The problem of many, a fools’ solace

צרת רבים, נחמת טיפשים

The idea that one should take comfort if many share the same misfortune does not cut much weight in Jewish wisdom. If most of your class failed the exam, should you take comfort in the fact, that you have failed as well? Does it change the fact that you need to take the exam again? If the teacher was not good enough, what have you done about it?

If a country is failing, should you take comfort by the fact that you are going down together with everyone else?

On a recent trip ‘to the end of the world on the left‘ (read my book and you will understand), I met young Israelis who asked me how it is to live in London.

My reply was more complicated than they expected, and only after a few questions they begun to understand what is happening in the UK these days.

I started by saying that London had, for many years, been a city where one could readily feel comfortable and at home. It is very cosmopolitan and everyone, even many of the British people living there, come from somewhere else. As long as you were making a positive contribution you felt very welcomed. Therefore, the prevailing mentality has been ‘live and let live‘.

However, it is almost impossible to explain how this feeling has changed since October 7th. The whole city seems to have transformed overnight. You feel that it was taken over by evil, manipulating, self-hating people. People who only want to milk the system for their own benefit. People bent on destroying all the Western values that we grew up with. But most importantly, on a personal basis, I do not feel neither safe nor welcomed anymore.

I do not feel safe as the Jews are ‘the canary in the coal mine’. We are the traditional scapegoat to all the frustrations of all these free riders. As an Israeli, this is even worse, I became Satan incarnated.

I do not feel welcomed anymore as I can see the UK government turning its back on its Jewish population while doing everything possible to accommodate the Islamic extremists who took over the streets and the budgets.

You may say that it is not only my problem, all the Jews feel that way and not only in the UK but all over the world. Moreover, many Christian British people also feel under threat. But this is ‘a fools’ solace’. It does not help me at all.

It does not make my daily life any easier. It does not contribute to my personal safety. It does not make me feel at home any longer. But most importantly, the fact that many suffer from the same problems does not mean that they will necessarily get solved.

The problems in the UK have become so profoundly rooted that the country needs a deep, painful treatment to get out of them. There is no certainty that there will be a consensus in the nation, in the next elections, with regards to which party is best to solve them.

If these problems are not solved, one thing is clear, my future will not be in the UK, the place where I have built my family and my whole life.

I’d rather be in a country being bombarded than be looking over my shoulder all the time. Israel has its own fundamental problems, but I know that there are enough talented people there who are doing their best to solve them. The young Israelis listening were shocked, but it did make them feel very proud, as they already are and as they should be.

My commentary feature translations of Hebrew proverbs and expressions, narrated by my topical clarifications and relevant anecdotes. The one discussed above does not appear in my book ‘Revealing Israeli secrets’, which should appeal to anyone who is interested in the culture, history and character of Israelis as well as their entrepreneurial skills.

To pre-order, please click here. This is the last week of the campaign on publishizer.com.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)