WHAT AM I?
Invariably I proclaim
“I am what I am.”
That’s true.
I am what I am,
But not what I was
For better or worse,
I’ve changed
I’ve become less intolerant.
I may be a “born again” atheist
But now I know
Religious people aren’t evil
Just ignorant.
Rational people don’t think
Moses or Mohammad talked to God,
That Jesus was God incarnate
Billions of religious people think so..
I used to be intolerant of those people
Not any more. I now say, let them
In America, we are free to be ignorant.
That’s the American way
Ah!
The wonders of ignorance,
Resurrection,
Virgins
Eternal life
For rational people,
For atheists
Eternity is the grave.
Rational people wonder about creation.
Big Bang and Evolution
What came before the Big Bang.
The universe is infinite.
Logic requires an infinite creator
Ergo an infinite creator
All knowing, omnipotent creator
People name the creator God,.
A kind and loving creator
A kind and loving God?
A God who abides Satan
A God who gives his people
Earth quakes, tsunamis, pestilence
Genocide, Holocaust, Aids
Is that a kind and loving God?
For those who believe
And who derive comfort in their beliefs,
I am no longer intolerant
Believers find bliss in their ignorance
I tolerate benign bliss.
So now you see,
I am what I am
But not what I was.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
IT AIN'T OVER
IT AIN’T OVER
Jeez, I’m eighty-five
Goin’ on eighty-six
How did I get so old?
I don’t feel old
A few aches and pains
I’m not complaining
But now I look back
I wonder
The things I’ve done
Or might have done
Have I lived a worthwhile life?
I don’t know.
I didn’t invent a cancer cure
Or find a polio vaccine
Or discover penicillin
Or split an atom.
Or march in Selma
What did I do worthwhile?
Do letters to the editor count?
I had a happy life.
A professional career
Forty years with a loving wife
And afterwards
A long time life companion
I provided for a family
Willed them my values
For truth and justice
Wasn’t that was worthwhile?
But enough looking back
The fat lady hasn’t sung
It ain’t over, ‘til it’s over
The Red Sox may win again
I may yet find a solution
For Middle East peace
Jeez, I’m eighty-five
Goin’ on eighty-six
How did I get so old?
I don’t feel old
A few aches and pains
I’m not complaining
But now I look back
I wonder
The things I’ve done
Or might have done
Have I lived a worthwhile life?
I don’t know.
I didn’t invent a cancer cure
Or find a polio vaccine
Or discover penicillin
Or split an atom.
Or march in Selma
What did I do worthwhile?
Do letters to the editor count?
I had a happy life.
A professional career
Forty years with a loving wife
And afterwards
A long time life companion
I provided for a family
Willed them my values
For truth and justice
Wasn’t that was worthwhile?
But enough looking back
The fat lady hasn’t sung
It ain’t over, ‘til it’s over
The Red Sox may win again
I may yet find a solution
For Middle East peace
Sunday, August 29, 2010
One State Solution
DRAFT
THE ISRAELI – PALESTINE SOLUTION
The prayer. The hope. Next year in Jerusalem. A homeland for all Jews. A Jewish nation. A Jewish Nationality. Israel has been the fulfillment of the Zionist Dream. A Jewish Nation in the Promised Land.
Jews were driven from Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD. The Romans were driven from the land by the Muslims who fought the Christians for centuries to retain the land. Then came the Ottomans to control much of the world including the Promised Land. Then the fall of the Ottoman Empire, followed by the British Protectorate.
After centuries of expulsions, pogroms, and the Holocaust, the United Nations partitioned Palestine, the Promised Land, part for the Jews, part for the Arabs.
But Palestine was a land occupied by hostile Arabs who had national aspirations of their own. The Arabs had been colonized by the Ottomans, and then under British “protection”. The creation of an Israeli nation has thwarted the Arab nationalistic aspirations, resulting in an ongoing war since 1948.
Some will argue that the Arabs were primitive farmers who had no realistic chances for nationhood. And their conduct in Palestine under Arab control would seem to confirm the argument. But, those arguments beg the question of what the situation is now. The conflict goes on without end and people on all sides seek to place blame. After decades of conflict, establishing blame is a waste of energy. At present, Israel occupies an area in which Muslim Arabs live. The occupation has resulted in hatred between Jews and Arabs. There are generations of Jews and Arabs that hate each other.
The current thought is a two state solution. It is the proposed solution which has been on the agenda for over a decade. I believe that two states living in peace is not practical. I believe it will mean an ongoing war. .
A single state solution means that Israel would become a state with a population of Jews, Muslims and other minorities. With proportional representation, the Zionist Nation would no longer exist. Does this mean the end of the Zionist dream? Probably yes. But the Zionist dream was a homeland, not a state. The United States has provided a homeland and safe haven for 6 million Jews.
With a one state solution, Israel could become a powerful democratic nation with separation of church and state. Israel could become the “melting pot” of the Middle East, welcoming Muslims, Christians, Gypsies and other peoples from from all over the world. With Israeli expertise, the one state could prosper. With Egypt’s cooperation, the Sinai desert could be reclaimed. Prosperity can come to all.
Of course, there will still be problems with the fanatics, but those problems could be controlled by a prospering people.
Am I dreaming?
THE ISRAELI – PALESTINE SOLUTION
The prayer. The hope. Next year in Jerusalem. A homeland for all Jews. A Jewish nation. A Jewish Nationality. Israel has been the fulfillment of the Zionist Dream. A Jewish Nation in the Promised Land.
Jews were driven from Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD. The Romans were driven from the land by the Muslims who fought the Christians for centuries to retain the land. Then came the Ottomans to control much of the world including the Promised Land. Then the fall of the Ottoman Empire, followed by the British Protectorate.
After centuries of expulsions, pogroms, and the Holocaust, the United Nations partitioned Palestine, the Promised Land, part for the Jews, part for the Arabs.
But Palestine was a land occupied by hostile Arabs who had national aspirations of their own. The Arabs had been colonized by the Ottomans, and then under British “protection”. The creation of an Israeli nation has thwarted the Arab nationalistic aspirations, resulting in an ongoing war since 1948.
Some will argue that the Arabs were primitive farmers who had no realistic chances for nationhood. And their conduct in Palestine under Arab control would seem to confirm the argument. But, those arguments beg the question of what the situation is now. The conflict goes on without end and people on all sides seek to place blame. After decades of conflict, establishing blame is a waste of energy. At present, Israel occupies an area in which Muslim Arabs live. The occupation has resulted in hatred between Jews and Arabs. There are generations of Jews and Arabs that hate each other.
The current thought is a two state solution. It is the proposed solution which has been on the agenda for over a decade. I believe that two states living in peace is not practical. I believe it will mean an ongoing war. .
A single state solution means that Israel would become a state with a population of Jews, Muslims and other minorities. With proportional representation, the Zionist Nation would no longer exist. Does this mean the end of the Zionist dream? Probably yes. But the Zionist dream was a homeland, not a state. The United States has provided a homeland and safe haven for 6 million Jews.
With a one state solution, Israel could become a powerful democratic nation with separation of church and state. Israel could become the “melting pot” of the Middle East, welcoming Muslims, Christians, Gypsies and other peoples from from all over the world. With Israeli expertise, the one state could prosper. With Egypt’s cooperation, the Sinai desert could be reclaimed. Prosperity can come to all.
Of course, there will still be problems with the fanatics, but those problems could be controlled by a prospering people.
Am I dreaming?
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
More Poems
THE ENEMY
Politically Incorrect Thoughts
Are we guilty?
Did we deserve:
The Marines bombings in Lebanon
Black Hawk down
The Cole
Hostages
Beheadings
Bombs on airplanes
September 11
Whether we were right or wrong
Invaded for democracy or for oil
Had good or evil intentions
Innocent or guilty
Supported Israeli occupation
Doesn’t matter
We are the Muslim’s enemy
Not just Bin Laden
Not just Hamas
Not just the radicals
Muslims despise us
Muslims despise our values
Muslims despise the West
The Quran authorizes death to infidels
Muslims have declared Jihad
They do not seek truce
They do not seek peace
They seek an Islamic world
Muslims are the enemy
Muslims are my enemy
WHY DO THEY KILL OUR SOLDIERS?
In full flight gear, helmet in hand,
Our president leaped from the jet
To the carrier deck, and declared
“Mission accomplished!
The tyranny is ended.
Iraq is free.”
Those words were world awaited.
But war rages on.
Suicide bombs, car bombs, roadside bombs,
Insurgents kill and maim our soldiers.
Our soldiers came as liberators.
Why do Iraqis kill our soldiers?
Iraqis call our soldiers occupiers,
Infidels and enemies of Allah.
But our soldiers fought to free Iraq.
Our president declared the “Mission Accomplished”!
Iraqis aren’t dancing in the streets.
Instead, they kill our soldiers.
DAMNED
If only I could believe
There’d be no fear of dying
But if I said “God, I believe”,
He‘d know that I was lying
So if there really is a God
I best not try my soul to sell
Lest I be damned by God himself
To dwell forever in Dante’s Hell
SILENCE
Innocent, guilty
Right, wrong
Good, evil
Doesn’t matter
Infidels are the enemy
We are the infidels
We are Islam’s enemy
Bin Laden, Ahmadinejad
The Taliban, Hizbullah, Hamas
Egyptian Brotherhood, Radical Islamists
They are not the Muslim majority?
So where is the Muslim majority?
We do we not hear them.
There is overwhelming silence.
A THANK YOU NOTE FROM IRWIN TO ALL
FOR MY 80TH BIRTHDAY PARTY
THAT LEONA MADE FOR ME
It was a wonderful party,
A complete and utter surprise.
I expected supper at the club
With lobster rolls and fries.
I was struck dumb. I couldn’t speak
When first I saw the people there.
People I hadn’t seen in years
Looking great, a little grayer.
I’ll try to recall who was there.
So many I hadn’t time to greet:
Cousins, friends and associates,
The party was Leona’s feat.
The greatest of Leona’s coup
The publication of my book!
Because of her I’m in bound print
Not just a jingle writing schnook.
Hats off to Amy and Julie
Who conspired with Leona and Fred
To produce a video of my life
My early years, the life I led.
Cousin Barbara was the first
A little older, but a beauty still.
We were just kids growing up.
I loved her then. I always will.
And there was my cousin Victor
The only survivor of Shlomi Brown.
He remembered winning our wrestling “match”.
He beat me then. He could beat me now.
What a surprise for me to see
Rabbi Splansky with Greta Lee.
Jeff’s bar mitzvah and two mezuzahs
Fourteen years since the eulogy.
Uncle Harold our patriarch
With Aunt Charlotte his loving mate
Honored me with majestic presence
Making me feel like I really rate.
Marvin and Doris gave to me
A snapshot of a youthful three.
Bringing back the memory
Of handsome Bernie, Marvin and me.
My niece Andi just back from Basel
Added sparkle to the surprise.
She and Doug looking fit and trim
A pleasant sight for my old eyes.
Sumner, my oldest brother-out-law
And his beautiful young wife, Annette
My drinking pal in the family,
A cocktail for two is what I get.
A wonderful brother-out-law, Norton.
An athlete, and my liberal friend,
Who hates George Bush with a passion,.
But he loves his Dottie to the very end.
My classmate cousin Judy came.
Adding love to a happy day
I thought of Ed. We all loved him
There’s nothing else for me to say,
Sam with Sandy, the Grandma of
The wonderful Bat Mitzvah three
Your mazel tov is well deserved
You have an amazing family.
We wished that Alan were with us, but.
Anne made the trip with Ted and Jim
Representing our Westport friends
With their zest, vigor and vim.
Tom “Nips” Stover and Jesse Ehrlich
Representing Hanscom Patents
Reminded me of my Air Force days
And my humorous antic talents.
Jeff and Carla lost their way
So they arrived a little late.
They didn’t hear them yell “surprise”
‘Cause coming late’s a family trait.
Phyllis, Laurie, Elyse and Bob,
Beryl’s oldest and her dearest friends.
Mine as well, over fifty years
Good friends all, that time transcends.
Cousin Mimi and David Brown
Pinned my name on a far off star.
I’m now known throughout the world
That’s only reached by a lunar car.
I was “best man” in forty-six
Carol and Jack will both attest.
I’m not so sure that’s true today.
Jack’s aged well, and now’s the best.
Esteruth and Lenny
Sent a gift that I must mention
A Lenny Rumpler original
To grace my art collection.
Laurel & Bill and both their kids,
Jonathan and Rosalie,
Unexpectedly came to town
And celebrated the day with me.
In fourteen years with Leona,
Her friends became mine, too.
They tolerate my humor and
Some outrageous things I do.
So without trying to make a rhyme:
I toast them all together
Leona’s gang of wonderful friends:
Charlie and Marge, Larry and Joan,
Joel and Carole, Barry and Myrna
Helene and Marty, Howie and Evie
Robin and Art. Leona thanks you.
I thank you. We both love you all
Last but not least, “me Amy”
I just didn’t realize
She was sending all the invites out
So I never did surmise
That she and Leona planned
My huge birthday surprise.
Thanks to all, with love
Irwin
Politically Incorrect Thoughts
Are we guilty?
Did we deserve:
The Marines bombings in Lebanon
Black Hawk down
The Cole
Hostages
Beheadings
Bombs on airplanes
September 11
Whether we were right or wrong
Invaded for democracy or for oil
Had good or evil intentions
Innocent or guilty
Supported Israeli occupation
Doesn’t matter
We are the Muslim’s enemy
Not just Bin Laden
Not just Hamas
Not just the radicals
Muslims despise us
Muslims despise our values
Muslims despise the West
The Quran authorizes death to infidels
Muslims have declared Jihad
They do not seek truce
They do not seek peace
They seek an Islamic world
Muslims are the enemy
Muslims are my enemy
WHY DO THEY KILL OUR SOLDIERS?
In full flight gear, helmet in hand,
Our president leaped from the jet
To the carrier deck, and declared
“Mission accomplished!
The tyranny is ended.
Iraq is free.”
Those words were world awaited.
But war rages on.
Suicide bombs, car bombs, roadside bombs,
Insurgents kill and maim our soldiers.
Our soldiers came as liberators.
Why do Iraqis kill our soldiers?
Iraqis call our soldiers occupiers,
Infidels and enemies of Allah.
But our soldiers fought to free Iraq.
Our president declared the “Mission Accomplished”!
Iraqis aren’t dancing in the streets.
Instead, they kill our soldiers.
DAMNED
If only I could believe
There’d be no fear of dying
But if I said “God, I believe”,
He‘d know that I was lying
So if there really is a God
I best not try my soul to sell
Lest I be damned by God himself
To dwell forever in Dante’s Hell
SILENCE
Innocent, guilty
Right, wrong
Good, evil
Doesn’t matter
Infidels are the enemy
We are the infidels
We are Islam’s enemy
Bin Laden, Ahmadinejad
The Taliban, Hizbullah, Hamas
Egyptian Brotherhood, Radical Islamists
They are not the Muslim majority?
So where is the Muslim majority?
We do we not hear them.
There is overwhelming silence.
A THANK YOU NOTE FROM IRWIN TO ALL
FOR MY 80TH BIRTHDAY PARTY
THAT LEONA MADE FOR ME
It was a wonderful party,
A complete and utter surprise.
I expected supper at the club
With lobster rolls and fries.
I was struck dumb. I couldn’t speak
When first I saw the people there.
People I hadn’t seen in years
Looking great, a little grayer.
I’ll try to recall who was there.
So many I hadn’t time to greet:
Cousins, friends and associates,
The party was Leona’s feat.
The greatest of Leona’s coup
The publication of my book!
Because of her I’m in bound print
Not just a jingle writing schnook.
Hats off to Amy and Julie
Who conspired with Leona and Fred
To produce a video of my life
My early years, the life I led.
Cousin Barbara was the first
A little older, but a beauty still.
We were just kids growing up.
I loved her then. I always will.
And there was my cousin Victor
The only survivor of Shlomi Brown.
He remembered winning our wrestling “match”.
He beat me then. He could beat me now.
What a surprise for me to see
Rabbi Splansky with Greta Lee.
