Jewish identity can’t depend on violence
by Arun Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson)
Posted on January 20, 2008 at the Washington Post.
Jewish identity in the past has been locked into the
Holocaust experience – a German burden that the Jews have
not been able to shed. It is a very good example of how a
community can overplay a historic experience to the point
that it begins to repulse friends. The Holocaust was the
result of the warped mind of an individual who was able to
influence his followers into doing something dreadful. But,
it seems to me the Jews today not only want the Germans to
feel guilty but the whole world must regret what happened
to the Jews. The world did feel sorry for the episode but
when an individual or a nation refuses to forgive and move
on, the regret turns into anger.
The Jewish identity in the future appears bleak. Any nation
that remains anchored to the past is unable to move ahead
and, especially a nation that believes its survival can
only be ensured by weapons and bombs. In Tel Aviv in 2004 I
had the opportunity to speak to some Members of Parliament
and Peace activists all of whom argued that the wall and
the military build-up was necessary to protect the nation
and the people. In other words, I asked, you believe that
you can create a snake pit — with many deadly snakes in
it — and expect to live in the pit secure and alive? “What
do you mean”? they countered. Well, with your superior
weapons and armaments and your attitude towards your
neighbors would it not be right to say that you are
creating a snake pit? How can anyone live peacefully in
such an atmosphere? Would it not be better to befriend
those who hate you? Can you not reach out and share your
technological advancement with your neighbors and build a
relationship?
Apparently, in the modern world, so determined to live by
the bomb, this is an alien concept. You don’t befriend
anyone, you dominate them. We have created a culture of
violence (Israel and the Jews are the biggest players) and
that Culture of Violence is eventually going to destroy
humanity.