Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

The New Paradigm

I got to reading more in Charles Krauthammer's book, "Things that Matter." I'm learning more and more about the Jewish (Hebrew) calculus than I knew before. Two things that jumped out at me are that Jews are being assimilated into the general population of the United States, and also in Europe (Those who are left) at a significant rate. In a few generations Krauthammer predicts that Jewish communities will become quaint remainders of the past like the Amish and Mennonites of today.

While this is happening throughout the world it is not happening in the State of Israel. In Israel the Jews have changed the traditional paradigm. Instead of establishing settlements in foreign lands throughout the world they have established a nation, and taken on a national identity. One can hardly blame them considering what happened in the holocaust. The good part of this strategy is that they no longer have to fear the host government persecuting them. They are the host government. In Israel their population is increasing. The bad part is that they have put all their eggs in one basket surrounded by hostile neighbors. The geographical area is smaller than the state of Vermont and a war with even tactical weapons of mass destruction would have a catastrophic effect.

Krauthammer writes, "The Gulf War reminded even the most wishful that in the age of nerve gas, missiles, and nukes, an age in which no country is safe from weapons of mass destruction, Israel with its compact population and tiny area is particularly vulnerable to extinction.... on Israel hangs the very existence and survival of the Jewish people... they cannot survive another destruction and exile."