Posted on 11/28/2005 5:08:30 PM PST by Esther Ruth
So, Jews, the goyim will win after all? By Stan Goodenough
November 28th, 2005
According to the newspapers here in Israel, Jews are rejoicing because the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies (IFRCRC) has finally agreed to open its doors to the Red Shield (or Star) of David, the Israeli organization that offers equivalent services to the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
Ok, so there’s a small catch: The Israelis cannot actually use their Red Star of David in this new arrangement, but must agree to a new symbol, a Red Crystal, inside which, for advertising purposes alone, they may now and then insert a small Star of David.
But hey, what’s the big deal? I mean, the Israeli organization has been fighting for decades, almost pleading, to be recognized in the same way the Muslim world’s Red Crescent Society been. And now, at last, it will be.
The fact that the Jews have to drop the symbol that represents their nation, their people, their history and their land, because the Red Cross and Red Crescent so demand it, well, that’s really a small price to pay.
There’s not much point in quibbling over a symbol, after all.
And what difference will it make if injured people are taken to hospital in an ambulance with a Red Crystal instead of a Magen David Adom emblazoned on its side?
Watching it speeding by, the Jews can be proud of the fact that once more they fulfilled their calling to be “a light to the nations” by giving in to those nations’ demands and not insisting on what is justly, and rightfully, theirs.
Also, in these very same days, the newspapers here in Israel are full of reports about Jews rejoicing for other, not dissimilar reasons. The majority of Israelis are apparently thrilled at the political revolution that is taking place before their eyes.
Finally they have a new party, a new leader, a new way to vote for. Hope is in the air, a strong leader is soon going to disengage them from the Palestinian Arabs, draw Israel’s final borders and so, at long last, win for Israel a place of recognition and acceptance, and perhaps even some praise, in the world.
Ok, so again there’s a small catch: To achieve this peace, this acceptance, the Jews cannot actually have the most important and cherished parts of their homeland. They have to let go the cradle of their nationhood, the burial places of their national patriarchs and heroes – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Rachel, David – they have to relinquish, for all time, their claims to Hebron and Shechem and Bethel and Bethlehem; the mountains of Samaria, the Judean hills and half of Jerusalem, “the eternal capital of the Jewish people.”
But hey, for the sake of peace, this is surely a small price to pay. After all, Hebron, Shechem, the eastern part of Jerusalem – all these places have many more Arabs than Jews living in them. Most the Jewish population of Israel actually already lives in the coastal plain between Jaffa and Haifa. Most of Israel’s industries are located there too.
Surely, for the sake of peace, and in order that the Jews may enjoy the warm embrace of the Gentiles, severing those ancient roots and laying down those ancient claims is a really small price to pay?
And every time the Jews stop to gaze across the new border into Palestine, and remember with fondness, and perhaps even a few tears, the land to which they returned 39 years ago, with such delight and ecstasy after 20 centuries of longing and praying to be back, they will be able to console themselves that, once again, they fulfilled their calling to be “or legoyim” (a light to the gentiles) by appeasing their enemies and making unprecedented sacrifices to prove to all the world that they are – and always have been – serious about making peace.
But do you know what, Jews of Israel – and those Jews still in exile who so fervently support this way? You may think that in so acquiescing, you are setting a glowing example to the nations of the world.
But as far as these nations are concerned, the last thing they will want to do is emulate you. All you are doing is proving them right in their long-held belief that you are illegitimate, land grabbing, not-to-be-trusted Yids.And, as far as the Muslim world is concerned, your actions only confirm their view of you as a dhimmi nation, fit only to be ruled over by, and subdued under, Islam.
Thus, with the creation of that new Arab state, the Muslims will have tightened the noose around Israel’s then scrawny throat at Netanya, between Haifa and Tel Aviv. And, in their openly proclaimed and publicly published declaration of intent, this Muslim world spells out that this Palestinian state will be the most effective weapon and channel the Arabs have ever had to ensure the destruction of Israel.
If you, Jewish people, are so determined to race towards the precipice, ignoring, belittling, even shouting down the warning cries from those few who see the peril and – with all the history of Jewish-Gentile relations to fuel our fears – care enough to plead with you to halt this headlong dash towards your destruction, there is very little that we can do but cry out to your God to intervene as drastically as He may need to, to open your eyes and so save you. JNW Site Search
No particular meaning signifying nothing.
