Of Pilgrims, Patriarchs, and Politics

Whatever the reason the great biblical patriarch Abraham left this storied land, there’s a pattern to be discerned in his narrative that wasn’t lost on the “patriarchs” of early America, who not only devoured the Bible, but were intent on making it part of their personal experience. We know them as the “Pilgrims,” who sadly have been reduced to little more than caricatures in children’s books. 

These “Pilgrims,” as we know them, were people of extraordinary faith. It’s rather difficult in our own day to imagine that people might really be motivated to do extraordinary things by pure faith, but such were the Pilgrims. It was their powerful piety that led them to withdraw from the religious structure of their European land – the Church of England. Originally part of a larger movement known as the Separatists, they incurred the wrath of Britain’s King James I, who expected strict obedience from his subjects and condemned them as fanatics. Their first move involved crossing the Channel to the Netherlands, taking refuge in Amsterdam and subsequently Leiden. Holland was their equivalent of the ancient city of Haran, Abram’s midpoint on his long trek out of Mesopotamia. 

Such parallels weren’t lost on the likes of William Bradford, who later became governor of this rag-tag group and recorded their adventures in an illustrious memoir, Of Plymouth Plantation. Of their desperate crossing for the New World, undertook in September, 1620, he wrote: “They knew they were pilgrims, and looked not much on those pleasant things they were leaving, but lifted up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits.” Whereas Abraham followed the desert trade routes of the ancient tribal nation called the Amorites, the Pilgrims navigated the sea routes of English colonists. Theirs was as much a voyage into the unknown as was that of the first biblical Patriarch, who knew nothing of his future “promised land.” 

Steve Jobs: In Memoriam

The first time I encountered a Mac was back in the 80s, in grad school, studying an "obscure" discipline that everybody said was sure to keep me "hungry" for life. I was "hungry and foolish," but I managed to scrape together enough to buy my first Mac, with a "huge," 20 megabyte built-in hard disk. Writing my doctoral dissertation on it, I was hooked. Over 2 decades and 5 books later (all written on Macs), my life revolves around products that Steve pioneered. As a professor at a major university, I talk endlessly to my students about the world of Apple, and I've probably sold a few over the years. The least I could do for the best computer/ hi-tech company on the planet. We'll miss you, Steve!

Israel’s Fault?

Having lived in Israel for years, learned the national language – Hebrew – and spent the better part of my life “supporting” the Jewish state, I can’t imagine I’m about to say that when it comes to the country’s current beleaguered situation, Israel has, quite arguably, done this to itself! “Back in the day,” I remember when a young aspiring Israeli leader named Benjamin Netanyahu declared that an independent Palestinian state is out of the question. There just isn’t room in this tiny region, a scant 50 miles across, for two independent nations. Nor is this Switzerland, where folks of French and German stock have learned to just “get along.” Mr. Netanyahu – Bibi – used to say, “This isn’t a peace process; it’s a war process.” To that he added, “The Palestinians don’t want a peace with Israel; they want a piece of Israel.” Moreover, Israel needs the territories it conquered in the 1967 Six Day War in order to protect itself from existential threats. It needs the strategic Jordan Valley as a buffer zone against attack from the east. And it can by no means allow a hostile Palestinian state to exist just a few miles from its largest city, Tel-Aviv, and occupying the eastern half of its capital, Jerusalem.

The Libertarian’s Bible

All right; it’s time for some political musings!... from a "Libertarian" perspective...  

What do we think of when we think of the Bible? The “Good Book.” A book of Faith. The Word of God. All very nice designations. But how often to we dare to think of the Bible as a book of politics? Doesn’t the Bible engender enough religious disputes without throwing politics into the mix? But what if the Bible actually weighs in on political issues and principles relevant to our own times? What if it teaches valuable political lessons that we can’t afford to miss? 

Propagandizing the Temple

“Jerusalem Jones” is writing a new book. It’s all about the intersection of archaeology and the Arab-Israeli conflict. No snakes, no Nazis. But plenty of nefarious “bad guys” who want to take, not just Israel’s land, but its heritage and history as well. In other words, Israelis are a people who just need to go away. The international community – the notorious U.N. – and the international media will do whatever they can to promote this lofty goal. 

Siberian Jewish Renaissance

A great deal has been researched, written and documented concerning the Jews of Russia during the last century of their collective experience, throughout the Soviet era and beyond. Most attention is understandably devoted to the Jewries of Moscow, St. Petersburg, and western regions (known in the Czarist era as the Pale of Settlement). Relatively little is said, however, about Jews living further to the east, in central Siberia. Having just returned from a summer residence in Siberia’s capital, Novosibirsk, the third largest city in Russia, I was surprised to find a vibrant Jewish Community Center, that I was privileged to address, and a new synagogue on the rise. From several members of the community, including the director of the JCC, I was able to piece together their story.

Trans-Siberian!

Tomorrow is the “big day,” meaning the “great train ride” from Novosibirsk, Russia’s third largest city, to St. Petersburg, the second largest.  We’re talking three nights and two long days across the heart of the Russian countryside – actually through the heart of the Russian forests. The Trans-Siberian Railroad is the whole reason Novosibirsk, the capital of Siberia, exists, having been established in 1893 at the future location of the vital bridge over the Ob River. The Woody Harrelson film, “Transsiberian,” really nails it in terms of the accuracy of the experience. (Not that I’m expecting to meet any drug smugglers…) It even makes reference to Novosibirsk, which, being located on the midway point of the railroad, seemed as good a place as any for Comrade Stalin to exile his enemies. The city exploded in size and population during the Stalinist regime, the modern city boasting a population of over two million. It is difficult to determine how many Jews found themselves living in the Siberian capital by the mid-twentieth century. What is certain is that the Jews of Siberia became greatly assimilated, many converting to Christianity and/ or entering into mixed marriages. In any case, Jews were certainly present, as an element of the population, just as they are today.

St. Petersburg has its own story to tell. Czar Peter the Great coveted a warm water port,  and in 1703 staked his claim on a boggy island where the River Nava meets the Gulf of Finland. The czar himself grabbed an axe and set to work building his new city. He drafted thousands of workers in the effort, in spite of brutal winters and muddy malarial summers. The saying arose, “St. Petersburg was built on bones.” In 1711 Peter moved his capital there, creating a gilded legacy for what would become perhaps the most spectacular city on the continent. Repression and splendor seem to go hand in hand in Russia, as the next installment of the Trans-Siberian adventure is likely to reveal…

Shalom, and Da Svidanya!