Diaspora Quotes
The advocacy of the Jewish Return to the Holy Land was not first suggested or stated by European Jewish Zionists. Brightman was not only the first Christian to urge the return of the Jews, but the secon person of any faith to suggest it. He was only preceded by a Jewish refugee from the Spanish Inquisition--Joseph Nasi in 1561.
This is a very instructional political quotation. It shows us that the popular American narrative of the ideal immigrant who assimilated to everything American was false even in 1916. Almost 100 years later, anti-immigration advocates would complain that the modern immigrant was not totally assimilating as immigrants did in the past. Of course they never did in the past totally assimilate. The assimilation has generally been in the areas of desire for freedom and individual opportunity, democracy, rule of law, human dignity and respect for others. However, immigrants have always brought new customs, foods, literature, modes of worship, language, and values from the “old country”. Bourne was one of the first writers with a national audience to question the classic but never real “melting pot” theory of immigration and suggest the “salad” model though he never used the term.
Most American Jews had have grown up with an Israel governed by Jews who came from Europe and were culturally and politically very similar to Americans and shared similar values. Almost all Israeli policies were comfortable and understandable t American Jews. However, in the 15 years prior to this quotation, a major political shift took place in Israel and the dominant political faction shifted to first and second generation Jews who were forced out of various Muslim counties of the Middle East. These Jews were much closer to Arabs and the Muslims of the Middle East culturally and actually shared many values like vengeance, intimidation, and group and family guilt to keep enemies in check. They also understand the Arabs at a deeper level that their European culture countrymen do and were much more pessimistic about any solution whereby the Arabs would accept a Jewish State’s existence. Their political approach to suppression of the Palestinians and maintaining security for the citizens of Israel and their disrespect for Arab humanity made many American Jews estranged from the Israeli leadership just as they have been estranged from the Arab leadership and culture.
He and almost all of the Jews in Germany were expected to act like Germans. There was no room for maintaining and developing their own ethnic customs and traditions. When he arrived at New York, he was treated as a great celebrity by Mayor La Guardia, who was fluent in Yiddish, and other dignitaries some of whom were Jews and even met President Warren G. Harding. He lectured at City College and for the first time in his life saw Jews who had any distinguishing culture and customs—and the informality, egalitarianism, gregarious, free speaking, fun loving was just the opposite of the norms that he had grown up with in Germany which he did not like. See {640911}. He would later become a part of that culture and be seen as a leader, even being offered the Presidency of the new state of Israel in 1949.
The large Jewish immigration to America was like most immigrations before and since. Some elements of American society thought the immigrants undesirable and worse. Others felt America needed immigrant labor to grow and do the undesirable chores of society. Still others saw immigration to America as a part of American destiny. Herzl’s understanding of America was superficial and the anti-Semitism that many Jews faced dominated his thinking on the subject.
