A recent opinion piece by Andrew Klavan in the Los Angeles Times ("Why God Chose the Jews") suggests that perhaps there's one good thing about anti-Semitism: it identifies the world's truly evil forces (think Hitler, Stalin), thus serving as a "Villainy Early Detection System for everyone else."
Here's how Klavan, a best-selling novelist, said it in the LA Times:
"...All bigotry is wrong, of course, but there's something about this particular form of prejudice that is weirdly reliable as a sign of deeper wickedness. Perhaps it's because the Jews contributed so much to humanity's moral code that to hate them as a race is to despise the restraints of morality itself... We still see apparently intelligent people appeasing, making excuses for and even embracing the sorts of stinkers who ought to set off the Big Alarm.
"That's why I think the system could use more bells and whistles -- a loud honking noise perhaps, or even closed captioning for the morally impaired. Thus, when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the Holocaust is a "myth" or that Israel "must be wiped off the map," you would hear a loud honk and words would appear in the air below his face: "Hello. I am an evil madman. Please stop negotiating with me now and proceed to cripple my nuclear capability by any means necessary..."
"If it were only a matter of hating Jews, we could say: 'Feel free, hate everyone, knock yourself out.' The trouble is the suffering, the slaughter of innocents, and indeed the destruction of entire nations that seems inevitably to follow when anti-Semitism is allowed to spread...
"When the ills of the world are loaded onto less than 1% of its population, I begin to become suspicious."
"So here's a plan. The next time you express an opinion on what's wrong with the world, take a look around to see who's nodding in agreement. If it's some clown who thinks the Jewish state should be pushed into the sea, or that the Jews killed Christ or are conspiring to subvert the world economy or the government or the media, I beg you to consider that you might be wrong. There is no shame in changing your opinion. Falling into step with wicked fools -- that's shameful, and it's dangerous too. God gave you an early detection system. Use it."
It's said that the Jewish people are the miner's canaries of the world. Miners take canaries down to mines because canaries are more susceptible to noxious fumes than humans. If the miner sees the canary is dead, he knows he has to fight the fumes or he'll die, too.
In some ways, that's a role the Jews serve. When there is evil, Jews often die first. So when Jews get killed, it's not solely a Jewish problem anymore. When evil first attacks the Jews, it becomes humanity's problem. Jews are the moral litmus test.
(10) Beverly Kurtin, Ph.D., May 2, 2013 3:05 AM
Mi Chomocha?
A close, non-Jewish friend of mine once asked me why we Jews called ourselves the chosen people. I was driving at the time and had to pull over to the side of the road because I was laughing so hard. She is one of those bible thumpers who always carries her King James VERSION with her. I asked her to let me borrow it for a moment.
I turned to Deuteronomy 7:7 where it said, "The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people...:
I asked he if she wanted to change her question.
She just sat there, thinking. "Then why do people always say that you Jews claim to be the chosen people?"
What do we Jews do when we're asked a question? Of course! We ask another question. "Who do you think has the worst possible human rights record in the world? North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia (where they hang homosexuals), Syria, Egypt, Sudan, Israel or Afghanistan?"
Instantly, she said, "Everyone one of them except Israel!"
And I told her that was the problem, the United Nations condemned Israel and NONE of the others! It is just another way to make the Jewish people look bad. GOD said we were chosen, so I don't know why people think WE said it. Also, many countries are trying to isolate Israel via the BDS Boycott, Divestment
and Sanctions plan.
The bottom line is that Israel has no legitimate reason to exist and should just leave the country. The BIG LIE is that Israel is "occupying" the land that belongs to the Arabs. That's just an out-and-out lie, but many countries are backing up the Arab's claims.
I have news for those countries: AM YISRAEL CHAI! The People of Israel LIVE and will continue to live until they get the word that Hashem is ONE.
(9) Anonymous, January 3, 2011 6:30 AM
Confirmation
The Impact of Torah is Far-reaching - it is the underpinnings, in my view of "the Light", We Jews are to share with all Peoples, through Jewish Life.
(8) Jerome Griffiths, February 12, 2007 11:34 PM
More of the same!
I have a question. Does anybody wish for the Palistinians to see things from the Jewish side? Wouldn't it be nice for the Palistinians to reflect on all the heinous acts that have been perpetrated in their name. An act such as this might stop the next round of chidren becoming suicide bombers. But what of Israel? If peace is what she truely desires, wouldn't the same act be appropriate? I know it seems simplistic but it seems all other solutions have failed. Surely one of the most elementary moral codes that humans must adhere to is "what is good for us is good for others. What we condemn in others must never be practiced by ourselves".
(7) Anonymous, February 20, 2006 12:00 AM
Bravo!--Almost . . .
I concur with everything the author says. I find the article penetrating, insightful; prophetic, even.
But what of those who conceal their hatred of the Jews? Who may well present themselves as friends of Israel? I fear the coming threat to Israel won't be naked anti-Semitism
a la Hitler or the Muslims.
Hitler's _Mein Kampf_ revealed everything, left no room for doubt as to the depths of his hatred of the Jews. If only more people had taken notice, not dismissed him as a demagogue, derided him as a "mere" madman!
The next Haman, unfortunately, may not be so obvious. He may even present himself as Israel's friend, sing paens to brotherly love and the need for peace. But peace at what price?
(6) Joe, February 7, 2006 12:00 AM
Thank You Beverly!
That was very, very well spoken.