Jeff’s bar mitzvah and two mezuzahs
Fourteen years since the eulogy.
Uncle Harold our patriarch
With Aunt Charlotte his loving mate
Honored me with majestic presence
Making me feel like I really rate.
Marvin and Doris gave to me
A snapshot of a youthful three.
Bringing back the memory
Of handsome Bernie, Marvin and me.
My niece Andi just back from Basel
Added sparkle to the surprise.
She and Doug looking fit and trim
A pleasant sight for my old eyes.
Sumner, my oldest brother-out-law
And his beautiful young wife, Annette
My drinking pal in the family,
A cocktail for two is what I get.
A wonderful brother-out-law, Norton.
An athlete, and my liberal friend,
Who hates George Bush with a passion,.
But he loves his Dottie to the very end.
My classmate cousin Judy came.
Adding love to a happy day
I thought of Ed. We all loved him
There’s nothing else for me to say,
Sam with Sandy, the Grandma of
The wonderful Bat Mitzvah three
Your mazel tov is well deserved
You have an amazing family.
We wished that Alan were with us, but.
Anne made the trip with Ted and Jim
Representing our Westport friends
With their zest, vigor and vim.
Tom “Nips” Stover and Jesse Ehrlich
Representing Hanscom Patents
Reminded me of my Air Force days
And my humorous antic talents.
Jeff and Carla lost their way
So they arrived a little late.
They didn’t hear them yell “surprise”
‘Cause coming late’s a family trait.
Phyllis, Laurie, Elyse and Bob,
Beryl’s oldest and her dearest friends.
Mine as well, over fifty years
Good friends all, that time transcends.
Cousin Mimi and David Brown
Pinned my name on a far off star.
I’m now known throughout the world
That’s only reached by a lunar car.
I was “best man” in forty-six
Carol and Jack will both attest.
I’m not so sure that’s true today.
Jack’s aged well, and now’s the best.
Esteruth and Lenny
Sent a gift that I must mention
A Lenny Rumpler original
To grace my art collection.
Laurel & Bill and both their kids,
Jonathan and Rosalie,
Unexpectedly came to town
And celebrated the day with me.
In fourteen years with Leona,
Her friends became mine, too.
They tolerate my humor and
Some outrageous things I do.
So without trying to make a rhyme:
I toast them all together
Leona’s gang of wonderful friends:
Charlie and Marge, Larry and Joan,
Joel and Carole, Barry and Myrna
Helene and Marty, Howie and Evie
Robin and Art. Leona thanks you.
I thank you. We both love you all
Last but not least, “me Amy”
I just didn’t realize
She was sending all the invites out
So I never did surmise
That she and Leona planned
My huge birthday surprise.
Thanks to all, with love
Irwin
Monday, August 2, 2010
Lot's of Poems
Over the years I've been writing lot's of stuff. Here are some of my Poems
IS IT FAIR?
The Pope died.
He’s now with God.
The suicide bomber died.
He gets virgins.
When I die, I want women
With experience.
But what will I get?
Nothing.
You get what you pray for.
That’s fair
MY DILEMMA
Who are my people?
They were slaves in Egypt
Their temple was destroyed
They were Aliens in foreign lands
They endured Expulsions, Pogroms.
Inquisitions, Anti-Semitism
The Holocaust, Muslim terror
They fought to establish a Jewish state
My people have survived 6578 years
My people are Jews
Ultra-orthodox, Orthodox
Conservative, Reform
Humanist, Agnostic, Atheist
I am proud of my people
I am proud to be a Jew.
But I am a denier
I deny God’s relevance
I deny the Covenant
I deny Moses talked with God on Sinai
I deny God Parted the Red Sea
I deny God gave Moses the Commandments
If all my people are deniers
Can my people survive?
This is a denier’s dilemma.
This is my dilemma.
IN THE CLOSET
Rational men and women
Do not believe:
Bible is the word of God
Jesus was the Son of God
Koran was the last word of God
Mormon is God’s latest last word
Rational men and women do believe:
Universes are infinite in time and space
Men and women do not understand infinity
Rational men and women, declare your rationality
Come out of the closet
THE GIFTS
Judaism’s gifts to the world:
One God
The Torah
The Commandments
The rule of law
The Prophets
Hillel
Jesus
The Golden Rule
Mohammad
Maimonades
Joseph Smith
Karl Marx
Einstein
Freud
Salk
and
163 Nobel Prizes
Judaism, a gift that keeps on giving
Faith
Reason says bible is myth
Rational men know
God didn’t talk to Moses
Jesus was not God incarnate
Allah did not dictate the Koran to Muhammad
Yet intelligent and otherwise rational men
Substitute faith for reason
Pope John Paul was an intelligent man
He had faith and is now with god
Martyrs have faith and live in paradise
Bible promises resurrection
The faithful die with hope for the future
For the faithful
God is shepherd
Answers prayers
Comforts
Offers salvation
Atheists are rational
Atheists have no shepherd
No comforter
No salvation
No future
When atheists die, that’s it.
So be it
HATRED AND HOPE
Muslims hate us ever since
Sarah sent Ishmael away
That was six thousand years ago
They hate us to this very day.
Christians hate us ever since
Romans crucified their Christ
Gospels hold the Jews to blame
Claiming an evil Jewish tryst.
Spreading vicious Protocols lies
Accusing Jews of poisoning wells
Blaming the Jews for deadly plagues
Accusing Jews of evil blood libel
Denying the Nazi holocaust
Distorting the ancient Jewish Bible.
There’s little hope for lasting peace
For Jews in their Jewish State.
They can survive, may even thrive
In spite of vicious widespread hate.
REFLECTIONS ON THE INFINITY
Twenty, an atheist,
lying at the stern of a warship
in the Pacific Ocean,
gazing at a clear, cloudless night sky.
I saw an infinite universe.
I was overwhelmed, in awe.
if there is an infinite universe,
there must be an infinite source.
that source must be what
the prophets called God.
It is sixty years since I lay on that deck
and discovered the infinite universe.
I am still overwhelmed, in awe,
still an atheist.
.PASSOVER
What does Passover mean?
The Pesach symbols on a dish.
Kosher wine, the Seder feast,
Matzo balls, gefilte fish ?
But Pesach’s more than just a meal..
There’s an epic story to be told
Of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
The Hebrew Patriarchs of old.
There’s the story of Joseph’s brothers,.
Who envied his colored coat
They threw him in a deep cistern
Thinking he’d been smote.
Joseph lived and gained the throne
Beside the mighty Pharaoh’s seat.
And when the brother’s needed food
He gave them Egypt’s wheat.
Jacob came to Egypt
And his family multiplied,
Until a wicked Pharaoh
Enslaved all Jacob’s tribe.
Then wicked Pharaoh meant to kill
Ev’ry first-born Jewish son.
But Moses lived so he’d become
The Hebrew’s most important one.
The Pharaoh made us Jews his slaves,
That’s what the Bible stories say.
But Moses came to lead the Jews
Out from Egypt and harm’s way.
Moses gave his people
A code for all mankind to read,
Commandments etched by God in stone,
Rules for all mankind to heed.
We celebrate each Pesach
With prayer and hopes for peace.
May all men follow the Moses code.
May mankind’s love for peace increase.
PASSOVER
The Real Story
We know the Bible tales are myth,
That Joseph wasn’t Jacob’s son,
That Moses, an Egyptian prince,
Had one God Ra, the sun.
We tell the tale at Pesach
In prose and praises grand
Of how the Hebrews’ Moses
Led the Jews from Egypt’s land.
We wandered in the desert
‘til Moses thought us fit
To receive God’s Ten Commandments,
The One God’s holy writ.
We know the tale is fiction,
The laws weren’t etched in stone.
Moses wrote the laws by hand
He gave them to the Jews to own.
Not all the laws were new.
There were some from other times.
But the Jews preserved and kept the laws
For the sake of all mankind.
QUID PRO QUO
It’s quite easy to be a Jew
T’was nothing I chose to do
It’s just the way that I was born
Being born of the chosen few
Numbering now so very few
Jews should merit little mention
And yet they daily manage to get
Vicious anti-Semitic attention
Hateful accusations
Christ Killers, infidels all
Stiff necked, money changers
Blood libels and Zion Protocol
It‘s not fair. mostly lies, but
Jews don’t claim perfection
We know no one’s perfect
And Jews are no exception.
But note their contributions
For which there’s little credit
One God and Ten Commandments
Deserve a badge of merit.
Jews gave the world its sacred books
Complete with wisdom and myth.
Jews gave the world the Prophets
Moses, Jesus. Mohammed, and Smith.
There’s a moral to this poem
One you all should know
In life the Jews just can’t expect
To get fair quid pro quo
AM I A JEW?
A Jew believes in the God
who made Eve from Adam’s rib,
sent a flood,
parted the Red Sea,
led Israel out of Egypt,
chose the Jews
gave them Commandments,
fed them manna,
.I don’t believe in that God.
Am I a Jew?
When Jews beat back the Arab hordes
I was proud of those Jews,
proud of those people.
Those Jews are my people.
I am a Jew.
THAT GOD.
infinite universe
endless time
omnipotent
omniscient
creator god
if that god cared about us
if that god loved us
there would be no
holocausts
genocides
boy soldiers
tsunamis
wars
that god is not a caring god.
that god is not a loving god
that god doesn’t give a damn
WHAT’S TO BE EXPECTED?
No matter the causations
After generations of humiliations,
Occupations, subjugations, annexations
What’s to be expected?
Hate’s to be expected
By generations subjected
Security walls erected
Hemming in the disaffected.
Hatred can’t be unexpected.
With so much hate
Can peace prevail
Are we utterly doomed to fail?
Will more mourning mothers wail?
Is there a possible solution
For a peaceful resolution?
We can hope.
WHEN I WAS A BOY
At Christmas time
I got Hanukkah gelt,
A dreidl, chocolate money.
Christian kids got toys
Under Christmas trees.
I hated singing the carols.
“Come let us adore Him”.
Christian kids adored Him.
I didn’t adore him.
I hated him.
Of all the people in the world,
I was one of the few
Chosen to be a Jew,
A Christ killer, a dirty Jew.
Why me?
I’m grown up. Now I know
Jesus was a Jewish rabbi
Preaching radical Jewish ideas:
Love your enemies.
Turn the other cheek.
Do unto others.
Don’t lust.
Jesus preached as a Jew.
He died a Jew.
I am a Jew.
On reflection
I’m glad I was one
Of the chosen few.
APOLOGY
Death to the infidels!
Burn their embassies and flags!
How dare they mock our prophet!
Islam is a religion of tolerance and respect.
Death to those who deny Allah.
Death to those who draw images of Muhammad.
Death to the cartoonists!
Kill the Jews!
Muslims are men of peace.
The Muslims demand an apology.
An apology! For what shall we apologize?
For free speech, free press, freedom of religion?
To whom shall we apologize? The rioters? suicide bombers?
arsonists? deniers of human rights? holocaust deniers?
To those who threaten to finish what Hitler had begun?
Apologize? Not I
THE CARTOONS
A ticking bomb in Muhammad’s hat?
Why would someone think of that?
There were no bombs in Muhammad’s days
He slew the Jews in other ways.
The cartoons depicted the Prophet,
The founder of Islamic belief
And they mocked the ignorant Muslim
Who preaches hate and causes grief.
The cartoons state an honest truth.
Offending the suicide bombers who
Compete for entry to paradise
By killing the Zionist Jew.
WHAT TO DO?
Why are we still bashing Bush?
Look at all the wars he’s won.
He’s changed Iraq’s corrupt regime.
Bin Laden’s hiding on the run.
Iraq now has a constitution
The insurgency is bound to fail
Saddam Hussein is standing trial
He’ll spend the rest of life in jail.
Bush offers new retirement plans,
Tax benefits for the very rich
Drug plans that confuse us, and
We hardly know which plan is which.
The Patriot Act will be renewed
They’ll know what books we read.
Creation in biology class,
Is what our science students need.
No stem cells for research!
Who cares that miracle cures are lost?
Embryos are such precious lives, so
Into hazardous trash they‘re tossed
Whoring women having lustful sex,
Bear your babies and rejoice!
God made this world for righteous men.
No women’s rights! No women’s choice!
And what about those sinful gays?
George Bush proposed a marriage ban.
No wedding bells for lesbians,
No marriages for man to man
Forget past lies, and past mistakes.
Now what are we supposed to do?
Send more soldiers there to die?
Provide more body parts to strew?
There are options, though only a few:
Admit mistakes our country made or
Stay the course and see it through and
Pray George Bush knows what to do.
NOW &THEN
Irwin Garfinkle 9/21/2005
A blank page on my computer screen!
It’s my inquisitor, my cross-examiner
He waits for my answers.
Do I have a right to counsel?
Do I have Miranda rights?
I don’t know his questions, let alone the answers.
What the hell do you want?
My wisdom?
On matters of life and death?
I’ve lived eighty years.
But I’m not wise.
I know little of life and nothing of death.
I have nothing to say.
You’re going to hold me in contempt!
So, wait a minute, damn you.
Stop nagging while I’m trying to think!
Okay, here’s something.
Probably not the answers you’re looking for,
not visionary enough for you.
It’s the best I can do on short notice.
When young, I strove for the “good life”,
you know, money, power, sex.
That was Then.
But life is not Then.
Life is Now.
Good life, bad life, sickness, health, better, worse.
Now is life.
And what about death?
Beats me.
I guess death is future.
Death is not Now.
Whatever and whenever death is,
Now is not death.
That’s all I have to say.
You satisfied?
Oh damn! My computer screen has another blank page.
What the bleep do you want from me now?
I don’t know anything more.
So sue me. I plead the 5th.
CASEY
She sacrificed a son for him.
She wants to know why.
She wants to know
Her son did not die in vain,
That he died for a noble cause.
What was the noble cause?
To capture Osama Bin Laden?
To find weapons of mass destruction?
To free Iraq?
To establish an Islamic state?
To get Iraqi oil?
For which of these noble causes
Did Private Casey die?
His mother wants to know.
His mother has a right to know
DO NOT RESUSCITATE.
Irwin Garfinkle, 3/11/2005
Her cancers were in remission.
She worried she might live in pain.
She didn’t want to be a burden.
“Do not resuscitate”, she ordered.
“When it’s time, it’s time.
I’m ninety-one, ready to go.
No aggressive procedures”.
During an episode she thought,
”It’s time. I’m going to die”.
But then she pleaded
“Please! Don’t let me die.”
She lived five more years,
An invalid confined to bed.
She died in her sleep.
ELDERQUEST
Irwin Garfinkle 3/5/2006
Is this all there is?
Yes, this is it.
Life goes to a certain end
With an open date.
I can’t take it with me.
So what have I got?
No virgins, no resurrection,
No heaven, no hell. Oh well
Eighty is old, but don’t rush me,
I can wait for a later date.
I have things to do! I’m on a quest.
Don’t yet know what I’m questing for.
Maybe a published poem.
AT THE GATES OF BAGHDAD
Irwin Garfinkle 04/06/2003
We’re at the gates of Baghdad
The war will soon be ended.
Will we be their liberators?
Will Iraqis feel befriended?
Or will we be the infidels,
Invading for Iraqi oil?
Will they want their freedom
When Saddam’s gone from Arab Soil?
Our victory is near at hand.
We’ve routed the Palace Guard.
We’ll have the peace we’re fighting for,
Or will there be a new Jihad?
Winning the war but not the peace
After inflicting so much pain,
If an intifada should arise,
We may have fought the war in vain?
Time will tell.
TO LEONA
I AM WHAT I AM
I am what I am. I won’t change.
Don’t ask me. I’m set in my way.
I’m not perfect, nor am I ideal.
I am what I am; that’s how I’ll stay.
I know I have faults, don’t we all?
I will listen to every suggestion.
I have to do what I have to do
In spite a strong objection.
I am what I am and you know it.
I’ve tried to improve but I can’t
.You have to take me for what I am,
I won’t change, I can’t, I shan’t”
I’M NOT SMART
I’m not smart
But I’m not stupid
It doesn’t take an advanced degree
To know the world is round.
I learned this when my mother
Gave me a globe for my tenth birthday
Columbus learned this
When he sailed to America
And didn’t fall off.
