WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT ISRAEL III

WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT ISRAEL III
"A Jewish beggar is not impossible, perhaps; such a thing may exist, but there are few men that can say they have seen that spectacle."
This is a quote of the distinguished American writer, Mark Twain documented in 1899. He made this remark after spending a considerable time of his life observing the lifestyle and history of Jews. This observation has in fact proven to be true all over the past century. An average Jew is either a flourishing business man or an excellent professional. Currently, in the USA, Jewish households on the average are the richest. They are followed by the Japanese who are noted universally for their extreme hard work and discipline. Now the main question that comes to mind is; what is the secret of the Jew?
After rigorous research one notices that the Jews have a culture and lifestyle that attracts wealth to them individually and collectively as a people, irrespective of their geographical location or prevailing economic conditions. Basically, the Jews have components in their laws that cause them to do things that bring wealth. The most conspicuous ones are a positive mentality to wealth creation, individual justice or equity and sacrifice or giving.
Steven Silbiger wrote in his book The Phenomenon of the Jews: Seven Keys to the Enduring Wealth of a People that the secret of the Jews can be summed up in seven values which he recommends all individuals to take up. They are:
1. Understand that real wealth is portable; it's knowledge
2. Take care of your own and they will take care of you
3. Successful people are professionals and entrepreneurs
4. Develop your verbal confidence
5. Be selectively extravagant but prudently frugal
6. Take pride in individuality: encourage creativity
7. Be psychologically driven to prove
Wealth is a good thing. Unlike most Christians of today, Jews continue to believe in the importance of wealth and they work towards it. It is interesting to note that in many Christian churches, people see amassing of wealth as sinful. This is a misconception. In the life of Jesus Christ, it is observed that there was an advocacy of the separation of religion from secularism. He chose to focus mainly on the spiritual aspects of life. The portions of the New Testament after the life of Jesus Christ focuses on the life, practises and beliefs of a Church that was meant to expand to all corners of the earth. By this, there was a focus on spiritual and religious beliefs rather than national and state issues. This does not mean that science, wealth and national success are sinful. NO! They have their roles in life and must not be undermined. It is so sad that many Christian Pastors and Preachers in Africa tend to seek the downfall of their fellow Church leaders who encourage their members to create wealth.
Individually, Jews believe in the principle of reward for good deeds and punishment for evil deeds. With this at the back of each Jewish mind, there is nothing like cheating or taking advantage of another person he transacts a business with. The Jews work with fairness and equity and they seek the benefit of everybody. Issues like theft, hatred and undermining are just out of the vocabulary of a Jew. This is a policy of the Jews which when adopted by Africans can promote us as a people also.
Most importantly, the Jews believe in a Power higher than all! They believe in their God and they follow His principles. What are some of the principles that improve their earning capacity; the main one is tzedakat. Attempting to pronounce this Hebrew word as an African makes it sound quite familiar; it means ‘charity’ but it is transliterated in English as ‘righeousness’. Tzedakat is a duty that makes it obligatory for all Jews to give at least ten percent of their income to charity. This could be given to the poor, a religious body, educational institution or to a colleague in need.
Giving is a secret that has worked in the lives of Jews for many centuries. It brings prosperity and prevents havoc and catastrophes from falling on an individual or a nation. Since the message of independence spread through Africa like wild fire five decades ago, African nations have been receiving continuously without giving to anyone, yet we continue to be poor. What about attempting to give as nations? If giving has worked for Jews, it would surely work for Africans. All we need to do is to give it a try whether on an individual level or as national institutions.
Above all, the Jews love each other. The mutual love between Jews has been a secret that has kept them together for centuries. It has acted as a method of social security that has protected the Jews as a people from destruction and from oppression. The Jews are an example of the saying that unity is strength. United we will stand as Africans. Finally, if you want to be successful, consider the principles outlined in this article critically. Live by them and teach others and gradually, we will get there as a people. Shalom.

WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT ISRAEL II

"The Jew is not a disturber of the peace of any country. Even his enemies will concede that. He is not a loafer, he is not a sot, he is not noisy, he is not a brawler nor a rioter, he is not quarrelsome. In the statistics of crime his presence is conspicuously rare — in all countries. With murder and other crimes of violence he has but little to do: he is a stranger to the hangman. In the police court's daily long roll of "assaults" and "drunk and disorderlies" his name seldom appears ..."
