Changing The Immutable: How Orthodox Judaism Rewrites Its History

This book by professor Marc B. Shapiro comes out in September:

A consideration of how segments of Orthodox society rewrite the past by eliminating that which does not fit in with their contemporary world-view. This wide-ranging and original review of how this policy is applied in practice adds a new perspective to Jewish intellectual history and to the understanding of the contemporary Jewish world.

Changing the Immutable focuses on how segments of Orthodox society have taken upon themselves to rewrite the past, by covering up and literally cutting out that which does not fit in with their contemporary world-view. For reasons ranging from theological considerations to internal religious politics to changing religious standards, such Jewish self-censorship abounds, and Marc Shapiro discusses examples from each category, In a number of cases the original text is shown alongside how it looked after it was censored, together with an explanation of what made the text problematic and how the issue was resolved.

The author considers how some Orthodox historiography sees truth as entirely instrumental.

Drawing on the words of the great rabbis, particularly from the haredi world, he shows that what is important is not historical truth, but a ‘truth’ that leads to observance and faith in the sages. He concludes with a discussion of the concept of truth in the Jewish tradition, and when this truth can be altered.

Changing the Immutable also reflects on the paradox of a society that regards itself as traditional, but at the same time is uncomfortable with much of the inherited tradition and thus feels the need to create an idealized view of the past. It considers this practice in context, showing the precedents for this in Jewish history dating back to talmudic times.

Since the subjects of censorship have included such figures as Maimonides, Bahya ibn Pakuda, Rashi, Naphtali Herz Wessely, Moses Mendelssohn, the Hatam Sofer, Samson Raphael Hirsch, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, A. I. Kook, and J. B. Soloveitchik, as well as issues such as Zionism, biblical interpretation, and attitudes to women and gentiles, Changing the Immutable also serves as a study in Jewish intellectual history and how the ideas of one era do not always find favour with future generations.

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Was This The First American Renaissance Conference Without A Jewish Speaker?

At the first American Renaissance conference (a gathering of white nationalists who did not appear bent on genocide) in 1994, there was kosher food and Rabbi Mayer Schiller, accompanied by many of his yeshiva students, spoke. As the years have gone by, there’s always been at least one Jewish speaker at the conference. This year’s meeting was April 26 and 27, and I don’t think any of these speakers were Jewish (though I am sure some of the 150-person crowd was).

American Renaissance Conference Speakers 2014

Do you see any Jews?

The head of American Renaissance, the Southern goy Jared Taylor, is famously Jew-friendly. I wonder if he will ever give up on Jews joining his anti-immigration cause and turn against the Jews? For now, he doesn’t want to fight a two-front war against immigration and against the Jews. He would prefer for Jews to rally to his side.

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Apocalypse Now! Could The United States Collapse Tomorrow And Another Holocaust Come Our Way?

I’d love to hear how you think the United States could suddenly collapse. I hope this doesn’t happen but it might.

I’ve had a sense for more than two decades that we are living in an era akin to Weimar Germany and that the United States of America as we know it could come to a sudden crashing halt just as German democracy ended in 1933 with dictatorship and a reign of terror.

What are the scenarios?

* The most likely one is a collapse of our currency as we lose the ability to make payments on our debts and China gives up on us.
* Another possibility is a military coup.
* Another possibility is that the Cliven Bundy militia movement grows and these white guys with guns take back the country and turn America into a white country with some non-whites, including Jews, allowed to stay on as guests providing they follow the new rules (which include not acting against white interests).
* Another possibility is that the Chinese, with their superior intelligence, figure out our weaknesses and exploit them before we can protect ourselves.

The two most likely groups to take control of America are the Chinese communists from abroad or the white nationalists from within.

If the Chinese take over, I don’t think they’d have genocidal intentions towards the Jews.

Let’s say the white guys with guns — now that there are more non-whites born every day in America than whites, the white nationalists are increasingly hardcore — take control of America and decide to make it a white country with forceful expulsion of non-whites (except for a privileged few allowed to stay as guests), and genocide against those who refuse to go.

I suspect that the majority of those who call themselves “nationalists” may be bent on genocide. I don’t see inherently why “white nationalist” has to be any more incendiary a term than “Jewish nationalist” or “black nationalist” (which most blacks are) or “latino nationalist” (La Raza et al), but maybe it just is, no matter the logic. I think I need a better term than “white nationalist” to denote someone who believes that whites should organize in their group interest just like all other groups (women, blacks, Chinese, latinos, Jews, gays, etc) and does not seek anything for whites that he does not also wish for other groups (the attitude of Jared Taylor). There’s got to be some benign term to describe how all groups should organize in their self-interest, including whites, because we are all genetically programmed to prefer our own kind (as evidence by the way almost everybody segregates themselves by race in their housing choices, social choices and worship choices). Perhaps white advocate?

