67 years ago, I was born into a family who practiced the Jewish religion. I was raised to embrace Judaism, went to Hebrew School, became a Bar Mitzvah, was able to lead trips to Israel, got married to my first spouse in a Temple (paid the rabbi $350 for the privilege of being a Jew to get married in the Temple (But that is another blog), and then began my professional career as a Jewish Communal Worker. I believed that all people were equal, but as a Jewish person growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, I wanted to make sure future generations of American Jews did indeed get to pursue their dream of life, liberty and happiness. I studied Jewish history, for me it was important to grasp the nuances of tradition, the lessons of the Talmud and to always understand my identity. I had learned that there was the idea that TheJewish people, came from two separate parts of the world, the Sephardic Jew’s had origins from North Africa, and the Ashkenazi Jew, found it's footing in Western Europe, Eastern Europe was a sort of melting pot and both demographics of Jewish observance and custom melded together in this nations. But much to my surprise, it seems that I have discovered a third origin of Jewish life, I say it began in Eilat, an Israeli City at the tip the red Sea, because ever since the start of the 20th Century the Elite Jews have emerged on the scene. These are the wealthiest of jews who's blood is made of gold, and whose conscience has little to do with the Old Testament, but more so with Wall Street, Dow Jones, and greed.
Now in my Jewish Communal professional life I luckily worked with very rich Jewish families, whose dedication to equality, fairness and freedom was equated with not only their philanthropic gifts but they volunteer efforts and energies. These families are the heart and core of great museums, hospitals, schools, universities and community centers, but none of those families history originate from Eilat, so they are not Elite Jews. The Elite Jews were the people who felt that too many run of the mill, eastern European Jews were entering the country from Ellis Island and demanded that Washing DC send those peasants to places like Galveston, New Orleans, hoping that by keeping them out of the East, the gentiles would feel much more comfortable. Why some the Elites were torn on what to do with the SS St Louis boat load of jewish refugees who eventually were sent back to Europe and murdered by the Nazi’s.
It seems now, in 2017, a resurgence of the Elite Jews has multiplied, with names like Adelson, Mnuchin, and of course Kushner. Like their ancestors from Berlin and Rome, these Elite Jews believe gold is the blood in their bodies that makes them a different kind of Jew. These kind of Jews remain quiet as Nazi’s march in America wanted to rid the world of Jewish Blood. These kind of jews think living in penthouses or casinos, or on Wall Street will shield them from anti-Semitism. I was dumbfounded to discover, a third origin of Jewish life, a new group, the elites who have no conscience or morals just greed and gluttony. how interestingly SAD!
