Israel's Peculiar Position by Eric Hoffer

NOT Republican or Democrat

Astonishing!
THIS WAS WRITTEN IN 1968 - 42 years ago

You probably don't remember the name Eric Hoffer.

He was a longshoreman who became a philosopher, wrote columns for newspapers, and authored several books. He was a non-Jewish American social philosopher. He was born in 1902 and died in 1983, after writing nine books and winning the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
His first book, The True Believer, published in 1951, was widely recognized as a classic.

Eric Hoffer was one of the most influential American philosophers and free thinkers of the 20th Century. His books are still widely read and quoted today. Acclaimed for his thoughts on mass movements and fanaticism, Hoffer was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1983. Hopewell Publications awards the best in independent publishing across a wide range of categories, singling out the most thought-provoking titles in books and short prose, on a yearly basis – in honor of Eric Hoffer.

Here is one of his columns from 1968 — 42 years ago! Some things never change!

Please forgive me if you have seen this article before. I received it by email, and found its formatting dismal. I have chosen to make the paragraphs according to my preferences. The article otherwise is exactly as it came to me.

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ISRAEL'S PECULIAR POSITION
by Eric Hoffer
Los Angeles Times
May 26, 1968

The Jews are a peculiar people: things permitted to other nations are forbidden to the Jews.

Other nations drive out thousands, even millions of people and there is no refugee problem. Russia did it, Poland and Czechoslovakia did it.

Turkey threw out a million Greeks and Algeria a million Frenchman. Indonesia threw out heaven knows how many Chinese and no one says a word about refugees. But in the case of Israel, the displaced Arabs have become eternal refugees.

Everyone insists that Israel must take back every single one. Arnold Toynbee calls the displacement of the Arabs an atrocity greater than any committed by the Nazis.

Other nations when victorious on the battlefield dictate peace terms. But when Israel is victorious, it must sue for peace. Everyone expects the Jews to be the only real Christians in this world.

Other nations, when they are defeated, survive and recover but should Israel be defeated it would be destroyed. Had Nasser triumphed last June [1967], he would have wiped Israel off the map, and no one would have lifted a finger to save the Jews. No commitment to the Jews by any government, including our own, is worth the paper it is written on.

There is a cry of outrage all over the world when people die in Vietnam or when two Blacks are executed in Rhodesia. But, when Hitler slaughtered Jews no one demonstrated against him. The Swedes, who were ready to break off diplomatic relations with America because of what we did in Vietnam , did not let out a peep when Hitler was slaughtering Jews. They sent Hitler choice iron ore, and ball bearings, and serviced his troops in Norway.

The Jews are alone in the world.

If Israel survives, it will be solely because of Jewish efforts. And Jewish resources.

Yet at this moment, Israel is our only reliable and unconditional ally. We can rely more on Israel than Israel can rely on us. And one has only to imagine what would have happened last summer [1967] had the Arabs and their Russian backers won the war, to realize how vital the survival of Israel is to America and the West in general.

I have a premonition that will not leave me; as it goes with Israel so will it go with all of us.

Should Israel perish, the Holocaust will be upon us all.

Isn't Something Missing Here?

A guy makes a movie, some people watch it, and get so mad that they kill people and wreck property.

Maybe this is an understatement. Maybe it is a clear representation of the circumstances we have witnessed September 11, 2012 and the days following. The events occurring at United States Embassies throughout the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Southern Asia raise questions about what is reasonable behavior.

The rhetoric is that these events are the result of a movie.

Sometimes some of the most stupid ideas are made into movies. Other times movies represent actual happenings. Still other times, writers mix fact with fancy. That doesn't mean we should kill each other because somebody made a movie. Does it?

It is understandable that one person can offend another. Yet, we have laws to govern how these situations are to be handled. If people are not willing to be curtailed by the laws of their communities, should they just be allowed to act "outside the box" or "off the grid"? Is anarchy the reasonable alternative to governance?

Who is being blamed for the movie that has offended to the point of creating killers? The United States? Why? What did the United States do to cause the movie to be written, directed, recorded, or shown to audiences? Who is the person or persons that should shoulder some responsibility for the creation of the movie itself? After a little bit of searching (it really didn't take any effort at all), these pieces of information seem to be the accepted current "facts".

Feds Question Nakoula Basseley Nakoula – AKA Sam Bacile

The article indicates that the person has used several aliases and has been a "white-collar" criminal.

The movie actors seem to have not known how the finished product would appear to audiences.

This Wikipedia site may not be neutral in its content, but it is informative.

 ADL's Abraham Foxman said, "We are greatly concerned that this false notion that an Israeli Jew and 100 Jewish backers were behind the film now has legs and is gathering speed around the world. [...] In an age where conspiracy theories, especially ones of an anti-Semitic nature, explode on the Internet in a matter of minutes, it is crucial for those news organizations who initially reported on his identity to correct the record." Foxman specifically criticized "news organizations across the Arab world and anti-Semites and anti-Israel activists" for continuing to describe the filmmaker and backers as Jewish despite the fact that no Jews were involved in the making of the film.

