While everybody knows that Israel is at war against Hamas and the leaders of the Iranian Islamic Republic, but do you know that the New York Regent’s 10th grade study guide opens up a new front of this war here in New York? The Regents study guide defines Zionism as an “example of extreme nationalism.” Congressman Richard Torres posted, “A New York State 10th grade Regents exam study guide demonizes Zionism-the belief that the Jews have a right of self-determination in their ancient homeland-as extreme nationalism. Yet it does not label as extreme the anti-Zionist ideology that inspired October 7th massacre-the belief that the Jews should be violently expelled from the land of Israel.”
Everybody also knows that the Jewish people had to
wander in the wilderness for 40 years because the nation believed the bad
report about the land of Israel by the 10 spies and wanted to return to Egypt
as told in this week’s Torah portion Shelakh Lekha. God tells Moses, “None of
the men who have seen My Presence and assigns that have I performed in Egypt
and in the wilderness, and have tried Me these many times have disobeyed Me,
shall see the land that I have promised on oath to their fathers; not all those
who spurned Me shall see it.” (Numbers 14:22-23)
We have to ask ourselves the obvious question why does
God, who forgave Israel for the golden calf and for other acts of
faithlessness, condemned to death an entire generation for this offense? God is
prepared to forgive such flights against Heaven, but not against the Land of Israel
as the Promised Land. Ever since then we have learned our lesson and the Jewish
love affair continued throughout our history even through 2000 years of living
in the diaspora.
Israel’s Declaration of Independence begins “The Land
of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual,
religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained to statehood,
created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the
world the eternal Book of Books.
“After being forcibly exiled from their land, the
people kept faith with it throughout their dispersion and never ceased to pray
and hope for the return to it and for the restoration in it of their political
freedom.
“Impelled by this historic and traditional attachment,
Jews strove in every successive generation to reestablish themselves in their
ancient homeland…” This right is the natural right of the Jewish people to be
masters of their own fate, like all other nations, and their own sovereign
state.”
Strange how Zionism is the only nationalism in the
world that is branded as extreme. We need to join the fight against the Regents
anti-Israel indoctrination, which is in my opinion blatant anti-Semitism. I
urge you to contact our Senators and your Congress Representatives and demand
that anti-Israel indoctrination be removed from the Regents exam.
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