These are the words of Mark Twain who lived between 1835 and 1910. Twain goes further to say "These facts are all on the credit side of the proposition that the Jew is a good and orderly citizen. Summed up, they certify that he is quiet, peaceable, industrious, unaddicted to high crimes and brutal dispositions; that his family life is commendable; that he is not a burden upon public charities; that he is not a beggar; that in benevolence he is above the reach of competition. These are the very quint-essentials of good citizenship."
These quotes as a result of very independent and reliable analysis and have been proven by all standards of measure. Between AD70 to this day, the Jews have and continue to live as minorities in most of the prosperous nations of the world. The Jews are in most cases quiet, reserved, orderly and distinct. They follow their culture without the least breach, irrespective of the community they live in.
Inspite of all these attributes, Jews have been discriminated against consistently wherever they live. A critical view of the situation reveals that the root of the causes of discrimination against the Jews or antisemitism is that the Jews are too successful! That is not their fault, they prosper everywhere they go; they know what they are about and whatever you do to undermine them is just not good enough to stop them from reaching their often impossible goals. People who try to stop the Jews generally fail so the next common feeling is to hate them. In other places where antisemitism exists, when one Jew does something wrong, all Jews have to suffer for it together. This is also one of the manifestations of tribalism here in Africa. With the antisemitism however, hatred often ends up getting the Jews higher than they were.
Antisemitism or discrimination against the Jews could be compared with Aparthied in South Africa and Racial Segregation against Black people in America. The main evil of antisemitism is that, most at times it entails blocking persons with the skills and potentials from getting what they want and in most cases it maifests as nationalism. In some places, it is so ironic that many Christians blame the Jews for killing Jesus Christ. This justification of antisemitism is Anti-Christ rather than Christian because Jesus Christ had to refer to Peter (the first leader of all Christian) as Satan because he tried to prevent the Jews from the crucifiction. This connotes that Jesus Christ was in favour of the crucifiction!
Feeling hatred and discrimination in all aspects of life for many centuries, the Jews began to seek freedom from discrimination. They therefore formed a movement which became known as the Zionist Movement in 1890. As Zionism developed, the members began to advocate for a free Israeli nation where all Jews could live in peace. All fingers pointed at Israel, which had been renamed Palestine by the Romans.
Palestine around 1890 was ruled by the Ottoman Empire (currently, Turkey). These Ottomans collected rent from the local inhabitants who were mainly Arabs. The Ottomans were approach by certain Jewish groups for the purchase of land rights in Palestine. These Jews were wealthy and could pay for rent that would be collected from the local Arabs in 50 years in a single payment. Naturally, the Ottoman princes and land barons took the rent from the Jewish community in return for land rights. Initially, the local Arabs in Palestine protested but the princes of the Ottoman Empire continued to sell the lands to the Jews.
During the 1st World War between 1914 and 1919, the Germans who had an aggressive foreign policy led a war against many nations including Britain, France, USA and Japan. These nations went to war against a German led coalition indirectly because of the control of foreign markets. Due to the harsh nature of German foreign policy, most of the Jews in Europe joined hands with the British led allies in defeating Germany. One German soldier who suffered temporal blindness during the war regained his sight in the hospital only to hear the news of the defeat of Germany in the world war. He blamed the German loss on the Jews. His name was Adolf Hitler.
In 1918, the British defeated the Ottoman Empire with the help of some Arabs and Jews. The promise made to the Jews was the right to a Jewish state in Palestine. The Leage of Nations, the then equivalent of today’s United Nations gave the right to rule Palestine to the British. Around that time, the Zionists began to build institutions and structures for a future independent state. Albert Einstein played a major role in this.
Zionism was never taken serious in Europe and USA because the natives believed the Jews had citizenship and equal rights in the West so there was no need for a Jewish nation. In 1933, Adolf Hitler became the leader of Germany on the ticket of the Nazi party. Due to his conviction that the Jews were a threat to the vision he had for Germany, he decided to kill them and anyone who was also a threat to his proposed German Empire that would last1000 years. This led to the Holocaust and the 2nd World War.
