In 1993, my grandfather left Ukraine and moved to Israel. Before he retired, he had been a very well-known doctor in our city. I remember how, as a child, I didn’t really like to take walks with him because we would be stopped every two minutes by grateful patients who wanted to thank him, hug him, or shake his hand.
My grandfather founded several hospitals in the city, which, in the Soviet era, required incredible organizational skills and perseverance. He started a health facility where women could give birth in the water and where little babies were provided with a special swimming-pool. Every time when he opened a new hospital, though, he would soon be removed from it. He was a Jew, so that was to be expected. He never complained but simply laughed and started a new hospital.
By 1993, he felt he had had enough of anti-Semitism and moved to Israel. Ten years later, he came back to Ukraine. Living in the environment of constant fear and terrorist threat proved too much for him.
As we all know, Israel was created in the aftermath of the Holocaust when Jews were slaughtered in an act of horrible genocide, as the rest of the world stood by and watched. The idea behind Israel was that if Jews had a country of their own, they could feel safer in an anti-Semitic world. I think that today we can conclude that, as of now, this goal has not been reached. There are few places in the world that are as dangerous for a Jew as Israel.
Creating a national identity for people who, initially, have very little in common always requires a lot of violence. (Look at the US as another example of this). In such circumstances, a peaceful creation of Israel was absolutely impossible. The sense of being a beleaguered nation surrounded with enemies is indispensable for the creation of a strong national identity when we are talking about people who came together from very different countries, cultures, linguistic backgrounds, etc.
Jewish diaspora was a great tragedy for the Jewish people but it was simultaneously the root of great achievements both for the Jews and for the countries to which they dispersed. It isn’t a coincidence that so many great thinkers, philosophers, writers and scientists were Jews. When you are placed in a position of being a perennial outsider in a society where you live, you end up seeing things clearly. It is easier to resist the accepted ideology from the margins than from the center. This clarity of vision came at a great price. I don’t need to narrate the history of Jewish suffering in the course of 2000 years because we all know it well enough.
In no way do I condemn the Jews who decided to move to Israel and create a country for themselves. However, I don’t see that plan as something I might be interested in. Nationalism, in my opinion, always takes away more than it gives. Since I don’t value the sense of belonging to a community and don’t seek to dilute my individuality in a group, nationalism has pretty much nothing to offer me. The path I have chosen is one of seeing how one can make a country where one lives less anti-Semitic. When I tell my students about the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492, I often see that they are really shaken. Granted, this is a small contribution on my part, but out of such small contributions, a sense of acceptance is born little by little.
Clarissa's Blog 
*There are few places in the world that are as dangerous for a Jew as Israel.*
I respectfully disagree. Jews in states around us in the Middle East (in which small numbers still remain or are holden by force, like in Iran) live in fear. And I am not only talking of Iran. I am talking about Turkey too for example. I’ve even recently given some links from wiki to show how “fearlessly” they can afford to live. Statistically after the bloody War of Independence few Jews die from terror. One has much bigger chance to die in a simple, usual, boring car crash. And with USA’s wars abroad, after 9/11, seems to me America is more afraid of terrorists than average Jewish Israeli is.
* Living in the environment of constant fear and terrorist threat proved too much for him.*
The above points on statistics and after 9/11 America still stand. It’s very subjective thing. I don’t live in constant fear, as most Israelis don’t either.
Talking of terrorist threats though, you’ve chosen a “suitable” day to write of it. Today happened the biggest terror attack from the beginning of working of current Israeli government. Terrorists came to Israel from Egypt through Sinai area, which they succeeded in doing since after the revolution Egypt lost control of what’s going on in Sinai. I mean lost control in a large degree. Here is a link with short summary:
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/israel-terror-attacks-august-18-7-killed-air-strike-retaliation-2826995.html
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“The above points on statistics and after 9/11 America still stand. It’s very subjective thing. I don’t live in constant fear, as most Israelis don’t either.
Talking of terrorist threats though, you’ve chosen a “suitable” day to write of it. Today happened the biggest terror attack from the beginning of working of current Israeli government. Terrorists came to Israel from Egypt through Sinai area, which they succeeded in doing since after the revolution Egypt lost control of what’s going on in Sinai. I mean lost control in a large degree. Here is a link with short summary”
-I think these two paragraphs offer a significant contradiction. How can one not live in fear when surrounded by this kind of news?
