I already have two paragraphs in the essay itself addressing this exact point:
“Jewish assimilation into surrounding cultures has a long history. The Hellenistic Jews of Hasmonean Judea may have been slaughtered, but the same instinct that arose in them to pursue their own happiness over their group membership has arisen again and again. …
I already have two paragraphs in the essay itself addressing this exact point:
“Jewish assimilation into surrounding cultures has a long history. The Hellenistic Jews of Hasmonean Judea may have been slaughtered, but the same instinct that arose in them to pursue their own happiness over their group membership has arisen again and again. This instinct is written about in an almost exclusively negative manner by Jewish writers, who have described it as a ‘silent holocaust.’ I remember being taught as a teenager in Jewish school that German Jews believed they had integrated into Germany in the early 20th century, but the Nazi’s racialist policies and the Holocaust proved that assimilation was and always would be a failure. They were always seen as Jews, and we would always be seen as Jews too.
This was a selective telling of history, little different from the Hasmonean’s biased texts documenting their own time’s assimilationists. If you need proof that Jewish assimilation has a successful track record, just look at all the people who take DNA tests and discover their Jewish ancestry. Now ask yourself who exactly that Jewish ancestor was and what they did. It’s estimated that there are 200 million living descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jews alone, including almost 25% of all Latinos and Hispanics. Compare that to the estimated 16.2 million people still identifying as Jews today.”
Yes, but I don't think there's value in maintaining a group merely for maintaining a group's sake. I wouldn't agree that the descendants of the neighbors of ancient Judea—the Phoenicians, Arameans, Nabateans, etc.—are necessarily worse off for not being part of those cultural groupings anymore, having instead been integrated into other ones.
We have to ask, at what cost is it not worth it to save one's identity/culture/religion? Not all identities/cultures/religions are equally good, and not all elements of them are equally worth preserving.
I discuss in the article in detail the increasing popularity of theocrats in Israel that would prevent assimilation by force, so you should be able to see that. Given how birthrates are changing demographics in Israel, their influence is likely to increase substantially over the next few decades. And that's not even to mention how strong cultural authoritarianism alone can prevent the free assimilation of Jews. I'd highly recommend watching this great documentary on Netflix about that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_of_Us_(2017_film)
As I said before - anybody is free to assimilate, you do not need to destroy a country for this purpose.
Because if you want to assimilate it should not to be a country whose traditions you want to forget.
What you are trying to say seems to me is you will forcefully assimilate those who does not want to.
Leave the country and assimilate anywhere…
I think there is a huge value in existing of Jews, and even if I was born and grew up not religious I have a great respect to those who keep our traditions and philosophy…
Arguing I'm trying to "forcefully" assimilate people after reading a 5,500 word essay entirely about the importance of religious freedom is malicious and absurd. You sound exactly like the awful Maccabees who saw the free practice of Hellenized Jews as in conflict with their own freedom to oppress. I'm arguing for what people should do, not telling them what they must do.
If you're happy about theocrats coming into power, I hope you'll be equally happy when Israel loses all international support and its less religious population suffers for their benefit.
You were using the word assimilation, and it is fine. But it seems to me you are trying to say what people must do… religious freedom does not mean to dictate your moral preferences and bringing help of “international community” in order to dictate and eventually destroy the country. International community never supported Israel to begin with, and definitely with the help of assimilated Jews on the first place never tried to bring peace to this land.
I already have two paragraphs in the essay itself addressing this exact point:
“Jewish assimilation into surrounding cultures has a long history. The Hellenistic Jews of Hasmonean Judea may have been slaughtered, but the same instinct that arose in them to pursue their own happiness over their group membership has arisen again and again. This instinct is written about in an almost exclusively negative manner by Jewish writers, who have described it as a ‘silent holocaust.’ I remember being taught as a teenager in Jewish school that German Jews believed they had integrated into Germany in the early 20th century, but the Nazi’s racialist policies and the Holocaust proved that assimilation was and always would be a failure. They were always seen as Jews, and we would always be seen as Jews too.
This was a selective telling of history, little different from the Hasmonean’s biased texts documenting their own time’s assimilationists. If you need proof that Jewish assimilation has a successful track record, just look at all the people who take DNA tests and discover their Jewish ancestry. Now ask yourself who exactly that Jewish ancestor was and what they did. It’s estimated that there are 200 million living descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jews alone, including almost 25% of all Latinos and Hispanics. Compare that to the estimated 16.2 million people still identifying as Jews today.”
I do not see how anybody can prevent one from assimilation…
I think the problem arise when people want to save their identity, culture, religion…
But if people assimilate as a nation then they loose their own country - nothing holds them together…
As you obviously love history you know very well how many other nations just disappeared in ages,
And even if land holds the name that is completely different nation…
Yes, but I don't think there's value in maintaining a group merely for maintaining a group's sake. I wouldn't agree that the descendants of the neighbors of ancient Judea—the Phoenicians, Arameans, Nabateans, etc.—are necessarily worse off for not being part of those cultural groupings anymore, having instead been integrated into other ones.
We have to ask, at what cost is it not worth it to save one's identity/culture/religion? Not all identities/cultures/religions are equally good, and not all elements of them are equally worth preserving.
I discuss in the article in detail the increasing popularity of theocrats in Israel that would prevent assimilation by force, so you should be able to see that. Given how birthrates are changing demographics in Israel, their influence is likely to increase substantially over the next few decades. And that's not even to mention how strong cultural authoritarianism alone can prevent the free assimilation of Jews. I'd highly recommend watching this great documentary on Netflix about that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_of_Us_(2017_film)
As I said before - anybody is free to assimilate, you do not need to destroy a country for this purpose.
Because if you want to assimilate it should not to be a country whose traditions you want to forget.
What you are trying to say seems to me is you will forcefully assimilate those who does not want to.
Leave the country and assimilate anywhere…
I think there is a huge value in existing of Jews, and even if I was born and grew up not religious I have a great respect to those who keep our traditions and philosophy…
I am very glad about the current demographic…
Arguing I'm trying to "forcefully" assimilate people after reading a 5,500 word essay entirely about the importance of religious freedom is malicious and absurd. You sound exactly like the awful Maccabees who saw the free practice of Hellenized Jews as in conflict with their own freedom to oppress. I'm arguing for what people should do, not telling them what they must do.
If you're happy about theocrats coming into power, I hope you'll be equally happy when Israel loses all international support and its less religious population suffers for their benefit.
You were using the word assimilation, and it is fine. But it seems to me you are trying to say what people must do… religious freedom does not mean to dictate your moral preferences and bringing help of “international community” in order to dictate and eventually destroy the country. International community never supported Israel to begin with, and definitely with the help of assimilated Jews on the first place never tried to bring peace to this land.