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From your mouth...

Very frustrating that people don't like fact and evidence. But also that we Jews continue to beg for love and validation from non-Jews, instead of looking within, or -- dare I say -- to God. Our own tradition teaches that עשיו שונא ליעקב Esau (the West) Hates Jacob (Israel). When will we ever stop repeating the same mistakes, expecting different results?

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B”H It is very frustrating. And, too many Jews (i’m not sure it’s the “we” or a majority of secular Jews) so need validation from the outside world. I call it “the ghetto mentality,” and I think too many of us suffer from it. It’s that fear of standing on our own. Honestly, I get it, but it’s so unappealing to me that I have a hard time understanding why so many of us still behave that way. Any theories?

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First off, it's not just secular Jews. They seek it from non-Jews, alla "a nation like all other nations." Left wing Jews want it from Arabs and "progressive" Europeans. Many so-called right-wing, religious Zionists chase after it from Christians whose smiles and hugs (and wallets) are very attractive.

Theories? 1,700+ years in exile, which many, if not most, of us have forgotten is a punishment, have really messed us up psychologically and spiritually. We have lost focus. We have forgotten that we are a separate and distinct people, and not like other nations.

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