Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel

Washington Irving’s famous story entitled, “Rip Van Winkle,” is an American literary classic for the ages. Rip, who lives with a shrewish wife, one day decides to goes hunting in the Catskills with favorite dog. He runs into some dwarf-like beings and drinks some liquor they give him. He falls asleep and awakens 20 years later, an old man, who discovers that his wife has died and the American Revolution has taken place. He goes to live with his grown daughter and makes new friends.

Actually, the story of Rip Van Winkle has its antecedents in the Talmud. A first century sage named, Honi the Circle-Drawer, was a remarkable man. Rabbinical legend describes him as a miracle-worker who could make rain—much like the American Indians tales we grew up hearing as children. Once, Honi ran into an old person who was planting a carob tree. He asked him, “Are you certain that you will live another seventy years? The old-man replied: I found [ready grown] carob trees in the world; as my forefathers planted these for me so I too plant these for my children . . .”

Well, later that evening Honi sat down and ate his meal; he went out for a walk and dozed off in a cave for seventy years. When he awoke he saw a man gathering the fruit of the carob tree and he asked him, “Are you the man who planted the tree?” The man replied: “I am his grandson.” Thereupon he surmised, “ It is clear that I had been sleeping for seventy years!”[1]

Could the story of Rip Van Winkle be a metaphor for individuals or communities that have been asleep for a long time? Of course!

The American Jewish community since the days of FDR has also been sleeping for about 80 years and has long believed that the Democratic Party was the closest thing to an American civil religion on par with the highest teachings of Judaism. It didn’t matter who was President or how they felt about Israel. From Kennedy to Carter, American Jews joyfully followed their fearless Democratic Presidential leaders, not to mention the failed presidential candidates. With the exception of Carter and McGovern (another fabled anti-Semite, who was much like Carter), the Jewish support of most of these leaders did not bother me too much.

Have American Jews finally woken up? Consider the following.

According to recent polls [2], if the election were held today, President Obama would get only 56 % of the Jewish vote-in contrast to the 78% who supported Obama in 2008, not to mention the 74% who supported Kerry in 2004.

According to this recent survey conducted by TheHill.com, over 1000 Jews were polled. Among the questions asked included: Should Israel return to the 1967 borders and let that be the starting point for the peace negotiations? Well, 10% said yes, but 83% said a resounding, “No!” Among Jewish Democrats (like myself!), 10% said yes, and 67% said, “NO!!!”

The next question asked, “Do you think President Obama is too biased against Israel?” Jewish voters voted 39% yes, but 30% surprisingly said no. Amazing statistic, no? American Jews still haven’t paid any attention to the fact that Obama has never personally visited Israel, or that he called the Old Jerusalem, “Occupied territory,” as later chimed by VP Biden, Madame Hillary, and Rahm Emanuel (who later went to the Old City in Jerusalem, where he celebrated his son’s bar mitzvah!). The fact that Obama sends billions to Hamas also doesn’t register in the minds of most American Jews.[3] The fact that Obama would love to parcel what is left of Israel to the temporary borders of 1948, also doesn’t seem to bother most American Jews.

Now if I didn’t know better, I would swear that Obama acts like he really isn’t very concerned about Israel’s survival. The spirit of Rev. Jeremiah Wright continues to guide the Chicago boy, who suddenly discovered he was President. The poll also revealed:

Jews who identified themselves as Democrats also said:

• By 37-47, they do not think Obama is “doing a good job of promoting peace in the Middle East.”

• By 43-42, they break evenly on whether Obama “is being too tough on Israel.”

• By 61-30, Jewish Democrats think the president “is naïve in thinking that he can make peace with the Arabs.”

The survey probed the issue of 1967 borders in greater depth, reading Jewish Democrats a statement giving both sides of the issue:

President Obama says that Israel should give up the land it occupied after the 1967 war except for some adjustments. He says that these borders would give the Palestinians a viable nation of their own and would lead to a settlement of their conflict with Israel. Others disagree, saying that these borders are too small, exposing Israel to shelling from the Golan Heights in the north and giving the nation a middle only nine miles wide. They say that returning to the pre-’67 borders would not stop the Arabs from wanting to destroy Israel but would make it easier to do so. Which view comes closest to your own?

In response, Jewish Democrats opposed returning to the ’67 borders by 82-8.

Israel is very important to Jewish Democrats.

• By 86-4, Jewish Democrats agree that “it is very important that Jews have a country of their own, considering their history of persecution.”

• They disagree, by 9-75, with the idea that “Israel has become a bully, pushing its Arab neighbors around.”

• Jewish Democrats agree, by a margin of 85-4, that “Israel is a small country surrounded by countries and peoples that want to destroy it.”

• By an overwhelming 12-71, they reject the idea that “Israel is intolerant of its neighbors and does not do enough to get along with them in peace”.

• By 79-4, Jewish Democrats agree that “Israel wants to live in peace with its neighbors but the Arabs won’t let it” and reject, by 11-73, the statement that “Israel is always trying to grab more land and throw out the Palestinians who live there.”

• Finally, Jewish Democrats agree, 67-13, with the overview that “if the Arabs lay down their weapons, there would be no more war. It is just their desire to destroy Israel that creates the conflict.”

No friends, I have no interest in seeing another Holocaust of the seven million Jews living in Israel. Neither should you. Iran has just tested four nuclear bombs (see debka.com), and the stakes have become very serious. Someone needs to tell Obama that Assad is not a suitable peace partner either. A man who kills thousands of his people needs to be locked up, tried, and executed for crimes against humanity.

Could it be that Jews are now starting to really pay attention to the news affecting Israel? You betcha . . .

Could this cognitive dissonance spread among the American Jewish community as a whole? You betcha!

Political Implications

So what does this mean for Obama and the Jews? Obama is playing with fire, but I will predict the following events will unfold. Obama will lay off his peace plan for the Middle East until he gets reelected. He will back-peddle, and invite more prestigious Jews to his political events and dinners. He will woo the Jew. Jewish leaders like Chuck Schumer, Rahm Emanuel, and a host of others will do their best to help Obama manipulate the perennially gullible American Jew. In the minds of many of our people, a vote against the Democratic Party is tantamount to heresy. Remember: American Jews have religious devotion when it come to perpetuating the ideals of the Democratic Party-regardless who happens to be the President. The DNC has been a Jewish fetish for over 80 years.

And if he is able to once again charm the American Jewish community to vote for him, and as a result-claim the second term he so covets, he will turn on a dime against Israel and do everything he can to castrate Israel in the international community until Israel is too weak and enfeebled to protect herself. Don’t be surprised to see Samantha Power become the next Secretary of State, and if she does-Israel and the State Department may become even more estranged than anyone thought previously possible.

Conclusion

I pray that American Jews are not as foolish as the current Democratic Party in power seems to think! I pray that American Jews realize the historical role they can play in keeping Israel healthy and viable. To give the new Nazis of our era-Islamic Fascism an undeserved victory, may well lead to the unthinkable: A new Holocaust in our time led by the atavistic forces of Iran and their Hezbollah minions.

Aristotle used to say, “Love Plato, but love truth more . . .” To my fellow Jews, I urge you: “Love the Democratic Party-but love truth even more . . .

—-

Notes:

[1] BT Ta’anit 23a.

[2] The poll data comes from TheHill.com on July 5, 2011.

[3] Cf. U.S. to Give $900 Million in Gaza Aid, Officials Say - NYTimes.com

Feb 23, 2009 – U.S. to Give $900 Million in Gaza Aid, Officials Say … to provide some $900 million to help rebuild Gaza after the Israeli incursion that …