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Jewish Grandmother's avatar

Wow, Paul. Never let it be said that words do not matter. You, who write them so powerfully, matter. You are deserving of praise as “The Righteous Among the Nations.” I hold you in my heart, and I hold immense gratitude for the non-Jews who stand with us through this terrible chapter in our history. I loved reading that Leon Uris was one of the influences that shaped your respect and empathy. He had the same influence on me, and some 15 years later, I became a Jew myself. I became a parent to two Jews and the grandparent of six more. All of it has been a huge blessing. You are a huge blessing. Go from strength to strength.

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Freedom To Offend's avatar

Thank you.

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Paula Wertheim's avatar

Amen!

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Freedom To Offend's avatar

If anyone appreciates this piece I am attaching it may be u. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R2Z2ny33hczTsx6zt6bS2xyy1Jq1XzOjvkCaIFzLILU/edit?usp=drivesdk

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Paula Wertheim's avatar

Are you a mind reader too? Ooof. It's my number 1 pet peeve!

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Freedom To Offend's avatar

I knew it. We are similar.

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Paula Wertheim's avatar

I'm not nearly as polite as you are. lol

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Freedom To Offend's avatar

You haven’t seen the whole story. I have made it clear to the university what I think of their cowardice. They get offended my being called anti semitic. My solution is to stop being anti semitic not whine about their feelings.

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Jewish Grandmother's avatar

An addendum that you also inspired, the incredible music that has been inspired by Psalm 137: https://blog.oup.com/2016/06/songs-exile-playlist-psalm-137/

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Freedom To Offend's avatar

I went through them. Wow. After the Babylonian dispersion?

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Bozena Hartzell's avatar

Absolutely!

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Paula Wertheim's avatar

Reading this post gave me the chills.

I can't remember which Hassidic Rebbe said it, but when asked about righteous gentiles, he answered that they are the reincarnated souls of Jews who died as martyrs.

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Freedom To Offend's avatar

Wow

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kathy's avatar

Truly, thank you.

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Steve S's avatar

You are like the iconic image of that one German man in a large crowd of Nazis, all saluting hitler, while the one man refuses to raise his arm in salute to hitler and Nazism. As for Psalm 137, a beautiful and lyrical poem that captures the Jew's yearning to return to Zion, but ends with that dark note of violence against innocents which seems so out of tone with the rest of the psalm

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Freedom To Offend's avatar

Thx. Yes it is a strange ending, it is rage against the murder of their innocents, revenge, or the end of evil? I don’t know.

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Bozena Hartzell's avatar

Beautiful!

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