I’m not smart
I can figure out a lot of things.
Though I can’t figure out how
Adam and Eve, Cain, Abel and Seth
Populated the whole world.
Something’s missing
That story must be just a story.
I’m not smart
But I know virgins
Don’t have babies
My daughter told me
She learned about that
In middle school
I’m not smart
I read about Jesus walking on water
Tried that a couple of times.
Good thing I can swim.
Won’t try that again
I’m not stupid
I’m not smart,
I know Moses and Muhammad
Didn’t; climb mountains
To talk to God or Allah
That Mary and Jesus didn’t ascend
That the worlds are billions of years old
How come presidential candidates
Don’t know what I know?
Are they stupid?
AN INVISIBLE MAN
“I need a tissue”, she said
So I kissed her.
That was funny
We laughed
Not always so funny
Can hear people talking, but
Don’t know what’s being said
So I don’t join the conversation and
I become an invisible man
What?
My Birthday
2/28/2006
Late last night
after my birthday party
tanks rumbled into town
soldiers rousted us from bed
ransacked the house
nothing found
mother hysterical
baby pressed to her breast
father is helpless
he is detained
not yet home
is it a wonder
I hate the Jews?
LET THE GAMES BEGIN
March 25, 2003
Let the games begin.
It’s not a John Wayne movie.
It’s not a World Series thriller.
It’s not our team in the Super Bowl.
It is War.
The soldiers go off to front.
We turn to CNN; we wait for the games to start.
We keep score as events unfold.
We’re ahead. Hooray!
War on TV is fun.
Our troops cannot be stopped.
No defense can hold our team.
We cheer them on: rah, rah, sis booms bah.
War on TV is fun.
But war is not a game.
Rush Limbaugh’s cheerleaders
Spout their jingo zeal
Don’t they know that war is real?
War is Shock and Awe.
War is not a game.
War is not settled at the OK Corral,
Or with a last of the ninth homerun.
War is Shock and Awe.
In war, enemies die. In war, friends die.
War is not a game.
THE POETRY WRITERS CLASS
5/1/2006
M y classmates are upset with me
Claim I’m politically incorrect
Though I said the honest truth
I failed to show Muslim respect.
They want a poem with my usual humor
They objected to my pessimist views.
They’d rather I’d optimistically write
Of peace between the Muslims and Jews.
It’s no joke about Irani Nukes,
They solemnly promise to erase the Jews
Threaten Muslim Jihad worldwide
Threaten to light a nuclear fuse.
Nevertheless I’ll do my best
To introduce some humor in rhyme.
I’ll start with Bush, Delay and Rove
Cheney, Liddy, Republican slime.
On second thoughts, they aren’t funny.
They went to war with a pack of lies.
Without a plan they marched and bombed
Without a care of the mothers’ cries.
So what’ll I do? My sex life’s funny
But who in the world be interested?
Maybe I’ll write an old dirty joke,
But a dirty joke would be protested.
So there’s to be no humor this day,
My detested poems will stay detested.
So be it.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
April 10, 2004
In full flight gear, helmet in hand,
He landed on the deck at sea.
And leaping from the jet, declared
“Mission accomplished! Iraq is free!”
The fighting’s done, our men have won.
They call us evil occupiers,
Invading just for Arab oil,
They say we’re Western infidels.
They want us off their Muslim soil.
Did we not set them free?
And so the peace is not yet won.
Insurgents’ daring ambush raids
Kill and maim our valiant men
With roadside bombs and hand grenades.
MY MOTHER
Irwin Garfinkle May 8, 2005
My mother was just my mother
Stay-at-home mom, kitchen gourmet.
Managing the Garfinkle’s home,
Caring for us all in every way.
Sent Jack, her husband off to work,
Hearty breakfast for me and Mel
Then off to school the two of us
In time before the school’s first bell.
We had a maid, a country girl
Who lived with us and helped our Ma,
Watched over us and did house chores
While Ma worked for Youth Aliah
Business reversals. Pa needed help.
So no more maid. Ma just did more
From nine to nine, beside her man
She worked with Jack at his retail store.
It wasn’t bad. We all pitched in.
It was the least we boys could do.
Dinner waiting when they came home
We did the chores, our school work, too.
Then World War II, we boys left home,
Mel with the army’s fighting teams,
Me with the Navy Training Corps,
Ma with nightmares, and violent dreams.
Ma was joyful, when we came home
Unscarred by the perils of war.
She was saddened by those families
Who sadly hung a son’s gold star.
No more at war, she prayed for peace
For country and her family.
Her sons took wives and left the home.
She prayed that they’d live happily.
Work at the store filled the empty nest.
She had charge of her own department.
No longer just a stay at home mom,
She marveled how fast her days were spent.
Death then took an untimely toll,
First Jack, then Mel and Mel’s son Mark.
The store was closed and Ma retired.
She was now alone. Her life turned dark.
Mel had worked with Ma and Pa.
While I was a thousand miles away
So when Pa died, Mel took his place
Mel worked with Ma most every day.
Ma mourned for Jack until Mel died.
Then she mourned for her son
After Mark, Ma could mourn no more
New life for her was then begun.
I thought my Ma now needed me
She refused to move into my home.
She said she valued privacy
And she decided to live alone.
Ma moved to senior housing
Where each day’s usual needs were met
She visited us several times a year
Told me don’t worry, and not to fret.
Of course I had deep feelings of guilt,
Not there to care for my Ma
But she had her independence
And that was best for Ma by far.
She suffered a fatal heart attack
I rushed to be at her side
She spoke to me of her happy life
And soon thereafter she died.
She was a wonderful mother,
a loving wife and
a strong independent woman,
whom I remember with love.
MY LOSING SEASON
2/25/2005
We hadn’t won a football game.
Our record was seven and 0
Bill Jefferson just couldn’t play
His grades were much too low.
In time for the Reading game
Bill raised his grades so he could play
In the game with our hated foe
To be played Thanksgiving day.
Stoneham was cast as underdog
Reading was favored to win.
And with Bill as our quarterback
Our hopes were riding on him.
My parents came to see me play
They‘d never seen me play before.
They only worried I might get hurt
They didn’t care about the score.
I sat on Stoneham’s bench
A substitute right guard,
Waiting for the coach to say,
“Irwin, go in. Play hard.”
In the opening plays of the game
Bill Jefferson ran for a score.
Then got hurt, out of the game
Stoneham could score no more.
Our defense held Reading scoreless.
Stoneham had its only win.
The coach sent in no substitutes
He never said to me “go in”.
I knew coach wanted to put me in;
This was my senior year
He knew my folks were in the stands
Ready to yell and cheer.
Stoneham won! Oh happy day,
Yet my parents didn’t see me play.
My heart was broken at game’s end
I felt no joy for this greatest day.
Beating arch rival, Reading
Was momentous for good reason
It lifted the spirits of our team,
But for me that game,
Was my losing season.
NOBODY
once
I was somebody
now I’m old
a nobody
preaching to old nobodies
is there a somebody here?
war
jihad
anarchy
perhaps a nobody has solutions
but nobody listens
to a nobody.
NATIONAL GUARD
Handsome recruiters
Exciting Benefits
Extra pay
College tuition
Career training
War games
Playing soldier
Weekend warriors
Weekend fun
Weekend heroes
Real war
No more games
No playing soldier
Insurgency
Suicide bombs
Bloodshed
Dead comrades
Dismembered bodies
The stink of war
Real heroes
NO GOODBYE
she was late
a knock on the door
not coming home
how? where? when?
no difference
in an instant
no warning
gone
I was alone
in pain
40 years
shared space
shared joys
shared sorrows
shared love
suddenly alone
no goodbye
AMERICA’S CHOSEN
We chose a Man who hears God’s voice,
God told the Man he was God’s choice.
Is that not reason to rejoice?
It’s a miracle, if not absurd.
The Chosen Man heard God’s true Word.
I was listening. I never heard.
.
Was he a Man that heaven sent?
The chosen Man’s now president.
He knows he knows what God’s word meant.
The president has four more years
Many people are shedding tears
Because of their foreboding fears,
Fears the voice he hears means war,
A Muslim war with martyrs galore,
A war that sensible men abhor.
So with the Man we rise and pray.
Stand up and cheer hip, hip, hooray!
God’s on the side of the USA.
God, can I hear you now?
TRUE LOVE AGAIN.
I was shy, and late maturing
I tried, but girls paid me no heed
At last I loved and married
One who filled my every need.
But alas, I became a widower
Lonely and wallowing in grief
When matchmakers all conspired
To make my widowhood brief
My cousin didn’t know Leona
Her aunt Charlotte didn’t know me
They thought I’d be a very good catch
That we would make the perfect match.
A good catch? A perfect match?
Well, it seems they got it right
Fourteen years together
She’s my princess, I’m her knight. Right?
TWO BOYS
One boy went to cheder
Learned aleph, bet, gimmel.
Memorized his haphtarah
Made a speech in shul
His parents called him a man.
He counted bar mitzvah presents.
One boy went to a mosque
Was taught Shahada
Learned hatred
Killed for Allah
His parents called him a Shahid
He never counted presents.
LET US PRAY
The all knowing, omnipotent God
found only one man worth saving
and drowned the rest in a flood.
The all knowing, omnipotent God
found no one worth saving in Sodom and Gomorra,
not even an innocent child.
The all knowing and omnipotent God
watched the slaughter of eleven million,
including six million of his chosen people.
The all knowing omnipotent God
created a tsunami and drowned
untold thousands of innocent Asians.
Who does this God think he is?
God thinks he created the universe,
But man created God.
God is out of control. “So, God, you’re fired.”
We’ve created a new God to protect us.
We call our new God Aflac.
Let us pray.
HOORAY FOR OUR SIDE.
The invasion was a cakewalk.
The Republican Guard was humbled.
Nothing stopped our troops’ advance.
Iraqi defenses crumbled.
Our troops are all accounted for.
No one is missing in action.
The daring rescue of Jennifer Lynch
Brought national satisfaction.
We proved to the evil axis
We’re the Masters of all we survey.
We have the smartest weapons
Their guns are just child’s play.
Now the fighting war is over.
We must restore tranquility.
I hope our fighting men of war.
Have peace making ability.
The entire world is watching
While our leaders smirk and prance?
I wonder when our troops go home,
Will Iraqis cry, or will they dance?
WHAT WENT WRONG?
A beautiful, sensitive boy.
Handsome and. bright, happy and strong.
Committed and loving parents.
There was so much promise! What went wrong?
Were we too strict, too permissive?
Did we provide more than we should?
The rule of reason was our rule.
We wanted him to reach manhood.
We sought answers; we got advice.
Were there signs we might have missed?
We tried so hard, perhaps too hard
Though now he’s grown, we still persist.
Always the parents fault they say.
You can hear them on talk radios.
We did our best and yet we failed.
We don’t know why. Nobody knows?
So what is a parent to do?
All grown up with kids of his own,
Give him more love, another chance,
Or let him reap the seeds he’s sown.
APOCALYPSE
Hitler is dead
Stalin’s Evil Empire has fallen
The Axis of Evil is contained
The Hindus are building cities
Protocols of Zion are a forgery
The Chinese are becoming capitalists
Buddhists seek serenity
What is there to fear?
Is there an enemy?
Mien Kampf was Hitler’s plan
The Quran is Muslim’s Mien Kampf
Muslims obey the Prophet
Follow the Quran
Kill the infidel
Encourage martyrdom
Martyr their children
Teach hatred
Issue fatwas
Muslims are the enemy
Muslims are at war now
Soon the bomb
Apocalypse
IS IT FAIR?
The Pope died.
He’s now with God.
The suicide bomber died.
He gets virgins.
When I die, I want women
With experience.
But what will I get?
Nothing.
You get what you pray for.
That’s fair
MY DILEMMA
Who are my people?
They were slaves in Egypt
Their temple was destroyed
They were Aliens in foreign lands
They endured Expulsions, Pogroms.
Inquisitions, Anti-Semitism
The Holocaust, Muslim terror
They fought to establish a Jewish state
My people have survived 6578 years
My people are Jews
Ultra-orthodox, Orthodox
Conservative, Reform
Humanist, Agnostic, Atheist
I am proud of my people
I am proud to be a Jew.
But I am a denier
I deny God’s relevance
I deny the Covenant
I deny Moses talked with God on Sinai
I deny God Parted the Red Sea
I deny God gave Moses the Commandments
If all my people are deniers
Can my people survive?
This is a denier’s dilemma.
This is my dilemma.
IN THE CLOSET
Rational men and women
Do not believe:
Bible is the word of God
Jesus was the Son of God
Koran was the last word of God
Mormon is God’s latest last word
Rational men and women do believe:
Universes are infinite in time and space
Men and women do not understand infinity
Rational men and women, declare your rationality
Come out of the closet
THE GIFTS
Judaism’s gifts to the world:
One God
The Torah
The Commandments
The rule of law
The Prophets
Hillel
Jesus
The Golden Rule
Mohammad
Maimonades
Joseph Smith
Karl Marx
Einstein
Freud
Salk
and
163 Nobel Prizes
Judaism, a gift that keeps on giving
Faith
Reason says bible is myth
Rational men know
God didn’t talk to Moses
Jesus was not God incarnate
Allah did not dictate the Koran to Muhammad
Yet intelligent and otherwise rational men
Substitute faith for reason
Pope John Paul was an intelligent man
He had faith and is now with god
Martyrs have faith and live in paradise
Bible promises resurrection
The faithful die with hope for the future
For the faithful
God is shepherd
Answers prayers
Comforts
Offers salvation
Atheists are rational
Atheists have no shepherd
No comforter
No salvation
No future
When atheists die, that’s it.
So be it
HATRED AND HOPE
Muslims hate us ever since
Sarah sent Ishmael away
That was six thousand years ago
They hate us to this very day.
Christians hate us ever since
Romans crucified their Christ
Gospels hold the Jews to blame
Claiming an evil Jewish tryst.
Spreading vicious Protocols lies
Accusing Jews of poisoning wells
Blaming the Jews for deadly plagues
Accusing Jews of evil blood libel
Denying the Nazi holocaust
Distorting the ancient Jewish Bible.
There’s little hope for lasting peace
For Jews in their Jewish State.
They can survive, may even thrive
In spite of vicious widespread hate.
REFLECTIONS ON THE INFINITY
Twenty, an atheist,
lying at the stern of a warship
in the Pacific Ocean,
gazing at a clear, cloudless night sky.
I saw an infinite universe.
I was overwhelmed, in awe.
if there is an infinite universe,
there must be an infinite source.
that source must be what
the prophets called God.
It is sixty years since I lay on that deck
and discovered the infinite universe.
I am still overwhelmed, in awe,
still an atheist.
.PASSOVER
What does Passover mean?
The Pesach symbols on a dish.
Kosher wine, the Seder feast,
Matzo balls, gefilte fish ?
But Pesach’s more than just a meal..
There’s an epic story to be told
Of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
The Hebrew Patriarchs of old.
There’s the story of Joseph’s brothers,.
Who envied his colored coat
They threw him in a deep cistern
Thinking he’d been smote.
Joseph lived and gained the throne
Beside the mighty Pharaoh’s seat.
And when the brother’s needed food
He gave them Egypt’s wheat.
Jacob came to Egypt
And his family multiplied,
Until a wicked Pharaoh
Enslaved all Jacob’s tribe.
Then wicked Pharaoh meant to kill
Ev’ry first-born Jewish son.
But Moses lived so he’d become
The Hebrew’s most important one.
The Pharaoh made us Jews his slaves,
That’s what the Bible stories say.
But Moses came to lead the Jews
Out from Egypt and harm’s way.
Moses gave his people
A code for all mankind to read,
Commandments etched by God in stone,
Rules for all mankind to heed.
We celebrate each Pesach
With prayer and hopes for peace.
May all men follow the Moses code.
May mankind’s love for peace increase.
PASSOVER
The Real Story
We know the Bible tales are myth,
That Joseph wasn’t Jacob’s son,
That Moses, an Egyptian prince,
Had one God Ra, the sun.
We tell the tale at Pesach
In prose and praises grand
Of how the Hebrews’ Moses
Led the Jews from Egypt’s land.
