Fear Society

Ha'aretz has a review of Natan Sharansky's book on democracy, which has just come out in Hebrew translation. Ha'aretz summarizes Sharansky's thought:

According to Sharansky … the world is divided between free societies and fear societies. Fear societies … must create outside enemies to ensure the loyalty and cooperation of the masses. Hence, if the free societies want to live in a world of peace without the threat of terror hanging over them, they must turn the fear societies into free societies. Those who compromise on this suffer from a lack of moral clarity.

Sharansky's definition of a "fear society" fits haredi society almost perfectly. If Jewish "free society" – those who seek truth over comfort and spin – is to survive, we must bring "democracy" to the haredi world. Those who compromise by covering for gedolim who act inappropriately – as in the Rabbi Slifkin Book Ban, for example – including those afraid to stand up and be publicly counted, "suffer from a lack of moral clarity." That many who suffer from this lack of moral clarity are rabbis and roshei yeshiva, including many at YU, does not bode well for the future of Judaism.

Comments

[Rowan Berkeley]

Much as I love you, Shmarya, I fear you are succumbing to the fashionable hypocrisy of the Liberal mind. The comparison you draw is quite wrong : unlike the haredim, the societies of which Sharansky speaks have nothing wrong with them whatever except that they get in zionism's way.

[Scott]

Question: If Elijah decides to occupy the empty chair at the Passover meal .... will the black hat crowd pay any attention to him? I suppose it depends on whether or not Elijah agrees with their doctrine.

[sparky the wonder dog]

Rowan Berkeley illustrates a point that has been on my mind, even though generally I don't post to religious sites any more since I am not Orthodox.

Look at Scott and Rowan's comment. This goes for you too Shmarya. Here is an anti-Zionist who comes to a religious site for Jews (he's a "troll") and leaves the profound thought that "fear societies"--these are the folks who are trying to kill Jews and say so up front--are good. The only thing wrong with them is that they, ah, "get in zionism's way." Uncapitalized at that.

Here we have another guy who probably knows nothing about Judaism in practice except he doesn't like "zionism" which is a lot of bad things, of that he is sure (he doesn't know Elijah from a hole in the wall). OK. He leaves his profound remark, on this site, and that remark is, more or less "zionism sucks and you people suck.

Very good, Scott, of course, doesn't reply to Mr. Berkely, he makes fun of charediim. Well, For all we know Mr. Berkely will read this post and continue to expiate on the sins of "zionism"--and the question is whether Shmarya will begin to defend Jews, Yidden, before the continued propaganda and contemptuous denigration of Jews, on his own blog, and, yes, in other forums, or continue with his polemics against this Jude to the left and that Jude to the right.

That goes for Lubavitch, too, which, as far as I can tell has zippo presence as a voice against anti-Semitism in the wider non-Jewish public--all it has is its Noahide Laws campaign, as far as I can tell. But maybe, given the narrow-beam definition of its outreach Lubavitch is unable to fit such an activity of advocacy within its mind-set.

Paul Freedman

[Paul Freedman]

To make this clear--I think this is a critical problem for Jews. National-religious advocates go la de da de da building all these castles in the air--G-d will provide if there is just enough enthusiasm, we will rebuild, almost literally, the idealized Biblical kingdoms as transmitted through the Rabbinic tradition, in the Land of Israel--who knows the messiah will come.

And in the "masses" of the United States and Europe a dark resentment grows about Israel and Zionists, a resentment we ignore at our peril, and ADL should not be the only organization out there.

I've never understand the belief that deeply rooted communal institutions are malleable to dramatic self-change: the ultra-orthodox are not going to accept what they are not going to accept, Chabad is where Chabad is at the moment, but why can't all the various strains do some common work to at least begin to get our minds around how we can more effectively answer the unyielding stream of depersonalization and delegitimation aimed at Zionism.

[Scott]

Paul,

In the eye of the beholder I guess. I believe Elijah will actually show up soon. Perhaps with Moses. I fully expect the black hat crowd to throw stones at them. In which case fire will come down from heaven and consume them. God will not leave men alone much longer. The time is short.

Uvimoishav leitzim lo yashav!!

Fellows, that saying from our sages is directed towards you. A band of fucken lunarticks and norcotics as you are. All you cna do is mock those who do.The only ones I can fathom that fire will consume is firstly you: Paul, Scotty, and co.

[Paul Freedman]

Um, no name, try again to say what you are trying to say without referring to something else. Why are the lunarticks and narcotics going to be consumed by divine fire? I"ve about decided that roughly 50% of humanity is clinically insane.

[Paul Freedman]

Shmarya--as a renowned expert in Talmudic exegesis what is the October 26, 2005 10:37 PM post trying to communicate?

[Paul Freedman]

I meant the 10/26 1;10 AM post. Oh well.

[Shmarya]

"Shmarya--as a renowned expert in Talmudic exegesis what is the October 26, 2005 10:37 PM post trying to communicate?"

I don't know. Ask the commenter.

[Scotty Boy]

This whole site is a troll site. Scotty is troll number 1 on the Jewish Internet. Yasher Koach - may Hashem send you a refuah sheleima now!

[Paul Freedman]

SB: there are good trolls and bad trolls.