You are probably saying, “Luke, there’s a history of violent, scary criminals calling themselves white nationalists and murdering people.” Well, Jewish nationalists did scary terrorism such as blowing up the King David hotel to establish the modern state of Israel. The founders of the United States murdered people to create this nation. All nations have been formed from massive bloodshed. I come from Australia and we had to seize the country by force from the Aboriginees. The use of violence is not inherently immoral.

You can tell whether or not a nationalist is genocidal, I think, by whether or not they deride the Holocaust. That’s a pretty good tip-off of their intentions.

Like most traditional Jews I know, I am a Jewish nationalist. I wake up thinking about Jews, during the day I talk about Jews, and I go to bed thinking about Jews. We want the Arabs to leave Israel by any means necessary, preferably without bloodshed. So I guess all nationalisms carry a stench or a whiff of genocide? Half the Orthodox Jews I know supported Baruch Goldstein’s massacre of Arabs and they support Meir Kahane’s approach to the Arabs.

If America falls apart, Jews will be the first ones with their heads on the chopping block. That’s usually what happens when advanced societies convulse. The new leaders see the Jews as their primary threat and they move to neutralize them. Hitler at first wanted to expel the Jews and assist them in making Israel their country but other countries wouldn’t cooperate by taking Jews in so he moved on to concentration camps and genocide as the Final Solution to the Jewish question.

Chaim Amalek: “More likely: Collapse as a polity the way the USSR collapsed, with some large block declaring that it is going its own way, the public be damned. Imagine Mexifornia electing a Mexican as governor who declares California to be part of Mexico.”

Michael Fumento: “A lot of people are rightfully fearful of a slow collapse, or a disintegration both economically and socially. In part, I think, because that’s what’s happening. Just watching Facebook I see more and more people who can no longer keep themselves in denial that somehow magically things will turn around.”

Friend 1: “There are about 3000 white nationalists in America. There are more Amish, Scientologists, more outlaw bikers, more in the Nation of Islam, more radical Muslims…”

Friend 2: “If US goes to pieces, some pieces will be more white than others.”

Friend 3: “White guys with guns? Jews slaughtered in America? This guy spends way too much time on the Internet. If America falls, none of his expected scenarios have any chance of happening. The Jews are in cities, where the blacks have all the guns.”

Friend 4: “Vdare has been begging for donations every few months going so far as to shut down the site if the goal is not hit. These billionaires are not giving more than a few grand at most. This is totally delusional. Compare to a minor operation in the leftist empire like Media Matters. Doesn’t matter, choose whichever organization you wish to. Compare web design, slickness of operations, and lack of begging.”

An increasing number of my friends are looking for a place to flee if the United States collapses.

Hesh: “Or it could be economic, like the collapse of the dollar. The resulting panic would cause many to seek scapegoats. And the presence of Jews as the last three Fed chairman provides all the needed pretext.”

Chaim Amalek: “This is why it is so vitally important to Jewish interests that we have the right boys in Hollywood to keep the goyim entertained as their barrel flies over the cliff.”

Is Snowpiercer a good movie?

Chaim Amalek: “If it keeps the goyim thinking about nareshkeit, it is a good movie.”

“We have one big thing going for us that the Jews in Weimar Germany did not. The German Jews were up against a nation that was 100% white, and with it, the possibilities of cohesive action that only racial uniformity permit. But in this country at this time the whites are what, 55% and declining? It is like gunpowder. 100% pure is a problem and difficult for Yidden to handle. But when we dilute it 40% with impurities, it is safe for us to handle and we can sell it to others.”

Yidden need to begin colonizing China the way we did Europe long ago. Even Torah Jews should learn to enjoy rice. We gotta housetrain the Chinese to be as amenable to Jews as WASPs.

John Derbyshire wrote “that “given enough advance warning, I can probably get my own wife and kids out to the comparative sanity and freedom of China.”

He wrote: “The thought came upon me, as it has done quite a lot this past few years, that I shall likely end up in a labor camp. I can’t keep my mouth shut; I can’t clap along with the Kumbaya; and I can’t pretend assent to propositions that seem to me to be false. In the world we are fast heading into, that makes me camp fodder for sure.”

“Leaving aside the intended malice, I actually think “White Supremacist” is not bad semantically. White supremacy, in the sense of a society in which key decisions are made by white Europeans, is one of the better arrangements History has come up with. There have of course been some blots on the record, but I don’t see how it can be denied that net-net, white Europeans have made a better job of running fair and stable societies than has any other group.”