We wandered in the desert
‘til Moses thought us fit
To receive God’s Ten Commandments,
The One God’s holy writ.
We know the tale is fiction,
The laws weren’t etched in stone.
Moses wrote the laws by hand
He gave them to the Jews to own.
Not all the laws were new.
There were some from other times.
But the Jews preserved and kept the laws
For the sake of all mankind.
QUID PRO QUO
It’s quite easy to be a Jew
T’was nothing I chose to do
It’s just the way that I was born
Being born of the chosen few
Numbering now so very few
Jews should merit little mention
And yet they daily manage to get
Vicious anti-Semitic attention
Hateful accusations
Christ Killers, infidels all
Stiff necked, money changers
Blood libels and Zion Protocol
It‘s not fair. mostly lies, but
Jews don’t claim perfection
We know no one’s perfect
And Jews are no exception.
But note their contributions
For which there’s little credit
One God and Ten Commandments
Deserve a badge of merit.
Jews gave the world its sacred books
Complete with wisdom and myth.
Jews gave the world the Prophets
Moses, Jesus. Mohammed, and Smith.
There’s a moral to this poem
One you all should know
In life the Jews just can’t expect
To get fair quid pro quo
AM I A JEW?
A Jew believes in the God
who made Eve from Adam’s rib,
sent a flood,
parted the Red Sea,
led Israel out of Egypt,
chose the Jews
gave them Commandments,
fed them manna,
.I don’t believe in that God.
Am I a Jew?
When Jews beat back the Arab hordes
I was proud of those Jews,
proud of those people.
Those Jews are my people.
I am a Jew.
THAT GOD.
infinite universe
endless time
omnipotent
omniscient
creator god
if that god cared about us
if that god loved us
there would be no
holocausts
genocides
boy soldiers
tsunamis
wars
that god is not a caring god.
that god is not a loving god
that god doesn’t give a damn
WHAT’S TO BE EXPECTED?
No matter the causations
After generations of humiliations,
Occupations, subjugations, annexations
What’s to be expected?
Hate’s to be expected
By generations subjected
Security walls erected
Hemming in the disaffected.
Hatred can’t be unexpected.
With so much hate
Can peace prevail
Are we utterly doomed to fail?
Will more mourning mothers wail?
Is there a possible solution
For a peaceful resolution?
We can hope.
WHEN I WAS A BOY
At Christmas time
I got Hanukkah gelt,
A dreidl, chocolate money.
Christian kids got toys
Under Christmas trees.
I hated singing the carols.
“Come let us adore Him”.
Christian kids adored Him.
I didn’t adore him.
I hated him.
Of all the people in the world,
I was one of the few
Chosen to be a Jew,
A Christ killer, a dirty Jew.
Why me?
I’m grown up. Now I know
Jesus was a Jewish rabbi
Preaching radical Jewish ideas:
Love your enemies.
Turn the other cheek.
Do unto others.
Don’t lust.
Jesus preached as a Jew.
He died a Jew.
I am a Jew.
On reflection
I’m glad I was one
Of the chosen few.
APOLOGY
Death to the infidels!
Burn their embassies and flags!
How dare they mock our prophet!
Islam is a religion of tolerance and respect.
Death to those who deny Allah.
Death to those who draw images of Muhammad.
Death to the cartoonists!
Kill the Jews!
Muslims are men of peace.
The Muslims demand an apology.
An apology! For what shall we apologize?
For free speech, free press, freedom of religion?
To whom shall we apologize? The rioters? suicide bombers?
arsonists? deniers of human rights? holocaust deniers?
To those who threaten to finish what Hitler had begun?
Apologize? Not I
THE CARTOONS
A ticking bomb in Muhammad’s hat?
Why would someone think of that?
There were no bombs in Muhammad’s days
He slew the Jews in other ways.
The cartoons depicted the Prophet,
The founder of Islamic belief
And they mocked the ignorant Muslim
Who preaches hate and causes grief.
The cartoons state an honest truth.
Offending the suicide bombers who
Compete for entry to paradise
By killing the Zionist Jew.
WHAT TO DO?
Why are we still bashing Bush?
Look at all the wars he’s won.
He’s changed Iraq’s corrupt regime.
Bin Laden’s hiding on the run.
Iraq now has a constitution
The insurgency is bound to fail
Saddam Hussein is standing trial
He’ll spend the rest of life in jail.
Bush offers new retirement plans,
Tax benefits for the very rich
Drug plans that confuse us, and
We hardly know which plan is which.
The Patriot Act will be renewed
They’ll know what books we read.
Creation in biology class,
Is what our science students need.
No stem cells for research!
Who cares that miracle cures are lost?
Embryos are such precious lives, so
Into hazardous trash they‘re tossed
Whoring women having lustful sex,
Bear your babies and rejoice!
God made this world for righteous men.
No women’s rights! No women’s choice!
And what about those sinful gays?
George Bush proposed a marriage ban.
No wedding bells for lesbians,
No marriages for man to man
Forget past lies, and past mistakes.
Now what are we supposed to do?
Send more soldiers there to die?
Provide more body parts to strew?
There are options, though only a few:
Admit mistakes our country made or
Stay the course and see it through and
Pray George Bush knows what to do.
NOW &THEN
Irwin Garfinkle 9/21/2005
A blank page on my computer screen!
It’s my inquisitor, my cross-examiner
He waits for my answers.
Do I have a right to counsel?
Do I have Miranda rights?
I don’t know his questions, let alone the answers.
What the hell do you want?
My wisdom?
On matters of life and death?
I’ve lived eighty years.
But I’m not wise.
I know little of life and nothing of death.
I have nothing to say.
You’re going to hold me in contempt!
So, wait a minute, damn you.
Stop nagging while I’m trying to think!
Okay, here’s something.
Probably not the answers you’re looking for,
not visionary enough for you.
It’s the best I can do on short notice.
When young, I strove for the “good life”,
you know, money, power, sex.
That was Then.
But life is not Then.
Life is Now.
Good life, bad life, sickness, health, better, worse.
Now is life.
And what about death?
Beats me.
I guess death is future.
Death is not Now.
Whatever and whenever death is,
Now is not death.
That’s all I have to say.
You satisfied?
Oh damn! My computer screen has another blank page.
What the bleep do you want from me now?
I don’t know anything more.
So sue me. I plead the 5th.
CASEY
She sacrificed a son for him.
She wants to know why.
She wants to know
Her son did not die in vain,
That he died for a noble cause.
What was the noble cause?
To capture Osama Bin Laden?
To find weapons of mass destruction?
To free Iraq?
To establish an Islamic state?
To get Iraqi oil?
For which of these noble causes
Did Private Casey die?
His mother wants to know.
His mother has a right to know
DO NOT RESUSCITATE.
Irwin Garfinkle, 3/11/2005
Her cancers were in remission.
She worried she might live in pain.
She didn’t want to be a burden.
“Do not resuscitate”, she ordered.
“When it’s time, it’s time.
I’m ninety-one, ready to go.
No aggressive procedures”.
During an episode she thought,
”It’s time. I’m going to die”.
But then she pleaded
“Please! Don’t let me die.”
She lived five more years,
An invalid confined to bed.
She died in her sleep.
ELDERQUEST
Irwin Garfinkle 3/5/2006
Is this all there is?
Yes, this is it.
Life goes to a certain end
With an open date.
I can’t take it with me.
So what have I got?
No virgins, no resurrection,
No heaven, no hell. Oh well
Eighty is old, but don’t rush me,
I can wait for a later date.
I have things to do! I’m on a quest.
Don’t yet know what I’m questing for.
Maybe a published poem.
AT THE GATES OF BAGHDAD
Irwin Garfinkle 04/06/2003
We’re at the gates of Baghdad
The war will soon be ended.
Will we be their liberators?
Will Iraqis feel befriended?
Or will we be the infidels,
Invading for Iraqi oil?
Will they want their freedom
When Saddam’s gone from Arab Soil?
Our victory is near at hand.
We’ve routed the Palace Guard.
We’ll have the peace we’re fighting for,
Or will there be a new Jihad?
Winning the war but not the peace
After inflicting so much pain,
If an intifada should arise,
We may have fought the war in vain?
Time will tell.
TO LEONA
I AM WHAT I AM
I am what I am. I won’t change.
Don’t ask me. I’m set in my way.
I’m not perfect, nor am I ideal.
I am what I am; that’s how I’ll stay.
I know I have faults, don’t we all?
I will listen to every suggestion.
I have to do what I have to do
In spite a strong objection.
I am what I am and you know it.
I’ve tried to improve but I can’t
.You have to take me for what I am,
I won’t change, I can’t, I shan’t”
I’M NOT SMART
I’m not smart
But I’m not stupid
It doesn’t take an advanced degree
To know the world is round.
I learned this when my mother
Gave me a globe for my tenth birthday
Columbus learned this
When he sailed to America
And didn’t fall off.
I’m not smart
I can figure out a lot of things.
Though I can’t figure out how
Adam and Eve, Cain, Abel and Seth
Populated the whole world.
Something’s missing
That story must be just a story.
I’m not smart
But I know virgins
Don’t have babies
My daughter told me
She learned about that
In middle school
I’m not smart
I read about Jesus walking on water
Tried that a couple of times.
Good thing I can swim.
Won’t try that again
I’m not stupid
I’m not smart,
I know Moses and Muhammad
Didn’t; climb mountains
To talk to God or Allah
That Mary and Jesus didn’t ascend
That the worlds are billions of years old
How come presidential candidates
Don’t know what I know?
Are they stupid?
AN INVISIBLE MAN
“I need a tissue”, she said
So I kissed her.
That was funny
We laughed
Not always so funny
Can hear people talking, but
Don’t know what’s being said
So I don’t join the conversation and
I become an invisible man
What?
My Birthday
2/28/2006
Late last night
after my birthday party
tanks rumbled into town
soldiers rousted us from bed
ransacked the house
nothing found
mother hysterical
baby pressed to her breast
father is helpless
he is detained
not yet home
is it a wonder
I hate the Jews?
LET THE GAMES BEGIN
March 25, 2003
Let the games begin.
It’s not a John Wayne movie.
It’s not a World Series thriller.
It’s not our team in the Super Bowl.
It is War.
The soldiers go off to front.
We turn to CNN; we wait for the games to start.
We keep score as events unfold.
We’re ahead. Hooray!
War on TV is fun.
Our troops cannot be stopped.
No defense can hold our team.
We cheer them on: rah, rah, sis booms bah.
War on TV is fun.
But war is not a game.
Rush Limbaugh’s cheerleaders
Spout their jingo zeal
Don’t they know that war is real?
War is Shock and Awe.
War is not a game.
War is not settled at the OK Corral,
Or with a last of the ninth homerun.
War is Shock and Awe.
In war, enemies die. In war, friends die.
War is not a game.
THE POETRY WRITERS CLASS
5/1/2006
M y classmates are upset with me
Claim I’m politically incorrect
Though I said the honest truth
I failed to show Muslim respect.
They want a poem with my usual humor
They objected to my pessimist views.
They’d rather I’d optimistically write
Of peace between the Muslims and Jews.
It’s no joke about Irani Nukes,
They solemnly promise to erase the Jews
Threaten Muslim Jihad worldwide
Threaten to light a nuclear fuse.
Nevertheless I’ll do my best
To introduce some humor in rhyme.
I’ll start with Bush, Delay and Rove
Cheney, Liddy, Republican slime.
On second thoughts, they aren’t funny.
They went to war with a pack of lies.
Without a plan they marched and bombed
Without a care of the mothers’ cries.
So what’ll I do? My sex life’s funny
But who in the world be interested?
Maybe I’ll write an old dirty joke,
But a dirty joke would be protested.
So there’s to be no humor this day,
My detested poems will stay detested.
So be it.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
April 10, 2004
In full flight gear, helmet in hand,
He landed on the deck at sea.
And leaping from the jet, declared
“Mission accomplished! Iraq is free!”
The fighting’s done, our men have won.
They call us evil occupiers,
Invading just for Arab oil,
They say we’re Western infidels.
They want us off their Muslim soil.
Did we not set them free?
And so the peace is not yet won.
Insurgents’ daring ambush raids
Kill and maim our valiant men
With roadside bombs and hand grenades.
MY MOTHER
Irwin Garfinkle May 8, 2005
My mother was just my mother
Stay-at-home mom, kitchen gourmet.
Managing the Garfinkle’s home,
Caring for us all in every way.
Sent Jack, her husband off to work,
Hearty breakfast for me and Mel
Then off to school the two of us
In time before the school’s first bell.
We had a maid, a country girl
Who lived with us and helped our Ma,
Watched over us and did house chores
While Ma worked for Youth Aliah
Business reversals. Pa needed help.
So no more maid. Ma just did more
From nine to nine, beside her man
She worked with Jack at his retail store.
It wasn’t bad. We all pitched in.
It was the least we boys could do.
Dinner waiting when they came home
We did the chores, our school work, too.
Then World War II, we boys left home,
Mel with the army’s fighting teams,
Me with the Navy Training Corps,
Ma with nightmares, and violent dreams.
Ma was joyful, when we came home
Unscarred by the perils of war.
She was saddened by those families
Who sadly hung a son’s gold star.
No more at war, she prayed for peace
For country and her family.
Her sons took wives and left the home.
She prayed that they’d live happily.
Work at the store filled the empty nest.
She had charge of her own department.
No longer just a stay at home mom,
She marveled how fast her days were spent.
Death then took an untimely toll,
First Jack, then Mel and Mel’s son Mark.
The store was closed and Ma retired.
She was now alone. Her life turned dark.
Mel had worked with Ma and Pa.
While I was a thousand miles away
So when Pa died, Mel took his place
Mel worked with Ma most every day.
Ma mourned for Jack until Mel died.
Then she mourned for her son
After Mark, Ma could mourn no more
New life for her was then begun.
I thought my Ma now needed me
She refused to move into my home.
She said she valued privacy
And she decided to live alone.
Ma moved to senior housing
Where each day’s usual needs were met
She visited us several times a year
Told me don’t worry, and not to fret.
Of course I had deep feelings of guilt,
Not there to care for my Ma
But she had her independence
And that was best for Ma by far.
She suffered a fatal heart attack
I rushed to be at her side
She spoke to me of her happy life
And soon thereafter she died.
She was a wonderful mother,
a loving wife and
a strong independent woman,
whom I remember with love.
MY LOSING SEASON
2/25/2005
We hadn’t won a football game.
Our record was seven and 0
Bill Jefferson just couldn’t play
His grades were much too low.
In time for the Reading game
Bill raised his grades so he could play
In the game with our hated foe
To be played Thanksgiving day.
Stoneham was cast as underdog
Reading was favored to win.
And with Bill as our quarterback
Our hopes were riding on him.
My parents came to see me play
They‘d never seen me play before.
They only worried I might get hurt
They didn’t care about the score.
I sat on Stoneham’s bench
A substitute right guard,
Waiting for the coach to say,
“Irwin, go in. Play hard.”
In the opening plays of the game
Bill Jefferson ran for a score.
Then got hurt, out of the game
Stoneham could score no more.
Our defense held Reading scoreless.
Stoneham had its only win.
The coach sent in no substitutes
He never said to me “go in”.
I knew coach wanted to put me in;
This was my senior year
He knew my folks were in the stands
Ready to yell and cheer.
Stoneham won! Oh happy day,
Yet my parents didn’t see me play.
My heart was broken at game’s end
I felt no joy for this greatest day.
Beating arch rival, Reading
Was momentous for good reason
It lifted the spirits of our team,
But for me that game,
Was my losing season.
NOBODY
once
I was somebody
now I’m old
a nobody
preaching to old nobodies
is there a somebody here?
war
jihad
anarchy
perhaps a nobody has solutions
but nobody listens
to a nobody.
