302	The Story of the Jewish Defense League

bof Study, safely in the realm of sacred theory; far better to bturn to stringent obedience of ‘safe’ commandments . . .

b“I do not rage: I understand. But to understand is not to bcondone. That which is understandable can still be wicked band inexcusable, hence the obligation to speak up and root it bout. And so if one understands that the American Jewish bleader of thirty years ago knew that demonstrations and bviolent actions on behalf of the Jews of Europe waiting for bslaughter were the only ways to save them, but he also feared bthat such actions might anger the American gentile and bjeopardize his, the American Jew’s, position and ties with bthe non-Jew, then one can understand, but never, ever bagree. The very essence of the command to the Jew to save bhis endangered brother consists in the fact that rushing to bhis aid involves risk and danger for the would-be rescuer! bNothing could be less relevant. If helping a Jew did not binvolve risk, there would be no need for a commandment in bthe Torah!

b“The crime of American Jewish failure to risk its own bposition is not mitigated by the fact that we can understand btheir feelings, in that such feelings are perfectly normal for ball human beings. Quite the opposite. Herein lies the root of bthe Jewish crime! The Jew is not supposed to be ‘normal,’ to bconform to the norms of all other people. He is not allowed bto be like the non-Jew and take refuge in ‘normal’ fear of brisking himself. The Jew is not like all others and life for him bis a directed mission with directed obligations, and these call bfor him, if necessary, to indeed risk his position and himself. bThat for the Jew is ‘normal.’

b“The sin of the Jew of our days is that he assimilates the bviews and norms of other people and becomes indistin- bguishable from them. The crime of the Jew emerges inevita- bbly from this very sin, for it is his imitation of the gentile bwhich leads him to stand by his brother’s blood and allow his bown safety to take precedence.

b“But the Jew is not like unto the other nations. He is bdifferent. He is an Am Segulah, a preciously chosen people, bchosen by G-d to be different, to be holy, to be sanctified bthrough sacrifice and strength of spirit; chosen to love his b