Shalom Aleichem: although realizing he’s about to be put to death anyway, the bird-Jew played along with his executioner
In his autobiography, legendary Yiddish author Shalom Aleichem recounts a harrowing story his grandfather had told him about “the bird-Jew.”
That was how the grandfather called Noah, a pious Jewish innkeeper who lived in constant dread of his Russian landlord, the village squire. Trembling, Noah headed for the manor to renew his lease. His timing was off, because the courtyard was full of festive guests ready to go hunting.
The squire, in a jovial mood, agreed to extend the agreement if Noah would climb the stable roof and pretend to be a bird – so he can shoot him. Fearful of angering the nobleman, Noah obsequiously did his bidding. He clambered up as ordered, bent forward, flung his arms sideways and assumed a birdlike pose. At that instant the squire fired and Noah fell, as any slain bird would.
Although realizing he’s about to be put to death anyway, the bird-Jew played along with his executioner, still absurdly terrified of what might happen if he didn’t. This is the cringing mentality, the fear of giving offense to one’s mortal enemies, which Zionism was established to eradicate.
But not with full success, it seems.
You can take the Jew out of the Diaspora, but not all the Diaspora out of all Jews. Israel’s Left and its media mouthpieces are prime examples. To hear them, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has unpardonably angered the nobleman from the Oval Office. It was Netanyahu’s duty to obediently assume the role of the bird-Jew and self-destruct to appease his boss.
Otherwise, President Barack Obama might become unfriendly.
Of course there’s the minor matter of the boss having been unfriendly to begin with – inimical in fact. But why quibble about sundry details? Who cares what came first – Netanyahu’s effrontery or Obama’s antagonism?
From the Labor-Kadima perspective, it serves to present Netanyahu as the oafish bull in Obama’s dainty china shop. According to the Buji Herzog/Tzipi Livni narrative, Obama harbors effusive good intentions toward Israel but Netanyahu upsets all of the president’s compassionate predilections.
The contention that Netanyahu disrupts Israel-US harmony has thus become a central campaign motif (second only to the earth-shattering issue of bottle-recycling at the PM’s residence).
Obama, it needs be stressed, is hardly loath to collaborate with Netanyahu’s challengers. Indeed he does his darndest to hammer the message home to Israel’s voting public, while simultaneously professing not to interfere in our electoral process.
Hence Obama claims he’s merely denying Netanyahu pre-election advantage by opposing his Congressional speech and refusing to invite him to the White House. Tendentious opinion-molders dutifully parrot his line and omit reference to telling precedents. Obama has anyhow never quite gone out of his way to welcome Netanyahu at his abode – long before the current righteous furor about addressing Congress.
During Netanyahu’s first-ever visit to the Obama White House in 2010, his surly host demonstratively walked out and left the Israeli guest embarrassingly alone. Obama gruffly announced he was “going to have dinner” with his family. Netanyahu wasn’t offered a bite. It was an in-your-face protocol breach in which Obama appeared to take pride. Netanyahu, he let the watching world know, isn’t his favorite interlocutor – not by a long shot.
That’s why Obama kept on taking potshots at Netanyahu in later encounters as well – most notably when the president made too obvious an effort to avoid a photo-op with his least desired guest. Obama had Netanyahu use the back door – like a pizza delivery boy. On that non-too-gracious occasion Netanyahu again wasn’t so much as offered a glass of water, a fact of which the media was gloatingly apprised.
We may be forgiven for considering these slights churlish and childish in the extreme. But they pale against Obama bellyaching to then-French President Nicholas Sarkozy (inadvertently before an open mic at the G-20 Cannes summit of 2011) about how “fed up” he was with “having to deal with” Netanyahu.
In a more recent episode Netanyahu was disparaged as “chickenshit” by an “Administration official” that we were informed was “very close to the President.” Obama never bothered to make nice although his failure to do so might conceivably inspire the inference that he didn’t mind insulting the Israeli prime minister one bit, didn’t mind the story getting out and was maybe even pleased as punch that it had.
Bottom line – America’s most anti-Israel president to date viscerally dislikes the man Israelis had elected to lead them. Now that another voting round is at hand, Obama can hardly claim to be disinterested, neutral and hands off.
Therefore, the refusal to meet Netanyahu isn’t a manifestation of impartiality. It’s as a partial as it gets because Obama had received other foreign dignitaries in the midst of their countries’ election seasons. By making Netanyahu a glaring exception, Obama underscores his odium and signals with offhand lack of subtlety whom he wouldn’t like at Israel’s helm.
Nothing else matters – not even if boycotting Netanyahu backfires. Had he agreed to allow Netanyahu into the White House (even by the back door and with the intention of giving him the usual cold-shoulder reserved exclusively for the Jewish state’s head of government) there would be no news item. Netanyahu would have been denied all the priceless publicity that paints him as a patriot defending his endangered country’s existential interests.
