74	The Story of the Jewish Defense League

b2.aJewish interests are the first in any order of Jewish bpriorities. No one will help Jews except other Jews and each bJew has an obligation to feel the pain of and to help any bother Jew in distress, all Jews making up one indivisible bJewish nation. (We were convinced that the apathy and brefusal on the part of American Jewry to do whatever had to bbe done on behalf of the Jews of Europe during the Second bWorld War was a direct cause of their destruction, just as we bknew that many Jews would have been saved had they blistened to the words of those who urged them during the bprewar years to “learn to shoot.” We were determined not to brepeat either of these errors.)

b3.aThe major question for Jews in assessing any question bis: Is it good for Jews?

b4.aThe Jew has for too long been subjected to a tragic and bfalse propaganda campaign by his assimilationist-minded bleaders that led him to believe that America is a positive, bfinal solution for Jews. Not only is that not true, but it could bvery well turn out to be the most negative of final solutions. bTo that end, the Jew should learn how to defend himself, to buse firearms, and change the image of the Jew from one of a btimid, frightened creature to that of one who is quite as bprepared to bash the head of a Jew-hater as anyone else is to bphysically protect his own rights.

b5.aJewish economic, social, and political power must be bused to create true Jewish power on behalf of Jewish in- bterests. Politicians should be interviewed and asked what bthey intend to do for Jews and they should be supported or bopposed on the basis of their replies to this question.

b6.aJewish pride must be encouraged, particularly among bthe young, by a mass effort to create and support Jewish bschools and by a turning away from the public school. Jewish btradition must be taught to the spiritually starved youngster bas well as Jewish nationalist history, in particular the exploits bof the Jewish underground in “Palestine.”

bFrom this, eventually, emerged the Jewish Defense bLeague philosophy. It was truly a revolution but, ironically, bnot one that was meant to create a “new” Jew but rather to brecreate the old one. Unlike the other Jewish groups, whose b