I am currently reading “History of Israel: From Zionism to the Present” by Howard M. Sachar, a 1,000 page monolith that is putting the whole perspective together for me.

One thing I thought was morbidly ironic is that among the strongest early opponents of Zionism were the (pre-Third Riech) Jews of Germany. In a way it’s hard to blame them — so many had fought in the First World War on Germany’s behalf and considered themselves loyal Germans. Yet when the Fuhrer came to power they suffered the most.

I wonder whether, in the Grand Scheme of things, their opposition to the prophetic reestablishment of Israel, and their intense persecution that followed, was less than coincidental.

And I wonder whether their embrace of Germany currently, (over the option of Aliyah,) might not represent forgetting a very hard lesson.

Joel may be right. But I can think of another explanation: those ex-Soviet Jews may be remembering a different lesson. I refer to the treatment accorded defeated Nazi rulers and defeated Communist rulers. The first were defeated totally in a war; the latter were rulers of one of the victors in that war. Germany was subjected to denazification; nothing comparable happened to the Communist nomenklatura.

Frieda’s point is well taken. There are very good reasons why Jews should leave Russia, and why Germany would be a preferable than remaining where they are.

I only question whether at this point, with Anti-Semetism on the rise throughout Europe, whether it might not be a wiser choice to cast their lot with Israel.