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Is Donald Sterling A Racist?

Everyone seems to take it for granted that Donald Sterling is a racist. I am not so sure.

I listened to the nine minute clip played on TMZ.

That does not sound racist to me. He says nothing about blacks being inferior to whites. He doesn’t want his mistress showing off with them. Sterling sounds to me like an insecure old man. I didn’t hear any hate from him. He wants his girlfriend to give off the vibe that she’s loyal to him.

I went out of my head when my girlfriends flirted with other guys. If they had posted to Instagram the pictures Sterling’s mistress posted (with Magic Johnson and with Matt Kemp), I would’ve gotten calls too and I would have felt threatened.

I have no doubt that like most landlords, Sterling would rather not rent to blacks. That is a rational economic decision because blacks have the worst credit ratings of the races and they have the highest rate of criminal behavior. They are the most outgoing of the races and they have more parties and more loud social behavior than quieter types such as Koreans. If you live with blacks, you’ll notice that they are more likely to yell and to play music loudly and to do other things that most asians, whites and latinos do not like.

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David Geffen Wants To Buy The Clippers

Magic Johnson wants to buy the Clippers.

Are either of these men better than Donald Sterling? How many people did Magic Johnson kill with his AIDS? I doubt Sterling did anything this evil.

Geffen wanted to buy the Los Angeles Times at one time. I couldn’t believe how Times journalists fawned over him. They wanted rescue.

Geffen has as at least as morally mixed a record as Donald Sterling. Frankly, I would much prefer Sterling as an owner. Sterling ran apartments solely for Koreans. That seems healthy to me. Koreans, generally speaking, are great tenants and law-abiding productive citizens, even more so than whites. In the Los Angeles Riots of 1992, Korean merchants were the ones under criminal assault and left to fend for themselves.

Steve Sailer writes: “From Malaysia, President Obama took time out to upbraid the ‘ignorance’ that Sterling displayed during his illegally recorded private conversation. Still, there remains the theoretical possibility that the octogenarian real estate billionaire isn’t wholly ignorant about what his Korean customers are looking for. The news videos above and below are from Koreatown in April 1992.”

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I Love Role-Playing Games

When I’ve had girlfriends, we’d sometimes pretend to be somebody else in some weird situation with a dramatic power disparity. In these games, I got to pretend to be very powerful. Sometimes, we invoked certain gender and ethnic stereotypes to up the ante.

If our interactions were taped and played on the internet, my standing as a moral leader would be sorely diminished. I have not always spoken in private in ways that made me look good. I’ve gotten particularly unhinged over my girlfriends flirting with other guys. I’ve gone right round the bend at times. I’ve said and written in emails really stupid and embarrassing things. I’ve even blogged them.

So I think it is outrageous that Donald Sterling has been punished for things he said in private to his mistress. Who hasn’t said horrible things in private?

Does the protection we give to private conversations depend upon what is said in them and who says it? If a person gives unPC views, then it is cool to dump on them for things said privately? Does protection depend upon how much sympathy we have for the person? So if we make up our minds the person is bad, then when can say anything about them?

From listening to the tape, I got the idea that Donald Sterling considers Magic Johnson a friend. He just doesn’t want his girlfriend mixing it up with him.

Most Americans who follow basketball will acknowledge that blacks are better at basketball than other races. Attributing this superiority to blacks is not considered racist by most ordinary people (as opposed to elites). Isn’t it obvious that the races have different gifts? Together we make up the complete image of God.

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Visceral Jew-Haters Disturb Me

I had no problem interviewing academic Kevin MacDonald. I received no hostile vibe from him against Jews, but many parts of the web are just viscerally anti-Jews. They want to wipe us out. Sometimes I can study this material and try to understand what is going on, but most of the time, I can’t stomach it. I just want to run away and hide.

I think that is generally true for most people. They can pull themselves together to mix with the different, even those who hate them, when it is necessary for business, but generally speaking, we prefer our own and 98% of us segregate ourselves and go to houses of worship filled with people like us.

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Dennis Prager: What was John Kerry thinking when he suggested that Israel might become an apartheid state?

It seems to me that whenever multiple groups struggle for control of a specific land, one group usually ends up winning and other groups end up losing. For instance, in America, the Pilgrims won and the Indians lost. In Israel, the Jews won and the Arabs lost. So Israel became a Jewish state and while non-Jews can still enjoy a higher quality of life than anywhere in the Arab world, they still have to accept that Israel is a Jewish state and that the country conducts itself accordingly.

