A Feeling from the Heart
As a people, the Jews have been simultaneously hated and feared.
They should neither be hated, nor feared.
They ask only for respect and remembrance.
"Remembrance?" "Yes, remember: Never Again."
Hatred stems from the self-imposed jealousy of the non-Jew
whose heritage [he feels] leaves him somewhat lacking in luster,
causing him to constantly seek rebirth, yet knowing all-the-while,
he can never truly be reborn, not as a Jew.
He struggles, needlessly, with this. He wars over this internal
struggle. And, internal, it is. Yet, he wars.
Fear? Ah, the fear! Fear comes from the respect that one must
rightfully owe a people, and yea now even a nation, that has
survived centuries of exile, years of isolation and constant
oppression from her friends and her enemies.
She calls them her family and her foes.
She has known them as one in the same.
Israel stands firm. She survives. "How?" "How?" indeed.
As a people, Israel has always been forthright in self-esteem,
noting her own miraculous survival, her perseverance, her posture.
A healthy self respect. Not pride. They know the difference;
these Jews do.
They know the difference.
They know who they are and what they are.
They know from where they come and where they belong.
They know their deceivers and the deceit.
And, more importantly,
This strong, vibrant and resilient nation of Israel,
These Jews know how to remember never to forget
"Never again."
- Emily Fenster, March, 1998
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