NATIONAL GUARD
Handsome recruiters
Exciting Benefits
Extra pay
College tuition
Career training
War games
Playing soldier
Weekend warriors
Weekend fun
Weekend heroes
Real war
No more games
No playing soldier
Insurgency
Suicide bombs
Bloodshed
Dead comrades
Dismembered bodies
The stink of war
Real heroes
NO GOODBYE
she was late
a knock on the door
not coming home
how? where? when?
no difference
in an instant
no warning
gone
I was alone
in pain
40 years
shared space
shared joys
shared sorrows
shared love
suddenly alone
no goodbye
AMERICA’S CHOSEN
We chose a Man who hears God’s voice,
God told the Man he was God’s choice.
Is that not reason to rejoice?
It’s a miracle, if not absurd.
The Chosen Man heard God’s true Word.
I was listening. I never heard.
.
Was he a Man that heaven sent?
The chosen Man’s now president.
He knows he knows what God’s word meant.
The president has four more years
Many people are shedding tears
Because of their foreboding fears,
Fears the voice he hears means war,
A Muslim war with martyrs galore,
A war that sensible men abhor.
So with the Man we rise and pray.
Stand up and cheer hip, hip, hooray!
God’s on the side of the USA.
God, can I hear you now?
TRUE LOVE AGAIN.
I was shy, and late maturing
I tried, but girls paid me no heed
At last I loved and married
One who filled my every need.
But alas, I became a widower
Lonely and wallowing in grief
When matchmakers all conspired
To make my widowhood brief
My cousin didn’t know Leona
Her aunt Charlotte didn’t know me
They thought I’d be a very good catch
That we would make the perfect match.
A good catch? A perfect match?
Well, it seems they got it right
Fourteen years together
She’s my princess, I’m her knight. Right?
TWO BOYS
One boy went to cheder
Learned aleph, bet, gimmel.
Memorized his haphtarah
Made a speech in shul
His parents called him a man.
He counted bar mitzvah presents.
One boy went to a mosque
Was taught Shahada
Learned hatred
Killed for Allah
His parents called him a Shahid
He never counted presents.
LET US PRAY
The all knowing, omnipotent God
found only one man worth saving
and drowned the rest in a flood.
The all knowing, omnipotent God
found no one worth saving in Sodom and Gomorra,
not even an innocent child.
The all knowing and omnipotent God
watched the slaughter of eleven million,
including six million of his chosen people.
The all knowing omnipotent God
created a tsunami and drowned
untold thousands of innocent Asians.
Who does this God think he is?
God thinks he created the universe,
But man created God.
God is out of control. “So, God, you’re fired.”
We’ve created a new God to protect us.
We call our new God Aflac.
Let us pray.
HOORAY FOR OUR SIDE.
The invasion was a cakewalk.
The Republican Guard was humbled.
Nothing stopped our troops’ advance.
Iraqi defenses crumbled.
Our troops are all accounted for.
No one is missing in action.
The daring rescue of Jennifer Lynch
Brought national satisfaction.
We proved to the evil axis
We’re the Masters of all we survey.
We have the smartest weapons
Their guns are just child’s play.
Now the fighting war is over.
We must restore tranquility.
I hope our fighting men of war.
Have peace making ability.
The entire world is watching
While our leaders smirk and prance?
I wonder when our troops go home,
Will Iraqis cry, or will they dance?
WHAT WENT WRONG?
A beautiful, sensitive boy.
Handsome and. bright, happy and strong.
Committed and loving parents.
There was so much promise! What went wrong?
Were we too strict, too permissive?
Did we provide more than we should?
The rule of reason was our rule.
We wanted him to reach manhood.
We sought answers; we got advice.
Were there signs we might have missed?
We tried so hard, perhaps too hard
Though now he’s grown, we still persist.
Always the parents fault they say.
You can hear them on talk radios.
We did our best and yet we failed.
We don’t know why. Nobody knows?
So what is a parent to do?
All grown up with kids of his own,
Give him more love, another chance,
Or let him reap the seeds he’s sown.
APOCALYPSE
Hitler is dead
Stalin’s Evil Empire has fallen
The Axis of Evil is contained
The Hindus are building cities
Protocols of Zion are a forgery
The Chinese are becoming capitalists
Buddhists seek serenity
What is there to fear?
Is there an enemy?
Mien Kampf was Hitler’s plan
The Quran is Muslim’s Mien Kampf
Muslims obey the Prophet
Follow the Quran
Kill the infidel
Encourage martyrdom
Martyr their children
Teach hatred
Issue fatwas
Muslims are the enemy
Muslims are at war now
Soon the bomb
Apocalypse
Two Boys
Ellen Huber thinks I really am a poet. Thanks Ellen! She asked me to publish this one.
TWO BOYS
One boy went to cheder
Learned aleph, bet, gimmel.
Memorized his haphtarah
Made a speech in shul
His parents called him a man.
He counted bar mitzvah presents.
One boy went to a mosque
Was taught Shahada
Learned hatred
Killed for Allah
His parents called him a Shahid
He never counted presents.
TWO BOYS
One boy went to cheder
Learned aleph, bet, gimmel.
Memorized his haphtarah
Made a speech in shul
His parents called him a man.
He counted bar mitzvah presents.
One boy went to a mosque
Was taught Shahada
Learned hatred
Killed for Allah
His parents called him a Shahid
He never counted presents.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Plan B
The following is an OpEd by Sasha Polakow-Suransky that appeared in the Boston Globe on May 16, 2010. The article reflects some of my thinking concerning the Israeli/Palestine peace process. I don't know the solution to the problem, but it seems to me that this is the time for new thinking, that is, a Plan B,
Home / Globe / Ideas Middle East Plan B
It has been almost 17 years since Yasir Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin shook hands in the White House Rose Garden, setting in motion a process that was supposed to end the conflict for good. The agreement Clinton envisioned was relatively simple: Two states for two peoples. Israel would largely withdraw from the territories it has occupied since 1967, while retaining a few large settlement blocs within the West Bank and compensating the Palestinians with a similar amount of land from Israel proper. This two-state solution respects the fundamental tenets of Zionism — by allowing Israel to remain a Jewish-majority state — and satisfies moderate Palestinians’ nationalist ambitions by creating a national home for 4 million stateless Palestinians. It has guided western policy ever since.
But the two-state solution has not worked, and there is a growing fear that it never will, despite the resumption last week of indirect talks. Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 only to see the Islamic fundamentalist party Hamas take control of it, sending rockets into Israeli cities across the border. Meanwhile, Israel has continued to expand settlements in the West Bank, making the possibility of a territorially contiguous Palestine seem more remote than ever. With over 300,000 settlers in the West Bank today — compared to just over 100,000 in 1993 — many analysts on both sides believe that the settlements have become too entrenched and inextricably tied to Israel proper for the government to realistically evacuate all or most of its citizens, even if Israeli forces withdraw. Still, because negotiators on both sides and officials in Washington are so well-versed in two-state diplomacy and have been working for years to bring such a solution about, it remains the default option even as logistics conspire to make it impossible.
“Everyone agrees that we are very likely reaching a point where the two-state solution finally becomes impossible,” says Israeli journalist Dmitry Reider. “But they simultaneously refuse to discuss any ideas about what to do once we get there.”
But if the two-state solution fails and there are no meaningful alternative plans on the table, the prospect of all-out violence looms. Secular Palestinian leaders, discredited for failing to deliver statehood, would likely be discarded in favor of extremists. Meanwhile, Israel might simply opt to impose a border unilaterally, a move that could jeopardize its existing peace treaties with Jordan and Egypt and provoke violent Palestinian resistance. This would likely take Israel and its neighbors back to the state of on-and-off war that existed during the 1970s. With Plan A on life support and a grim future on the horizon, the time has come to consider alternatives, as unorthodox as they may be.
The most popular of these alternatives — one country for two peoples — strikes fear into the hearts of Israelis and committed Zionists worldwide. They have long dreaded the idea of a single state for both the Jews and the Palestinians, for reasons of simple demographics: If Jews become a minority, the Zionist dream is over. The Israeli government is acutely aware that if it does not relinquish control over the West Bank and the Palestinian population expands, Jews will eventually become a minority governing over a majority and the “apartheid” label that Israel’s critics have long sought to tag it with will begin to stick. In February, Defense Minister Ehud Barak presented the dilemma facing Israel in stark terms: “As long as between the Jordan and the Sea there is only one political entity, named Israel, it will end up being either non-Jewish or non-democratic....If the Palestinians vote in elections, it is a binational state; and if they don’t vote, it is an apartheid state.”
If Barak’s first scenario comes to pass — a state that is democratic but not Jewish — there would be several possible ways to organize it. One would be a consociational democracy, a la Switzerland, with autonomy for regional and linguistic minorities and proportional representation of all groups. Another would be a Belgian-style federation of Jews and Palestinians in which each community has an autonomous government but a strong central government exists to resolve issues affecting both communities. Or there could be a purely majoritarian democracy: one person, one vote, and a single, centralized government.
Support for some kind of single-state solution is growing among Palestinians and even being grudgingly considered by some Israelis. Although the Palestinian Authority officially remains in favor of two states, Palestinian Authority negotiator Ahmed Qureia suggested as early as 2004 that Palestinians would “go for a one-state solution in which the Palestinians have the same rights as Israelis” if the alternative required settling for small noncontiguous pockets of land. An April poll conducted by An-Najah National University in Nablus revealed that only 28 percent of Palestinians are prepared to accept an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, as envisioned in the two-state model; many are instead entertaining the idea of demanding voting rights within Israel.
Even though that strategy terrifies most Zionists, some notable right-wing Israelis are starting to break the one-state taboo as well. Likud Party Knesset member Tzipi Hotovely has been pushing for a plan that avoids the evacuation of West Bank settlements, granting Palestinians Israeli citizenship if necessary. And on April 29, the Likud Party Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin told the Greek ambassador that he “would rather see Palestinians as citizens of this State than partition the land.”
Others propose the reverse: allowing Israeli settlers to stay in Palestine. There would be two states, but no one would be required to move when the borders are drawn; the settlers could simply become minority citizens of the new state. Permitting settlers to remain in West Bank enclaves — even if those areas become part of Palestine — would allow Israel to avoid that drama of uprooting its own citizens from their homes. Many Palestinians bristle at the notion of rewarding Israel for decades of settlement expansion, which they regard as illegal. These moral objections notwithstanding, high-level Palestinian officials are taking the idea seriously. Qureia, the lead Palestinian negotiator, has explicitly proposed such an arrangement. He told the Israeli daily Haaretz in 2009, “Those residents of Ma’aleh Adumim or Ariel who would rather stay in their homes could live under Palestinian rule and law, just like the Israeli Arabs who live among you. They could hold Palestinian and Israeli nationalities. If they want it — welcome.”
An even more radical idea has been put forward by Swedish diplomat Mathias Mossberg and UC-Irvine professor Mark LeVine. They do not believe giving settlers Palestinian passports would solve anything. The two propose creating overlapping states between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea, delinking the concept of state sovereignty from a specific territory. There would be an Israel and a Palestine, but rather than divide the land, the two states would be superimposed on top of one another. The plan would permit individuals to live where they wish and choose their political allegiance. This, they argue, would resolve the seemingly intractable questions of how to divide the holy city of Jerusalem and whether to allow Palestinian refugees “the right of return” to their old communities.
It is a creative and theoretically attractive solution because it doesn’t require forcing people from their homes or drawing new borders. However, their plan overlooks the near-total lack of trust between the two communities and is vague on the maddeningly complicated questions of jurisdiction that would arise, for example, in the case of a crimes involving both Israelis and Palestinians. Former US ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer regards the idea as a waste of time, arguing: “This is not a conflict where untried experiments in political science should be tried on the ground.”
With the two-state solution on life support and the Palestinian Authority and Hamas still at odds in their respective fiefdoms, Israeli government officials are contemplating a three-state model. The plan would essentially formalize the current status quo of a Hamas-ruled Gaza, a nominal Palestinian Authority state in most of the West Bank, and Israel within its 1967 borders plus a few annexed settlement blocs. James Zogby of the Arab-American Institute insists that this would never be sustainable because Palestinians would not allow Gaza to remain “a reservation of poverty, despair, and anger.” Still, with no sign of a reconciliation between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, and the refusal of Hamas to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist, some in the Israeli government believe maintaining the status quo is the easiest option.
Last week, Israelis and Palestinians resumed so-called proximity talks, with American mediators shuttling back and forth because the two parties will not meet each other face-to-face. None of these ideas will likely be on the agenda. The United States is still a firm believer in the peace process, and the two-state solution remains an article of faith in Washington and among regional experts.
But as facts on the ground gradually extinguish the possibility of a two-state deal, the unorthodox options deserve consideration, if only as a glimpse into what the future may hold. Moreover, the specter of a one-state solution could soon be invoked as a threat in negotiations if Palestinians do not see a viable independent state on the horizon.
Meanwhile, officials like Barak, who warn ominously that Israel will sink into apartheid, are doing little to encourage the territorial concessions necessary to steer Israel away from that perilous course. Pleased with a booming economy and an absence of suicide bombings, the Israeli government appears to be in no rush to seal a comprehensive deal, believing that the status quo can hold for several years. But not forever. Ironically, when that time comes, the Israeli officials who talk of three states as a stopgap measure and claim they are working to create two coexisting side-by-side in peace and harmony, could soon find themselves left with only one — the scenario they have always dreaded.
Sasha Polakow-Suransky is a senior editor at Foreign Affairs and author of ”The Unspoken Alliance: Israel’s Secret Relationship with Apartheid South Africa.”
© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.
Home / Globe / Ideas Middle East Plan B
It has been almost 17 years since Yasir Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin shook hands in the White House Rose Garden, setting in motion a process that was supposed to end the conflict for good. The agreement Clinton envisioned was relatively simple: Two states for two peoples. Israel would largely withdraw from the territories it has occupied since 1967, while retaining a few large settlement blocs within the West Bank and compensating the Palestinians with a similar amount of land from Israel proper. This two-state solution respects the fundamental tenets of Zionism — by allowing Israel to remain a Jewish-majority state — and satisfies moderate Palestinians’ nationalist ambitions by creating a national home for 4 million stateless Palestinians. It has guided western policy ever since.
But the two-state solution has not worked, and there is a growing fear that it never will, despite the resumption last week of indirect talks. Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 only to see the Islamic fundamentalist party Hamas take control of it, sending rockets into Israeli cities across the border. Meanwhile, Israel has continued to expand settlements in the West Bank, making the possibility of a territorially contiguous Palestine seem more remote than ever. With over 300,000 settlers in the West Bank today — compared to just over 100,000 in 1993 — many analysts on both sides believe that the settlements have become too entrenched and inextricably tied to Israel proper for the government to realistically evacuate all or most of its citizens, even if Israeli forces withdraw. Still, because negotiators on both sides and officials in Washington are so well-versed in two-state diplomacy and have been working for years to bring such a solution about, it remains the default option even as logistics conspire to make it impossible.
“Everyone agrees that we are very likely reaching a point where the two-state solution finally becomes impossible,” says Israeli journalist Dmitry Reider. “But they simultaneously refuse to discuss any ideas about what to do once we get there.”
But if the two-state solution fails and there are no meaningful alternative plans on the table, the prospect of all-out violence looms. Secular Palestinian leaders, discredited for failing to deliver statehood, would likely be discarded in favor of extremists. Meanwhile, Israel might simply opt to impose a border unilaterally, a move that could jeopardize its existing peace treaties with Jordan and Egypt and provoke violent Palestinian resistance. This would likely take Israel and its neighbors back to the state of on-and-off war that existed during the 1970s. With Plan A on life support and a grim future on the horizon, the time has come to consider alternatives, as unorthodox as they may be.
The most popular of these alternatives — one country for two peoples — strikes fear into the hearts of Israelis and committed Zionists worldwide. They have long dreaded the idea of a single state for both the Jews and the Palestinians, for reasons of simple demographics: If Jews become a minority, the Zionist dream is over. The Israeli government is acutely aware that if it does not relinquish control over the West Bank and the Palestinian population expands, Jews will eventually become a minority governing over a majority and the “apartheid” label that Israel’s critics have long sought to tag it with will begin to stick. In February, Defense Minister Ehud Barak presented the dilemma facing Israel in stark terms: “As long as between the Jordan and the Sea there is only one political entity, named Israel, it will end up being either non-Jewish or non-democratic....If the Palestinians vote in elections, it is a binational state; and if they don’t vote, it is an apartheid state.”
