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Perpetual Emotion
“And everybody hates the Jews.”
—Tom Lehrer, National Brotherhood Week
Not many people like the Jews;
__By many they are hated.
The people whom God chose to choose
__At best are tolerated.
Whenever something seems unfair
__It’s Jews who are “outrageous.”
“Like viruses they’re everywhere.
__Thank God, they’re not contagious!”
The Arabs hate them (so they claim)
__Because of Israel.
For “Palestine’s” its proper name,
__The Jews are God’s hangnail!
If only they would go away
__And leave their “occupation.”
The world would be at peace if they
__No longer were a nation.
Until they leave, who can forgive,
__Their sin in this regard.
Find somewhere else for them to live!
__But not in our backyard!
I grieve for Palestinians,
__Who in their displaced plight.
Like ancient Carthaginians,
__Refuse to quit the fight.
But sometimes trying to even scores
__Amounts to suicide.
Like Carthage in the Punic wars
__To be the losing side.
Since Abraham was circumcised
__God’s covenanted people
Have been rejected and despised
__By minaret and steeple.
Condemned to burn in oven fires
__By UN resolution,
It seem that Israel’s bane requires
__A grand final solution.
Don’t get me wrong, I won’t suggest
__That Israel is blameless.
But those who hate the Jews, at best,
__Are bigoted and shameless.
I don’t know how to set things straight
__Or what the answers are.
But if it helps to stop the hate
__I’ll wear a yellow star.
.
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James A. Tweedie is a retired pastor living in Long Beach, Washington. He has written and published six novels, one collection of short stories, and three collections of poetry including Mostly Sonnets, all with Dunecrest Press. His poems have been published nationally and internationally in The Lyric, Poetry Salzburg (Austria) Review, California Quarterly, Asses of Parnassus, Lighten Up Online, Better than Starbucks, Dwell Time, Light, Deronda Review, The Road Not Taken, Fevers of the Mind, Sparks of Calliope, Dancing Poetry, WestWard Quarterly, Society of Classical Poets, and The Chained Muse. He was honored with being chosen as the winner of the 2021 SCP International Poetry Competition.
Thank you, Jim. It is a deep and historically complex conflict going on there and your poem highlights that well. This interview with a man very much in the middle of it was quite eye-opening for me: https://www.theepochtimes.com/article/a-young-palestinian-who-found-refuge-in-israel-5527203?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=classicalpoets
What a perfect ending for this magnificent poem about the Jews and their plight in the midst of hatred all around. I pray the Palestinians suffer the fate of the Carthaginians.
Thank you for this thoughtful poem so relevant to these days. Happy Thanksgiving.
James, I remember our first visit to the South rim of the Grand Canyon. As I stood, awe struck at the pure majesty below, the fellow next to me remarked, “This is where the Jewish guy dropped a nickel.” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Not much to laugh about at the moment. We all pray for a swift hostage return and an end to all this. Thank you for a most thoughtful piece today.
Being of Scottish heritage I had always thought the man who dropped the nickel was from Aberdeen!
James, this is a painfully accurate poem of the paradoxical ways in which societies throughout time have viewed the Jews. You observe the many ways in which Jews are the scapegoats for every possible ill — nonsensical blame is assigned to them for things which makes zero sense. When I say “them” I mean “us” because I am half-Jewish — a heritage which, despite my baptism, is impossible to ignore. What I really like about this poem is the bounciness of the meter which moves things along — terrible things — and the tone is made bearable by a rhythm which is the opposite of ponderous. Along these lines, I have one tiny suggestion: Line 12. What if you said “The Jews are Allah’s hangnail” which would fit the meter and tie it securely to the Palestinian perspective?
Lastly, although it seems like a throwaway line there is deep profundity and generosity in the speaker’s offer “to wear a yellow star.” In fact, this line brought tears to my eyes. Your most Christian offer reminds me of the aptly-named King Christian of Denmark who, when the Nazis invaded and demanded a round-up of Denmark’s Jews, appeared in public the next day rebelliously wearing a yellow Star of David armband. And following their king’s example, so did a multitude of Danes, thus befuddling the gestapo. How times have changed.
