Renowned Israeli author Yoram Kaniuk on the Rabbi’s letter forbidding rental of apartments to Arabs
By Yoram Kaniuk
Yoram Kaniuk (photo: Osnat Skoblinski)
Then, last week, when MK and MD Professor Aryeh Eldad sided with rabbis who warned their flock not to rent or sell property to non-Jews, I remembered that in Nazi Germany many physicians also identified with Hitler. The term “Nazi” now lingers once more in the air, but on the opposite side to that of settlers who swore at soldiers. The word “Nazi” now lingers because the Rabbis who signed the racist declaration committed an atrocity against Jewish history.
A duck may be declared as such if it looks like a duck, talks like a duck and walks like a duck. Nazis began their assault on Jews by by humiliating them, by forbidding them to share life with Germans. The benches on the boulevards were marked “Germans only”. The Nazi claimed that only someone possessing of pure German blood could be a part of the German nation.
Rabbis and other racists, who popped up like mushrooms following a rain of anti-humanist sewage, fear dangerous encounters between Jews and Arabs or life among gentiles. Much in the same did the Nazis, unlike the Italian fascists, fear intermarriage and launch campaigns of defamation and humiliation against their resident enemy. At first they did not consider murdering the Jews. The wanted to isolate them, to discriminate against them, to have them fired from their workplaces. They refused to share a park-bench with them and called on them to immigrate.
Those who wished to immigrate and had the opportunity could flee, even with their assets. Prior to becoming the driver of Jews to their death, Adolf Eichmann worked in Vienna and later in Prague as the head of a state agency devoted to forcing immigration on the Jews. The Nazis wanted the Jews out of Europe, which, in their eyes, they had soiled. Annihilation began only after the Nazis could no longer await immigration and the nations of the world refused to receive the refugees.
Thus, the racist actions committed by the Rabbis and by much of Israel’s population today is old-school racism which we are adopting sixty five years after the Holocaust. Pure German blood massacred the Jews. Jewish law is rich with goodness and rich with ugliness, but when Rabbis speak on television about wanting to expel Arabs from this land and not co-reside with them, we must remember of whom these rabbis and other racists learned their craft.
This is because if anyone who voices such opinions and acts according to them at home and on the street would look at the map knowing its measure, they will understand that none of it would work without a horrible punitive action. There’s hardly enough in a decree forbidding Arabs from living in the town of Safed or a housing project for Jews only built in Jaffa, or in the occupied territories of the West Bank. There, the expulsion, the robbing and the beating of anyone who isn’t Jewish has already been permitted by Jewish law.
All that’s left for them then is annihilation, otherwise the Arabs will avenge, helped by the international community. This may well be the case, and just as the Nazi state crumbled so will this Israeli state, so distant from the culture of Israel, from the values of Israel, from the wisdom of Israel. Those who do not know history and do not know the Holocaust turn the Holocaust into a rope by which to hang and hate those who live here and are not of our own: the immigrant workers, the children of mixed marriages and non-Jews in general.
One rabbi, interviewed on television this week, was shocked to hear blasphemous Rabbis being called “racists”. Nearly in a cry, with his startled eyes shut, he said something like “how can the word racism could ever be said in relation to Rabbis?”
These are the crooked and corrupt, because the word “racists” weighs heavy on that vacant and vehement fool and reminds him, heavens forbid, of the Holocaust. What does it do? Remind him? And this is while all that was ever done in the struggle of religious Zionism against Jewish nationalism, against the gentiles, against the God of Israel, is all racism in the spirit of the Nurnberg laws.
Had that God existed, then I assume, grace of first hand acquaintance, he wouldn’t have wanted to see “National Wailing Wall” in Jerusalem as a sort of pagan golden calf taken for Jewish by them, its plaza split into separate sections for men, women, gentiles and foreigners. It is much like the “gold-less” calf that the Jews had when they left Egypt, and was surely created of looted Egyptian jewelry, or where else would the gold come from?
Soon the nations of the world will declare their acceptance of a Palestinian state in accordance with the 1967 borders. Israel will stand alone. Will the Jews of this world, whom Israel’s Rabbis put at risk, accept the verdict? And what then of the State of Israel? It shall become another episode in the history of the Jewish people.
December 16, 2010
8:37 am
As a progressive believer in the message of prophetic Judaism, it would be interesting to know if Kaniuk is a member of a Kibbutz. His friend Amos Oz used to be a member of Kibbutz Hulda, if he isn’t now. No doubt he has other progressive friends who believe in the message of prophetic Judaism who are members of Kibbutzim. My question is: How many Arabs are members of the progressive Kibbutzim? How many have built mosques for the convenience of current and prospective Arab members of these kibbutzim? Have these kibbutzim considered cancelling future observances of Israel Independence Day and IDF Memorial Day since these are offensive to any current or future Arab members of these kibbutzim? Have these kibbutzim considered closing their communal dining halls (if they still exist) during daylight hours during the Muslim Ramadan fasting month, because it is offensive for non-Muslims to eat in front of Muslims at that time of the year?
