Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Ghost Cities: Mark Steyn

Another outstanding essay from Mark Steyn-Ghost Warriors. 

And you must read the whole thing, because if you don't-the terrorists will have won, etc..

Actually, it's worth reading the whole thing for the blessed relief of knowing that there are people in this world who get it. I have felt the ghosts-most pronounced in Prague and in Poland. But often I feel the ghosts when I put my kids to bed at night.

When it's cold, freezing and the snow is blowing and my kids are tucked into their warm beds after a good day at school, and we've had a nice dinner and baths, in our warm house-sometimes I have a grateful conversation with G-d. I look out the window and see the trees blowing and I often I think of how cold it is to be outside even for a moment, and I think back to my people, in Poland, in the camps, with no heat, no hope and  no way of protecting their children, G-d rest all their souls.

I am in my warm house because some got out of Poland, and escaped the ovens and the bullets. I am living proof of Jewish resilience-even in a very small way. My kids, who all speak Hebrew, who live Jewishly, who know our holidays, who can pray to the G-d of Israel freely, who travel to Israel-we are all symbols of Jewish life and hope.

Steyn has summarized previously by saying the more Islam there is a given place, the less there is of everything else-less freedom, less personal liberty and clearly fewer (or no) Jews, and less joy frankly. Less life-less L'Chaim as we Jews say.

I've always said that societies that treat their Jews badly end up in the historical toilet. I'd say "the sh&tter" but that's not very ladylike or dainty. But that's the truth. Societies that treat their Jews well, with liberty and dignity prosper. Those who bless the people of Israel will be blessed, those that curse the Jewish people will be cursed.

The Roman empire-gone. The Egyptian Pharohs-died off. The Greek empire-gone.The Inquisition-survived. Haman, Stalin, Hitler gone but the Jewish people live on. The Holocaust-significant damage, but the Jews were not extinguished. Europe made it's very best effort at that, but failed. And here I am today writing about it. How odd.

After massacring their Jews, Europe has made its deathly choice again. Europe is on Team Death-not Team Life.  Europeans, led by their elites, prefer empty cathedrals, churches turning into mosques, no-go zones and masses of "youths" rioting and Scandinavian rape capitals. Europe prefers the ghosts of Jews and belligerent Muslim masses.

So be it, I say.

But perhaps even more disturbing than the Ghost Cities identified by Mark Steyn are the earthly, but empty and ghostly souls roming amongst us with so very little hope of redemption.