“Apartheid” is just a slur that is flung to stigmatize a group for acting in its self-interest. In South Africa, whites lost the will to govern and so blacks, the majority population, took over. If Jews in Israel lose the will to govern, the Arabs will subjugate them.

Joe* says:

There is lots of validity to many of the arguments you are making, but they straddle or touch so many third rails that it takes an especially careful polemicist to make these arguments without getting fried. And you are not that careful, as you do love to shock.

Also, you are at least a tribalist (we all know that “race” is a mere social construct, so why dignify the accusation by even using the word?). So too are most people of most lands, cultures and times, and today is no exception. I can easily imagine lots of the angry white sports talk radio crowd cursing colored folk behind closed doors.

Anyway, how can you believe that the Jews are a chosen PEOPLE without believing that there are differences amongst the various peoples of the earth?

Personally, I believe that God chose different people for different tasks and blessed them accordingly. He blessed Scandinavian women with tremendous natural beauty, for example. Possibly to tempt Jewish men so that we could thereby prove our own in-group loyalty.

Jews like this 80 year old guy were blessed with mad real estate skills for buying up apartment buildings, and African Americans were blessed with powerful fists with which to keep their greed in check on rent-day. And to the extent that the All Mighty (this is possibly sacrilege) wants these group skill sets to be preserved, why would He favor miscegenation? Of course Darwin looks at it differently.

You are a mainstream European pre-1933. The arguments you are making require much finesse and caution, and you are not the cautious sort. You lack the social gracces and finesse to more precisely make the proper argument. “Sure, Amalek could make them, but he no longer believes that contributing to my web sites will win him the heart, mind, and body of a beautiful woman.”

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How Do You Make A Living As A Blogger

Sam emails:

Dear Luke,

Great blog! I recently discovered it after listening to your interview with Kevin MacDonald on his website. (Actually, I think I remember going to your old blog maybe 12 years ago.)

Anyways, have you ever considered writing a post about how to make a living as a blogger? Just an idea. I’ve personally thought about trying to make a living blogging, so that’s the reason for my interest.

Perhaps the trade-off (some freedom, recognition, and the ability to pursue self-actualizing work versus more money with a “normal” 50+ hour a week corporate gig) makes it worth it… That is something I’m struggling with now.

I appreciate your honesty. It’s easy for the outside observer to think bloggers are making a lot of money, but I believe that’s rare. Personally I think I’ll be looking for part-time menial work & part-time blogging. Too bad part-time work pays little.

I’m hoping for a groupie scene of some sort, which I know some bloggers have, depending on their subject matter and popularity. I’m sure your older blog, while maybe not attracting groupies, put you in contact with some rather loose women, but perhaps you now have a more quality set followers, & personally I think the topics you now get into are more impactful and healthy.

I get that and I hoped for more success in this arena than I had, but I am naturally shy in these matters so… If you get on TV regularly, it will happen for you.

I’ve had no success to speak of making a living as a blogger over the past seven years so I fear I have no wisdom in this matter. I love writing and sharing my ideas. Sometimes people donate to my blog, take me to dinner etc.

The way to get mass traffic, attention and even money is to break news. It’s hard to make an impact writing thought pieces. What do you want to do? Would you do it with your real name? There could be major economic and social consequences if you are not PC.

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Former NBA Star Larry Johnson Calls For An All-Black League

Can you imagine the furor if a white called for an all-white league but when a black calls for black separatism, that is treated respectfully. Why is it OK for Jews, Asians, Latinos and Blacks to segregate themselves but not OK for whites to segregate themselves?

Doesn’t Larry Johnson understand the great joys of racial diversity?

A friend writes about the Donald Sterling controversy: “Contrast and compare the attention this insult to the manhood of the NBA has received vs. the damage to the brain of Detroit White Man Steve Utash.”

The Washington Times reports:

New York Knicks executive Larry Johnson has a different take on the racial fire that’s recently ignited over Clippers owner Donald Sterling, looking at the broader picture to make his main point: It’s high time blacks started their own league, he said.

In a tweet, the former star player wrote: “Black people your Focusing on the wrong thing. We should be focusing on having our own, Own team own League! To For Self!!”

It’s not the first time that Mr. Johnson drew critical attention to the fact that the NBA is headed primarily by white executives and played mostly by black athletes, the New York Post reported. In 1999, he said during the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs that, “We’ve got a lot of rebellious slaves on this [Knicks] team.”

He followed that up with an explanation of his use of the word slaves: “We don’t go with the mainstream,” he said, the New York Post reported.

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