And had Obama not kicked up a cantankerous fuss over the Congressional speech, odds are that the whole thing would have become a non-item on our political agenda.
Just last month we were afforded a striking illustration of how the Left-dominated Israeli media can ignore a Netanyahu speech and render it a non-event. After the Paris anti-terror march, Netanyahu spoke movingly at the main Paris synagogue. The scene was broadcast live by some foreign news outlets but not in Israel, where it was ignored and treated as tripe. With a tad more foresight, Obama could have likewise downplayed whatever it is that Netanyahu plans to tell Congress.
Instead, however, by effectively branding Netanyahu a persona-non-grata, the petulant president has hyped the speech as no publicity agent ever could. The entire world now awaits every syllable that Netanyahu might utter in Washington. But the Administration is ready to risk the repercussions.
There’s no escaping the impression that Obama – consumed with antipathy – wants Israel’s electorate to understand unambiguously whom the American president wants knocked out in the current bout.
This cannot be swept aside and pooh-poohed – not even if we choose to overlook the personal involvement on the Herzog/Livni side of American campaign consultants directly connected to Obama and even if we choose to overlook the bankrolling by American contributors of the anti-Netanyahu drive.
The cynical pretense that this is non-interference flies in the face of common sense, especially when there’s a long dishonorable history of very active American meddling in Israeli elections.
What may have been restrained in Israel’s earlier decades became brazen under Bill Clinton, who cheekily and cheerfully took sides without much attempt to cover his tracks. That was back in 1999 when Ehud Barak led Labor to a victory over incumbent Netanyahu, who was already then not exactly the administration’s darling.
That, incidentally, was the campaign in which many bogus non-profit organizations were employed by current Labor headliner Herzog to funnel illicit funds into Barak’s campaign coffers. Herzog audaciously denied that this was illegal but the State Comptroller later ruled that “the greatest-ever electoral campaign scam” had been perpetrated.
It was during that very same campaign that Clinton spared no effort to help Labor defeat Netanyahu. Clinton did for Barak what few American presidents ever dared openly do even for their most promising foreign protégés.
Clinton pulled out all stops in his barefaced intrusion into Israel’s domestic politics – in a fashion unseen since the CIA’s blatant interference in Italy’s post-WWII election. Brashly, Clinton dispatched his own spin doctors, private pollsters and campaign strategists to boost Barak.
They were greeted here with much fanfare by the crowing Left as persuasive testaments to the American president‘s preference. Since America is reputed to be our best bud, Labor openly boasted about Clinton’s non-too-disguised endorsement. The subtext was that it behooves the Israeli voter to do as Washington requests.
Clinton could hardly contain his glee after Labor’s win. On the eve of Barak’s first Washington visit as PM, the eager American host quipped that he’s “as excited as a kid awaiting a new toy.” It was pretty demeaning to look upon the leader of an allied independent state as a plaything but, with incomparable chutzpah and outrageous officiousness, Clinton made Barak’s battle his own.
Obama is even more partial and way more vindictive than Clinton but he lacks Slick Willie’s flair. Instead, we are bullied by tactless threats about what might befall Israel should Netanyahu prevail. The by-now familiar “Administration official,” who’s “very close to the president,” warns that Obama still has plenty of time left in office during which he could severely punish Netanyahu/Israel. In other words, the president cautions another country’s voters against electing their notorious “chickenshit” again.
Rather than be outraged by such crude imperiousness – as any Israeli ought be, his/her political orientation notwithstanding – our Left recycles the accusation that Netanyahu has irrevocably harmed Israel’s relations with Obama, on whose goodwill our survival prospects presumably hinge. It’s our duty to be servile. The last thing we can afford is to rile the scary squire from the West Wing.
Therefore, it’s exceedingly inadvisable to mention the squire’s nettlesome pre-existing bias. It’s political heresy to recall the irrefutable fact that Obama hasn’t been remotely well-disposed toward Israel in the first place.
Nonetheless, pesky skeptics might wonder whether the squire’s persistent spitefulness can at all be mitigated. Can we really imagine no worse a scenario than vexing this hostile honcho? Is there altogether any point to refrain at any cost from displeasing someone who has consistently lost no opportunity to side with our genocidal enemies?
Our slavish striving not to incur more wrath makes just about as much sense as it did for the two Jews in the following variation on the bird-Jew theme. These Jews faced a firing squad. One of them cursed the executioner who offered him a blindfold. The other was horrified and exclaimed in trepidation: “Why are you making him angry? You’re going to get us killed!”
Bucking the Trend ... 
