Israel my Home
By Moshe Katz
CEO
Israeli Krav International

March 9, 2017, Israel

I do not think this little blog will please some of my friends. I think it will upset some Gentiles and Jews as well.

I came across an interesting little article about the increase in antisemitism around the world. I have never liked that term, it is so unclear. Who are the Semites? The sons of Shem, well that includes a lot of people that have persecuted us over the years. Shem, the son of Noah (of the flood fame) was born about 4,500 years ago. He has a lot of descendants, most of whom are not Jewish. So I prefer the simple and clear term: hatred of Jews and all things Jewish.

So there has been an increase in Jew hatred, and in response an increase in writers writing about it. There was a story about a couple in Sweden. It was told that they came to Sweden as children during the Holocaust, i.e. the attempted genocide of the Jewish nation. They survived due to the kindness of the Swedish government and thus were eternally grateful and proud to be new Swedes.

Lately things have changed in Sweden. With the arrival of less friendly Semites this couple along with many other Jews, began to feel very threatened and feared for their lives. As a result, the article, continued, they moved to...

Where did they move to? My natural assumption might be to Israel, their only true homeland, but of course I was mistaken, they moved to Spain.

Why does this disturb me? Spain, oh let me count the ways you hurt me.

I have nothing, in particular, against Spain. Certainly nothing unusual about the Spain of today, but I, as a Jew, have a long memory. It was Spain who forced so many Jews to abandon their true faith and become Catholics. It was Spain who called fake Jewish converts to Catholicism "Marranos", Swine. It was Spain that expelled so many Jews and sent them on a long and lonely wandering path.

To be politically correct, dear Spanish friends, I have nothing against you today. I do not hold the sons responsible for the sins of the great great grandfathers of yesteryear. But the pain is still there.

I know that my family, on my mothers' side, was in Spain and had to leave, being kicked out, penniless. From there they fled to Portugal, then to Italy, then to Poland and finally to the United States of America. And then I came home, at last.

So this couple in Sweden are most likely also descended from Jews who fled the Arab lands to Spain, as many Jews did, and then from there to various Eastern European countries and from there to their beloved Sweden. So am I the only one seeing the irony here?  Do they insist on perpetuating the "Wandering Jew" Syndrome? Don't you think it is about time to come home rather than playing musical chairs and Russian Roulette?

We have been to Spain already, like a good board game we have tagged that spot already. Enough, come home! For the life of me I cannot understand what Jews are looking for all over the world. Here in Israel you are welcome, here we want you, here you do not need to hide your Jewish heritage. Yes we have our troubles but we are dealing with them as a free nation, not running away. After two thousand years you would think people would get tired of running around in circles.