Welcome To The Twentieth Century

Well, we’ve finally made it to the twentieth century.

Do you think we will make it to the twenty-first?

A person living at the turn of the century considers this to be a very silly question.

During the early nineteen-hundreds man is exceedingly optimistic. Dramatic technologies, inventions, and liberating philosophies provide new horizons and unprecedented opportunity for many people.

The world is wide open, at full throttle. It seems to be able to last forever.

They are so maxed out by the advances that an official from the US Patent Office predicts that there would soon be nothing more to invent.

Adequate natural resources are a concern, though. Experts predict that the world would run out of coal within the next decade.

They think that war is impossible because the new mass-destruction capabilities make the consequences of military conflict unthinkable and impractical.

They need to be straightened out.

Go tell them that in the twentieth century, a hundred-million innocent people will be killed by their own government, courtesy of a Comrade, a Chairman, a Fuehrer, and their ilk.

Significant portions of Europe will be decimated by not one, but two world wars.

There will be bombs that can level a city and vaporize people, burning their shadows into concrete.

Exploitation will take on new forms. New technologies will give birth to new types of monster people.

Tell them that a man named Neil Armstrong will put his foot on the moon. Tell them about your VCR, your fax machine.

At this point they may throw a bag over your head and cart you off to a hospital.

Not yet?

Tell them that European Jewry will be destroyed, yet there will be centers of Torah study and vibrant religious life in America and elsewhere, including Palestine which will be called Israel. Tell them that the powers of the world will cooperatively recognize this Israel as a sovereign Jewish state.

Now for sure they will think that you have lost your mind.

Next to the century that witnessed the Great Flood, the twentieth century is probably the most dangerous period that Mankind will ever face. It’s easily the most confusing. History accelerates at unthinkable rates. Man will crave escape. The top selling drugs will be for depression.

From the Judaic-historic perspective, we have no grasp on the interpretation of the events of this century. We don’t really know the meaning of what’s going on, but we feel that something meaningful is going on.

After all the trials and tribulations, it is a wonder that there is much left of the Jewish people, that it has survived. The existence of the Jew to this day is one of the greatest proofs that there exists a G-d who manages human events.

It seems as though the history of mankind is like one big military exercise. The ammunition is always live and soldier missions last a lifetime. The enemy forces are only simulated.

Both the Jew and the non-Jew are soldiers in the same army. Some soldiers have it harder than others.

The Jew is like G-d’s commando, born into a high-risk and low-key unit, carrying tremendous responsibility to perform a highly complex job. His mission involves peace, he has no weapons, he really is no threat. He usually struggles alone, isolated. He is frequently the victim of friendly fire, his fortune and life sometimes destroyed by fellow soldiers in other units. The Jew struggles not against his fellow soldiers, but for them, though not always appreciated. They are free to join the commando unit, also.

Once you join this special unit, you’re in for good.

The benefits are awesome and unbelievable, but not for now. They will vary, depending on the unit served and the quality of service. The benefits will last forever.

The cases of friendly fire will be thoroughly dealt with.

JewishAmerica:

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In Loving Memory Of Our Father, Mr. Joseph Black (Yosef Ben Zelig) O"H In Loving Memory Of Our Mother, Mrs. Norma Black (Nechama Bas Tzvi Hirsh) O"H

© 1996- by Tzvi Black, JewishAmerica. All rights reserved.