The Holocaust was an evil thing. By the end of the 2nd World War in 1945, 6 million Jews were killed in territories Germany controlled during the 2nd World War. At the time of the 2nd World War, Ghana had a population of just about 4million. Now there are 20 million Ghanaians. Logically, one can conclude that those 6 million Jews represent 30 million people who could have been living today!
After the 2nd World War, the Jews were reminded that Europe was not their home. It was at this point that the message of Zionism became clearer. The Jews were insecured and they began to move back to Palestine. The local Arabs in Palestine did not like the idea. There were threats and riots between the local Arabs and the Jewish immigrants (known as oleh). The British rulers of Palestine noticed that war was inevitable. The British were at the centre of the balance between an Arab people who provided fuel for all their military vehicles during their international wars and a Jewish people who led the elite institutions of Britain and its dependencies.
The British had to play a mediating role. They called the local Arabs and the Jews to the negotiation table on several occasions. Whereas the Jews said they wanted to build a modern nation where they could live as a people, the Arabs said they wanted all the Jews who are ‘invading their lands’ out of Palestine.
This confirmed the fears of a possible war. The British stayed neutral as hostilities went on for months. The British referred the matter to the United Nations who proposed that to prevent a war between Arabs and Jews, Palestine, a land that had been barren for centuries and had few people should be divided into two; an independent Jewish state and an independent Arab state. Within these two states, the UN also proposed an international zone that would be controlled by the United Nations. The proposal was endorsed by all nations under the sun at that time through a voting process. The Palestinian Arabs however rejected the proposal.
The Jewish leader at that time, David Ben Gurion however accepted the UN proposal and set a date for the declaration of independence for the Jewish State- Israel. The Arabs in Palestine and in large Arab nations described that as a catastrophe. They declared war on the Jews a few hours later. Days on, armies were dispatched and a war began. After tough times and battles, the Jews defeated the Arabs and declared independence on 14 May, 1948, the date set by David Ben Gurion.
This was how Israel was built. They moved on to attract more of their brethren in the Diaspora and encouraged them to resettle in Israel. Now the dream has come to pass. Israel is a nation that is considered as a world class prosperous state. Their goal of establishing a world class modern nation has been successful.
Most African nations became independent within 15 years after the indepence of Israel. Can we say we have been successful as a bloc of modern nations as Israel has? Are we more threatened than Israel? I think the answer to both questions is ‘no’.
Currently, there are enough Africans in the Diaspora as the Jews had before 1948. There are enough educated Africans who can move our nation forward but why are we not making it? I believe we can take a cue from Israel. I observing their history, five things become conspicuous;
Their belief in a Power above the physical; their trust in God
Their love for one another as a people.
The presence of a progressive culture
Their belief in punishment for evil deeds and reward for good deeds and
The crave to put the past behind them and look to create a beneficial future for everybody irrespective of the obstacles ahead of them.
Clearly, Africa does not have a single common culture. For years of hatred, disunity and foreign intrusion, we have evolved into a people who just survive. This is the chance of Africans to make it to the top. This is the chance for us to build a unified culture and attract our peoples in the Diaspora to resettle in Africa and also help with their expertise because this is what every successful nation did. This is the culture every great nation adopted. The time has come for Africa to take her turn. However, with the situation of Africa, the question is who should start? Who should pay the first price. I have decided to take this trip. If we are not ready to adopt the best culture for progess as a people, I am ready to do so as an individual, what about you?

WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT ISRAEL I

"If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world's list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvellous fight in the world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?"
These were the words of Mark Twain, an accomplished American writer who could analyse things critically and put them into writing. From observation, we know that this piece, written in 1899 reflects facts that can be proven to this day. But the question still remains, what is the secret of the Jewish people? In answering who the Jews are, we will get clues by examining the history of the people of Israel.
Israel began as a slave people in Africa, to be precise in Egypt along the Nile. They laboured all day to build the palaces and pyramids of the Egyptians, taking rest late in the nights only to get fit for another day of hard work, under the intimidation of the whips of the Egyptian slave masters. Thousands of Jews died and others had to survive sicknesses and harsh treatments day and night for over 400 years.
