Griffin Speaks

“CONSIDER THE JEW AND BE WISE”

When I began law school in 1980, I had never met a Jewish person. My knowledge of Jewish History was very limited. I had no idea why people would say, "You are trying to Jew me out of my money." The word anti-Semitic was not part of my vocabulary.

My second year of law school I was blessed to serve as a residential assistant in Tower A at the University of Pittsburgh. On the first day that students arrived in the dormitory I sat in my room with the door open. This was done so that students would feel free to come in and say hello. A young Jewish freshman named David walked into my room. We became friends for life!

When I learned that David was Jewish, I confessed to him that I knew very little about his religion and culture. I told him that everyone that I knew was a Christian. He recommended a book to me written by Max I. Dimont. The book was titled "JEWS, GOD AND HISTORY." It was the best popular history of the Jews written in the English language.

How did they survive? I have concluded that the two most hated groups of people on the face of the earth are Jews and African-Americans. I began to wonder why there was so much hatred for these two groups. I have heard the cruel joke: "The American dream is a nigger swimming back to Africa with a Jew under each arm."

Even though both groups have made tremendous contributions to the world they are still despised. There are individual exceptions. People can love individuals and still despise the group. Which evil was worst, the Jewish Holocaust or American Slavery? How did Jews and African-Americans survive these evils?

Jews account for less than one half of one percent of the world's population. Statistically, we shouldn't hear about them. But the Jews have made so many contributions to the world that they are heard of totally out of proportion to their small numbers.

In his book, "Jews, God and History," Dimont states the following: "...There are three elements in Jewish survival which make the history of this people different from that of all other people. They have had a continuous living history for four thousand years and have been an intellectual and spiritual force for three thousand years. They survived three thousand years without a country of their own, yet preserved their ethic identity among alien cultures. They have expressed ideas not only in their own language, but in practically all the major languages in the world."

Jewish people have conquered the world with their ideas. African-Americans will rise out of their stupor only when we CONSIDER THE JEW AND BE WISE! Jewish people make their own way. They are very supportive of each other. They are always aware of anti-Semitism, but they don't let it stop them from overcoming crippling circumstances and insurmountable odds. The Egyptians befriended them in one century and enslaved them in another.

I see something in Jewish people that is missing among most African-Americans today. During the Civil Rights Movement we were together for the cause. Today, we carry on too much FOOLISHNESS. Our young people seem clueless. Our middle class mistakenly believe that they have arrived. We have become too materialistic. In many instances, we have abandoned our faith. There are too many empty pews in our Churches. Our Spiritual leaders have turned the struggle over to self serving politicians, many of whom view their position as a way to earn extra income. I pray that long after I am gone some young African-American will pick up one of the many newspapers across this nation in which this column appears and read this story and become inspired. He or She will realize that racism is a permanent fixture in America. He or She will become interested in this fascinating people, consider them and become wise! Until that day, we will remain the weakest link!

Greg Griffin is a Columnist for the Historic Montgomery-Tuskegee Times. He can be reached at www.greggriffin.com