Sun. Nov. 7, 2021 1:26pm
Going back in history to the road paved by generations before, I can’t help but weep at what we’ve become. The state of our world spits in the face of our ancestors. And we can’t point the finger at any one thing or another without recognizing that there are 4 more pointing right back at ourselves.
So let’s continue the history lesson. Take Eastern Europe from the early 1800s to the 1940s. After Imperial Russia acquired territories consisting of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire, regions with large Jewish populations, the modern oppression against Jews began. (The Russian empire was diametrically opposed to the Jewish People based on differences in religious ideologies.) Jews were restricted from migrating to other parts of Western Europe unless they converted, got a degree, or were a first guild merchant, although they could move to certain approved parts of Eastern Europe and Asia.
In 1881, following the execution of Gregory V (a Greek Orthodox Patriarch) by the Ottomans, 14 Jews were murdered, in response, by local Greeks. It became known as the Odessa Pogroms and considered to be the first. From 1881-1884, more than 200 anti-Jewish riots spread throughout Russia, most notably in Odessa, Kiev and Warsaw. The assassination of Czar Alexander II (blamed on foreign influenced “agents”, i.e.-the Jews) and a narrative pushed by Russian press, triggered the violence to ramp up. The narrative, being that the assassination was carried out by Jews (one conspirator was of Jewish decent, but the others were atheists), continued to fan the flames of hatred. Economic conditions such as debts owed to Jewish moneylenders as well as the contribution of railroad workers and competing businesses compounded the situation and gave regular people something to rail against. With the industrialization of Russia and the introduction of the railroad, travel across the country became more readily available. Which, in turn, led to this anti-Semitic ideology spreading throughout the Russian Empire, bringing more riots, displacement and murder of Jews. Eventually, these ideas spread into Western Europe and by the turn of the century, Jews were labeled the “enemy”. They were dishonest, diseased, unclean and uncivilized. An entire people were “othered”, all based in dishonest deceitful propaganda. The more it was pushed, the stronger the mainstream belief became, the easier it was for good people to do nothing. It’s how an entire country got behind the eradication of a population for the sake of health and safety concerns. (Sound familiar?)
What have we been experiencing here in the US for the last decade or so? Character assassinations on white people, conservatives, Asians, Jews, and the like. Riots following the death of a black man at the hands of a white man or the police. The rise of the “anti-racist”, Antifa and Black Lives Matter. A strong push to keep us divided along racial, political, cultural and ideological lines. Take what happened in Europe and multiply it the world over, because it’s not just relegated to our neck of the woods, this is worldwide. This division is now focused on fear. Fear of a virus that has a 99.97% survival rate. The divide is no longer concentrated on color or politics or culture. It is focused on “othering” those who don’t live in fear of an illness. It is now a common theme that those “in power” can use to manipulate and control the masses.
The last time fear controlled the world, the Allies won. But what of this time? Will freedom win? Will good people stand up to fight this tyranny? Will these “hard times” make strong men? Have we learned the lessons of WWII? Do enough people remember? Will we be a free people? The only way we can win is to face down our fears and stand strong in our resolve. To Stand Up, Stand Out and Be the Light. Resist the urge to “other” anyone for any reason. Be at the ready to defend at all times, even when, no especially when it means putting yourself in harm’s way. To challenge ANY ideology designed to divide with one that UNITES. The only way we win is to keep speaking up, keeping standing up and be bigger and louder than the bully pulpit. And not just stand AGAINST this tyranny, but to stand FOR something good. To be willing to fight this with ideas that UNITE, to be willing to offer REAL solutions and something better. It’s not enough to defend, we MUST build a solid foundation of MORALS and TRUTH. And somehow, we will get through this, hopefully somewhat intact.
Blessed Be Everyone.
Stand Up
Stand Out
Be the Light
-Miriam the Levite
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