To the editor,
I’m writing in response to Guster Clifton’s letter in the July 2 edition. After
reading Mr. Clifton’s letter two thoughts came to mind. The first was how amazing it is that someone can package such
a large amount of rubbish into such a small letter. The second was, how was it a response to my letter.
My latter spoke of the violence; of the tragedy of children and the elderly being murdered while
they sit innocently on a bus. It spoke of the terrorism that Israel must face on a daily basis and of how we should stand
beside Israel as the only democracy in the Middle East. Where did Mr. Clifton respond to any of that? It certainly wasn’t
in his July 2nd letter.
Its rather simple to see from this recent letter and the ones of the past that he is merely
an opportunist. I mentioned Israel, a name from the Bible, in my letter and he saw it as an opportunity to spread some of
his anti-religious, anti-Bible propaganda under the guise of a response to my letter. His problem is with religion and anyone
who believes in the Bible (and the God of the Bible). I debated with myself about whether I should respond at all since it
is obvious that a response is what he wants. I suppose, in this case I’ll humor him.
Mr. Clifton spoke of the founding of the modern state of Israel in 1948 as if it was some closely
guarded secret that only the elite Zionist are privy to. The fact that it took so long for there to be a Jewish homeland is
not something that we are ashamed of or shy away from. Its such a momentous occasion that Judaism created a holiday in honor
of it (Israel Independence Day). The modern state of Israel may be a country merely in its fifties however it was founded
on the land that was once home to our ancestors, the Kingdoms of Israel, Judah and the Jewish Temple.
David be Gurion, who was in fact born in Poland, is the George Washington of Israel. It was
under his guidance that the state of Israel came into existence. Mr. Clifton, for some reason is attempting to imply something
negative about the fact that Mr. ben Gurion changed his name when he moved to Israel. The fact is, it isn’t at all an
uncommon occurrence. Name changes have always been common in Jewish culture when something of significance happen to the person
(I.e. Abram to Abraham).
Mr. Clifton attempts to make the argument that Jews and Israelites are two totally different
people. Well, I guess Mr. Clifton didn’t read his “so called Bible” (as he likes to put it). Time for a
little bible and history lesson. In Genesis 32:28 Jacobs name was changed, by God, to Israel. His sons, one of which whose
name was Judah (Gen 35:23) were rightfully called the Children/Tribes of Israel (Gen 49:28). At some point Joseph is sold
into slavery, he ends up in Egypt and eventually so do the rest of his family. A basic outline of the time in Egypt is things
start out bad, they got good, then they go bad again. Moses leads them out of Egyptian bondage.
Again the situation continues to rotate from bad to good. Originally one kingdom, comprised
of the twelve tribes of Israel is created. That doesn’t work out so they split. Ten of the tribes form the Kingdom of
Israel and two (Judah among them) become the Kingdom of Judah. Eventually the Kingdom of Israel is destroyed by outside invaders
leaving on the Kingdom of Judah. The Kingdom of the only existing children of Israel is later referred to as Jews.
What was the point of this little Bible study? Mr. Clifton states that the Jews have no claim
to the name “Israel.” Since the term Jew refers to people descended from the Kingdom of Judah (Judah being a child
of Israel and one of the tribes of Israel), Jews certainly do have a claim to the name Israel.
As for Mr. Clifton’s insinuation that the United States isn’t to fond of me (I’m
really not sure if he was referring to me of the entire Jewish people) I would say that the majority of Americans, those who
believe in the Bible would rather have a Jew than someone who obviously has no respect for the Bible. Also, Mr. Clifton, patriotism
is not when someone backs everything there elected leaders stand for. True patriotism is when one will stand up and state
when the, otherwise good administration has made a shameful decision.
It is easy for Mr. Clifton to claim that anti-Semitism is a copout. His people weren’t
subjected to the Inquisition, Crusades or Holocaust. It wasn’t his people who live in countries without rights and weren’t
even considered citizens of a country they were born in. When was the last time people spoke of a Gentile conspiracy to take
over the world or a Gentile blood libel? Mr. Clifton can call it a copout if he wishes but he is merely showing himself to
be nothing more than an anti-Semite. He can count words in the Bible all day, but he lacks the spiritual intelligence and
integrity to grasp any of them.
In closing, Psalm 14:01 states “… the fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…”
Based on the July 2nd letter and others written by Mr. Clifton, this seems to apply.