If Barak’s first scenario comes to pass — a state that is democratic but not Jewish — there would be several possible ways to organize it. One would be a consociational democracy, a la Switzerland, with autonomy for regional and linguistic minorities and proportional representation of all groups. Another would be a Belgian-style federation of Jews and Palestinians in which each community has an autonomous government but a strong central government exists to resolve issues affecting both communities. Or there could be a purely majoritarian democracy: one person, one vote, and a single, centralized government.
Support for some kind of single-state solution is growing among Palestinians and even being grudgingly considered by some Israelis. Although the Palestinian Authority officially remains in favor of two states, Palestinian Authority negotiator Ahmed Qureia suggested as early as 2004 that Palestinians would “go for a one-state solution in which the Palestinians have the same rights as Israelis” if the alternative required settling for small noncontiguous pockets of land. An April poll conducted by An-Najah National University in Nablus revealed that only 28 percent of Palestinians are prepared to accept an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, as envisioned in the two-state model; many are instead entertaining the idea of demanding voting rights within Israel.
Even though that strategy terrifies most Zionists, some notable right-wing Israelis are starting to break the one-state taboo as well. Likud Party Knesset member Tzipi Hotovely has been pushing for a plan that avoids the evacuation of West Bank settlements, granting Palestinians Israeli citizenship if necessary. And on April 29, the Likud Party Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin told the Greek ambassador that he “would rather see Palestinians as citizens of this State than partition the land.”
Others propose the reverse: allowing Israeli settlers to stay in Palestine. There would be two states, but no one would be required to move when the borders are drawn; the settlers could simply become minority citizens of the new state. Permitting settlers to remain in West Bank enclaves — even if those areas become part of Palestine — would allow Israel to avoid that drama of uprooting its own citizens from their homes. Many Palestinians bristle at the notion of rewarding Israel for decades of settlement expansion, which they regard as illegal. These moral objections notwithstanding, high-level Palestinian officials are taking the idea seriously. Qureia, the lead Palestinian negotiator, has explicitly proposed such an arrangement. He told the Israeli daily Haaretz in 2009, “Those residents of Ma’aleh Adumim or Ariel who would rather stay in their homes could live under Palestinian rule and law, just like the Israeli Arabs who live among you. They could hold Palestinian and Israeli nationalities. If they want it — welcome.”
An even more radical idea has been put forward by Swedish diplomat Mathias Mossberg and UC-Irvine professor Mark LeVine. They do not believe giving settlers Palestinian passports would solve anything. The two propose creating overlapping states between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea, delinking the concept of state sovereignty from a specific territory. There would be an Israel and a Palestine, but rather than divide the land, the two states would be superimposed on top of one another. The plan would permit individuals to live where they wish and choose their political allegiance. This, they argue, would resolve the seemingly intractable questions of how to divide the holy city of Jerusalem and whether to allow Palestinian refugees “the right of return” to their old communities.
It is a creative and theoretically attractive solution because it doesn’t require forcing people from their homes or drawing new borders. However, their plan overlooks the near-total lack of trust between the two communities and is vague on the maddeningly complicated questions of jurisdiction that would arise, for example, in the case of a crimes involving both Israelis and Palestinians. Former US ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer regards the idea as a waste of time, arguing: “This is not a conflict where untried experiments in political science should be tried on the ground.”
With the two-state solution on life support and the Palestinian Authority and Hamas still at odds in their respective fiefdoms, Israeli government officials are contemplating a three-state model. The plan would essentially formalize the current status quo of a Hamas-ruled Gaza, a nominal Palestinian Authority state in most of the West Bank, and Israel within its 1967 borders plus a few annexed settlement blocs. James Zogby of the Arab-American Institute insists that this would never be sustainable because Palestinians would not allow Gaza to remain “a reservation of poverty, despair, and anger.” Still, with no sign of a reconciliation between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, and the refusal of Hamas to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist, some in the Israeli government believe maintaining the status quo is the easiest option.
Last week, Israelis and Palestinians resumed so-called proximity talks, with American mediators shuttling back and forth because the two parties will not meet each other face-to-face. None of these ideas will likely be on the agenda. The United States is still a firm believer in the peace process, and the two-state solution remains an article of faith in Washington and among regional experts.
But as facts on the ground gradually extinguish the possibility of a two-state deal, the unorthodox options deserve consideration, if only as a glimpse into what the future may hold. Moreover, the specter of a one-state solution could soon be invoked as a threat in negotiations if Palestinians do not see a viable independent state on the horizon.
Meanwhile, officials like Barak, who warn ominously that Israel will sink into apartheid, are doing little to encourage the territorial concessions necessary to steer Israel away from that perilous course. Pleased with a booming economy and an absence of suicide bombings, the Israeli government appears to be in no rush to seal a comprehensive deal, believing that the status quo can hold for several years. But not forever. Ironically, when that time comes, the Israeli officials who talk of three states as a stopgap measure and claim they are working to create two coexisting side-by-side in peace and harmony, could soon find themselves left with only one — the scenario they have always dreaded.
Sasha Polakow-Suransky is a senior editor at Foreign Affairs and author of ”The Unspoken Alliance: Israel’s Secret Relationship with Apartheid South Africa.”
© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Ivan's Third Birthday
It was about an hour and a half drive to the park where Rhianan had a picnic party for Ivan. Once I arrived at the park, I spent 35 minutes looking for the picnic site. At last I gor a cell phone call from Jeff, who saw me riding by. I found him and we both made it. Actually, we were amoung the early arrivals.
What I learned was that great grandfathers are two generations removed from most of the guests, many holding babies and young children. But, I enjoyed the event and had plenty to eat. Carla's taco salad was particularly good.
I met Igor's uncle, Andrea. We had an interesting conversation ranging from immigration to religion. He is an immigrant from Russia, and grew up in the Soviet Union. It took him 10 years to obtain papers to legally enter the United States. He's been here for 20 years and is a zealous, patriotic U.S. Citizen. He is against giving amnesty to illegal immigrants. If the United States does not enforce its laws, it will not be fair to those like him, who obeyed the law.
I suggested that Congess could change the law to give legal status to the illegals. He still objected on the basis of fairness. He insisted that all laws be enforced.
How about the lsw forbidding assassinations? He wasn't sure about that. After all, Bin Ladin is the enemy. It is okay to kill the enemy by assassiation. But, I asked, what about the law? We agreed to disagree.
We also talked about religion, but logic has little influence in matters of faith.
What I learned was that great grandfathers are two generations removed from most of the guests, many holding babies and young children. But, I enjoyed the event and had plenty to eat. Carla's taco salad was particularly good.
I met Igor's uncle, Andrea. We had an interesting conversation ranging from immigration to religion. He is an immigrant from Russia, and grew up in the Soviet Union. It took him 10 years to obtain papers to legally enter the United States. He's been here for 20 years and is a zealous, patriotic U.S. Citizen. He is against giving amnesty to illegal immigrants. If the United States does not enforce its laws, it will not be fair to those like him, who obeyed the law.
I suggested that Congess could change the law to give legal status to the illegals. He still objected on the basis of fairness. He insisted that all laws be enforced.
How about the lsw forbidding assassinations? He wasn't sure about that. After all, Bin Ladin is the enemy. It is okay to kill the enemy by assassiation. But, I asked, what about the law? We agreed to disagree.
We also talked about religion, but logic has little influence in matters of faith.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT
One of my correspondents says she cannot support Israel because of the treatment by the Israelis of the people of Palestine. I regret that there are many who agree. I understand that point of view. The Palestinian people have suffered for over 6 decades. What wasn’t said was whether she supported the right of Israel to exist. The Palestinians have made it clear that the destruction of Israel is the only acceptable solution to the conflict..
I as sure my correspondent is fully aware of the history of the Israeli and Arab conflict. It started many years before the Nazi Holocaust, the United Nations partition and the establishment of the state of Israel. The conflict escalated in 1948 when Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq invaded Israel, assuring the Palestinians who fled that they could return as soon as the Jews were driven into the sea. That didn’t happen, and those who fled were kept in refugee camps. Jordan actually waged war against the refugees and many fled to Lebanon.
The 1948 war was followed by a succession of wars, resulting in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Many peace efforts brokered by the United States resulted in agreements that the PLO and Hamas failed to live up to. The PLO and Hamas charters still call for the destruction of Israel. Probably, as you read this, Hamas is sending rockets into Israel.
There are now 7 million Jews living in the state of Israel surrounded by hordes of hostile Arabs and Iran. Israel wants peace. Israel offers peace on terms which concede and meet almost all Arab demands. I wonder what my correspondent would have the Israelis do. Suicide is not an option..
One of my correspondents says she cannot support Israel because of the treatment by the Israelis of the people of Palestine. I regret that there are many who agree. I understand that point of view. The Palestinian people have suffered for over 6 decades. What wasn’t said was whether she supported the right of Israel to exist. The Palestinians have made it clear that the destruction of Israel is the only acceptable solution to the conflict..
I as sure my correspondent is fully aware of the history of the Israeli and Arab conflict. It started many years before the Nazi Holocaust, the United Nations partition and the establishment of the state of Israel. The conflict escalated in 1948 when Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq invaded Israel, assuring the Palestinians who fled that they could return as soon as the Jews were driven into the sea. That didn’t happen, and those who fled were kept in refugee camps. Jordan actually waged war against the refugees and many fled to Lebanon.
The 1948 war was followed by a succession of wars, resulting in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Many peace efforts brokered by the United States resulted in agreements that the PLO and Hamas failed to live up to. The PLO and Hamas charters still call for the destruction of Israel. Probably, as you read this, Hamas is sending rockets into Israel.
There are now 7 million Jews living in the state of Israel surrounded by hordes of hostile Arabs and Iran. Israel wants peace. Israel offers peace on terms which concede and meet almost all Arab demands. I wonder what my correspondent would have the Israelis do. Suicide is not an option..
Monday, April 12, 2010
WHAT'S THE MATTER?
WHAT’S THE MATTER
It’s true!
Matter cannot be created
Matter cannot be destroyed.
Man dies, the remains are recycled.
What of man’s soul?
If soul is matter
It cannot be destroyed
If not destroyed where does the soul go?
If soul is matter
It would be a waste
Not to reuse the good souls.
Oh well,
Does it really matter?
It’s true!
Matter cannot be created
Matter cannot be destroyed.
Man dies, the remains are recycled.
What of man’s soul?
If soul is matter
It cannot be destroyed
If not destroyed where does the soul go?
If soul is matter
It would be a waste
Not to reuse the good souls.
Oh well,
Does it really matter?
Saturday, March 27, 2010
TWO QUESTIONS
TWO QUESTIONS
WHY I AM HERE?
You ask me
“Why are you here?
You don’t believe in God
In retribution and reward
In a life hereafter”
So, you ask,
“What is your purpose in life?
Why are you here?”
A good question
I have an answer
I am here because I am here
I am here to live this life
With no expectations
Of retribution
Reward
Or afterlife
If I’m right, I won’t know.
If I’m wrong, I won’t tell.
So be it.
AM I A JEW?
You ask me
“Why do you say you are a Jew?
You don’t believe in God
You don’t go to synagogue
You don’t pray to a supreme being
You deny the myths of the Bible
And question even the 10 Commandments
How can you call yourself a Jew?”
A good question
I have an answer
My parents were Jews.
Therefore, I was born a Jew
I associate with Jews
I give to Jewish causes
Whether right or wrong,
I support the Jewish people
They are my people.
My people include
Einstein, Freud, Hillel, Jesus
Maimonades, Marx, Salk
Sabin, Spinozza, Steinmetz
Bernard Madoff and Bugsy Segal
They are all my people
All my people are not perfect.
.
WHY I AM HERE?
You ask me
“Why are you here?
You don’t believe in God
In retribution and reward
In a life hereafter”
So, you ask,
“What is your purpose in life?
Why are you here?”
A good question
I have an answer
I am here because I am here
I am here to live this life
With no expectations
Of retribution
Reward
Or afterlife
If I’m right, I won’t know.
If I’m wrong, I won’t tell.
So be it.
AM I A JEW?
You ask me
“Why do you say you are a Jew?
You don’t believe in God
You don’t go to synagogue
You don’t pray to a supreme being
You deny the myths of the Bible
And question even the 10 Commandments
How can you call yourself a Jew?”
A good question
I have an answer
My parents were Jews.
Therefore, I was born a Jew
I associate with Jews
I give to Jewish causes
Whether right or wrong,
I support the Jewish people
They are my people.
My people include
Einstein, Freud, Hillel, Jesus
Maimonades, Marx, Salk
Sabin, Spinozza, Steinmetz
Bernard Madoff and Bugsy Segal
They are all my people
All my people are not perfect.
.
AM I LUCKY?
AM I LUCKY?
I read the obits
So many my age
Even younger
But not yet me
That’s lucky.
Sulfa drugs
By-pass surgery
Radioactive seeding
Medicare
That’s lucky
Nursing home
Assisted living
Not yet for me
That’s lucky
First generation born
Free to pursue
The American Dream
That was really lucky
I’ve had the good life
Most ups, few downs
Unconditional love
Yes, I’m lucky
I read the obits
So many my age
Even younger
But not yet me
That’s lucky.
Sulfa drugs
By-pass surgery
Radioactive seeding
Medicare
That’s lucky
Nursing home
Assisted living
Not yet for me
That’s lucky
First generation born
Free to pursue
The American Dream
That was really lucky
I’ve had the good life
Most ups, few downs
Unconditional love
Yes, I’m lucky
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
WHO CARES
WHO CARES
Writers’ block
Nothing new to say
What’s the use?
Nobody listens
Nobody cares
Why should I care?
I have mine
Three pensions
A big home on two acres
So why should I care.
Millions unemployed
What’s it to me
I’m retired
Don’t need a job.
I’m on easy street
So why should I care.
No health insurance?
Can’t afford to get sick
What’s it to me?
I have Medicare
So why should I care
Two endless wars
Thousands killed and maimed
I care, but what can I do?
Just carp and complain
What’s the use?
Nobody is listening
Nobody cares.
I post to my blog
No one reads it.
Maybe my classmates will.
I’ll give it a try
Go to:
www.riverroadpoet.blogspot.com
Writers’ block
Nothing new to say
What’s the use?
Nobody listens
Nobody cares
Why should I care?
I have mine
Three pensions
A big home on two acres
So why should I care.
Millions unemployed
What’s it to me
I’m retired
Don’t need a job.
I’m on easy street
So why should I care.
No health insurance?
Can’t afford to get sick
What’s it to me?
I have Medicare
So why should I care
Two endless wars
Thousands killed and maimed
I care, but what can I do?
Just carp and complain
What’s the use?
Nobody is listening
Nobody cares.
I post to my blog
No one reads it.
Maybe my classmates will.
I’ll give it a try
Go to:
www.riverroadpoet.blogspot.com
Thursday, February 18, 2010
12/16/2009
TERROR
Terror strikes; so many dead.
Suicide bombs; we live in dread.
No compromise with fanatic zeal
A war of the worlds seems all too real
Muslim Jihad, our surge will fail,
The surge will be to no avail
Our civilization is at stake
This is war, make no mistake.
Jihadists demand Mohammad’s rule
Sharia law, so ugly and cruel
Uncivilized law, a brutal perversion
Demanding death or forced conversion
Is there no hope? Will Jihad spread?
Can Muslims live in peace instead?
Modern Muslims oppose their word
But only whispers from them are heard.
Modern Muslims! You must arise.
Shout the truth, deny the lies.
Jihad is turning the world clock back
To stoning and the torture rack.
What use will be an American surge
If modern Islam does not emerge
Defeat of terror is in Muslim hands
Denying Jihadists their evil demands.
TERROR
Terror strikes; so many dead.
Suicide bombs; we live in dread.
No compromise with fanatic zeal
A war of the worlds seems all too real
Muslim Jihad, our surge will fail,
The surge will be to no avail
Our civilization is at stake
This is war, make no mistake.
Jihadists demand Mohammad’s rule
Sharia law, so ugly and cruel
Uncivilized law, a brutal perversion
Demanding death or forced conversion
Is there no hope? Will Jihad spread?