Finally, the Jews escaped from Egypt through Sinai. They settled as a nation and established the State of Israel and built the Temple. Many neighbouring nations attacked but the Jews survived as a people. Mighty empires began to grow nearby and beginning with Babylon, they conquered Israel and took the healthy Jews to Babylon as slaves. The Babylonians were defeated by the Persians who freed the Jews and allowed them to go home, to Israel. In Israel, the Jews had freedom for centuries until the Greeks, led by Alexander the Great conquered the south of the nation. A revolt by the local Jews was begun and they succeeded in driving out the Greeks from the land of Israel.
Around the time the Greeks were thrown out, the Romans found strength and they planned to establish a gigantic empire. They began by conquering neighbouring lands to get more taxes to be able to bring their dream to reality. In the year 40 BC, the Romans conquered Israel, added the territory to the empire and renamed the province Judaea. Six years on, Jesus Christ was born in Israel.
70 years after Jesus Christ, a Jewish army began an uprising against Roman rule in Israel. The uprising was successful to a point but the Roman Emperor at that time, Nero was angered about the Jewish war for independence. He sent a very cruel General to Israel who crushed the uprising and killed many Jews. The Temple was burnt to the ground and the territory was renamed Palestine by the Romans. A second revolt was began by the Jews against the Romans in AD 135 but this could not stand as well.
These two defeats marked the beginning of the dispersal of the people of Israel. Many of them were sold into slavery whilst others moved and resettled voluntarily in territories in the Roman Empire. It is in these foreign lands that they were tagged with names like ‘Jews’ in correlation to their religion which became known as Judaism. A few however remained in the old Israel that was now known internationally as Palestine. Between AD70 and the year 1900, Israelis were dispersed all over the world but they remained faithful to their culture and principles for all these centuries. Within this time also, many people of non-Jewish descent settled in and ruled the location of the former state of Israel which had been renamed Palestine.
Black Africans also began from the Nile region but not as slaves. However, the inability of Black Africans to build a state is due to the fact that they never got the chance to live as a single large unified community as the Jews did. As a result of that, there are many cultures throughout Africa and consistency has always been lacking, leading to disunity. The few early instances where Black Africans had the chance to live as a unified people in Empires took place in the interior of Western Africa but these were thwarted by light skinned invaders from North Africa. This left Africans living in small groups which acted as the impetus of many centuries of tribal wars and chaos.
Local wars took a different dimension when the European led Trans-Atlantic slave trade took the centre stage. Guns were introduced as well as a more humane way of disposing of the enemy; an active slave market in the European castles on the coasts of Africa. At that point, it was impossible for Africans to live as a unified people. No Black African knew where captured slaves were taken to by the Europeans. Some speculations stated that the slaves were eaten by the Europeans! Nobody wanted to end up on the plate of some strange White people so the only way to survive was to capture your neighbour and sell him or else he would capture you and sell you to the Europeans. The only way out was to hate your Black neighbour with perfect hatred. As a result of this intrusion, Black Africans have no culture. This is a topic hotly debated but in a continent where you meet a new and distinct culture meant to undermine the next tribe every 20 kilometres you travel, you cannot say that the people have a culture but methods of adapting to the status quo.
The Jews however had a culture and methods of doing things that yielded tangible and lasting results than every other culture. The most basic of these are; Belief in God, love for a neigbour and the believe in the reward for good deeds and evil deeds. This culture survived many generations and persecution. This is what has kept the Jewish people going for many years.
This time is the chance of Africa. It is understandable that animosity could grow in a continent where there is the need to fight to survive. Our forefathers did that because they had no choice. The legacy they left for us is to take precaution in each and every situation we may find ourselves in. The underlying principle of this mentality is to attack before the enemy attacks, as a result of this, many of us Black Africans in our modern times think of unseating our neigbours before they unseat us even when there is no eminent danger. We therefore look out for the weaknesses of our neigbours only. This continues to plague us as a people.
However, we are special. All what we need is to seek to explore our mights and power and be the best we can be by creating positive things that can help all of us. Remember that the foundations we lay today is what will be carried on by our children and their children. If we believe in God, love our fellows and seek their welfare genuinely, each one of us will make it. The Jews are a living proof of the efficacy of these principles. If we follow their footsteps and build a positive culture like the Jews, we would be blessed and have tangible for generations to come.