No doubt Kaniuk as a progressive believer in the message of prophetic Judaism would take the opportunity to influence his progressive friends to be the first to recruit Arabs to move into their neighborhoods, particulary those like Ramat Aviv where that veteran warrior against racism Shimon Peres lives because the land there belonged to the Arab village of Sheikh Munis which they fled from during the War of Independence. I am sure the progressives there will want to track down the former Arab owners of the land there and encourage them to come back and reclaim their property. After all, most of the population there is like Kaniuk, progressive and believers in prophetic Judaism, not, perish the thought, primitive religious Jews who would be swayed by the letter of the Rabbis.
December 16, 2010
11:35 am
[...] am terrified of what my homeland is becoming. I long to return. I am dismayed at seeing my country doing unto others what we so lament others having done unto our ancestors (2). I am alarmed at how many Israelis are not alarmed. I am [...]
December 16, 2010
9:22 pm
It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise,than for a man to hear the the song of fools.-SOLOMON
December 17, 2010
11:15 am
An atrocity against Jewish histroy? Strange, I thought the atrocity was directed at Israeli Arabs.
December 18, 2010
9:34 am
BI – Why in the world are you going on and on about kibbutzim? You are making no sense at all.
Yoram Kaniuk was born and raised in Tel Aviv. He was seriously wounded in the 1948 war while serving in the Palmach. Today he is a renowned writer.
He has a Wikipedia page, too. Top of the charts on the search engine nearest you.
December 18, 2010
2:11 pm
LG-I am going on and on about the Kibbutzim because the “progressives” are attacking the Rabbis because they are supposedly racist. My question is why those who go around calling other people racist are in fact, acting like racists themselves, according to their own definition. If Kaniuk and other “progressives” think that Arabs should be able to move into Jewish neighborhoods, then why (1) do they not complain when Arabs prevent Jews from moving into Arab neighborhoods, and (2) WHAT HAVE PROGRESSIVE COMMUNITIES DONE TO INTEGRATE THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES. If the Kibbutzim are supposed to be in the forefront of progressive causes and the fight against Racism THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST TO WELCOME ARABS AS MEMBERS OF THEIR KIBBUTZIM. The Rabbis are not claiming to be “progressives”, the Kibbutzim are so I would expect them to have brought Arabs in as members. If they have not, and yet they are criticizing the Rabbis, THEY ARE NOTHING BUT A BUNCH OF HYPOCRITES!
December 19, 2010
12:29 am
B.I – can you clarify what you are driving at? Are you angry at both self styled progressives and the religious right for bing racist and saying that you would prefer full integration of Palestinian citizens of Israel into Jewish society, or do you justify the behavior of the religious right and are just adding the the left acts this way as well (a point that I don’t understand the logic of)?
December 19, 2010
1:16 am
Honestly, B.I, I can’t think of any attitude more contrary to Tikkun Olam than this constant “they are hypocrits, they are hypocrits” babble coming from your end of the map.
December 19, 2010
1:23 am
MIK-
Good question. It is very important to realize that in the Middle East, group identity is very important. It is not like in the United States where the ideal is to view every individual on his own. In the Middle East, group identity is strongly bound up in one’s own cultural mileu, which is very heavily based on religious background, but not exclusively. This is true even in Europe. For example, I recall that in Italy there was a controversy over whether schools should place a crucifix in classrooms. Muslim students and parents asked that they be removed. Italy has one of the lowest levels of church attendance in Europe but the non-Muslims objected to removal of the crucifixes, saying that Christianity was an important part of their (group) identity, even if they were not personally church-goers.
It is the same in the Middle East. Most Jews in Israel, even if they are not religiously observant, identify with Jewish religious symbols and want them to be part of the national culture. Same with Muslims in Israel and in other Middle Eastern countries. Almost all consider themselves “Muslim” even if they do not personally observe the tenets of the faith. Thus, in Israel, no Jews drive on Yom Kippur even though there is no law to that effect, simply out of identification with the religious strictures of the day, even if the rest of the year they are not religiously observant. Similarly, even non-observant Muslims don’t go around eating in public in daylight hours during the Ramadan fasting month.
Thus, as a consequence of these group identities, most people of different ethnic and religious groups feel more comfortable living among their own people. This is a natural thing. I can understand that Arabs want their lands to remain withing their clan units and so do not want to sell to Jews. Similarly, I understand that the Kibbutzim, who set out to create a secular but Jewish-Zionist community do not have Arab members (I really don’t know if there are Arabs who are members of Kibbutzim, but if there are, I don’t believe it is very many). But “progressives” living on Kibbutzim should understand that other Jews may feel the same way and prefer to live in Jewish neighborhoods and communities.
