So You Think That You’re Not Antisemitic

Part I: Anti-semitism-lite. (Scholars call it “normal anti-semitism.” Normal.)

Here are just a few examples.

• One man told me that "the Jews" were the source of his former sexism.
• A complete stranger told me to be more spiritual—Christianity had taught him that Jews only engage in ossified ritual.
• One co-worker thought it was funny to strut around speaking fake German and to shout “Heil Hitler.”
• My boss showed me her prayer book. “Since my prayer book is in Hebrew and English, you should worship Jesus.”
• A friend urged me to read an "important" book. It focuses on how the "Rothschild Zionists" are controlling human behavior from a secret base on the moon.
• One blogger dismissed my fears of anti-semitism because only black people and the very poor are suffering today.
  

Jews do face racism and bigotry, but not “just like” everyone else. Can you compare the oppression and murder of Native Americans to the oppression and murder of African Americans? Can you see a future in which there will be no hatred of Christians in Central Africa, Armenians in Turkey, Yazidis in the Middle East, or minorities in Eastern Europe? I cannot see a future in which anti-semitism won’t continue to infect every mind.

You may be unable to see that anti-semitism is all around you, but pay attention to how you feel; do you enjoy hating Jews?

You can find the full calorie version of anti-semitism in Europe today. Do you know many Jews have been attacked or murdered in France during the last twelve months? Do you care? On the sole occasion that international media covered an attack in France, the reporter stated that since Muslims can eat kosher food, too, the murder of four Jews in a kosher market was not an expression of anti-semitism. (More about that term, in a future post.)

Jews are leaving France, many to live in the south of Israel, which is regularly targeted by rockets from Gaza. Why might they be moving? Perhaps because “normal” anti-semitism in France is once again growing deadly. In the United States, people want to believe that Jews are safe here. Mostly, they are the same people who say that African Americans should be grateful for all they have.

The politically correct way to be loudly anti-semitic today is to “criticize” Israel. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “When people criticize Zionism, they mean Jews; you're talking anti-semitism.” Don't respect that statement simply because MLK, Jr. said it; think about it. If you are willing to accept lies about Israel, is it any different than accepting lies about Jews?

Defamation campaigns on college campuses in the United States have been threatening Jewish students for decades. In the summer of 2003, walking around the UC Berkeley campus carrying a Hebrew textbook was terrifying!

I can't blame people for believing what the media tells them, or fails to tell them, until I discover (once again) that they will cover their ears and howl when I ask them to recognize when "information" is false.

If you are willing to make the smallest effort, you can learn factual history—and yes, it does include events like the deportation from Lydda, but Israeli children know about Lydda while most Americans would be stunned if they read just one page of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

If you feel you can't trust anything Jews say, read what others have to say about the Palestinian narrative. You can learn about Pallywood here.

One blogger posted about a fictional massacre of Palestinians by Israelis. Apparently, someone set him straight, because the next day he posted that the massacre hadn’t happened. One truthful post, but he did not did not seem to regret spreading a lie and hasn't bothered to locate more reliable sources of information. Since everyone else lies about Jews and Israel, why shouldn’t he? (Since then, he has deleted both posts.)

Some people pretend to care about Palestinians. Do they also care about other people who are suffering great atrocities? All over the world. Today.

Some people pretend to care about peace. Do they take time to learn about facts that might allow them to comprehend or to help solve the situation? Do they protest wars in other regions? Or do they just rant and rave about "the Jews?"

Some people, whose ancestors really did steal native lands, seem to feel superior when they accuse Israelis of stealing land and deny that Israelis have a right to live in their homes. Should I explain about Jewish presence in the land for thousands of years or how Zionists went to great lengths to purchase land? Should I tell you the percentage of Israeli citizens who are Arab or how many Arabs are members of the Israeli parliament? Should I point out that there has been no genocide of Arabs? No! You can look it up. But most likely, you'll just say that I'm lying, because well, you can't trust a Jew.

While some claim that people in Gaza are starving, luxury hotels are built and Hamas fires rockets at Israel. Like the PLO before it, Hamas fires rockets from homes and mosques and hospitals, endangering its civilians.

Israel, worried about world opinion, rarely responds to "minor" attacks. When Israel does respond, the IDF drops flyers, warning civilians that there will be an attack. Hamas, of course, does not let civilians leave; dead civilians are a good PR opportunity. See this article about human shields, and this one about media coverage. And also this one about outright lies.

