Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousand Years (Pluto Middle Eastern Studies)

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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 296 EAN: 9780745308197 ISBN: 0745308198 Label: Pluto Press Manufacturer: Pluto Press Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 128 Publication Date: 1997-12-01 Publisher: Pluto Press Studio: Pluto Press
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Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: A courageous Israeli evades the establishment censors. Comment: I didn't expect to agree with all of Prof. Shahak's views going into this work, but I did find it helpful and insightful. From this Cats perspective, Pro vs. Con. On the con side; 1st, He maintains the "politically correct" Western History (propaganda rewrite) view as-opposed-to the Eastern view and/or the Revisionist view of the alleged holocaust as a historical reference point. Even "Joe Six-pack" is learning that non critically-challenged historical **assumptions** lead to irrational and unjust governmental policy **conclusions**. 2nd, He maintained the obligatory six million figure (publicly advanced as early as October 31 1919 in "The American Hebrew" ) that has been soundly refuted by both alleged Jewish and non-Jewish researchers alike. 3rd, He correctly cites the Zino-establishment argument that the alleged holocaust is the capstone of the alleged persecution histories necessary for the justification of the established alleged state of Israel on the one hand, while he doesn't in substance address the question: - that if the Jews really were being "persecuted", as-opposed-to being the recipients of lawful coercion, then why throughout history, in over 100 different kingdoms and differing cultures with differing religions, were they exiled? - Or, what were they habitually doing to agitate and anger every culture where they immigrated to en mass throughout history? 4th, Having posed that, this cat wonders why such a gifted man apparently didn't confront the Zino-establishment history rewrite. On the pro side; 1st, What I discovered in his international history rehearsal was a delightfully refreshing perspective for the most part. How the Judaics had been used (apparently willingly) by corrupt monarchs and corrupt ecclesiastical officials to do their hypocritical coercive and financial bidding. That added to my understanding of historic cultural dynamics in the mentioned areas. 2nd, What I found surprising was his willingness to openly elaborate on the ultra-oppressive ultra-racist and non-tolerant character of "Classic Judaism" in how it relates to its political sibling of Zionism; both having the intended same net effect on pseudo-open cultures. All throughout the book, and especially in chapter 5, he gives sufficient introductory source-noted elaboration on the hatred/deceit-based ideological dogmas that have oppressed and tyrannized both professing Jew and non-Jew alike for centuries. - Could this relate to the third point above? **On a relational side-bar note; if one grants the "oral traditions" as articulated in the Talmud as being conveyed by God, as assumed by the rabbis throughout their arguments, one can easily and clearly see (reasoning from their premises) the very covenant-breaking doctrines and consequent behavior of the carnal Israelites (maintaining in substance of what later became the Jewish Talmud/Kabbalah) that Jehovah severely chastens, exiles and ultimately divorcees as being an "unfaithful bride" or "whore" all throughout the Old Testament documents that professing cultural Judaics as-well-as Christian-Zionists seem to be ignorant of or blinded to. Corrupt control manipulation through information falsification and suppression is shamefully and disgustingly part of all current cultures usurpedly-built upon the rabbinic deception paradigm. It is no wonder their "oral tradition" (i.e. Talmud/Kabbalah principle progenitors) while being chastened again under Hellenistic Roman military occupation as recorded in the New Testament documents, rejected their Covenant Messiah; in context, real Israelites as a "covenant-breaking" carnal (materialistic) people in bondage to the dark religious manipulation of their sages, who in the broken Covenant sense, are still not God's people. Amos 8:2-6 "And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more. 3 And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence. 4 Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, 5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? 6 That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?" Jeremiah 23:12-14 "Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD. 13 And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err. 14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah." No wander that the agencies and kept press of corrupt puppet governments as-well-as their covertly controlled public corporations have cooperated in suppressing books elaborating on the Talmud and continuing rabbinic oral traditions! 3rd, I found it delightful that the author stated that the working poor cultural Judaic found oppression and ternary relief from "outside of the system" of "Classic Judaism". Sadly, many have drifted back into Zionism without realizing its intended ultimate use. Zionism is merely the back-door return deception to covenant-breaking rabbinical (Talmudic/oral) "Classic Judaism", just as the false construct of Judaio-Christianity is the closing of the Covenant-keeping front door by the same Pharisaical wolves in sheep's clothing in the apostate pseudo-Christian churches of the current times. Customer Rating: Summary: Insights into Polish Peasantry and Jewry Two-Three Centuries Ago Comment: Certain issues raised by Shahak are undeveloped by other reviewers, and I elaborate on the situation facing Polish Jews and peasants at about the time of the Partitions and thereafter. The anti-Semitism in part of the peasantry of eastern and central Europe is commonly stereotyped as the product of Christian religion and of their backwardness. By contrast, Shahak emphasizes the evolution of Polish society in a direction that placed peasants and Jews into a quasi-adversarial position. It began with the uncontrolled growth of the power of self-interested nobility since about 1600: "This process