Israel gives up the Star of David for................nothing.
Hey, it's just like when they gave up Gaza.
You sometimes find the same symbol on Road Maps.
I remember we spent a few days on crystal formation when I studied chemistry many years ago.
As I recall, the simplest crystal with a cubic shape like this is--salt. Natural salt crystals are little cubes.
What that has to do with Israel or Judaism, I don't know.
Crystals have always been associated with the occult, magic, divination, fortunetelling, clairvoyance...etc., easily...just google "crystal occult meaning" and tons of wretched occult links, telling of all the different powers and meanings of different types of crystals...how to use etc.
(Someone somewhere had this posted. Lists all the verses forbidding all these things)
Twelve Practices God Forbids....
1. Necromancy: Communication with the dead, conjuration of the spirits of the dead, for the purpose of revealing the future or influencing the course of events. Deut 18:11; I Sam 28:1-25; Isa 8:19; I Chron 10:13-14
2. Enchantments: The act of influencing by charms and incantations; the practice of magical arts; use of human voice or music to bring another under psychic control. Lev 19:26; Deut 18:10-12; II Chron 33:6; II Kings 17:17; Isa 47:8-11; Jer 27:8; Dan 1:20
3. Witchcraft: Dealing with evil spirits. Deut 18:10-12; II Chron 33:6; I Sam 15:23; Gal 5:19-21
4. Sorcery: Use of power gained from assistance or control of evil spirits, especially for divining. Jer 27:9; Isa 47:9; Rev 21:8
5. Divination: Fortune-telling. Deut 18:10-14; II Kings 17:17; Jer 27:8-9, 29:8-9; Acts 16:16-24
6. Wizardry: Magic, sorcery. Deut 18:11; II Kings 17:17; Exo 22:18
7. Charm: A spell; to affect by magic. Deut 18:11; Isa 19:3
8. Star Gazing/Astrology: Divination of the supposed influence of the stars upon human affairs and terrestrial events by their position and aspects. Isa 47:12-15; Jer 10:2; Dan 1:18-20, 2:1-49, 4:1-37; 5:7-15
9. Soothsaying: Foretelling events; prophesying by a spirit other than the Holy Spirit. Josh 13:22; Micah 5:12-15; Acts 16:16-18
10. Prognostication: To foretell from signs or symptoms; prophesying without the Holy Spirit; soothsaying. Isa 47:12-15; Josh 13:22; Micah 5:12-15; Acts 16:16-18
11. Observing Times: Astrology. Lev 19:26; Deut 18:10-14; II Kings 21:6; II Chron 33:6
12. Magic: Witchcraft. Deut 18:10-12; II Chron 33:6, I Sam 15:23
But without their religion, Jews are just another contemptible, land-grasping Middle Eastern tribe.
Without their religion, they lose their respectability, and they lose any claim on folks like me to give a damn about them.
I think you've succinctly summarized why some Orthodox Jews oppose the State of Israel as it currently exists today.
"i don't think you will find too many fans of the red cross on this board."
Considering the fact that killed a fair number of my fellow citizens, I have to agree with you.
And think of all the money the Red Cross raked in from generous American supporters of Israel during the Katrina disaster.
It drives me nuts that I have to be so careful in checking and doublechecking when I give my money to so-called "charities" like the Red Cross and the United Way, among many, many others.
"Those are disgusting and despicable words. So many Romans have tried for many hundreds of years to destroy and replace Jews and Judaism. You, in the same characteristic vanity, added yet another little hate speech at them. Your comments were very much like the following words of another."
Hogwash.
What I wrote was the truth.
Who are Jews?
One of two things.
Either they are a religious group, identifiable because of their practices and beliefs which extend back across millennia and which form the nucleus of Christianity.
Or they are just another ethnic group.
There are plenty of ethnic groups in the world who are clannish and favor their own. The Koreans and Chinese come to mind, along with the Jews. Nobody who is not of these ethnic groups cares a whit about their special view of themselves. Everyone thinks his own ethnicity is the best, and nobody who's not in that ethnic group shares the opinion.
There are plenty of ethnic minorities in the world who have been treated horribly, and who still are. The Tibetans come to mind; the Tutsis. The most murderous acts in American history were against the Cherokee people. The Irish have had a bad time of it from the English over the centuries. There is nothing remarkable about the sufferings of the Jews from an ethnic standpoint.
