I cannot allow criticism of my beliefs to go unnoticed. I believe in the correctness of the Jewish religion and Zionism and the value of these beliefs for the world.
Were it not for my love of freedom of speech (an idea that I have imbibed from Judaism), I would censor these books because they make it appear that Judaism and Zionism are evils to be eradicated from society, while actually they offer solutions to the turmoil in which the world finds itself.Books for and against Judaism and Zionism can be found at the end of this article.
A Defense of Judaism
There's nothing new in Shahak's (see below) attack against Judaism.
The attack began already soon after creation.
In fact it began even before Judaism existed. For example when Cain murdered Abel he didn't even know that he was attacking Judaism. His act was evil, so were the acts of many other people of the world before and after the flood.
None of those people were Jews. Noa's children who probably sodomised their father weren't Jews.
Judaism began as a legal system to prevent the evil which pertained in the primordial universe. It came to declare war on those evil practices. Even its followers and creators didn't succeed immediately in following all its civilizing precepts;
For example Abraham, the first Jew, tried to sacrifice his son, probably in the same way that all the primitive people around him were doing, and God had to show him the ram in the thicket instead.
Jacob took advantage of the primitive custom of selling one's birthright and ended up getting punished by having to leave home for 21 years.
Simon and Levy murder the Canaanites that molested their sister, Dina and they eventually get cursed by Jacob, Simon gets isolated from his brothers and Levy doesn't get any share in the promised Land.
There are many examples like the above. In fact practically every hero in the Bible has a flaw that needs to be corrected and in the process, we the readers and believers of today learn the right way to do things.
As you well know, eventually it became necessary for God to exert punishment on the Jews themselves in an effort to keep them on the right path following His laws.
Judaism had embarked on a very idealistic and brave attack on savagery, primitiveness and evil. One would be living in a fool's paradise to think that evil resigned the battle and admitted victory to Judaism.
Once need only take a brief look at Jewish history to see how viciously these forces of evil have fought back at Judaism.
Many Jews, like Israel Shahak have suggested giving up Judaism's battle because the war has been raging since the beginning of time virtually and the chaos in the world seems to be worse than ever. It seems that one could say, as he so foolishly dares to say that by continuing to struggle Judaism is contributing to the chaos.
Judaism doesn't claim to be the perfect legal system to fight evil. It does claim to be seeking that legal system in an honest way in the interests of a more humane and better society.
Shahak's criticism of Judaism would be acceptable if he made it in the spirit of seeking reform, development and progress in the statement of Jewish laws instead of joining forces with the forces of evil that seek the eradication of Judaism.
Ref:
Books against Judaism and Zionism and the existence of the State of Israel:
Israel Shahak's book "Jewish History, Jewish Religion, the Weight of Three Thousand Years" and the introduction to it by Gore Vidal.
Ilan Pappe: The ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
Books that respond to criticism of Judaism and Zionism:
Zeev Sternell in his book "A defense of Liberal Zionism."
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