was accompanied by a debasement in the position of the Polish peasants (who had been free in the Middle Ages) to the point of utter serfdom, hardly distinguishable from outright slavery and certainly the worst in Europe." (p. 61). The Jewish situation then was very different: "Polish Jewry burst into social and political prominence accompanied, as usual, with a much greater degree of autonomy. It was at this time that Poland's Jews were granted their greatest privileges...Until 1939, the population of many towns east of the river Bug was at least 90 percent Jewish...Outside the towns very many Jews throughout Poland, but especially in the east, were employed as the direct supervisors and oppressors of the enserfed peasantry." (pp. 62-63). "But, as we have remarked, the peasants suffered worse oppression at the hands of both landlords and Jews; and one may assume that, except in times of peasant uprisings, the full weight of the Jewish religious laws against Gentiles fell upon the peasants." (p. 63). Shahak continues: "Internal conditions within the Jewish community moved in a similar course...In the period 1500-1795...The considerable power of the Jewish autonomy was used increasingly to stifle all original and innovative thought, to promote the most shameless exploitation of the Jewish poor by the Jewish rich in alliance with the rabbis, and to justify the Jews' role in the oppression of the peasants in the service of the nobles." (p. 63). Customer Rating: Summary: If I could recommend a book to a Zionist Christian, this would be it: They can learn about how Jesus is in hell, buried in feces Comment: Our media and Hollywood gave me the impression that Jews are, more or less, the most persecuted group in history. And yet, depite all of the hatred that is thrown at them, they don't return hatred or at least return very little. People who read a book of this kind for the first time are going to be shocked at how much hatred the teachings in Judiasm (specifically orthodox) has for non-Jews (especially Christians). The one "teaching" that stood out for me was the philosophical rule that Jews are forbidden to push non-Jews down a well, but at the same time are forbidden to help them out. That's not a moral religion. For what moral person would want to practice this appalling religion? And, yes, the thing that gives this weight and credibility is the fact that it was written by a Holocaust survivor (a very courageous Jew) who lives in Israel and who obviously is very sick of the racist laws against non-Jews. This man deserved the medal of freedom for writing this. After reading this book, you can make one conclusion: Israel is, was, and probably will remain a racist state unless there is some internal debate (the primary hope of the author). Customer Rating: Summary: Biased work masquerading as an objective analysis. Comment: As can be judged by the positive reviews given to this book, Shahak had played into the hands of anti-Semites and pseudo-scholars alike - if it wasn't his intent for writing this book in the first place. Amongst a great number of other instances of intentionally concealed anti-Semitic attacks masquerading as an instance of objective analysis are: *Claiming that Maimonides was an anti-black racist. Shahak deliberately fails to mention the fact that NOT holding racist views of the black race was a very rare occurance in the 12th century Europe and Asia amongst ALL ranks of society. *Claiming that Jews permit adult sexual relations with minors. This is a very popular slander amongst anti-Semites used against Jews; needless to say, this is a completely false allegation that has no grounds in the Talmud. Actually, the Talmud discusses whether the victim of such activity, which is expressly FORBIDDEN by Judaism, should be considered virgin at the time of their marriage. *Claiming that the Talmud treats gentiles abusively and providing passages from Talmud as evidence. Shahak, like all other anti-Semites in disguise, fails to mention that such laws were originated by gentiles, and officialy vindicated by European law, AGAINST the Jews living in Europe, who then adopted similar laws to vindicate themselves. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. Apparently, Europeans used Christianity's teachings to live an ascetic life as an excuse to cover up their jealousy of Jewish success and endlessly persecute them. I could go on exposing Shahak for who he really is, but I simply don't need to, as I expect and hope that these three examples will suffice to convince any potential reader of this book that its content is neither objective nor productive to expanding your view of the Jewish faith as it really is. Customer Rating: Summary: Ranges from distortion to outright falsehood Comment: Shahak was a chemistry professor better known for his racist, anti-Jewish diatribes. His allegations range from the outright distorted to the flat out fictional. One example is the often used slander that the Talmud allows relations with minors. Actually, it is a sin and a crime under Jewish law. It is rape. There IS a discussion that does NOT ask whether it is allowed but whether the victim of this rape is considered a "non-virgin" when they grow up and seek to marry. In a culture where virginity is considered important for marriage, the victim may become a double victim, victimized by the rapist and again by society, being labelled a "non-virgin." The final answer is that they are considered a virgin when it comes time to get married. However, this discussion that "it is as nothing" is taken out of context as if it allowed rape. Shahak also makes many bizarre and patently false allegations such as his claim that Jews and Israelis dont' use "+" signs in addition because they are "little crosses" and that observant Jewish ritual involves desecrating Christian graves. If many readers who don't know much about Judaism find it an "eye opener," there is good reason. Shahak is making this stuff up. If you want to know what Judaism REALLY says or Jewish Law, the Talmud really says, find out for yourself. Go to your local orthodox synagogue and ask for lessons or go to a free class. Heck, pretend you're Jewish and see what we "really" think and say. And you can also check out: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Cyprus/8815/ http://www.angelfire.com/mt/talmud/ More Reviews