The Fourth of July is Coming – Who Cares?
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Yes, indeed, thank God my kids are growing up in Israel. And thank You, my God, the God of my forefathers, Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yaacov, and not George Washinton, the tzaddik who didn’t chop down the cherry tree, thank You for opening my eyes to understand that being Jewish means being absorbed in Jewish history, and celebrating Jewish independence, and living in the Jewish Land, and performing the mitzvot in the place they were meant to be performed, and not being duped into identifying with the history and culture of some foreign, gentile land, where we do the mitzvot so we won’t forget how to do them, so they won’t seem new to us when we return to the special Holy Land where God wants us to live.
Therefore, to all of my beloved Jewish brothers and sisters in America, if you want to drink beer and eat kosher hot dogs on the Fourth of July because America has been good to the Jews, then drink your Budweisers and eat your hot dogs. But after you finish your meal and thank God for the food and the land, don’t confuse matters and think that the land in the Birkat HaMazon is referring to America. Even when a Jew eats a hot dog in America, or a baguette in gay Paree, the Torah wants him to thank God for having given him the LAND OF ISRAEL, not for the old US of A, or France. The Torah wants us to remember that we belong in Eretz Yisrael, the Land that God gave us, and not the land that He gave to the Indians before the Americans wiped them out in a good old fashion wholesale American slaughter. God wants us to remember Jerusalem, not Washington D.C. or New York.
So go ahead and eat your hot dogs. Drink your beer. But don’t think that the Fourth of July is really Independence Day for you. Remember that your nation is Israel, not America. Your hearts should beat proudly when you see the Star of David blowing in the wind, not the Stars and Stripes. And always remember that you are only in America, temporarily, because of the curse of galut. Perhaps you were born there, but it isn’t your home. Enjoy eating your hot dog and drinking your beer, but don’t pretend it is Independence Day for you. If you are a Jew, the “land of the free and the home of the brave” is Israel.
We hope to see you here soon.
tell a friendAbout the Author: Tzvi Fishman was awarded the Israel Ministry of Education Prize for Creativity and Jewish Culture for his novel "Tevye in the Promised Land." For the past several years, he has written a popular and controversial blog at Arutz 7. A wide selection of his books are available at Amazon. The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of The Jewish Press
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2 Responses to “The Fourth of July is Coming – Who Cares?”
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I thank God that my grandparents chose to come to America and that my parents and I were born here. I thank God that my children and grandchildren were born here in America. Yes, America has its problems but I thank God that I live here and not in Israel. I long ago gave up my so-called "right of return" to a nation in which neither I nor any of my family has ever set foot. And I will never ever visit a country that has for far too long occupied the West Bank, oppressing its people and stealing its land while sending young Israeli kids to protect the illegal settlers and oppress the populace. I am only sorry that my country that knows the settlements are illegal continue to support whatever Israel does. But shall we get into the overwhelming influence of the Jewish Lobby here in America? That will wait for another time.
Finally Mr. Fishman, were all the Jews in America to make aliyah there would be no Jewish Lobby here to support Israel and then what would you do?
Interesting that you removed my comment. Guess you don't like Jewish dissenters.
http://www.takebackourrights.org/docs/Christians-full%20page.html They blocked me completely read this Jewish Noahide law that will rule the world passed in the USA 1991, Death by Be-heading, Jesus will be Idolatry punished by Guillitone
I note that you are put my comment back. Censorship is never a good thing.
He removed mine. He is an embarrassment to the Jews~
at first I was angry and repelled by this diatribe. I am no longer angry, but still somewhat repelled by fishman. but more than that, I pity him. for me, israel is not just a land, but a people. people who are adaptable, clever, wise and able to make their own decisions about where they choose to live and pray. people who can be secular or religious and still be jewish. fishman's world and world view is so narrow that I also pity his children who should know more about all of the world and not be contained by their father's inabilty to accept and live in the larger world. communication in this new century is shrinking the world in ways we never could hve envisioned. younger people will be educated and cosmopolitan and able to achieve success and happiness without boundaries.
I am an American Jew who loves both her country and her religion. Some of my family have been here since the 1600's. I have three 4X gr grandfathers that fought in the Revolutionary War and two gr grandfathers that fought in the Civil War (Union -Pennsylvania). I am an American Jew and so is my son.
I will support Israel as a country trying to survive against great odds , it's the right thing to do. But with the stranglehold of the Ultra Orthodox who claim the right to decide who is a Jew , my feeling of connection increasingly dwindles.And if the Ultra Orthodox Israelis continue to disdain me , as a Reform Jew, why should I continue any support whatsoever.
Mr. Fishman — I raise my son, Jacob, who is six, in Montana, to stand for your land and I am Christian. I understand the sanctity of Israel but I cried when I read your article. I just wanted you to know. May family fought for jews throughout history. To Jews in this country, it is okay that you do not celebrate our country's independence, I still welcome you – you have helped to make our nation great. Mom in Montana.