unifies the Left, the Right and everyone in between as nothing else. And it’s hard to give up on unity, even if it’s for evil (see the story of the Tower of Babel).
– Anti-Semites still each hope to succeed against the Eternal People. It’s hard to give up smoking if you don’t know what it will do to you. Who will begin teaching the history of anti-Semitic leaders: A History of Loss and Defeat.
– The UN nations adopted some 70 years ago the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and some 30 yours ago the Convention on the Rights of the Child. How long will it still take until it adopts the Universal Assertion of the Right for All Jews to live in Security and Safety, Honor and Admiration and Closeness and Warmth, and Jews always be surrounded by people and Peoples as Allies and Friends ready to defend us, and to learn from us and to be close to us? Abolishing anti-Semitism, like abolishing war, will benefit everyone, but still it doesn’t happen by itself.
Nevertheless, register and go to the (free of charge) 6th Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism, in Jerusalem, 19-21 March 2018. I’ll be there too.
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