When people in Gaza are killed, the world screams about Jewish crimes, but the world does not care when Jewish or Arab Israelis are threatened or killed. (Yes, there are Arab Israelis. Many.)

Some people insist that Israel should not “retaliate,” i.e., defend its people. When asked about Hitler, Gandhi said that the Jews should let themselves be killed. That is still the "spiritual" person’s answer: let your people die.

How would you like to be told that? Let your people die.


Upcoming posts: 

• Why former Christians have a special hatred of Jews 
• Pallywood and fauxtography 
• James Carroll 
• How Germans responded after the Shoah
• Pretending to be Jewish 

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Addemdum: October 2015 HlMG Assessment of the 2014 Gaza Conflict 
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Click on the link below to see all posts labeled 'Lies About Israel'

or follow RM Bellerose for Truth About Israel 

The Blind Spot Spread

Occasionally people feel they are missing some important piece of information as they review their situation or make plans for the future. This particular spread helps you discover that missing piece.

The following reading was generated by Tarot Smith and the images are from The Diary of a Broken Soul.

XII - The Hanged One

1. This card displays the obvious identity, the part of your self that you are consciously aware of and project to others. The card represents a person who is in limbo while contemplating a decision. It may require a sacrifice without expectation of receiving something in return. The decision must not be made in haste. The experience of contemplation is an opportunity for growth and maturity.

XVI - The Tower

2. This card shows unconscious driving forces that neither you nor others are aware of about you. This is the Great Unknown. Is it be better to hold on to a lie because it gives us hope; or is it be better to know a truth that throws us off the edge of deception into the abyss below?

King of Hearts

3. The part of yourself that you conceal, that you don't want others to know about is apparent in this card. A person of deep emotions who has been taught not to express them. It is important to be aware of them and learn from them.

X - Imprisoned Instincts

4. This is your Blind Spot. This is what you asked about which you should be made aware of by this reading. You may wish to pay close attention to these mannerisms. It is more important to understand your reactions to an event than to understand the reasons for an event. Learn to understand yourself and you will know how to cope.

Balance at the Threshold - a Reading by Carolyn Cushing

Carolyn Cushing offers New Moon Readings throughout the year. In this season, her readings address what you need to leave behind now, how to find your balance, and what can emerge for you.

Carolyn’s readings are always insightful. I am preparing for a journey and have been so busy that I haven’t had time for personal reflection. So her invitation to spend time with her and the cards seemed propitious.

A recent personal revelation and Carolyn’s reading suggest that there is something I must reclaim before I continue with my current plans.

LEAVE BEHIND: What would be beneficial to leave behind in winter’s dark mystery?

Elder of Water

What is the story unfolding in this card?

What is he leaving behind? What is he heading toward?

How does he know which way to head?

How is this a picture of you?

This card makes me want to ask you…

What emotions are you ready to leave behind?

“Who” helps you to do this?

The story is about movement over water, through feelings and memories, to a new place and time. The man in the card is leaving terra firma and stagnation, carried safely in his “ark.”

(Is that mountain in Oregon? My rabbi is in Lake Oswega and another rabbi I might like working with is nearby-- should I take soul retreat in Portland before making aliyah?)

The man in the card cannot see where he is going; he trusts the hints from his intuition and just rows his boat. Although he sits in an awkward position, he holds the oars with practiced ease. This is a picture of me, moving toward a future that I can’t see or guess. I am listening for guidance… and trusting it.

The otter watches the Elder with playfulness and spontaneity, gratitude, and caring. These are attitudes that might aid me.

BALANCE: How to find my right balance at the threshold?

The Tree

What surprises you about this image? What troubles you? What delights you?

Describe the places of balance in this card. How are they maintained? What example do they offer to you for your own balance?

How does the season balance in the whole of yearly cycle? What lessons does it offer to you about balance at this time in your life?

This card makes me want to ask you…

Are you taking time to pause, to contemplate, to meditate as you make this transition?

I can’t answer any of Carolyn’s questions about The Tree, but I wonder if the card represents a need for stillness. As one finds balance in yoga by focusing inward and responding to imbalances, I should seek balance in everyday life, without fear or comparisons, but by responding to each moment and internal movement. (And maybe I should start doing more yoga, too.)

