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PAGE 10
PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, AUGUST 10, 1984
ists have the same political philosophy motivated by the slogan
"Never Again!" Yet it cannot be denied that the Orthodox Jew, by
his very way of life, is consistently and more strongly committed
to the issues of Jewish survival. Among the motivations that
lead him to keep the laws is the fact that he knows that obser
vance is a very strong guarantee for Jewish survival. When this
determination to ensure his people's survival is extended to his
right wing political philosophy, he recognizes it as a natural
extension of his religious commitment, because his personal life
is already conditioned by a discipline geared to the same end-
Jewish survival.
Finally, there is a third point, which is not generally observed.
This is the relatively large number of American immigrants, in
comparison say with immigrants from other Western countries who
are affiliated with right wing Orthodox militancy. The most ex
treme group of all, Kach, was started by an American, is led by
former Americans, and is largely financed and supported by Ameri
can sympathizers.
Something similar, though perhaps not quite to the same extent,
is true of the Gush Emunim settler groups on the West Bank. Fur
ther, among those who are not particularly active in politics, I
frequently find that Americans have some of the most articulated
right wing militant views.
I don't claim to have the answers to explain this. One can per
haps understand an aggressive anti-Arab stance among Jews who
came from Arab lands and who claim to "understand the Arab men
tality." But we might have thought that former Americans, with
their exposure to democratic values, sophisticated education and
broader world outlook, would have all been more tolerant and more
inclined to investigate an active programme for peace ••..
Perhaps the answer partly lies in the American history and set
tlement. In the U.S. guns are easily obtainable, and the streets
in some big cities echo with violence. Perhaps a degree of this
tough attitude has rubbed off on some American Jews and stayed
with them as an emotional legacy.
A day earlier (June 12) in THE JERUSALEM POST, Chaim Pearl looked into the
past for a dangerous parallel--the role of the Zealots in the destruction
of Jerusalem in A.O. 70. His article was entitled "The Perils of Zealotry."
Again here are excerpts:
We are given a number of thought-provoking answers to the ques
tion of why the Second Temple was destroyed. One observation
frequently emphasized in the literature is that the destruction
was due to the internecine strife which fragmented the community
into rival camps. That sin, [the rabbis] said, was equal in its
gravity to the three big sins which the people committed during
the period of the First Temple [idol worship, sexual immorality
and murder].
However, while such a rabbinic insight may give us a glimpse into
the social conditions and inner weaknesses of the community, it
can hardly be accepted as serious historical comment ....