Correction is Crucial. However, if they appear at all, they will probably be on page 12, at the bottom, between ads for groceries and used cars.

The man who made the movie is a self-proclaimed Coptic Christian. Coptic means Egyptian. That does not mean that every Coptic Christian is Egyptian, but indicates that the Church has existed since the first century in Alexandria, Egypt. it is older than the Roman Catholic Church.

This is a Coptic Network link.

Most Coptic Christians are probably scandalized by one of their own making such a movie. If they took it upon themselves to publicly censure this movie-maker, it might be understandable. However, the real damage has been done.

All that aside, here are a couple of the real problems.

1. People have died.
2. Property has been destroyed.
3. Israel has been demonized by use of a nom-de-plume
4. United States has been victimized because the movie was recorded within its borders
5. A lot of people seem to be apologizing to Islam for something they did not do
6. Anarchists seem to be winning the Public Relations War
7. Reasonable people appear powerless to effect the outcome of this situation
8. We are all being held hostage

Something is missing here. Justice. Reason. Credibility. Integrity.

This article is not meant to offend. These are just some Shavings of Sanity.

Housing without paying a Builder

The really sad truth is that if you want a home, you generally need to pay an architect, general contractor, many sub-contractors, teams of people who accomplish foundation, framing, roofing, electric, water & plumbing, refrigeration, interior finishing & drywall (or plaster), finished carpenters for cabinetry, flooring, and maybe even interior design. This was just a short list, but every one of the categories of work have paychecks that increase the cost of your domicile.

Of course, this is usual. This is common. This is just the way it is. You can't do anything about these expenses. Everybody has to pay them. This is just the cost of building a home.

I suppose you can take some depreciation on these costs by purchasing a used home. I guess this is a second-hand house. Please don't read "second-hand" as a pejorative label. Used doesn't need to imply abused, although that can also be true. Most people, however, care for their homes because these homes are viewed as investments. We care for our investments. Therefore, a previously-owned home can be a good purchase if you buy at the right time.

The way real estate fluctuates, you may find yourself waiting for years for a down-turn that will allow you to buy your home at a price you can handle, and then you may wait more years for it to appreciate enough for you to realize and increase on your investment. Then, if you subtract the interest on your mortgage from the appreciated value of the property, you may find you still have your head under water.

"Nutz! What could I have done?" you may be asking yourself.

I just stumbled across pictures of shipping container homes. Shipping container homes? Yep - forty foot shipping containers modified into homes.

My first thought was that if I wanted to move to another country, I could pack up my home, and it will ship as a standard container (for all intents and purposes). Second thought, I could buy a freezer container and make a temporary freezer room for my bakery. Third, these containers can stack, so it is a simple process to have a two-story home on a limited land space.

Ok, it's not so simple. How many of us have a huge crane around to stack or even just install a shipping container on our property? There are some costs, but they may not add up to the costs of all the labor detailed in the first paragraph of this article. The cost encountered will, however, be significant. I haven't looked into those costs at this time.

I have considered the difference between the container home (or room) and a traditional prefab home. You will be limited by specific size of container. If security is an issue, there may be no prefab home that can offer the protection of a shipping container. As an American-Israeli living in Israel, I prefer the security of an entire home built to withstand the rigors of shipping. A steel house is like living in a house built like our security rooms. When my family is at stake, I say "Security first!" - especially if bombs are falling (like in Sderot or Ashkelon).

The concept of living in a metal box is a little intimidating, though, so I decided to look through the internet for some examples of people making houses of shipping containers. I include a few of those sites here.

This house is in Jerusalem, and it is covered with wood slat treatment.
Jerusalem Pine Trees House

This treatment of a container makes me think of living in the openness of a tent type environment.
Open Source Housing?

Shipping container homes may be the ultimate in recycling. Here are two links to recycling & reuse sites showing examples of the use of shipping containers.

10 completely different treatments of the shipping container as a structure
10 pretty visions for shipping containers from around the world

Some of the images above are stark, and some are soft, while still others are advanced architecturally. One of the homes pictured is the first in America to conform to all building codes.

Writing this article created several questions for me. How much does it cost to buy a container? How much does it cost to have one converted? How much does it cost to have it delivered & installed? How does it handle weather? How much does it cost to pack up & move. Can I have windows and close the box to be a secure environment at the same time? Can I have sliding security walls? Will the walls withstand a series of shots from a 50 caliber machine gun? Can it withstand an RPG? Will it withstand a SCUD missile?

Ok, maybe I am getting a little bit carried away. How about this for a fairly serious question that I didn't see treated on any site so far. Can I use a shipping container as a prefab basement providing a strong foundation for a house above? It seems to me that a steel box would not have "foundation shift" in a limited area, and therefore would create less cracks in a traditional house built above the shipping container basement.

