Let's say I decide to go apple picking. When I arrive at the orchard, the farmer takes my money and then cautions me, almost as an afterthought, that there might be a few bad apples in there.
"How bad are these apples," I ask him.
"Do you believe in the God of Apples?"
"No."
"Well then...they might kill you. But it's not their fault! They believe that a perfect apple a long time ago had revelations from the God of Apples, and now it's their duty to bring Him to all the peaches and pears and unbelievers, and kill those who refuse His divine guidance."
"Give me my money back. That's not a few bad apples. That's a bad orchard, and I'm not going in there."
Thank you for this, though I probably shouldn't have read it right before bed. It's not anything I wasn't aware of, but it lays it out nicely & I will keep it handy to pass on when I can.
I wish I knew what to do. I am a silversmith/jeweler in Victoria and sell my wares in markets (not Jewish); last summer I started making Star of David pendants (I was both angry and disheartened after the vile graffiti on our synagogue). I was curious to see what would happen - it's actually all been very positive, somewhat to my surprise. I have had wonderful conversations with people, sold them to Israelis and others (including another non-Jew who bought it for the same reason I made it). I had a girl from Thunder Bay at my table the other day who bought one for her father and then one for herself, we had a long talk and she teared up when she left: I think about this stuff a lot, but that's nothing compared to someone like her. I've had many thanks, and a few hugs. I feel better and perhaps stronger for having done it, but it's not much. I wish I could do more, but I'm not sure what. I keep hoping there will be a rally or something where I can find some community. Although as I write this I realize I have not looked very hard (sorry for the rambling).
The problem with the "few bad apples" aphorism:
Let's say I decide to go apple picking. When I arrive at the orchard, the farmer takes my money and then cautions me, almost as an afterthought, that there might be a few bad apples in there.
"How bad are these apples," I ask him.
"Do you believe in the God of Apples?"
"No."
"Well then...they might kill you. But it's not their fault! They believe that a perfect apple a long time ago had revelations from the God of Apples, and now it's their duty to bring Him to all the peaches and pears and unbelievers, and kill those who refuse His divine guidance."
"Give me my money back. That's not a few bad apples. That's a bad orchard, and I'm not going in there."
Clear thinking! Kudos!
Excellent essay. Thanks for writing this.
Thank u for reading. It was rather long.
Great list. Thank you.
Welcome to the reality of the world and its history
Thank you for this, though I probably shouldn't have read it right before bed. It's not anything I wasn't aware of, but it lays it out nicely & I will keep it handy to pass on when I can.
I wish I knew what to do. I am a silversmith/jeweler in Victoria and sell my wares in markets (not Jewish); last summer I started making Star of David pendants (I was both angry and disheartened after the vile graffiti on our synagogue). I was curious to see what would happen - it's actually all been very positive, somewhat to my surprise. I have had wonderful conversations with people, sold them to Israelis and others (including another non-Jew who bought it for the same reason I made it). I had a girl from Thunder Bay at my table the other day who bought one for her father and then one for herself, we had a long talk and she teared up when she left: I think about this stuff a lot, but that's nothing compared to someone like her. I've had many thanks, and a few hugs. I feel better and perhaps stronger for having done it, but it's not much. I wish I could do more, but I'm not sure what. I keep hoping there will be a rally or something where I can find some community. Although as I write this I realize I have not looked very hard (sorry for the rambling).