EMERGE INTO: What can emerge for me as I step into the spring’s new light?

Elder of Earth

What is happening here? What came before to make it possible?

What symbolic element most captures your attention? What meaning does it hold for you? What does it invite you to emerge into?

How is this a picture of you?

This card makes me want to ask you…

What would it mean to think of yourself as a master of change?

A woman, who may be both older and wiser, is spinning a tale, weaving together the threads of her past. This is helping her, but ideally, the story she tells will also help other people.

What happened before: dissolution, losing herself and her path.

The land in the image makes me feel secure, but the presence of the deer prevents it from being static or stagnant. The deer speaks to me of grace, gentleness, trusting one’s instincts, caution, and freedom.

The card invites me to regain my confidence and to release fears for my security. I can emerge into creativity. I can transform myself.

Carolyn’s thoughts on the cards are similar to my own.

LEAVE BEHIND: This card offers an interesting visual on “leaving behind.” The Elder is leaving behind the great wide ocean to head toward the shore, his home. He can’t actually see the shore and moves from skill and trust toward this destination. Moving from these ideas to your life, you might think of it as you are leaving behind a vast and seemingly endless sea of emotions to trust your movements toward a new shore, a new life. You are invited to leave behind the emotions that are linked to the place where you have been, perhaps a few happy ones to mark and celebrate and most certainly the deeper murkier ones.

BALANCE: One of my favorite meanings for this card comes from Rachel Pollack where she talks about the Hanged One as surrendering to the spiritual, to one’s highest purpose. To make such a surrender requires sacrifice, but also a grounding in what is most important. That which is most important or compelling, our highest spiritual calling perhaps, is the Tree that supports us as we do this odd looking working. So even as your life is topsy-turvy from making a big change, keep going back to grounding yourself in this calling. The card suggests that taking mindful moments of meditation (specifically yoga if that is already your practice, but if not that, then the form of meditation that grounds you the most) as you go through the transition.

EMERGE INTO: Wow, I love this image here. The Wheel of Change is being used as a tool for creating a life that is abundant nurturing, and beautiful. You’ve met the Wheel of Change and learned its ways. Now you will emerge into the rewards that it offers.

OVERALL: As a story these cards show you shifting from an Elder focused on emotions to an Elder spinning her own Wheel of Change. The point of power through you must pass to make the transition includes: surrendering to your highest calling, meditation, and daring to turn your life upside down.

Blessings on you for the journey!

Shamans; Siberian Spirituality and the Western Imagination

Ronald Hutton is an amazing scholar. He’s also a lot of fun!

In this book, he examines the written records of Siberian shamanism. While he reviews the contradictions and omissions in scholarly studies, he also offers a tour of Siberia. And when else are we going to learn anything about that region and its people?

Everyone “knows” that the term shamanism originates in Siberia and that the phenomenon occurs in many other parts of the world. The term shamanism, which could have made sense of diverse spiritual practices, has created confusion. The term did not originate in Siberia and anthropologists disagree as to which “magical” practices in various parts of the world constitute shamanism.

The numerous tribes of people in Siberia have different languages, ethnic backgrounds, and cultures. And yet the most common term for shaman is kam; the word shaman is rare. In fact, that word may ultimately be descended from the Pali term for Buddhist monk, samana or shamana, since Buddhism did spread to parts of Siberia and affect cultures there. (Another question arises: did Buddhism bring Tibetan Bon-po practices, which have shamanic elements, to Siberia?)

Scholars have not agreed on a definition of shamanism. Hutton lists four different definitions that are currently floating around academic institutions. “A set of words and concepts which might so usefully have transcended national and disciplinary boundaries has been productive instead of so much confusion and incoherence.”

It is uncertain whether shamanism is a prehistoric practice preserved in some societies or if it spread from one region to certain others and blended with other traditions. Why are there no shamans in Africa, the birthplace of modern humans? Why is so-called shamanism more common in South America if it originated in Siberia? If it was a pre-historic practice, it should be more common in African hunting-gathering societies, than among Siberian pastoralists.

Few accounts of shamanism written prior to Russian incursions into Siberia exist. Later reports were made by Russians seeking to catalog the resources of the Russian empire. By that time, native cultures had been altered by contact with Russian imperialism.

Russians and, later, Soviets bent on subjugating and “civilizing” native peoples were fascinated by the primitive, superstitious, and magical practices of the “shamans.” Depending on the era, they felt that organized religion or rational science were superior to traditional ways.