Unlike the Muslim President Obama’s scimitar, American Jews have a sword that cuts in both directions. Its time to see this president for what he is as he is unmasks himself and doesn’t even care what we think.
American Jews need to wake up and take some history lessons. Learn that Islam and its god are the antithesis of Judaism and our concept of G-d. Examination of what is being told to congregations is also in order. How did we American Jews become so spoon-fed by many of our own community leaders, the propaganda of the the news media, politicians and ultimately Obama himself to as a majority vote Obama into office, twice?
The first defense is to learn about Islam itself. Try searching for the following: jihad watch islam 101. Then you can start to understand just exactly how bald-faced a liar Obama is. And don’t forget, Obama was born a Muslim, had a Muslim step father, and only feigned becoming a Christian so he could get traction in the organizing community.
On Gisele Littman’s aka Bat Ye’ore’s site dhimmitude.org learn about the history of jihad and dhimmitude. Learn exactly what the coined word “Eurabia” refers to.
On the site discoverthenetworks.org read about Obama and then Bill Ayers.
Get some perspective on the human spirit and how man is meant to live. Read some Ayn Rand and the history of her early life in Russia. Do so with a grain of salt and read a critique of her at Debbie Schlussel’s site.
Schlussel’s analysis and bottom line of what is happening to America is unmatched. Read all her observations including her movie reviews. This is what is happening to America.
And of course listen to what Honig has to say. Her observations and analysis are exactly correct.
Let’s close with a few quotes from the Quran as follows.
“Fight them until there is no more chaos and [all] religion belongs to Allah” (8:39).”
“slay the idolaters wherever you find them” (9:5)
“until they pay the jizya with willing submissiveness and feel themselves utterly subdued” (9:29)
9:33. It is He {Allah} Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islam), to make it superior over all religions
9:80 “You Muhammad, may ask forgiveness for them, or not ask forgiveness for them…Even if you asked forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah still would not forgive them..That is because they have rejected Allah and His Messenger. Allah does not guide deviant people.”
(47:4) “Therefore when you meet those who disbelieve, strike their necks—
Don’t believe it? Look up the quotes and diktats for yourself.
The only Israeli PM who will be welcomed by this administration is the who is willing to cooperate in the annihilation of Israel.
No one in the world but Sarah Honig could have described the above situation better and more forcefully.
Others have tried but not achieved such a profound depth of clarity.
It is the difference between taking a picture with a throw away camera and taking a photo with a Leica M 3 camera from 1959 using a Leitz Wetzlar, Summicron Lens.
That amazingly elegant all metal camera is universally considered the finest portable imaging device ever produced.
It has often been referred to as a masterpiece of design. The camera against which all others are judged- even up to and including today.
Modern digital cameras, even the ones costing ten thousand US dollars and more are made up of 80 % plastic parts and for all the expensive technical bells and whistles added on and all the hype about pixels this and pixels that, modern cameras contain lenses that cannot hold a candle to a Leica Summicron lens made more than half a century ago.
Those Leica M3 film cameras and their unique lenses are today collector’s items.
Such incredible high quality lenses would be economically prohibitive to produce today. And thus all the hype and non stop advertising about how “New is Better”. Not !
Such is the analogy one could make about the current choices facing Israeli voters.
If they fall for all the glib talk and distortions they just may make a monumental mistake in the voting booths that will cost the State of Israel dearly.
One must pray that the majority of Israeli citizens will come to their senses and realize that the treatment that has been visited on the present Leader of Israel by the present Administration in the White House is so over the top, so inexcusable, so wholly unacceptable and unforgivable that there can be one and only one correct response by the Israeli electorate.
Netanyahu should be elected by the greatest plurality in Israel’s history.
It will both constitute a wake up call to Washington and the entire world.
Among all the contenders there is not a single individual who even remotely holds a candle to Netanyahu in terms of experience, intelligence, decisiveness and plain old fashioned courage.
Sarah Honig’s latest essay should be reprinted in the millions and appear in every periodical in Israel and the rest of the world. It is a stark reminder of all the viciousness and appallingly insulting behavior that has been visited on Israel and upon its Leader in particular.
People should print Sarah’s essay and hang it on their wall. And print an extra copy for insertion in their family scrapbook because in many ways this election represents a turning point in Israel’s history and in more ways than one.
It is said that a nation gets the Leaders it deserves. How nerve wracking it is to imagine the State of Israel without Netanyahu at the helm. Common sense and innate wisdom dictates that such a situation would be unthinkable in terms of Israel’s future safety and survival.
Sarah has laid out a great deal of important history with the precision and clarity of a Leica M3 camera employing a Summicron lens to document all the facts for posterity.