Thus, to answer your question, I do not believe this natural feeling is “Racist” regardless of how Americans may feel about it, but I do think “progressive” Israelis who are going around screaming about it being “racism” are being hypocritical, because they essentially believe and behave in the same way. (My definintion of racism is that someone has basic rights of his denied because of his ethnic origin so , as I said, I don’t view the desire of ethnic groups to live together as “racism”). The attack on the Rabbis letter is basically a political attack by the “progressives” on groups of political tivals that they “love to hate” and look for any excuse to attack.
December 19, 2010
2:31 am
Yuval Ben-Ami-
You consider Kaniuk’s infantile outburst to be a contribution to “Tikkun Olam”? You consider his malicious attacks on Religous Zionism and Jews who pray at the Western Wall to be “Tikkun Olam”?
He thinks they are calling for Arabs to be expelled? Well, wasn’t he in the PALMACH? Didn’t he fight in the 1948 war?. How many Arabs did he drive out of the country? And he wasn’t a “primitive, bearded Orthodox Bible-quoting Jew”. He and his fellow HAGANAH and PALMACH fighters were clean-shaven Marx-quoting Israelis!
His comparing religious Jews and Rabbis to “sewage” and Nazis simply shows he is a fanatic, and the fact that “progressives” approvingly quote from him shows that they do NOT believe in democracy or “tikkun olam” for that matter. He had better look in the mirror if he wants to look for extremism.
December 19, 2010
2:40 am
Ben thanks for your response. I should add that I live in Israel, and that i think your analysis is completely wrong of this region (and of the US but that is a different story) May i remind you how this thing started- he city of Tzefat has been a mixed city not for decades, but for centuries! People there “naturally” live together and they are forced not to live together by rabinic decrees.
I understand that all over th world people like to live with people similar to them (i am modern orthodox and want to pray in a synagogue with people who share my world view and traditions)..
But how can you possibly get from there to FORBIDDING people who are different ethnically (or culturally) from living together?!
This applies to kibbutzim and to rabbis as one. Surely you think the act of the rabbis and the kibbutzim of legally not allowing members of different cultures/classes/races/religions living together? Can’t you at least condemn that?
December 19, 2010
4:51 am
MIK-I never said I agreed with the Rabbis letter. I am opposed to it in the sense that it forbids it under all circumstances. I also didn’t claim that people of different groups didn’t live in the same village or town. Don’t forget that there was a massacre there in 1929, at the same time as the more well-known massacre in Hevron and relations between the two sides were never the same, up until 1948 when the Arab population fled after the PALMACH captured the town.
What I object to is “progressives” criticizing their favorite enemies (the Religious/Right camp) for doing things they themselves do. Had Kaniuk said something like “we all need to do more in order to integrate Israeli society” I would not have objected. But, as a far Leftist he has to cut loose on the Religious/Right camp, comparing them to Nazis and “sewage” because it seems that camp can’t control itself when criticizing the people they love to hate.
December 19, 2010
5:46 am
fair enough, I just wanted you to say that you oppose the Rabbis’ decrees. I think you are barking up the wrong tree with Kanyuk though, he would be the first to agree with you about the kibbutzim (probably all of the writers on this blog as well…) The fact that he is progressive and they also see themselves that way means of course nothing. I would be like accusing all rabbis of agreeing with this decree, even though we know it is not the case.
Anyway the important thing is that you agree with Kanyuk i guess, and just throw the
kibbutzim in there with the rabbis…
(btw, i find the 1929 case that you use incredibly unfair. Why not talk of the hundreds of years there wasn’t a massacre. You present it as if those hundreds of years were just a prologue to a tragic event that lasted 20 minutes, in the city. That is a pretty warped view of history)
December 28, 2010
2:41 pm
The rabbis, and Judaism in general, are a scourge. The greatest moment in Jewish history was the moment Jews were emancipated from the Judaic fruitcakes and we were allowed to think for ourselves and cast out this childish, racist, idiotic mumbo jumbo once and for all. Small wonder nearly all those we regard today as Jewish luminaries in science, literature, etc are atheists.
Israel is the natural habitat for Judaic dead-enders–those unwilling or unable to join modernity. They marinate in this Judaic poison and insulate themselves from greater humanity, which they basically hold in contempt.
January 15, 2011
3:42 am
[...] Hebrew PDF) contains an unsigned editorial, protesting against those rabbis who attacked the “rabbis’ letter”. It bemoans the possibility that “the Torah would be put in a private, religious, small [...]