Rather than "Don't mess with the Jews," I would suggest, "Who is like you amongst the mighty my Lord?" Simply saying Maccabe will do. That is the Hebrew acronym for it.
Once, we too were warriors. It was our battle cry.
(5) Beverly Kurtin, Ph.D., January 30, 2006 12:00 AM
BEEP, BEEP...
If you’re going to tell a lie, make it a BIG one and tell it over and over and over again, that way people will believe it.
The Jews killed Jesus. That’s a good one to start with. It whips up Jew hate faster than anything else I can think of at the moment. The fact that according to the Christian Testament the Romans killed Jesus can then be blissfully ignored.
Then there is the good old lie that Jews are somehow a race. That’s always a good one. That way, people don’t have to hate more than one race; they can just concentrate on one group of people. The big lie there ignores the fact that Jews are multiracial. I mean, would anyone choose to hate the Baptists because they are a race? How about the Methodists? So why are the Jews seen by their haters as a race?
I agree with the commentator who asked “what about the hate between Jews based on race?” Isn’t baseless hatred the reason we got our collective rear ends booted out of the land on more than one occasion? We may be smart in some things but in others we can be just as stupid as any other group or nation on this planet.
Are we, then, God’s little canaries? Yes, we have been. But we should and need to become God’s LIONS. Touch one of us and you’re going to lose an arm, leg, or worse. We’ve been God’s little patsies too long. It’s beyond the time to fight back. Jew haters discovered the hard way not to lay a finger on this Jewish girl in high school. Their hand could wind up broken, and sometimes did.
I am not saying we have to become bullies, simply that we are far from the time when we can just try to be nice and get along with everyone. If the “everyone” hates us, respond with strength, not cowering. Israel does not cower. The world just has to learn it once and for all.
Here in Texas we have a saying, “Don’t mess with Texas.” We need to have another saying, “Don’t mess with the Jews.”
Then there are the Holocaust deniers. I tossed a former friend of mine when he informed me that he couldn’t understand why I still believed in the Holocaust and then started to quote garbage from the Russian fairy tale about us to explain to me why we made up that story. I didn’t let our previous friendship get in the way of my showing him my front door. I went on to label him a Jew hater and a Holocaust denier among our mutual friends. I think he still can’t understand why he is treated as a pariah.
The president of Iran is a Jew hater. Israel now has Hamas on its borders and they don’t exactly love us either. Our response has to be immediate. Shut them up before the big lies add up again.
(4) Herb Michelson, January 29, 2006 12:00 AM
What you say is essentially true as history confirms.
While I agee with your article, the sad reallities it addresses, and the wickedness that has existed and reared its head and spread throughout history, I am very uncomfortable about thinking of our People as the human equivalent of "canaries" in a mine. Yes, retrospectively we can view ourselves in this way but now and in the future I think that if we allow ourselves to be canaries in a mine,incapable of atriking back we will continue to be "chosen" as the target of the evil side of the Human Condition. I think that this change of attitude and direction is being lived out in Israel now and so I the need to repeat: "Never Again" complimented by "enough is enough!"
(3) hmmmmmmmmm, January 29, 2006 12:00 AM
what about jew been antisemitic toward other jews
what about the hate between jews, base on race???????????its incredible
(2) josephine, January 29, 2006 12:00 AM
Jews contributed to humanity's moral code - means too much to me, as i love your code you emposed to humanity as GOD's will.
I truly agree with you that some evil people hates the jews because you all have contributed to humanity's moral code and they hate you as a race to despise the restraints of morality itself, explained itself that the devil hates goodness of good people and whose trying to live of GOD's laws so he will do everything he can to destroy you physically, emotionally and mentally but your strength of faith to GOD will succeed over trials. To tell you truthfully? The president of Iran said that Israel should be wiped out in the map is a grave verbal sin against humanity an act of speech and mind that is considered done though not physically done yet, he has already committed the worst human massacre and this act should not be tolerated as it encourage others to do the same act of evilness, the past of Hitler should not be repeated as we are in the century of awakenings and wake up call to fight against human hatred and racism as we are all one in the sight of GOD with different color and unique ways but should unify in one belief of one GOD! GOD of love, hope, beauty, goodness, understanding and light as GOD can see you following his will of moral codes and his laws, GOD will protect your land and race from being wiped out but the one whose spreading that curse will be the one who will be wiped out!
(1) Sheldon, January 29, 2006 12:00 AM
on the "virtue" of being human canaries
Mr. Roth offers such an "easy" solution to find out about the evil and other moral problems in the world. See whether the Jews are being killed. It is possible Mr. Roth is himself Jewish. If so, is he willing to be sacrificed so as to serve as a warning signal? I doubt it.
Personally, I, and I’m sure millions like me, do not wish to be guinea pigs, canaries, or any other “early warning system”. If Mr. Roth would do a bit of research, he will find that "Eternal Vigilance Is the Price Of Liberty", stated by Wendell Phillips in a speech advocating Abolition in 1852 is still the one most applicable “tool” against arrogance, deceit, treachery, violence and all other violations of moral behavior. If we wait until murder (mass or otherwise) to be committed, we have waited too long. What we need to do is be always alert and ready to respond to the earliest signs of hate and violence—Not to “Wait and See” what will happen! Take a look at world history. We needn’t go too far—just 70 years ago. Had we been alert and ready to act, … Need we have to wait for another holocaust, as Mr. Roth suggest? In today’s world, a few nuclear devices will “do the job” in moments, the perpetrators having accomplished their mission without much effort at all!