Can Muslims live in peace instead?
Modern Muslims oppose their word
But only whispers from them are heard.
Modern Muslims! You must arise.
Shout the truth, deny the lies.
Jihad is turning the world clock back
To stoning and the torture rack.
What use will be an American surge
If modern Islam does not emerge
Defeat of terror is in Muslim hands
Denying Jihadists their evil demands.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
THE CUSTER SYNDRONE
Irwin Garfinkle 7/28/2006
I was 23 years old in 1948, so what did I know? I had graduated from law school, passed the Massachusetts bar and was practicing law in my own office. I thought I was pretty smart. I thought the establishment of a Jewish state amid millions of hostile Arabs was foolhardy. George Custer’s chances for survival at Little Big Horn were much better. I knew I was right when the Arab hordes, including forces trained by the British attacked on all fronts. But I didn’t know about miracles. The Jews not only survived, but prevailed to establish Israel, a democratic state. A miracle! Unbelievable!
I was proud of those Jews. They were my people, my family. They proved to the world that Jews were not nebbish. They proved that I was not so smart, that I was wrong, that my people could prevail against overwhelming odds. Unlike Custer, we Jews, my people would have prevailed at Little Big Horn.
That was 60 years ago. Now, I’m older and perhaps, wiser. I am still proud of how my people defended themselves in 1948, and throughout all the succeeding wars including the intefada. The Jews are no longer regarded as nebbish. Indeed, we Jews are now regarded by many as part of a powerful worldwide conspiracy to rule the world. While the conspiracy accusations may be tainted by anti-Semitism, I actually prefer being regarded as powerful conspirator, rather than nebbish.
But after 60 years of military successes, I am concerned that the Israelis, and perhaps all Jews, are again at Little Big Horn, and the adversary is acquiring the means to overwhelm them. Not only will the enemy have technically advanced arsenals, Iran will have the bomb. Is the Muslim world prepared for mutual self-destruction? Islam as practiced by the fanatic is a culture of death. Paradise awaits the martyrs who die killing infidels. The martyrs want to ethnically cleanse the world of infidels, starting first with the Jews. An unthinkable nuclear attack? Yes, Israel can and would retaliate, but what then? The destruction of Iran, Syria, Iraq? The end of Israel? The Final Solution?
The Muslim world has been and is now at war with the West. Because of the West’s superiority of arms, the Muslim war is limited to suicide bombings and hit and run attacks. Israel learned to cope with that type of war, dreadful as it may be.
It is not politically correct, and probably not true, to suggest that all Muslims are enemies of the West. I think it is safe to say, however, that all Muslim theocracies are the enemy. The Muslim world hates the West. Note the celebrations following 9/11. Whatever the cause of this hate, the West is the infidel with lifestyles that offend the radical Islamist believer. No westerner is hated more than the Jew. The fanatical Muslims who now are in power will never accept a Western democracy in its midst, and half of the Jews of the world are at Little Big Horn, scorned and outnumbered by millions of “hostiles”.
Irwin Garfinkle 7/28/2006
I was 23 years old in 1948, so what did I know? I had graduated from law school, passed the Massachusetts bar and was practicing law in my own office. I thought I was pretty smart. I thought the establishment of a Jewish state amid millions of hostile Arabs was foolhardy. George Custer’s chances for survival at Little Big Horn were much better. I knew I was right when the Arab hordes, including forces trained by the British attacked on all fronts. But I didn’t know about miracles. The Jews not only survived, but prevailed to establish Israel, a democratic state. A miracle! Unbelievable!
I was proud of those Jews. They were my people, my family. They proved to the world that Jews were not nebbish. They proved that I was not so smart, that I was wrong, that my people could prevail against overwhelming odds. Unlike Custer, we Jews, my people would have prevailed at Little Big Horn.
That was 60 years ago. Now, I’m older and perhaps, wiser. I am still proud of how my people defended themselves in 1948, and throughout all the succeeding wars including the intefada. The Jews are no longer regarded as nebbish. Indeed, we Jews are now regarded by many as part of a powerful worldwide conspiracy to rule the world. While the conspiracy accusations may be tainted by anti-Semitism, I actually prefer being regarded as powerful conspirator, rather than nebbish.
But after 60 years of military successes, I am concerned that the Israelis, and perhaps all Jews, are again at Little Big Horn, and the adversary is acquiring the means to overwhelm them. Not only will the enemy have technically advanced arsenals, Iran will have the bomb. Is the Muslim world prepared for mutual self-destruction? Islam as practiced by the fanatic is a culture of death. Paradise awaits the martyrs who die killing infidels. The martyrs want to ethnically cleanse the world of infidels, starting first with the Jews. An unthinkable nuclear attack? Yes, Israel can and would retaliate, but what then? The destruction of Iran, Syria, Iraq? The end of Israel? The Final Solution?
The Muslim world has been and is now at war with the West. Because of the West’s superiority of arms, the Muslim war is limited to suicide bombings and hit and run attacks. Israel learned to cope with that type of war, dreadful as it may be.
It is not politically correct, and probably not true, to suggest that all Muslims are enemies of the West. I think it is safe to say, however, that all Muslim theocracies are the enemy. The Muslim world hates the West. Note the celebrations following 9/11. Whatever the cause of this hate, the West is the infidel with lifestyles that offend the radical Islamist believer. No westerner is hated more than the Jew. The fanatical Muslims who now are in power will never accept a Western democracy in its midst, and half of the Jews of the world are at Little Big Horn, scorned and outnumbered by millions of “hostiles”.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Sadat Solution
THE SADAT SOLUTION
Irwin Garfinkle
January 2003
After World War II, I was in law school concentrating on my career aspirations and on the Boston Red Sox who lost the World Series when Enos Slaughter scored the winning run for St. Louis with a daring dash from first, when Johnny Pesky held the ball. I despaired that the Red Sox could never win the World Series.
Of course, I was also concerned about my people, the holocaust survivors, but I never entertained the thought that the United Nations would partition Palestine, and that the British would leave. I rejected the idea of a Jewish state in Palestine as an impractical, if not an impossible, solution to the “Jewish Problem”. How could a few hundred thousands Jews survive amid millions of hostile, well armed, and British army trained Arabs? I was certain that we were about to witness a “last stand”, but the impossible happened, and I was very proud of my people. I was proud to be a Jew.
After the 1948 Israeli victory, an Arab leader said that the Arabs could lose many battles, but to win the war, the Arabs need to win only one, the last one. He said that the Arabs could wait. During the 54 years that Israel has been a state, Israel has had to win many battles. I am confident that Israel will win the battle that is raging now. But if there is no peace, there will be more and more battles, and still the Arabs have to win only the last one. This time the Arabs have new weapons, boys and girls with bombs strapped to their bodies.
Is peace possible? I’m sure that Palestinian mothers want peace. Most reasonable Palestinians want peace. But, if I were a young Palestinian, would I want peace? No. I would want to be liberated from 54 years of humiliating occupation. I would fight.
When the parents and grandparents of these young Palestinians fled to Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Syria during the 1948 war, they expected a quick Arab victory, and their immediate return after the Jews were driven into the sea by the victorious Arab armies. But that didn’t happen. Instead, the Arab armies were humiliated and the refugees were pent up in camps of countries that refused to absorb them. Those Palestinians who couldn’t leave have been living with anger.
The Jews were not responsible for the events that caused the occupation and Arab humiliation. It was the Arabs who started the 1948 war. It was the Arabs who were massing their armies in 1967. It was the Arabs who attacked on Yom Kipur in 1973. It has been the Arabs terrorists who caused Israel to launch the ill-conceived invasion of Lebanon. It has been the suicide bombers who have prodded Israel to invade again.
The Jews are not without fault. The settlements do not bring security. They add to the humiliation. They add to the Palestinian rage. An independent Palestinian state could have been offered before there were massive settlements on the West Bank.
As a Jew, I despair when I read the Hamas Charter that teaches the religious obligation to kill infidels, especially Jewish infidels. On the other hand, if I were a Young Palestinian, I would join Hamas. If I were a Palestinian youth, I would not negotiate peace with the infidel Jews. I would fight.
What then is the solution? I suppose the Israelis could find a new homeland. That would probably satisfy the Arabs. Or the Israelis could continue to fight until the Arabs win the last battle. Or, more likely, worldwide Arab terrorism will result in a broader war with the modern world fighting the Muslim world. In any case, the outlook for the Israelis is grim.
I offer a solution, which seemed to have worked with Anwar Sadat. Sadat’s air force and army were routed by the Israelis. The Egyptians were humiliated, but in peace negotiations, the Israelis gave the Sinai back to Egypt and Sadat claimed victory, thus eliminating Egypt’s humiliation and restoring Egypt’s honor. My solution now, is for the Israelis to declare a Palestinian victory, and agree to negotiate the return of the occupied lands, including the most of the settlements. There are many proposals on the table that are probably acceptable to both sides. A negotiated settlement is better than a “last battle”.
I am not a pessimist. I even have hopes the Red Sox will win, maybe next year. I still have diminishing hope that a meaningful path to peace can be found for the Jews in Israel.
Irwin Garfinkle
January 2003
After World War II, I was in law school concentrating on my career aspirations and on the Boston Red Sox who lost the World Series when Enos Slaughter scored the winning run for St. Louis with a daring dash from first, when Johnny Pesky held the ball. I despaired that the Red Sox could never win the World Series.
Of course, I was also concerned about my people, the holocaust survivors, but I never entertained the thought that the United Nations would partition Palestine, and that the British would leave. I rejected the idea of a Jewish state in Palestine as an impractical, if not an impossible, solution to the “Jewish Problem”. How could a few hundred thousands Jews survive amid millions of hostile, well armed, and British army trained Arabs? I was certain that we were about to witness a “last stand”, but the impossible happened, and I was very proud of my people. I was proud to be a Jew.
After the 1948 Israeli victory, an Arab leader said that the Arabs could lose many battles, but to win the war, the Arabs need to win only one, the last one. He said that the Arabs could wait. During the 54 years that Israel has been a state, Israel has had to win many battles. I am confident that Israel will win the battle that is raging now. But if there is no peace, there will be more and more battles, and still the Arabs have to win only the last one. This time the Arabs have new weapons, boys and girls with bombs strapped to their bodies.
Is peace possible? I’m sure that Palestinian mothers want peace. Most reasonable Palestinians want peace. But, if I were a young Palestinian, would I want peace? No. I would want to be liberated from 54 years of humiliating occupation. I would fight.
When the parents and grandparents of these young Palestinians fled to Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Syria during the 1948 war, they expected a quick Arab victory, and their immediate return after the Jews were driven into the sea by the victorious Arab armies. But that didn’t happen. Instead, the Arab armies were humiliated and the refugees were pent up in camps of countries that refused to absorb them. Those Palestinians who couldn’t leave have been living with anger.
The Jews were not responsible for the events that caused the occupation and Arab humiliation. It was the Arabs who started the 1948 war. It was the Arabs who were massing their armies in 1967. It was the Arabs who attacked on Yom Kipur in 1973. It has been the Arabs terrorists who caused Israel to launch the ill-conceived invasion of Lebanon. It has been the suicide bombers who have prodded Israel to invade again.
The Jews are not without fault. The settlements do not bring security. They add to the humiliation. They add to the Palestinian rage. An independent Palestinian state could have been offered before there were massive settlements on the West Bank.
As a Jew, I despair when I read the Hamas Charter that teaches the religious obligation to kill infidels, especially Jewish infidels. On the other hand, if I were a Young Palestinian, I would join Hamas. If I were a Palestinian youth, I would not negotiate peace with the infidel Jews. I would fight.
What then is the solution? I suppose the Israelis could find a new homeland. That would probably satisfy the Arabs. Or the Israelis could continue to fight until the Arabs win the last battle. Or, more likely, worldwide Arab terrorism will result in a broader war with the modern world fighting the Muslim world. In any case, the outlook for the Israelis is grim.
I offer a solution, which seemed to have worked with Anwar Sadat. Sadat’s air force and army were routed by the Israelis. The Egyptians were humiliated, but in peace negotiations, the Israelis gave the Sinai back to Egypt and Sadat claimed victory, thus eliminating Egypt’s humiliation and restoring Egypt’s honor. My solution now, is for the Israelis to declare a Palestinian victory, and agree to negotiate the return of the occupied lands, including the most of the settlements. There are many proposals on the table that are probably acceptable to both sides. A negotiated settlement is better than a “last battle”.
I am not a pessimist. I even have hopes the Red Sox will win, maybe next year. I still have diminishing hope that a meaningful path to peace can be found for the Jews in Israel.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
I AM A JEW
Am I a Jew?
I’m asked why I say I’m a Jew.
That’s a reasonable question
Can one who doesn’t believe in God
Who doesn’t go to synagogue
Who doesn’t pray to a supreme being
Who denies the myths of the Bible
And questions even the 10 Commandments
Call himself a Jew?
My parents were Jews.
I was born a Jew.
Therefore, I am a Jew
I associate with Jews
I give to Jewish causes
Whether right or wrong,
I support the Jewish people
They are my people.
My people include
Einstein, Freud, Fermi, Hillel, Jesus
Maimonades, Marks, Salk
Sabin, Spinozza Steinmetz
My people include Bernard Madoff.
My people are not perfect.
These are all my people.
I’m asked why I say I’m a Jew.
That’s a reasonable question
Can one who doesn’t believe in God
Who doesn’t go to synagogue
Who doesn’t pray to a supreme being
Who denies the myths of the Bible
And questions even the 10 Commandments
Call himself a Jew?
My parents were Jews.
I was born a Jew.
Therefore, I am a Jew
I associate with Jews
I give to Jewish causes
Whether right or wrong,
I support the Jewish people
They are my people.
My people include
Einstein, Freud, Fermi, Hillel, Jesus
Maimonades, Marks, Salk
Sabin, Spinozza Steinmetz
My people include Bernard Madoff.
My people are not perfect.
These are all my people.
THE CONVERSION
THE CONVERSION
Based on a true story.
Irwin Garfinkle, 8/31/2004
A few years after World War II, William Erlickman, a 38 year old, devout Jesuit priest, taught theology at a Catholic University in Covington, Kentucky, a town across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. He was not only a respected theologian, a learned scholar who spoke, wrote and read eight languages, but also a sensitive and caring person, who was interested in most every person he met. He was knowledgeable not only about Catholicism, but also the university’s expert in Torah and Talmud.
He was at his desk preparing a lecture for an undergraduate class when he got a telephone call from a man identifying himself as Philip Rubin. Rubin said he was a patient at the Cincinnati Jewish Hospital. He had been on his way by car from his home in Pittsburg to a meeting in Louisville when he was involved in an automobile accident on interstate 75.. Rubin said his injuries were not life threatening, but he needed extensive surgery to put his shattered leg back together. Doctor Olson, head of orthopedics, estimated the he would be in traction for the next few weeks.
“Yes, Mr. Rubin, that’s awful, but why are you calling me? How can I help you?”
“Well,” Rubin answered, “you were recommended to me by Mary Kerry, a nurse at the hospital. She said you had been her theology professor. She really sang your praises, and said that you would be the best priest to help me.”
“I remember Mary; she was one of my best students, although she does tend to exaggerate. But what kind of help did she say I could be to you?”
“I’m Jewish, and I want to convert to Catholicism. She said you are a wonderful teacher.”
“Well, as I said, Mary does exaggerate. But conversions are something I ‘m qualified to help you with, Mr. Rubin, but why do you want to become a Catholic? Have you had some kind of a revelation? You know a conversion requires a lot of study, and then a commitment. So, what are your reasons?”
Rubin thought for a moment, “First of all, I am going to be laid up in this hospital for at least three weeks, so that I have time to study.”
“Well, having the time is not a very compelling reason. There has to be more. You have to believe in the Lord, Jesus Christ. You have to believe that Jesus is your savior, your Messiah. Is that your reason?”
“No, I really hadn’t thought of that. Actually, I’m not very religious, Jewish or otherwise. I know that Orthodox Jews believe that the Messiah has not yet come. To me that was just superstition and myth. I never did have a belief in a Messiah, Jewish or Christian. You see, the problem is that my wife and children are Catholics. I love them very much, and I want to convert for them.”
