[Sabramerican]

Just the right day for this to show up.

[SauronOfMordor]

And what the author is saying to Britain is "after 17 generations in Britain, I still consider my homeland and my primary my allegiance remains elsewhere"

[raybbr]

FYI

[Alouette]

Menasseh ben Israel's plea to Oliver Cromwell

FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel/Russian Jewry ping list.

Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.

[Polybius]

As opposed to some other parts of the world, it is not done to apply an adjective to your nationality. You cannot be "African-British" or "Asian-British." It is far more simple than that, you are either British, or you are not.

I seriously doubt that a Scot would be asked or tolerate being asked if he is a Scot or British.

[RegulatorCountry]

"British Jews, unlike their American counterparts, have anglicized their names and their customs."

The author evidentally has not met any assimilated, southern Jews in the United States, whose families go back to Colonial days on this continent.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.
Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking the keyword or topic Israel.

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[GladesGuru]

None can squelch a twit quite like an Englishman. With his telling of the Disraeli squelch, the author makes most clear his essentially English weltanschaung.

[familyop]

Some Americans make the false accusation that British Jews in general are not loyal to the UK. I suspect that the allegiance of those Americans is to Rome.

[Feldkurat_Katz]

"Britishness" is a hotly debated subject in those Isles today; many are asking what British means and how one attains this appellation. As opposed to some other parts of the world, it is not done to apply an adjective to your nationality. You cannot be "African-British" or "Asian-British." It is far more simple than that, you are either British, or you are not.

All European nations are tribal. It's not necessarily bad, but for someone who considers immigrating, United States (or Canada or Australia) would be a better choice.

[A. Pole]

This reply contains corrected version of the joke.

People often ask me where my family is from. I reply Britain, and they invariably ask me where my grandparents came from, and I reply again, Britain. Sometimes they will ask where my great-grandparents or great-great-grandparents came from and the reply is still Britain.

It reminds me a Russian joke:

Some guy comes to the civil records office and ask for change of his name.

The clerk says: "It will cost you a lot"

The guy answers: "I don't care. I have to change my name".

So the clerk ask: "What new name do you wish to have?"

"Pyotr Petrovich Petrov"

Clerk writes it down and asks: "Good, and what is you present name?"

"Ivan Ivanovitch Ivanov"

Clerks stares at the customer with curiosity, and says:

"Ivan Iwanovich Ivanov is a very good Russian name! Why do you want to change it?"

"Because people always ask me - what was your previous name?"

[Clemenza]

Rabbi Menassah Ben Israel of the Amsterdam community petitioned Cromwell to readmit Jews to a land which had not officially seen a Jew in over 360 years. Cromwell accepted the petition but only after a heated exchange with those who sought to prevent Jews from being readmitted.

I LOVE Oliver Cromwell. A SMART man, as well as a (necessarily) brutal bastard when he needed to be.

If only a NEW Cromwell would emerge to send those welfare cases from the House of Windsor-Hanover-Saxe Coburg to the gallows.

[propertius]

Right. And as a British Jew by origin, I'd much happier that my ancestors lived in fairly tolerant Britain than in France, Germany or anywhere else in Europe...