There is no one Siberian people in that vast region which covers at least three different geographical regions. Each region once contained numerous ethnic groups. Russians lumped many of them together based on language. (Based on Russian imperialist definitions of the various groups, the Soviet Union could deny that it had exterminated six “Siberian” tribes, since speakers of those languages still existed.)

(Interestingly, shamanism was more common in societies that recognized land ownership because those societies venerated nature spirits and ancestors. Buddhism prevailed in societies that did not recognize land ownership and that had weak kinship ties.)  

There were many kinds of leaders and spiritual practitioners in each of the various Siberian tribes, but only a few of those people were labeled shamans by outside observers.

The people that scholars called shamans, were often marginal figures in the social and religious life of their tribes. Other figures lead rites, chose seasonal camping grounds, lead hunting parties, healed the sick, assisted the dying to travel to the next world, or performed sacrifices. In some groups, "shamans" were prohibited from attending major ceremonies.

Smiths, herbalists, singers, and diviners, among others, had higher prestige than those people labeled shamans by westerners. (Hutton seems to view Russians as westerners, which in this case they probably were.) Members of these societies only turned to the shaman after other “magical” specialists had failed to help them.

All the various specialists used altered states of consciousness and spiritual contacts. Shamans did not rely on just those two techniques; they also herbs, sacrifices, and prayer to help people who turned to them.

Shamans did depend on spirit guides that took animal form. Natural features such as mountains were stable and powerful; smaller spirits, controllable by the shamans, and able to travel different terrains, were needed for his or her work. (Close to half of all shamans were women, but they were less respected than male shamans.) In some cases, the shaman’s spiritual double did the work, taking animal form to seek the missing soul of a patient.

Those people labeled shamans did have one thing in common: showmanship. They were performers who engaged the participation of their audience. Both they and their audience entered altered states of consciousness.

The primary creator of western scholarly notions of shamanism was Mirce Eliade, world-renowned scholar of religions (and raving anti-Semite). Hutton concludes that Eliade ignored some facts and twisted others, selecting a few, apparently similar phenomena to support his theory that shamanism had once been a worldwide practice:

He was imposing an ideal type on a very diverse and complex set of phenomena… it was both an inversion of the modern western experience of religion and of the modern western tradition of rationalism. All these qualities gave it a considerable romantic appeal… The identification of the Siberian shaman as the archetype of the primitive worker of magic, opposed to western norms of religion, was as old as the first European contacts with shamans.

  

After many chapters of scholarly objectivity, Hutton reaches a conclusion based partly on the experiences of real people, friends and acquaintances, who have encountered spirits and rely on the guidance of those spirits to help or heal others.

Ronald Hutton

Piers Vitebsky seems to be correct, therefore, in suggesting that the traits which underpin Siberian shamanism occur naturally in individuals throughout humanity, although they are given different cultural expression at particular times and places. In Siberia, during recorded history, they were expressed in an unusually spectacular and socially esteemed manner. In early modern Europe they could be given a public role only with some difficulty and danger, and in the modern world they can hardly be expressed at all. The fact that western scholars have had to go to the far end of Eurasia to find a term for something apparently inherent in humanity may be directly related to this lack of recognition, as is the confusing breadth of phenomena to which it is now applied. At the heart of the modern scholarly fascination with what is called shamanism, and confusion over it, lies an unease caused by a willful failure of comprehension.

(Why does he say it is a willful failure?)

Some native Siberians are reviving shamanism, while others question the authenticity of the new shamanic groups. An American named Michael Harner has created a school of neo-shamanism based on what he calls Core Shamanism, practices he claims are common to many tribal societies. Although Hutton concludes that shamanistic experiences can happen to humans in any culture, he doesn’t agree with Harner’s assertion that there is a single underlying basis for all shamanic practices. The characteristics of Core Shamanism are not found in every tribal society. Some of the practices of Core Shamanism derived from Native American cultures were not exclusive to medicine men, but were experienced by most of a tribe’s young men. Core shamanism’s “self-justifying concept of shamanism as a worldwide and ancient phenomenon is very much the vision provided by Eliade.”

Hutton concludes that shamanic techniques may be of therapeutic benefit to many people, but the scholarly study of shamanism is currently imprecise, confusing, and of little academic value.