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Ruth Bernstein's avatar

Heart of Islamic teachings - peace, peace peace.

Tell me, where in the Arab Islamic world do people live in peace? Most of the Islamic world are united outwardly to eliminate the state of Israel, and are inwardly either devastated by civil wars and terror, or devastated by lack of human rights. The few exceptions to that are actually at peace with Israel.

I recommend the novel "In Praise of Hatred" by Syrian writer Khaled Khalifa. I read it because I had to understand the phsychology of how someone becomes radicalized, wanting to kill "infidels," to be a martyr.

An example are the terrorists Europe is facing even more recently.

An entire generation of Gazans were indoctrinated to hate Jews and kill Jews and used the religious teachings to justify rape of Jews, not to mention studying Mein Kampf.

In Syria just as in Gaza, is hatred the value we wish to promote?

A genocidal war aiming to eliminate Israel started from Gaza, accompanied by Hezbollah and the Houthies, backed by Iran who all want to wipe Israel out, and the only conclusion of this write up is that Israel must undergo a momentous change in its relationship with the Arab world?

The moral problem of such writings does not arise from discussing the sufferrings of this or that side more or less. The problem is where do we put the responsibility. If we can't seem to recognize that the Arabs around Israel have genocidal intentions, that must be changed, then we have a serious problem. And we do, have a serious problem.

Anthony Blinken, who is not a great fan of Israel, said on an interview he gave to the nyt on Jan 4th: "One of the things that I found little astounding throughout is that for all of the understandable criticism of the way Israel conducted itself in Gaza, you hear virtually nothing, from anyone, since October 7th, about Hamas. Why there hasn't been a unanimous chorus around the world for Hamas to put down its weapons, to give up the Hostages, to surrender. I don't know what the answer is to that" (timestamp 37:52)

This is a great question. Many people in the West, either consciously or unconsciously, blame Israel for October 7th.

The answer lies with Carl Jung.

War, from the perspective of depth phsychology, which I find to be not less profound than any institutionalized religion:

"Dionysus is the abyss of impassioned dissolution, where all human distinctions are merged in the animal divinity of the primordial psyche - a blissful and terrible experience. Humanity, huddling behind the walls of its culture, believes it has escaped this experience, until it succeeds in letting loose another orgy of bloodshed. All well-meaning people are amazed when this happens and blame high finance, the armament industry, the Jews, or the Freemasons" (Psychology and Alchemy, 12%). In the footnote he added that he wrote this in spring 1935.

I wonder, if all the well meaning people are so concerned with activisim for human rights and human dignity, where are they now writing about hundreds of women raped and burned to death after Goma prison set on fire? Or all the other horrible atrocities in the world? Where are all the activists against occupation writing about free Tibet? Well, if there are no Israelis there, it is not that interesting. Honestly, are we pro human, or are we anti Israel?

And it will not make a single difference to exchange "Jews" for "Israel". We are the same people, and antisemitism is as archetypal and as deep as Christ himself.

Shalom

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Reni Ovadia's avatar

I love you, Christopher, my teacher, my friend, Captain oh Captain of Dharma sailling through storms....

Thank you from the bottom of my crying heart.

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