“Well, Mr. Rubin, how do your wife and children feel about this”
“I haven’t mentioned it yet, but I’m sure they’ll be delighted.”
“Okay, Mr. Rubin, to be candid with you, I think at this point, you’re not a very good candidate for conversion, but I do have to call on a few patients at the hospital this afternoon. I’ll stop by at about 3:30 and we can discuss this more fully. What is your room number?”
When Father Erlichmann walked into his room at 3:25, Rubin was ready to tell his reasons. “I have a pretty successful business. I have a beautiful wife Susan whom I met in graduate school. It was love at first sight, and after a whirlwind courtship, we married and we had three beautiful daughters who are being raised as Catholics by Susan, my Catholic wife. .
“My parents were Orthodox Jews. They sat “Shivah”* for me when I married Susan. My mother died without ever having met my daughters. My father did not speak to me at her funeral. I’m not religious, but I continue to maintain my Jewish identity. You know, I contribute to Jewish organizations. I pay my temple dues, and on the high holy days I attended reform services. Of course, I support Israel, but I never considered myself to be a good Jew, but” he added quickly, “I am a Jew.”
“It sounds to me that you are a pretty good Jew. I have many Jewish friends with similar convictions. Converting to Catholicism won’t change that. To be a Catholic, there are many matters of faith. As I told you when you called this morning, you have to sincerely believe in Jesus Christ as your savior. You have to believe that Jesus was the Son of God and the he died on the cross for the benefit of all mankind.”
“I don’t know what I believe. I don’t even know if I believe in God, let alone his son. I certainly don’t know very much about what Catholics believe. What I do believe is that not being a Catholic is coming between me and my family. Can I be a sincere Catholic? I don’t know, but I’ll give it a try. I figure that it’s your job to convince me.”
“Well, I don’t know if I can do that. I can only teach you what I know, and from all the Biblical facts, you have to make a leap of faith. That’s not an easy thing to do. Do you know what your wife thinks about this?”
“Yes, she was here this morning. She said she would love me as a Catholic or a Jew.”
“Alright, Mr. Rubin, I’ll see you tomorrow morning at 10, and we’ll start with the basics.”
Phil had only one other visitor the next morning. That was Rabbi Avrom Solomon, the chief Orthodox rabbi of Cincinnati, who was performing his rabbinical duty making hospital calls to sick Jews. He found Philip Rubin listed as a Jew in the hospital patients’ directory, and he put him on his visiting list. Rabbi Solomon was a Hungarian holocaust survivor who came to the United States via Dachau and a D.P. camp in Germany. He was a devout orthodox Jew, a Talmudic scholar. As he walked into Phil’s room at about 10:30, he introduced himself as Rabbi Solomon, and then he saw Father Erlichmann. “Good morning Father. I didn’t expect to see you with a Jewish patient. Is Mr. Rubin a friend of yours?”
“Well, I hope so, but I’m here because Mr. Rubin asked me to give him lessons in Catholicism. He says he wants to convert.”
Turning to Rubin, the Rabbi demanded to know if that was the truth.
“Rabbi, my parents sat Shivah for me when I married a Catholic. My wife raised three beautiful daughters who are Catholics. They attend Catholic schools. They go to Catholic Church every Sunday. We have a very happy marriage, but I can’t share their religious experiences with them. I don’t go with them to church. I don’t participate in their Sunday school activities. I’m an outsider when it comes to many of my family’s activities.”
“Well, you can participate without converting. You will still be a Jew, no matter what you do. How many “Christians” who had a single Jewish grandparent went to the gas chambers with the Jews/”
“I know rabbi, but this is America. There are no gas chambers.”
“No, not yet. It could never happen in America?”
“Rabbi, I am a Jew only on the High Holy Days. That is why I am studying with Father Ehrlickman.”
“No, you are a Jew. I understand what your parents did. I don’t approve of your marriage, but whether your parents were right or wrong, you are still a Jew. It was bad enough that you married a Goy; it’s bad enough that your daughters are Catholics, but it is worse still if you convert. Our martyrs went into the flames saying the Schema, rather than convert.”
“I know what you’re telling me, Rabbi, but ...”
Before Phil could finish his thoughts, the Rabbi turned to Father Ehrlichman, “Father, how can you do this? How can you be converting one of our flock when you know what happened to six million of our people just a few years ago? How can you be taking one more when you know what happened during the Holocaust?”
“Rabbi, Phil has asked me to help him learn about Catholicism so that he can consider conversion. I am doing only what the man asks of me. I know he wants to convert because of his love for his wife and children. I see no wrongdoing on his or my part.”
“Father, but the Holocaust....”
“Rabbi, I know about the holocaust. My people suffered in the Holocaust, too. My roommate and best friend from my days at the seminary was sent to teach in a seminary in Czechoslovakia and because he spoke up against the Nazis, he was arrested and sent to Dachau.”
“I’m sorry about your friend. Did he survive?”
“Let me tell you what happened. I learned about his fate from a Jewish survivor right here in Cincinnati. He told me about a Catholic priest, Father Robert Fabian, and American who had been teaching in Czechoslovakia. That was my roommate. He had been in Dachau for about two months. Conditions were dreadful. Killing Jews was just a sport to the guards.”
“Yes, I know, I know,” the rabbi moaned.
“There was a disturbance in the camp. He didn’t know what it was, but it didn’t take much for the Germans to hand out punishments. As the Jews stood assembled in the freezing cold, a German officer, singled out one Jew to teach the rest a lesson. The man was to be hung in front of the assembled group.
“My friend intervened. ‘Captain, the Jew you have chosen is a rabbi. He tends to his flock and maintains order here. His people need him. Punish me instead.’
“The captain was amused by the man’s heroics. He made the substitution and hanged my friend and classmate... So you see, Rabbi, I don’t know all, but I know some of the pain of the Holocaust.”
After several moments of silence, Rabbi Solomon whispered, “May God forgive me! I was that rabbi”. With tears in his eyes the rabbi quietly left the room.
Phil continued with his lessons until he was out of traction, on his feet with crutches, and ready to check out of the hospital, when Father Erlichmann came to his room to say goodbye to a student, with whom, over a period of three weeks, he had developed a close friendship. “What are your plans Phil? Have I been a convincing teacher?”
“Yes you have been a wonderful teacher, but I can’t in good conscience convert. I now understand the Catholic beliefs of my wife and daughters, and that will be very helpful to me. For that I shall always be very grateful to you, but I can’t make an honest commitment. I can’t become a Catholic. I am a Jew”. Father Erlichmann took Rubin’s hand and then the two men embraced until the orderly arrived with a wheel chair to take Rubin out to be greeted by his wife and children in a waiting car to take him home.
* A Jewish ceremony for mourning the dead.
Based on a true story.
Irwin Garfinkle, 8/31/2004
A few years after World War II, William Erlickman, a 38 year old, devout Jesuit priest, taught theology at a Catholic University in Covington, Kentucky, a town across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. He was not only a respected theologian, a learned scholar who spoke, wrote and read eight languages, but also a sensitive and caring person, who was interested in most every person he met. He was knowledgeable not only about Catholicism, but also the university’s expert in Torah and Talmud.
He was at his desk preparing a lecture for an undergraduate class when he got a telephone call from a man identifying himself as Philip Rubin. Rubin said he was a patient at the Cincinnati Jewish Hospital. He had been on his way by car from his home in Pittsburg to a meeting in Louisville when he was involved in an automobile accident on interstate 75.. Rubin said his injuries were not life threatening, but he needed extensive surgery to put his shattered leg back together. Doctor Olson, head of orthopedics, estimated the he would be in traction for the next few weeks.
“Yes, Mr. Rubin, that’s awful, but why are you calling me? How can I help you?”
“Well,” Rubin answered, “you were recommended to me by Mary Kerry, a nurse at the hospital. She said you had been her theology professor. She really sang your praises, and said that you would be the best priest to help me.”
“I remember Mary; she was one of my best students, although she does tend to exaggerate. But what kind of help did she say I could be to you?”
“I’m Jewish, and I want to convert to Catholicism. She said you are a wonderful teacher.”
“Well, as I said, Mary does exaggerate. But conversions are something I ‘m qualified to help you with, Mr. Rubin, but why do you want to become a Catholic? Have you had some kind of a revelation? You know a conversion requires a lot of study, and then a commitment. So, what are your reasons?”
Rubin thought for a moment, “First of all, I am going to be laid up in this hospital for at least three weeks, so that I have time to study.”
“Well, having the time is not a very compelling reason. There has to be more. You have to believe in the Lord, Jesus Christ. You have to believe that Jesus is your savior, your Messiah. Is that your reason?”
“No, I really hadn’t thought of that. Actually, I’m not very religious, Jewish or otherwise. I know that Orthodox Jews believe that the Messiah has not yet come. To me that was just superstition and myth. I never did have a belief in a Messiah, Jewish or Christian. You see, the problem is that my wife and children are Catholics. I love them very much, and I want to convert for them.”
“Well, Mr. Rubin, how do your wife and children feel about this”
“I haven’t mentioned it yet, but I’m sure they’ll be delighted.”
“Okay, Mr. Rubin, to be candid with you, I think at this point, you’re not a very good candidate for conversion, but I do have to call on a few patients at the hospital this afternoon. I’ll stop by at about 3:30 and we can discuss this more fully. What is your room number?”
When Father Erlichmann walked into his room at 3:25, Rubin was ready to tell his reasons. “I have a pretty successful business. I have a beautiful wife Susan whom I met in graduate school. It was love at first sight, and after a whirlwind courtship, we married and we had three beautiful daughters who are being raised as Catholics by Susan, my Catholic wife. .
“My parents were Orthodox Jews. They sat “Shivah”* for me when I married Susan. My mother died without ever having met my daughters. My father did not speak to me at her funeral. I’m not religious, but I continue to maintain my Jewish identity. You know, I contribute to Jewish organizations. I pay my temple dues, and on the high holy days I attended reform services. Of course, I support Israel, but I never considered myself to be a good Jew, but” he added quickly, “I am a Jew.”
“It sounds to me that you are a pretty good Jew. I have many Jewish friends with similar convictions. Converting to Catholicism won’t change that. To be a Catholic, there are many matters of faith. As I told you when you called this morning, you have to sincerely believe in Jesus Christ as your savior. You have to believe that Jesus was the Son of God and the he died on the cross for the benefit of all mankind.”
“I don’t know what I believe. I don’t even know if I believe in God, let alone his son. I certainly don’t know very much about what Catholics believe. What I do believe is that not being a Catholic is coming between me and my family. Can I be a sincere Catholic? I don’t know, but I’ll give it a try. I figure that it’s your job to convince me.”
“Well, I don’t know if I can do that. I can only teach you what I know, and from all the Biblical facts, you have to make a leap of faith. That’s not an easy thing to do. Do you know what your wife thinks about this?”
“Yes, she was here this morning. She said she would love me as a Catholic or a Jew.”
“Alright, Mr. Rubin, I’ll see you tomorrow morning at 10, and we’ll start with the basics.”
Phil had only one other visitor the next morning. That was Rabbi Avrom Solomon, the chief Orthodox rabbi of Cincinnati, who was performing his rabbinical duty making hospital calls to sick Jews. He found Philip Rubin listed as a Jew in the hospital patients’ directory, and he put him on his visiting list. Rabbi Solomon was a Hungarian holocaust survivor who came to the United States via Dachau and a D.P. camp in Germany. He was a devout orthodox Jew, a Talmudic scholar. As he walked into Phil’s room at about 10:30, he introduced himself as Rabbi Solomon, and then he saw Father Erlichmann. “Good morning Father. I didn’t expect to see you with a Jewish patient. Is Mr. Rubin a friend of yours?”
“Well, I hope so, but I’m here because Mr. Rubin asked me to give him lessons in Catholicism. He says he wants to convert.”
Turning to Rubin, the Rabbi demanded to know if that was the truth.
“Rabbi, my parents sat Shivah for me when I married a Catholic. My wife raised three beautiful daughters who are Catholics. They attend Catholic schools. They go to Catholic Church every Sunday. We have a very happy marriage, but I can’t share their religious experiences with them. I don’t go with them to church. I don’t participate in their Sunday school activities. I’m an outsider when it comes to many of my family’s activities.”
“Well, you can participate without converting. You will still be a Jew, no matter what you do. How many “Christians” who had a single Jewish grandparent went to the gas chambers with the Jews/”
“I know rabbi, but this is America. There are no gas chambers.”
“No, not yet. It could never happen in America?”
“Rabbi, I am a Jew only on the High Holy Days. That is why I am studying with Father Ehrlickman.”
“No, you are a Jew. I understand what your parents did. I don’t approve of your marriage, but whether your parents were right or wrong, you are still a Jew. It was bad enough that you married a Goy; it’s bad enough that your daughters are Catholics, but it is worse still if you convert. Our martyrs went into the flames saying the Schema, rather than convert.”
“I know what you’re telling me, Rabbi, but ...”
Before Phil could finish his thoughts, the Rabbi turned to Father Ehrlichman, “Father, how can you do this? How can you be converting one of our flock when you know what happened to six million of our people just a few years ago? How can you be taking one more when you know what happened during the Holocaust?”
“Rabbi, Phil has asked me to help him learn about Catholicism so that he can consider conversion. I am doing only what the man asks of me. I know he wants to convert because of his love for his wife and children. I see no wrongdoing on his or my part.”
“Father, but the Holocaust....”
“Rabbi, I know about the holocaust. My people suffered in the Holocaust, too. My roommate and best friend from my days at the seminary was sent to teach in a seminary in Czechoslovakia and because he spoke up against the Nazis, he was arrested and sent to Dachau.”
“I’m sorry about your friend. Did he survive?”
“Let me tell you what happened. I learned about his fate from a Jewish survivor right here in Cincinnati. He told me about a Catholic priest, Father Robert Fabian, and American who had been teaching in Czechoslovakia. That was my roommate. He had been in Dachau for about two months. Conditions were dreadful. Killing Jews was just a sport to the guards.”
“Yes, I know, I know,” the rabbi moaned.
“There was a disturbance in the camp. He didn’t know what it was, but it didn’t take much for the Germans to hand out punishments. As the Jews stood assembled in the freezing cold, a German officer, singled out one Jew to teach the rest a lesson. The man was to be hung in front of the assembled group.
“My friend intervened. ‘Captain, the Jew you have chosen is a rabbi. He tends to his flock and maintains order here. His people need him. Punish me instead.’
“The captain was amused by the man’s heroics. He made the substitution and hanged my friend and classmate... So you see, Rabbi, I don’t know all, but I know some of the pain of the Holocaust.”
After several moments of silence, Rabbi Solomon whispered, “May God forgive me! I was that rabbi”. With tears in his eyes the rabbi quietly left the room.
Phil continued with his lessons until he was out of traction, on his feet with crutches, and ready to check out of the hospital, when Father Erlichmann came to his room to say goodbye to a student, with whom, over a period of three weeks, he had developed a close friendship. “What are your plans Phil? Have I been a convincing teacher?”
“Yes you have been a wonderful teacher, but I can’t in good conscience convert. I now understand the Catholic beliefs of my wife and daughters, and that will be very helpful to me. For that I shall always be very grateful to you, but I can’t make an honest commitment. I can’t become a Catholic. I am a Jew”. Father Erlichmann took Rubin’s hand and then the two men embraced until the orderly arrived with a wheel chair to take Rubin out to be greeted by his wife and children in a waiting car to take him home.
* A Jewish ceremony for mourning the dead.
Simple Things
Simple Things
so long ago, and yet
I never will forget
the simple things
sharing spaces, loving embraces
reminiscing, bedtime kissing
together reflecting, always respecting
cocktail times, poetic rhymes
gentle caressing, love professing
clutching, touching
pleasing, teasing
simple things I remember
simple things I miss
so long ago, and yet
I never will forget
the simple things
sharing spaces, loving embraces
reminiscing, bedtime kissing
together reflecting, always respecting
cocktail times, poetic rhymes
gentle caressing, love professing
clutching, touching
pleasing, teasing
simple things I remember
simple things I miss
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