So, if we simply remain on the plain of ethnic secularism, the Jews are just another small ethnic tribe that's gotten beaten up a bit, not by the Americans, and Americans perhaps should be sympathetic (to a degree) to their historical plight, but that's about where it ends. The Tibetans of today are in direr straights than Jews of today.
Yes, there is the fighting in Israel, but that's the whole crux of the issue: if it was JUST about ethnicity, there would be no Israel.
The Jews did not build Israel all by themselves. There were plenty of suffering, displaced ethnicities in Europe after World War II. The Jews, alone of them, were granted a land by the West, and given the means to get there and take it. They were given the means to build it. And today, they are given the means to keep it. At any point, had the West cut off the aid, Israel would collapse.
So, why did the West do that?
Why do we still?
Certainly not because of Jewish ethnicity.
Nobody who's not a Jew gives a rat's ass about Jewish ethnic pride, any more than they care about the Greeks, Finns or Laplanders. We all come from tribes, we're all proud of our particular heritage. And we all think ours is the best.
The West didn't grant Israel a land and continue to grant ongoing aid, and thereby anger a half-billion Arabs, Persians and other Middle Easterners and North Africans because Western Gentiles care about Jewish ethnic culture or the secular dreams of Jews. Gentiles have their own dreams, and they are no more impressed by yours than they are by Tibetans. They feel sorry for you, perhaps, but not enough to grant you, alone, a country and end up being in a nasty 50 year struggle. The secular claims of modern Jews to modern Palestine are non-existent. The 2000 year old land claim is stale, a dead letter. The Romans won, the Jews lost, and the Jews don't have any secular claim on the Western mind to get the ancestral lands back any more than Rome is going to be retroceded to the Basques (Etruscans) or New England to the Pequots. Ancient, dead history of some little tribe is not going to inspire modern Western Gentiles with their own dreams to intervene in the Middle East.
Why, then, DID the Gentiles do that? And why do they continue to? Because of their Christianity. Christian religion reposes on Judaism. God came to Earth, they believe, as a man. And he did so as a JEWISH man, because God chose the Jews to be His People, and revealed Himself first and fullest to THEM. And therefore, in spite of the ethnic antagonism that any self-regarding tribe causes anywhere in the world, it was Western Gentiles who decided that the land claim of the Jews, alone among ancient claims, was a legitimate basis to retrocede the Jews the land, and support them in building it.
And that is still true today.
When the Pequots try to get rural lands in Connecticut and Massachusetts retroceded to them, there is a battle royale. Nobody disputes that their ancestors, 300 years ago, owned the place. And nobody cares either. That was then, this is now, bad things happened, today we have to be fair, but giving back the land? No way.
So, what it is about the Jews, alone among little ethnicities, that makes Gentiles CARE about their ancient claim to Israel? That it's in the Bible, that's what.
Likewise, Jewish particularism during the Middle Ages. No OTHER group was respected in its efforts to remain aloof from Crown and Cross. Any other little ethnic enclave that tried to set up its own rules and maintain its independence was brutally forced to adopt the prevailing culture. Why should Jews be any different? Why tolerate THEIR particularities?
The way Gentiles look at it, today, is that those differences were based on something that transcends MERE ethnicity. That Jews wanted to maintain their ethnic practices is no argument against assimilation. Everyone wants to do his own thing, and who the hell cares? There are rules, laws, standards, and everyone will obey them or can expect to be hammered into line if he doesn't. Jews didn't, for centuries, and got hammered, but they held onto their culture, because their culture was their religion.
That's why they bothered. Because they believed that GOD demanded that of them. Well, many Westerners of the past few centuries have come to accept that a demand from God is a LEGITIMATE reason to maintain a separateness. Not everyone of course: pogroms in the East, and the German death camps in the West demonstrate that there were those whose mindset remained that the alien had to either change to the norm or be wiped out like the Albigensians or other heretics of the distant past.
So, the Gentile mind has come to understand, and accept, that the Jewish particularism is not MERELY ethnic chauvinism, but is, rather, based on a deep sense of religious duty. Christians can understand that. They went to the wall, the cross and the lions for the same reason. God's demands trump all, and the Jewish God is the Christian God.
