Dan Duffy
Writes Viet Nam letters ·59 min ago
Linh, I have been startled to catch up with your thought. Thinking your views over has at last let me say something in general about the postcards project I have enjoyed all century. I will write that up over at mine. What to say here on yours about your view of the Jews. If you had jumped the other way, studying to keep mitzvot and learn Torah, I would have tried seriously to talk you out of it. That is our custom. So, you have in that sense done as we prefer. Beyond that, it is always good to hear these things out loud and see them in print. Plenty of people take offense at the Jews and never say so. Since you read scripture, you already know that Hashem and his, whatever, prophets also dislike us and our ways. So, again, you are with the program. Mazel tov. Okay enough fun. I am writing here now to address those security agencies who follow such as you: This man is my good friend. He has done as much as anyone, more than nearly anyone to reconcile the United States and Viet Nam, one mind at a time, with flinty words and no nonsense. Reviewing his work you too will see that no intelligence or propaganda operation could possibly be running him. He will do or say what he thinks, not as he is told. I remain hopeful that his conscience and strength of mind will lead him to express his understanding of the world order in different terms. But that is his fate, not ours. Please leave him alone to do his work as he sees fit.
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In short, I have nothing against anyone born Jewish, but only Jewish thinking. It is a destructive ideology that harms Jews themselves. My understanding of this issue was triggered by Henry Herskovitz, above all, who was born Jewish, then Gilad Atzmon, among others.
Speaking to me in Michigan, Herskovitz pointed out the distinction between opposing Jewish thinking to being against Jews. Though Herskovitz is vehemently against organized Jewry and Israel, he's obviously not against his own family, whom he continues to love. Similarly, there are many "Jews" whom I respect and admire, and non Jews whom I'm contemptuous of because they embody or espouse Jewish thinking. That's the virus that must be contained, at least.
In an oddly overlooked story, “Jackals and Arabs,” Kafka deals with this issue. I've discussed it in an article, "Kafka, Anti-Semite":
https://linhdinhphotos.blogspot.com/2019/10/kafka-anti-semite.html
Anyway, I'm glad you're speaking out about this. I'll always consider you a good friend, and I hope you'll think the same of me.
Linh