There may be many uses for these containers that have yet to be explored. If you have some ideas, and want to do some research, here is a link to a company that both sells and modifies shipping containers for private and business applications.

many suppliers of shipping container homes & offices

Most of these suppliers are in China. Is it possible that this kind of modification can be done in other countries that have major ports and excessive numbers of containers, or containers that have exceeded their "life-span"? Maybe this is a new industry for our country or even our family. Israel is filled with building cranes, has major ports and thousands of shipping containers.

Reformation

I wish a job would 'just fall in my lap'.
I'm a good person and a good worker.

I am fine the way I am.
I shouldn't need to change.
It doesn't matter who I am—I assume I'm OK.
I'm OK—you're OK.
However, no matter who I am or how I am, I am seldom OK.
It's not that I am sick in either mind or body (although that could be true)...
It's just that I need to be different than I am.

Status quo is a no go...

We are creatures of change and growth. It is in our nature to evolve. Not like Darwin would indicate, but away from what we have been, and toward what we are to become.

We build houses, communities, friendships, trade-routes, businesses, and self-images.
We make automobiles, cakes, mistakes, even overtures to each other.
What we don't commonly do is build self-esteem or make self-modifications.

OK, we think we do these things. We decide we feel good about ourselves. We think we change when we decide to cut our hair or quit smoking.

We define ourselves by the work we do. Some of us are philanthropists and others are sanitation engineers. If we don't like what we do for work, then we define ourselves by what we do for pleasure. If that is embarrassing, then we define ourselves by our families or our friends.

Mostly, we define ourselves by what we do that other people notice.

So, now I find myself in a different country than the one where I grew up. Many people here also grew up where I did, but they have been here longer than I, and they have acclimated well. This is their home, and they define themselves by the relationships they have made here, the hardships and joys they have experienced here, the work they do here, and the families they have built here, and the relationships they brought with them and maintain here.

This is Israel. It is a land blessed and honored. History recognizes this land. Hearts yearn for this land. The land itself longs to be filled with people of light, gladness, joy, and honor.

We who come to Israel as adults long to be accepted as we are by this land and this country and this nation and this people. We bring our personal goals, abilities, mindsets, expectations, and desires. We want to be a round peg for a round hole, but we find the hole has unexpected corners. How can we fit? Where do we belong?

Of course, we do belong here: in this land: Israel. We settle our families and put our kids into schools. We focus on our children because they are our hope. We make braided bread and take challah. We shop and farm, we work and play. We learn and teach. We reach out to each other.

I began to study Hebrew in Ulpan. About the time I was able to have a conversation with the linguistic skill of a three year old child, I realized that I must work or I would not be able to pay for my family to live. No Problem. I have skills. There are jobs. We have the internet and email in our home. I read job postings. I sent my resume (CV) and requests for interview to many job postings. Why aren't responses inundating my email in-box?

Maybe my CV is not targeted to the position being offered? I created so many different resumes from my basic information that I had to create a folder tree to manage them. Which cover letters had the information I needed to cut-and-paste for the next completely different introduction?

People say the job-search is a little different here in Israel. Evidently they are right. I have been told that networking will get the job that a CV may not: that more jobs are gained because you know someone in a company than because you are the most qualified for the position. That may be true. I'll know when it happens.

I have talked to doctors who were specialists but now work in a clinic (or two, or three). I know a wonderful pulpit rabbi who now is a fund-raiser (he knows a lot of people). I have an instructor who came here to become a rabbi, but became a teacher instead (a lot of common ground). I have spoken to an accountant who now works in a 'think-tank' (as an economist). The fund-raiser and the instructor both came to the position they each have through word-of-mouth. They were willing to become something they had not considered. They were willing to change. They just needed to become something different than they were.

So now I come full circle. I will be OK, but I am now. I need change—modification. I need to remake myself.

What are my skills, and how do they apply to the needs of my new homeland? What does Israel need from me? What can I offer?

My Hebrew is severely limited. My technical skills are profound. I can write. I may even be an interesting person. Some things about me may be useable already, and others may need modification. It's just that I need to be different than I am. I need to make me into a person with skills Israel needs. I need to make me an attractive addition to the work-force.

I am a creature of change and growth. It is in my nature to evolve. I am a creature that makes things out of raw materials. I can either modify the materials around me into new structures, or I can grow my thinking into new ideas and patterns. Modifying materials builds buildings, automobiles, toasters, viruses, prosthetic devices, and gardens. Growing thinking patterns builds morals, philosophies, ideals, honor, self-image, and goals. I have spent much of my life modifying materials. Now it is time to grow my mind, my self-image, my goals, and my perspective.

I expected to be a round peg when I made aliyah. I expected to find a round hole for me here in Israel. Maybe I am not a round peg, or maybe there are no round holes. I don't know about that. What I do know is that I must change to become the person I am supposed to be. No matter who I am or how I am, I am not OK until I become the person my family needs me to be. My greater family (Shivtei Yisrael) needs me to evolve also. I need to help build the world of my fathers here in the land of our ancestors for the present and for the future. I need to discover what Israel needs me to be. I must become the worker whose skill can help create the new thing. I must become that new thing.

There's a reformation coming.

Maybe then my email inbox will overflow...