From: L-Bueno@cup.portal.com (Louis Alberto Bueno)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast
Subject: Re: zionism in crisis
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 93 14:50:26 PST
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Distribution: world
  <C1Bn62.5Gp@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu> <74244@cup.portal.com>
  <C1D5v0.JzF@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca>

idfriedm@marconi.uwaterloo.ca (id friedman) writes:
>In article <74244@cup.portal.com> L-Bueno@cup.portal.com (Louis Alberto Bueno) writes:
>>kgivon@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (karen lee givon) writes:
>>>"wayne mcguire" <wayne.mcguire@channel1.com> writes:
[...]
>>>>For instance, despite their ethnic and national differences,
>>>>Irish Catholics, Italian Catholics, and German Catholics can find
>>>>a common ground in their religious symbols.
>>>
>>>Ethiopian Jews, American Jews, and Yemenite Jews find a common ground in
>>>their religious symbols.  What'our point?  
>>
>>       From what I have read of Ethiopian Jews in Israel, only a small
>>number have been allowed to immigrate into Israel, while Russian Jews have
>
>  Israel has spent many resources to bring back Ethiopians by the thusands
>  in various operations throughout the last few years. All Ethiopian Jews
>  can immigrate if they can get out of Ethiopia.

	I should have said since the airlift, sorry! :-)

	I've just read an interesting article in the N.Y. Times that
seems to shed a little more light on this topic.  When I have a chance,
I'll copy it and post it for everyone's perusal.

[...]
>>>>Combining ethnocentrism with religion with nationalism strikes me
>>>>as a volatile proposition. All three factors can be forces for
>>>>great divisiveness in the world, separately and most assuredly in
>>>>combination. Many of Israel's worsening problems are the product
>>>>of its ideological presuppositions, concepts which perhaps need
>>>>to be rationally examined more than emotionally defended in a
>>>>knee-jerk fashion.
>>>
>>>Wayne, what do you want from us?  Do you want us to totally change all
>>>aspects of Judaism so that more people will want to convert?
>>>Christianity did this, didn't it?   Have you noticed that Judaism is the
>>>oldest monotheistic religion?  Have you noticed that we have survived
>>>attrocities that no other group has been subjected to?  We must be doing
>>>something right, we're still here.  
>>
>>       I don't know what Wayne wants from what you define as "us," other
>>than what he's asked for (rational examination of Israel's ideological
>>presuppositions), but I know what I want; a non-emotional explanation of
>>the ongoing brutalization of a non-Jewish people by a people who themselves
>>were once brutalized.  Atrocities by any other name are still atrocities.
>>
>  Once you really understand the threat whch Israel faces from countries
>  around it who want to annihilate it, you'll understand its policies
>  better ( Doesn't seem that you, or I, agree with all of them).

	You know, this brings another issue to mind here.

	The United States has long been an ally and benefactor to Israel.
Indeed, I am of the opinion that if Israel faced a threat even remotely
similar to the one Kuwait endured prior to the Persian Gulf war, the
U.S. would be among the first to ensure Israel's defenses, as well as
help to extend any required offensive capabilities.

	Therefore, how does subjecting its Palestinian minority to all
of the various dehumanizing factors in the occupied territories ensure
its defense against those that would wish to "push the Jews into the
sea?"

>Ishay

Regards,

--Louis