On page 60 of this book that has 550 pages, I read a passage that led me to write this document. I will bring it here:
'' In the course of history, almost all nations have been target of contempt, hate and violence, but the one who beat all the records, is definitely the Jewish mammal. It is the most popular of human mammals deranged by hate. And it is for this reason that a warning is particularly sent to this mammal: to copy the behavior of others when provoked. It is only in imitating the behavior of other human creatures the one dictated by the laws of nature, the cosmic and universal laws, That he will cease to play the role of the pampered target, that of the Guinea pig of all human mammals alienated by hate.''
I confess having been shocked by this aggressive conclusion. And yet, all he does is raise a truth known by all. The word hate, repeated above, seems to be the norm and we all live with it, surrounded by this word not knowing how to solve this abnormality.
Baruch Spinoza did warn us that ' hate and remorse are the two fundamental enemies of the human kind'. It is sad to realize how much the indifference of the world participates in maintaining this state of things.
I am forced to believe what Bertrand Russell said ' that some people are only happy if they hate another person, nation or belief.
Why all this hate?
I am persuaded that it is the question of the day
Where does it come from?
What provokes it?
The answer is simple: We are all human beings, mammals like Segev would say, with our intrinsic weaknesses. And these weaknesses make us who we are.
I can climb the hill and find the reasons.
The one that immediately comes to mind is called jealousy, this feeling of spite mixed with envy caused by what another possesses what we had wished to possess.
I begrudge my neighbor because he has what I don't have. I don't like him and the more he accumulated wealth , the more I detest him and even hate him.
So much so than at times I want to see him dead. One day I won't stand it and will find a way to kill him.
I should do the exercise and ask around me why someone hates someone else. Will I learn something new?
Now, if we look at the title of this document to find out why people hate Jews so much, several answers will present themselves, and these are nothing but antisemitic clichés.
Jews have money
Jews dominate finance, the medias and even Hollywood
Jews help each other
Jews killed Jesus
Jews are everywhere
As a matter of fact, this last item has been taken by Yvan Attal who decided to make a movie with the title: They are everywhere. By the way many will say that these clichés are totally absurd while others will think that not all of them are.
I wish to go back to my shock related to Segev's suggestion, to copy the behavior of the other, namely that I should arm myself to defend myself to the point of killing the one who is coming to kill me. In fact one of our laws does say: If someone comes to kill me, I should pre-empt and kill him first.
Moreover, Judaism doesn't believe 'offering the other cheek'. This is a Christian concept. We believe that we should always try to solve a conflict when possible, but the principle is always there , that one's own life has priority over the life of the other. So?
I remember that when my son was still an infant and everybody bought toy guns to their kids, well me, I never did it, considering that this represented violence and never wished to influence my son in this direction. People kept repeating 'Come on, it is only a toy' but I insisted and refused.
Today Segev is suggesting to me that I should get an arm...in case.
Is he right?
I think strongly. The proverb does say: 'With Wolves, you howl' right?
My problem becomes: Is owning an arm to kill another who wants to hurt me a way to abolish hatred? I doubt it.
I belong to this generation that prefers to give the world a better education and teach a better behavior. I will argue that it may take a full generation, but our problem is today and we must act now. Sadly, this complicated situation is not about to be solved so quickly.
This same Segev adds that hatred is and has been forever the cause of wickedness and violence of men and women.
Even Freud formulated a theory to the effect that the passion to destroy was considered equal in force to the passion to love.
And here is the conclusion of Eric Frumm: Man's aggressive behavior is due to an inmate instinct looking to discharge itself and waiting for the right time to manifest itself.