After the Holocaust, the horror of the Western Gentiles at what was done to Europe's Jews, coupled with a respect for the reason why the Jews held themselves apart, was sufficient to persuade enough Western leaders to support the founding of Israel for the Jews. The land was ceded by the British Empire, and the resources were given. None of these things were done to support a MERE ethnic and cultural principle. They were done for the Jews, and only the Jews among all of the displaced and suffering minor tribes of the world, because what sets the Jews apart is their religion and their persistent faithfulness to it.
THAT is why, to the Western Gentiles who have paid quite steeply in blood and treasure for Israel's independence, the Jews are different, and worthy of their own country.
Stike the religious component from it, though, and what have you got? A tribe, like any other, that has claims from an old book of fairy tales. Who gives a damn about Jews if they're NOT the Chosen People of the One True God?
Not me.
And not the leaders of the Gentile West who have supported Israel and made it possible.
Strike the religion out of the Jewish cause, and the Jews are like the Cherokee or the Pequots. They got hammered and suffered, and that's just too damned bad. I didn't do it. And I am not willing to dramatically alter my life to alter some wrong that I didn't do, and that wasn't done in my lifetime. The reason to do if for the Jews is because there's really God, and God has a special relationship to Jews.
That's why Israel matters.
Now, if Jews want to abandon their Judaism as a religious principle, and focus on just being another secular tribe, I don't owe them anything, and am not interested in sending my treasure over to some tribe that's just making trouble for my country with a much bigger group of people who matter a lot more than Jews do if they're NOT really God's Chosen People.
Without Judaism, I don't think Israel has the right to exist. That Jews want a land they lost 2000 years ago is uninteresting to me. So what? It only matters if God really gave it to them.
Well, I believe He did, and that makes the Jewish cause worth supporting.
If Jews don't believe in their religion anymore, then why should I bother about them?
Before we even finished draining the water out of the house, the Red Cross was there with cleaning supplies, food and hot coffee. Also a smile and moral support.
FEMA took 9 months to pay for our repairs even though we had flood insurance. They took 5 weeks before even coming to look. The state and feds told us how concerned they were, and would we please remember to vote for them?
So the Red Cross has my eternal gratitude.
The origins of the cross and the crescent are as clear as day. So what's wrong with the star of David as a symbol?
I wonder if they are also considering similar changes to the Red Plus Sign and the Red Circle Segment?
In my understanding, the desire to help humanity from the Red Deity Symbols is openly due to...the will of God, or Allah, or YHWH as you please. This crystal business is ridiculous, unless we're talking about Satan's humanitarian organization.
"The fact that the Jews have to drop the symbol that represents their nation, their people, their history and their land, because the Red Cross and Red Crescent so demand it, well, that’s really a small price to pay."
But it's no issue to ask the Red Cross to drop theirs?
Since Jesus is a Jew, the cross is about as Jewish as one can get.
Would you have us give Georgia back to the Five Civilized Tribes?
Israel is the only real ally the U.S. has in the Middle East.
The U.S. government also gives millions of dollars to far less worthy nations like the Isalmofascist dictatorships in the Middle East.
I think the Israelis made a mistake in giving the Phillistinians ANYTHING. There IS no quid pro quo with those people their sole goal is the total destruction of Israel and the expulsion or murder of every Jew.
The Phillistinians HAVE a Country - its called Jordan. They should go back there, but they made themselves so obnoxious to even their own Arab hosts they were kicked out.
Rice's idiotic settlement is beneath contempt and has removed any chance she may have had as a Presidential Candidate.
Europe has become even more of a cesspool of anti-Semitism and Arab apologism than ever before.
Just my opinion.
Mil Standard 2525A uses the red diamond to designate enemy units. Is there a subliminal message here?
They were better off not being a part of the IRC. What a detestible bunch.
I'll take that as a no.
But it's no issue to ask the Red Cross to drop theirs?
Since Jesus is a Jew, the cross is about as Jewish as one can get.
***
Bzzz! Wrong answer! (in my humble opinion :))
And what has this 'ally' done for the U.S.??? Aside from shooting up one of our ships.
Has Israel helped bring peace to the Middle East? Has Israel prevented Middle East terrorism from reaching U.S. shores? Does Israel help or hurt our ability to secure energy?
Based on what we get for what we give, the Saudis have been a better ally than Israel.
This doesn't mean I think the Saudis are morally superior to the Israeli's. They most certainly are not.
But America must look out for America's interests. Why should we invest any more into Israel?
If Israel wants to stand on their own... let them!
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