I don’t know if you have read about the island of Zakynthos where 275 jewish people lived during the war. When the Nazis came to the island they told the mayor and the bishop to give them a list of all jews on the island. There was a synagogue there I believe. The mayor and the bishop gave them a list. It had two names on it. Theirs. Before that they hid the jews in christian homes in the surrounding villages . They all survived.
They are now honoured to be amongst the righteous of the nations.
Brian,
My star reference was, in part, intended as being referential to the Denmark story.
In my family history there is an 18th century reference to one of my ancestors being Jewish. The ancestor who wrote this did not seem offended by this fact and neither do I 300 years later.
Thank you for this witty and perceptive poem. Maybe it was Amos Oz, the Israeli novelist, who put it best: “They didn’t want us to be in Europe. They don’t want us to be in the Middle East. They don’t want us to be.”
The spanking pace of this poem, and your pointed attention to the particular historical and existential details had me from the beginning. I am in complete agreement with you, for what that’s worth. I am Spartacus, and I stand with Israel.
CB, It wasn’t my intention to preach to the choir (although the comments seem to give that impression) and I have little doubt that there are more than a few in the SCP family who likely either disagree strongly or, even if in some agreement, have opinions that differ in the myriad of details that surround this historical/political labyrinthine minefield. I spent three hours this morning with a very worldly-wise and uber-intelligent friend who, while not unsympathetic towards the Jews, feels strongly that Europe should never have opened the door for Israel to have been carved out as an independent nation in the first place. I have my reasons for disagreeing with this but neither of us saw any benefit from engaging in debate. Indeed, one can be critical of Israel and sympathetic with the Palestinian people without being either antisemitic or an apologist for Hamas or the PA.
On my own visit to Palestine some 9 years ago I travelled by bus by Palestinian bus from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and from there throughout the southern West Bank in a private hired car driven by a young Palestinian man from Hebron named Osama (a not uncommon name in the Middle East). The visit, along with numerous conversations I had with local merchants, etc., was eye-opening. As was the 13 days days I spent driving myself around Israel from Tel Aviv to the Golan Heights in the north to Masada and the Dead Sea to the south and on to Jerusalem where I rented an Air B&B room in an ultra-orthodox Jewish neighborhood one block from East Jerusalem and one block from the Damascus Gate in the walls of the Old City. (I had previously been as far south as Aqaba while on a 2-week visit to Jordan several years earlier, a trip which was equally insightful.)
The photo accompanying the poem was taken looking up from the Hebron Open Market (or suq or bazaar). My final poetic lines reflect my inability to imagine or suggest a solution to a messy situation that will only become messier as the Palestinian population continues to grow with no place for them to go.
I like your poem and am glad you wrote it, since this message is badly needed right now, but I strongly disagree with your statement: “Indeed, one can be critical of Israel and sympathetic with the Palestinian people without being either antisemitic or an apologist for Hamas or the PA.”
The majority of Palestinians (not an accurate name, but that’s the name people understand) support Hamas and its efforts to kill off the Jews; in fact, many of those who participated in the attacks and boasted of their successes to their parents and on social media were civilians. I’ve read that the Nazis generally felt at least some shame when they did their killing… these people clearly feel none.
The Palestinians therefore deserve no more sympathy than they give to Jews, just as the Nazis didn’t, and you’re suggesting otherwise is inherently anti-Semitic. Were Americans critical of their own government in its fight against the Nazis in World War II if they weren’t sympathetic to the Nazi cause? You wrote the poem, but then you said that, making it difficult for me to know where you stand. Otherwise the poem is good.
Joshua, Thank you for your comment and for the restraint you have shown in how you expressed your thoughts and feelings,
In reply, I will simply say that I stand by what I wrote in response to CB’s comment. To properly explain would require me to address matters related to history and politics, topics which would detract from the focus of the poem, which was written to address the subject of antisemitism.
All the best, and Happy Thanksgiving.