G-d forbid the Israeli electorate, due to the influence of a generally warped and shortsighted media, fails to appreciate why every single citizen in the State of Israel should cast their vote for Netanyahu. He is literally the very best individual, in every way, to lead Israel during these very perilous and turbulent times.
With thanks as always to Sarah Honig who never fails to remind us of historical facts which for most people manage to get forgotten or become hazy with time.
Sarah’s “Variation On the Bird-Jew Theme” is another masterpiece to fall from her pen.
It constitutes quite a powerful lesson as only Sarah Honig can deliver such salient facts.
It is a lesson the people of Israel can ill afford to disregard.
Well written. Almost worthy of Sarah herself.
Dear Sarah,
The Jihadist-in-Chief created ISIS, and is the biggest supporter the Muslim Brotherhood has. Forget about helping the Ayatollahs in Iran get nuclear weapons capability.
And now he wants to lecture on the dangers of violent extremism?
That boy is one little serpentine hypocrite.
שבת שלום
Obama is a muslim. Call it what it is!
Brilliant Sarah !
A direct hit…a hit that hurts.
I agree with everything that was said about Obama, but what wasn’t brought up was that Netanyahu spent most of his time as PM appeasing Obama and Kerry, much to Israel’s and his own personal detriment, long after it was clear that both Obama and Kerry were rabidly anti-Israel!! Netanyahu NEVER ONCE stood up and said “NO WAY IN HELL WOULD ISRAEL DO THAT!!” whether it was the outrageous apology to Erdogan or the unforgivable release of terrorists or many other acts that Netanyahu meekly took from Obama and Kerry!! The only reason he is standing against Obama now is that Obama has forced him to; he didn’t fight against Obama when Obama was selling him and everyone else out when he went and told Obama about Israel’s plans to attack Iran which Obama, of course, vetoed with a not-so-veiled threat, because Obama promised Iran to stop Israel and he succeeded only because NETANYAHU OBEYED OBAMA!!!!
Too true Dafna but as is the case in almost every Western nation, we are forced to choose our poison.
Amazingly rightly-written and fact-filled. I love your alliterations. In emulation, I was once able to string five together in one sentence.
Well, I certainly hope Israeli wake up from their denial. I saw an excellent movie on Netflix recently, “The Debt” starring Helen Mirren. She placed a Mossad agent who captured a Dr. Mengele-like character in Soviet E. Berlin, intending to bring him to Israel for trial.
Not to spoil the excellent plot, suffice to say she got to talking with the evil doctor. He explained to her his theory that Jews didn’t deserve to live because they wouldn’t fight to live. He said there were often thousands of prisoners off-loading from railroad cars, with only four guards, but no one dared to revolt (at “risk” to personal life that was in the event lost a short while later).
Better to take a chance to live a full life, then live a few minutes longer as a slave.
Otherwise Israel will decline worse than Britain has. Israelis should adopt the spirit of this poem for their own:
When Britain first, at Heaven’s command,
Arose from out the azure main,
This was the character of the land,
And Guardian angels sung the strain:
Rule, Britannia, rule the waves;
Britons never will be slaves.
Let us hope America will “Never be slaves”
The Nazis packed the cars and provided no water or food. The idea was to wear down the people such that when the doors opened they were already weak and dazed. The conditions were so severe that some died en-route.
Additionally, the people were not well informed as to what waited at the end of the train trip. The Nazis were of course hiding the truth.
It is also near impossible for civilized people that accept that such irrational evil can exist.
It’s a little bit like 75% of us voting for Obama, twice! We think that we are so smart when in fact many are easily fooled, spoon-fed and brain-washed by the general media, and then intellectually lazy with no thirst for the truth.
You are looking at the situation with 20/20 hindsight.
Read what the actual survivors have to say about it.
Now, having just said that, perhaps one reason so many modern Jews who come from Holocaust survivors still behave the same way as pre-war Jews did is that after the war their parents hid the truth because it was too painful and horrific to pass on to their children.
When Obama finally assumes room temperature and rids the Earth of its latest Devil incarnate dictator, it will take several tombstones to carry the most fitting epitaph.
And, there could be no more fitting epitaph for this miscreant reprobate than the entire text of Sarah Honig’s piece that tells the story of Obama’s hatred for Israel’s Netanyahu.
I believe PM Netanyahu is doing and saying what he believes is necessary to get himself elected even at the risk of alienating the United States, Israel’s most powerful supporter. In my view he is playing a dangerous game.
This article has it’s weight in gold. Very well expressed to the point. Obama has never been friendly to Israel and especially to Binyamin Natanyahou. Actually he despised him. I pray that Bibi wins this very important election and continue to do his very hard job. Amen
Bibi has no choice. Winning is all there is!
Amazing clarity and expertly written.