 |
|
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
|
| |
Jewish World Review
May 17, 2004
/26 Iyar, 5764
To be a Jew: What the murderers of Nick Berg and Daniel Pearl knew
By Jay D. Homnick
| 
|
|
|
|
http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
Nick Berg, like Daniel Pearl before him, was captured for being American but murdered for being a Jew. Striking indeed is this insight of the Arab fiends: That the Jew is their strongest enemy. All the might of three hundred million Americans is surmountable, they think, but the Jew is the foe who will not go away.
They are right. The word Jew denotes an engine of history that will not falter.
To honor Nick and Daniel, my brothers, I offer this reflection — cultivated in the wake of their inspiration — upon the meaning of the word Jew.
Jew means the compassion of Abraham, hopping to South America, skipping to Africa, jumping to Iraq, bringing water to a parched throat, building a roof over a bedraggled head, opening a book for a neglected mind. As Michael Berg said of his son, he was the best friend of the people of Iraq, seeking to rebuild their country. His comfortable life in Philadelphia did not cool his heart with the lullaby of apathy. He sought to expand "the city of brotherly love" to embrace the far, dark corners of the globe.
Jew means the self -sacrifice of Isaac, subordinating individual impulses to the larger cause. This includes a willingness to have less, to take less, even to be less, in order to do more. The sacrifice of Isaac is based on "And he saw the place from a distance" (Genesis 22:4), a vision that encompasses a longer timeline, shrinking the urgency of the appetent moment. Daniel Pearl and Nick Berg hoped to avoid the total surrender; the flinty logic of history overruled. By highlighting their vision, we give meaning to their gift.
Jew means the honesty of Jacob, giving a dollar's work for a dollar's pay and then some. "I took responsibility; from my hand you may seek an accounting…. It was in the day that the sun consumed me, then frost into the night." (ibid 31:39, 40) Daniel Pearl would not have been remiss in his fidelity to the Wall Street Journal had he done his reporting from a perch on a bar stool, as do most of his brother newshounds. He would not settle for that; he followed a lead on a major terrorist and walked into the jaws of death.
Jew means the drive to "save" people that is the legacy of Moses; he saved a Jew from an Egyptian, a Jew from his friend, and in his greatest test, he saved a group of Midianite girls whom he did not know from being ripped off by a group of roughnecks. He did that while a fugitive with a death warrant in his home country and no passport in the host country. Who can fail to hear the echo of that brand of heroism in Daniel Pearl and Nick Berg, traversing treacherous zones of anarchy in an effort to introduce a savior to people who have known only the oppressor?
Jew means the optimism of a Miriam, never doubting that her brother would survive, encouraging her parents (according to the Talmudic tradition) and cheering up the children. The cruel hoax of the first Gulf War, where the Americans dangled the prize of freedom and then abandoned Iraq to the monster, left the Iraqis with the cynical view that hope itself is a sucker punch, a fool's game. A Nick Berg comes to impassion people with a surge toward hope, a dream of achieving against the odds, a vigor to take command of one's fate.
Jew means the ability to survive tragedy like Aaron, who absorbed the death of his two young sons in silence, then rebuilt to create a dynasty of service that has endured for over three millennia. Look at the Jewish People as a whole: the modern wave of "enlightened post-Darwinian" anti-Semitism began in 1875, when the Jewish population in the world numbered 7.5 million. Over the next century, nearly that amount of Jews was exterminated. When it was over, the Jews had about thirteen million people and their own country. The Pearl and Berg families, carrying on, memorializing their sons in personal and philanthropic ways, practice this hardy ethos.
Jew means the preparedness to serve in the governments of other nations like Joseph, lending political, diplomatic and administrative skills to countries of residence. Far from being a parochial enclave, the Jews have helped to hammer out constitutions and create democratic institutions the world over. Pearl and Berg, trying to help new governments find their legs, represent this dedication no less than do the Wolfowitzes and Abramses.
Jew means seeking the truth at any price like Ruth, the princess of Moab who abdicated her royalty to be a commoner among Jews. Pearl and Berg came from dignified intellectual families, but went out and got their hands dirty in pursuit of the good. Ruth's queenly nature shone through; her great-grandson, David, was anointed king.
Finally, Jew means the spine to govern their own nation like King David and stand up to the criticism — and cynicism — of the skeptical and mean- spirited. It means taking down a Yassin or a Rantisi even though we may project that it will cost us a Pearl or a Berg. The contributions of Jews everywhere to making a better world are so much more meaningful in an era when they have their own proud country. A fledgling country, true, but rich in resources and resourcefulness — from spiritual to military, from poetic to technological.
The Torah was etched into stone and brought down a mountain. In our time, Pearl is the precious stone and Berg is the noble mountain.
At sunset of May 24, Jews the world over will observe the holiday of Shavuos, in which Jews re-enact the Encounter at Sinai 3316 years ago. This year, every Jew should celebrate with head held high.
Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Jay D. Homnick is the author of many books and essays on Jewish political and religious affairs. Comment by clicking here.
© 2004, Jay D. Homnick
|
