By: Steven Shamrak

Last week I attended a function organized by a new Jewish single group in Melbourne, Australia. For a while, I was sitting next to a guy who was wearing a pro-Aborigines T-shirt. He told me that he is a social worker and passionately involved in and personally supports all Aborigines' causes. During conversation, I causally said that I am surprised that at Jewish functions usually no one even mentioned the Israel and Middle East conflict. His reply was sudden, strong and categorical: "Jews do not have any rights on the Palestinian land!" All his compassion, love, empathy and humanism had vaporized, gone in a second. He shouted it with powerful, unbreakable conviction.

He did not care about political correctness and how offensive his words and ideas could be. He raised the voice and obnoxiously made his statements, perfectly knowing that no one among the 'nice Jews' around would contradict or challenge him. It seems that in modern society only detestable bullies and self-hating Jews have the right to express their opinion without fear of being censored or ostracized! And, he was right! No one made attempt to participate in our discussion.

He did not want to hear anything at all that would contradict his opinion. I understood whom I was dealing with and my assumptions were correct. Later, he told me that he is a member of the Jewish Democratic Society, a local Jewish self-hating leftist organization. (I had previous experience with the members of this organization. As a rule, they jump and scream like a pack of mad dogs when the word "Israel" is mentioned in their presence.)

He also reminded me of some responses I have received recently to my article, "Sinai Option - The Road to Permanent Peace!" - full of categorical rejection of the idea that the Arabs can be transferred from the Jewish land! Many have shown strong support and tried to justify the fictitious Arab claims! At the same time, some of those passionate, nice, sympathetic 'humanists' expressed the wish that Jews would and should be transferred to Canada or to the desert of Arizona! All their friendliness and compassion is gone. Strangely, none of it is applicable to Jews!

Those people do not surprise or anger me. To a degree, I even respect them. At least, they have some convictions, beliefs and openly express them. It is the silent Jewish majority that is disappointing and dangerously treacherous! The conversation about the weather, travel, workout at local gym , diet and, at the best, stock market are their pre-dominant pass-times. Indifference, apathy, lack of knowledge and understanding of the current danger, that Israel and Jewish people are subjected to now, is the major concern! How to awake them from this lethargic sleep? Do we really need to wait for another war in Israel, pogrom in Russia or Holocaust in Europe to bring the message home!

I know that after thousands of years of persecution and prosecution by the scums of the Earth, it is difficult to have high self-esteem. The stigma of the 'villain of the world' is still haunting many Jews. We are still unable to shrug off the shtetl, the Gallut - slave's mentality. It is crucial that Jews regain self-respect and self-love now! The history is moving too fast. Delay could be detrimental for Jewish nation!