[net.religion.jewish] Reply: Test for Jewishness

martillo@ihuxt.UUCP (Yehoyaqim Martillo) (07/24/84)

>Re Martillo's comment that the "Test for Jewishness" gives no 
>reason for pride: You have to identify yourself as being Jewish
>before you can develop pride. Pride has to come from knowledge.

I am reminded of a discussion I had with my karate instructor at Harvard. 
He was a Japanese Buddhist monk who attended the Harvard Divinity School to
learn about non-Japanese religions.  Judaism had impressed him but he had
become aware that most American Jews knew less than nothing about their
heritage and "were unworthy of their ancestors [his phrase]."

He remarked to me, if American Jews knew what they had, they would be so
proud.  It is almost as good as being Japanese.

I gave the correct reply, "No, it's better."

My friend would not have respected persons who considered themselves
inferior to him.


As for using the holocaust as a test, there is no honor in having been so
weak and divided that we were almost wiped out.  No people can seriously
use a national shame to define themselves.  If Jewish is to be defined by
having suffered the holocaust, I would forget about being Jewish.

The aim of American law is to punish the malefactor.  Jewish law tries to
prevent wrong by encouraging individuals toward morally upright behavior. 
We would have had cause for pride if we had had the power of the Germans
and then chose not to do evil because we had learned ethical behavior. I
see no way to be proud of never having had a choice.

-- 

Who wouldn't break for whales?

Yehoyaqim Shemtob Martillo