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Clarissa, do you live in fear in USA? After all, you had 9/11, more attempts at terror acts afterword and USA’s wars abroad guarantee more in the future.
Can London citizens feel very safe now?
Israel is really not the most dangerous place for Jews to live in, especially if you remember many places aren’t safe for anybody.
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9/11 wasn’t aimed specifically at Jews, as far as I’m aware. Are you suggesting that Jews experience as much acts of terror aimed at them in the US as in Israel? Can you name any?
As for fear, I’m not a nationalist. I will easily leave any country if I start experiencing discomfort living there or simply get bored with it. I did that twice already, what’s a few more times? 🙂
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*I will easily leave any country if I start experiencing discomfort living there*
Jews before and after WW2 didn’t have lots of good options. Jews from close to Israel Arab countries, who were thrown out of them, went to Israel and didn’t have any other great opportunities either, unlike you. If large populations begin to move, unlike a few individuals, it’s different. If, in a science-fiction scenario, something happened to Israel today, I don’t believe US and Canada would be ready to receive millions.
*Are you suggesting that Jews experience … *
No, I am suggesting that Israel isn’t this horribly insecure country, while Europe is just great. Look at London. Look at France with huge anti-semitism. Look at Germany. My mother talked with one Russian speaking citizen of Germany and they, like many other countries, strongly dislike immigrants, especially those who don’t work. There are tensions in many Europe countries and a big economical crisis will “help” a lot. USA has not only War on Terror, but also bad economical policies. Israel, on the other hand, is better than USA and better than most Europe first world countries. Our economy is very strong. Of course, in this world-wide economical market world, if USA goes down, we’ll be hurt too since Israel exports a lot. But it doesn’t depend on us.
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*Israel, on the other hand, is better than USA and better than most Europe first world countries. *
I mean, economical situation and policies.
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I never said that Europe is just great. I also wouldn’t really take the words of a Russian-speaking immigrants about the Germans’ dislike for people who don’t work as a sign of anti-semitism. Since when do Jews not work? If there is one immigrant group that can be expected to be extremely productive and self-reliant, it’s the Jews.
“Israel, on the other hand, is better than USA and better than most Europe first world countries.”
– Irrespective of which countries you put in this sentence, I see it as a very scary instance of patriotism. It cannot possibly lead to any productive discussion and will only result in exchanges of the “my toy is better, no mine is” variety.
What’s better for each person is a matter of individual opinion. A place can be fantastic for many people but horrible for me. It is kind of disturbing to me that an intelligent person like yourself resorts to such meaningless jingoism about which country is better.
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“Israel, on the other hand, is better than USA and better than most Europe first world countries.”
I meant economical situation and economical government policies ONLY. You aren’t scared now, right? Because I am already afraid of such a misunderstanding.
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I think that this is a huge conclusion to draw. I wouldn’t be prepared to say that one country’s “policies” are better than another’s. It’s just too general of a statement.
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*-I think these two paragraphs offer a significant contradiction*
To be honest, it kind of helps with fear that this terror act was *on the border* between Egypt and Israel. The terrorists shot busses from Egypt’s soil, though they did cross into Israel later. This road near the border on which everything happened is known to be dangerous and on it usually Israeli passagers get told, if passing today is deemed OK.
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This is an interesting and thoughtful post. It matches a bit some things I wanted to say on the other Israel thread, though I think I got distracted and never wrote it. Namely: perhaps the best solution to anti-semitism is to fight till it disappears and Jews can feel comfortable wherever they live, rather than keep them separated and out of other societies altogether.
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Thank you, Elizabeth. 🙂
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I guess you’re very optimistic not-Jew, Elizabeth.
Fight anti-semitism till it disappears? Yeah, right. It’ll be done *immediately* before/after achievement of World Peace. I prefer being realistic, people.
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In the US and Canada, it is now a lot more prestigious to carry a Jewish last name than it is a Slavic one, like I do.
I don’t see anything unrealistic in the fact that human rights are winning broader acceptance in developed countries with every passing day.
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Wait till next huge economic crisis. If USA goes underwater with world economy in its’ wake…
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We already had a crisis. And I was very surprised and gratified that nobody even tried to draw attention to the Jewish names of the bankers. I was actually berated for singling out Blankfein, the CEO of Goldman Sachs, in a post. So I’m very optimistic.
In the US, we currently have a new menacing Other, the Latinos and somewhat the Muslims. I honestly don’t see the pendulum swinging back to the Jews.
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