Paraphrasing Mark Twain: To Mr. Sycamore

Submitted by orange yonason, proud to be a Jew (United States), Dec 14, 2005 at 00:58

BS"D


' Reports of our demise are greatly exaggerated.'

Mr Sycamore, your comments reveal a deep and unwarranted contempt of us based on gross historical inaccuracies.

"They should remove their bennies, take down the markers at the door, and all other identifications forced upon them by their past conquerors. They must refuse to be second class citizens."

We proudly display our "identifications" in spite of, not because of past conquerors.

You see, there is a difference between being conquered physically as opposed to spiritually. Chanukah is comming up, and the victory we celebrate is a spiritual one.

After many years of bitter fighting, we didn't regain our national autonomy, only our right to worship G_d as He commanded us. We didn't even rebel until the only alternative was to resign ourselves to removing every vestage of the " identifications" of who we are, like the sanctity of our Temple, Torah, Teffilin, Mezuzahs, Shabbos, Rosh Chodesh, and yes even our Kippot, and our Dreidels.

Your logic of 'give up being who you are in order to become truly free', is, incidentally, exactly the falsehood that the Seleucid Greeks and their Hellenized Jewish sycophants tried to sell us. But, Mr. Sycamore, we didn't buy it then, and we aren't buying it now. We are still here, thank G_d, and they along with all the other mighty oaks who sought to erradicate us insignificant shrubbery, are no more.

Perhaps if you take the time to research your ' facts', before you come to erroneous conclusions based on them, you might rid yourself of prejudice or two? (just a thought.)

Here's some information on Chanukah, for those who are interrested in a more historically accurate account of how we respond to various forms of persecution, and how we grow from it:
http://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/default.asp

"A little light dispels much darkness" - Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (founder of Chabad)...
http://www.sichosinenglish.org/books/sichos-in-english/4/30.htm

So.
HAPPY CHANUKAH, EVERYONE!

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".