Shall we forgive the Amish (Wut?)
I am honestly not sure what to make of this. Should I consider this the genuine and generous gesture of a small people, themselves a minority, who have come to regret some role that they played in the past in the persecution of the Jews? If so, I can’t help but wonder exactly what they could have done to help – after all, they weren’t exactly a world power with lots of political sway during the Nazi era? What was it they were supposed to have done to help?
Or maybe my first reaction was right – we -the Jews- have gone completely nuts, to the extent that the entire relationship of the world to us is people finding ways to beg our forgiveness for the Holocaust, an important, but hardly defining (at least, I hope not. All the issues of the Holocaust were not new – we dealt with every one of them during the time of the destruction of the Temple – at least theologically speaking), moment in our history. Is this another chapter in the ongoing erasure of Judaism as a religion, to be replaced with the religion of Holocaustism?
What exactly does this all mean? Why did they take the extraordinary step of using modern transportation to fly a delegation to Israel; why now? And why did they decide to meet with “Western Wall Rabbi” Shmuel Rabinovitch?
I guess that, overall, I’m glad the Amish like us -they seem like nice people, and overall, I’d rather have them like us than not- but why does this strike me as somehow completely bizarre?
I lived in Lancaster county for a few years and got to know
some of the Amish. They are in some ways similar to observant Jews.
A lot of them have biblical names and perhaps even Jewish roots.
The Mennonites who they are related to but quite different from in
many ways opened up to the president of Iran and even invited him to
dinner in New York City. I think that one should not generalize about Christians as we should not generalize about Jewish people.
But it a good thing when someone comes forward expressing
solidarity and friendship.
They’ve got a bit of a forgiveness obsession, to say the least.
Can we forgive them for imitating our uniforms and Yiddish?
Srsly, its nice that they broke out the Flinstone powered Airbus to get to the Kotel. They didn’t need to leave so soon. Maybe they’d like to try some hummus? Perhaps they’d be interested in a nice housing block one some barren Judean hill?
Also, it’s kind of ironic that the Amish, who reject the idea of political violence on theological grounds, now voice their support the State of Israel, which was established as part of a conscious negation of previous Jewish theological rejection of political violence. Maybe the Amish themselves are also planning to break from their past and establish an ‘Amish State’ (or ‘State of the Amish’?), and so they’re taking lessons from the previous Amish-like group to do so. You read it here first.
There’s something weird with this story: the Old Order Amish no longer exist in Switzerland, from which the news story alleges some of these Amish people came. I think these are probably more progressive mennonites than the group most people think of when they hear the word “Amish.”
I agree that the whole thing is silly.
“Maybe the Amish themselves are also planning to break from their past and establish an ‘Amish State’ (or ‘State of the Amish’?)”
Eretz Pennsylvania haSheleima NOW!
Apparently, according to the story in the Jerusalem Post, the Amish were only asking forgiveness from the Jews at the Kotel, so we who are not at the Kotel don’t have to worry about whether or not to forgive them.
These are ex-Amish. The Amish don’t vote nor get involved in politics. They don’t take action, supporting or opposing any state of this world. Their support is shown more in the manner of poverty relief, worldwide (Christian Aid Ministries… check them out in charity navigator, it’s the most representative conservative-Mennonite-Amish charity) They teach that their “kingdom” is not of this world (John 18:36), but the “promised land” is heaven, or the kingdom of God. One can enter the “promised land” on this earth and come under the ruleship and protection of the Most High (Which amounts to enter the “tabernacles” of Psalm 84, or the “Secret Place of the Most High of Psalm 91) by repenting of all sin and following the leadership of God. All past sins would be, in their view, atoned for by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God (Jesus). As Joshua led God’s people into the physical, corruptible, finite promised land, Jeshua leads God’s people into the Spiritual, Eternal, Incorruptible promised land of the Kingdom of God.
When God rules one’s life, then God is one’s King and protector, and one is God’s chosen. The protection promised in Psalm 91 and Psalm 84 applies to those who repent of all their sins and follow God with all the heart. Atonement (as The Law also commands) is provided by the sacrifice (As Torah commands) of a lamb without blemish (as Torah commands), namely, Jesus.
So the Amish don’t support nor oppose any kingdom of this earth, kingdoms filled up with corruption and evil, but seek to inhabit God’s kingdom, which is holy, separate, and not of this world.
You enter God’s kingdom by repenting of your sins and following Jesus(God), the King of the Jews. We know Israel has no king but God. So the promised King of Israel, Shiloh of Genesis 49:10 is no other but God himself, who reigns forever. Not a finite man, but the Eternal God reigns forever over the Throne of David, just as He promised. A Son of David reigns forever (Isaiah 9:6). The Sceptre of God’s Kingdom was taken away from a political institution when Shiloh arrived (Genesis 49:10), and now is in God’s hands. (Jesus).
So real Amish have no involvement in the kingdoms of this world. These are ex-Amish.