Jordan, I generally agree with what you've written, but in one place your history is wrong. Pogroms were initiated in Russia in the 1880s by the czarist regime (and there was a history of pogrom-like violence against Jews in Eastern Europe long before that). The Bolsheviks were in general LESS antisemetic than the previous government. See the Wikipedia entry for "pogrom". The Soviet Union remained relatively tolerant of Jews until the purges of the late 1930s. In fact, Stalin established a Jewish homeland in Birobidzhan, in far eastern Russia, in the early 30s. My father, an idealistic Jewish socialist, was one of many US and Canadian Jews who went there to settle. (I'm glad that didn't work out!)
you're right, that's something I've been working on editing! some of my family was killed by Bolsheviks during a pogrom-style attack, so I conflated the two. I will be fixing it!
So much conflicting information and so many contrary opinions, it's hard to sort truth from politics. I suspect a lot of people with strong opinions cluelessly conflate Jews with Israel and Zionists. I'm 100% pro-Jew AND 100% anti-Israel. And 100% for protesters against genocide.
I think a lot of that conflation is intentional, used as a way to both garner support for Israel and smear any dissenting opinion as antisemitism. Depends on the person, of course.
The shit is becoming deep, Jordan. This conflict is the result of imperialism, cut and dried. The Jewish people, as well as the Palestinians are equally the victims that are egged on by powerful interests they are not even aware of. I've just pulled out Bernard Regan's The Balfour Declaration to bring me up to speed again. I was at the wedding reception at UCSC's Stevenson College for the daughter of Provost Glenn Willson. It was the morning of the Six Day War in 1967. I was standing next to him, along with Page Smith, Provost of Cowell College as they spoke with Sam Bloom, a Jewish poly sci professor from neighboring Cabrillo College. Willson, a Brit, leaned close to Bloom and said clearly, "The Israelies will smash those greasy Arabs..." or to that effect. Catch my drift?
Te British Mandate of WWI was an imperialist construct. Massive petrolium fields were spread all over the Middle East, of the Ottoman Empire and Europe was going to control it.
I could go on and on. I will never forget the great Lenny Bruce. "Where oh where is Israel?"
People's cultural homelands have been destroyed and plundered over the milenia. Whose land is whose? In 1948, Florida was damn near a Jewish State from all the New Yorkers being successful enough to leave the cold North. The surviving Jewish people of Europe, after WWII would have been welcome there, but perhaps the Creeks, Cherokee and Seminole would have made a stink.
It’s saddening and maddening .
Jordan, I generally agree with what you've written, but in one place your history is wrong. Pogroms were initiated in Russia in the 1880s by the czarist regime (and there was a history of pogrom-like violence against Jews in Eastern Europe long before that). The Bolsheviks were in general LESS antisemetic than the previous government. See the Wikipedia entry for "pogrom". The Soviet Union remained relatively tolerant of Jews until the purges of the late 1930s. In fact, Stalin established a Jewish homeland in Birobidzhan, in far eastern Russia, in the early 30s. My father, an idealistic Jewish socialist, was one of many US and Canadian Jews who went there to settle. (I'm glad that didn't work out!)
you're right, that's something I've been working on editing! some of my family was killed by Bolsheviks during a pogrom-style attack, so I conflated the two. I will be fixing it!
Check out Robert Reich’s essay
https://open.substack.com/pub/robertreich/p/the-most-important-thing-i-teach?r=ftm3&utm_medium=ios
So much conflicting information and so many contrary opinions, it's hard to sort truth from politics. I suspect a lot of people with strong opinions cluelessly conflate Jews with Israel and Zionists. I'm 100% pro-Jew AND 100% anti-Israel. And 100% for protesters against genocide.
I think a lot of that conflation is intentional, used as a way to both garner support for Israel and smear any dissenting opinion as antisemitism. Depends on the person, of course.
The shit is becoming deep, Jordan. This conflict is the result of imperialism, cut and dried. The Jewish people, as well as the Palestinians are equally the victims that are egged on by powerful interests they are not even aware of. I've just pulled out Bernard Regan's The Balfour Declaration to bring me up to speed again. I was at the wedding reception at UCSC's Stevenson College for the daughter of Provost Glenn Willson. It was the morning of the Six Day War in 1967. I was standing next to him, along with Page Smith, Provost of Cowell College as they spoke with Sam Bloom, a Jewish poly sci professor from neighboring Cabrillo College. Willson, a Brit, leaned close to Bloom and said clearly, "The Israelies will smash those greasy Arabs..." or to that effect. Catch my drift?
Te British Mandate of WWI was an imperialist construct. Massive petrolium fields were spread all over the Middle East, of the Ottoman Empire and Europe was going to control it.
I could go on and on. I will never forget the great Lenny Bruce. "Where oh where is Israel?"
People's cultural homelands have been destroyed and plundered over the milenia. Whose land is whose? In 1948, Florida was damn near a Jewish State from all the New Yorkers being successful enough to leave the cold North. The surviving Jewish people of Europe, after WWII would have been welcome there, but perhaps the Creeks, Cherokee and Seminole would have made a stink.
After all, this is their land, not ours.