Leonid Goldin | The Perfect Storm, Jews, and Reptiles

When a person follows base passions, he sinks below the level of an animal, for an animal has no choice, but a person does.
Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe.

The perfect storm is an idiom that refers to a combination of simultaneous catastrophic situations that multiply the cumulative potential and result. The global bacchanalia of anti-Semitism—the global intifada—is vivid evidence of the destructive storm of the foundations of civilization and the rational view of the world and humanity.

The obvious and the unbelievable

For three and a half centuries of New York’s existence, the city has been occasionally led by leaders with anti-Semitic sentiments. Still, they did not publicize their views, as this could have hindered their careers. But when anti-Semitism took center stage in the mass consciousness and became political capital, an open anti-Semite was elected mayor, calling for a global intifada, a blockade, and the elimination of the Jewish state.

True to his promises, Mamdani canceled security for synagogues that were regularly attacked by anti-Semites. In the current situation, police protection is a necessary measure, but at the same time, it is further evidence of the real threat to Jews. There would be no need for police protection if legislative measures were used against anti-Semites. But the New York prosecutor’s office found a way to ban the pro-Israel group Beitar, which protects Jews from attacks and insults, while groups supporting Hamas terrorists feel like heroes thanks to the inaction of city authorities.

Anti-Semitism has taken on systemic forms; protests are not spontaneous gatherings or isolated incidents. Their organizers prepare in advance for important events in the Jewish community and receive communications, media attention, and legal protection. What is absolutely intolerable towards other ethnic groups is normalized for Jews, who make up 2% of the population but account for 60% of hate crimes.

Dr. Einat Wilf’s conversation with Abby Pogrebin at the Central Synagogue in Manhattan went off without a hitch, and the police had no difficult work to do. The synagogue is reformist, ultra-liberal, committed to peacemaking and good deeds; Pogrebin, a former president of this synagogue, is now a columnist for The New York Times, a staunch proponent of liberal ideology and a critic of Israel. The synagogue serves as a propaganda center for the Democratic Party, and the invitation of Dr. Wilf, a sensible independent politician and scholar, is unusual.

Dr. Wilf was born in Jerusalem, served in the Israeli army, studied at Harvard and Oxford, and at the Higher School of Economics in France, worked in think tanks, taught, advised politicians, and was a member of the Knesset. She began her political career from a left-wing position, but soon shed her liberal illusions. In her assessment of Israel’s place in the world and the conflict with the Palestinians, she is uncompromisingly right-wing, but does not fit into the standard party classification. She describes herself as a Zionist, feminist, and atheist. At the time of Israel’s creation, she would have been in the mainstream, but in the current climate of acute political division, she finds it difficult to find like-minded people.

Dr. Wilf believes that the root of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the refugee problem, which is used by the Palestinians and their supporters as a pretext for the destruction and elimination of Israel. The problem would have been solved long ago and forgotten if it did not concern Israel and those interested in its destruction.

After World War II, Germany lost significant territories, and 14 million Germans became refugees without any compensation. In the following years, tens of millions of Muslims, Hindus, Koreans, Africans, and Kurds were forcibly displaced. After the creation of Israel, a million Jews were forced to leave Muslim countries. And today, ethnic wars and conflicts are causing mass displacement of people.

Millions of recent “brothers and sisters” became refugees on the ruins of the Soviet Union.  All Armenians were forced to leave Karabakh. Hundreds of Ukrainians and Russians found themselves abroad as a result of the war. Not a single post-Soviet state has escaped this fate.

But two billion Muslims and 150 million Arabs are sheltering Hamas leaders and do not want to accept Palestinian children, women, and the elderly, even in the context of the war in Gaza. Where Palestinians found temporary refuge, they were soon expelled. Spending on weapons and tunnels in Gaza is unlimited, but mitigating the conflict through resettlement and compensation means losing the argument about the innocent victims of the Israeli occupation.

After the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire, the Jews received malaria-infested swamps and desert, while the Arabs received the most fertile land. Instead of tunnels of death, a bridge or tunnel could have been built connecting Gaza and the West Bank. Gaza could have been turned into Singapore, Abu Dhabi, or the Riviera. International experts and judges talk about genocide, but in 1948, less than 100,000 people lived in Gaza; after the withdrawal of Israeli troops in 2005, there were about 1 million; and now there are more than 2 million.

The Palestinians and their supporters have turned the refugee problem into the main obstacle to a peaceful settlement, and it is not in their interest to resolve it. It is naive to hope that by offering better conditions, their intentions and goals can be changed, and Israel’s right to exist can be recognized. Refugees are their main weapon in the ideological and information war, and the destruction of Israel is an absolute priority; there can be no compromise here. Liberal projects are full of goodness and light, but at best, this is short-sightedness and stupidity, and at worst, a path to the elimination of Israel as a Jewish state.

Dr. Wilf says that Palestinians should be credited for not hiding their intentions; the myth that everyone dreams of peace and cooperation belongs to Western liberals. Palestinian politicians and ideologues say nothing of the sort. Even an Israeli Arab teacher, doctor, or lawyer, living in prosperity with full and indisputable rights, will answer unequivocally when asked whose land it is: ours.

In the course of her research and political activities, Dr. Wilf has met thousands of Palestinians, and all of them are convinced that all of Israel is their land and that there will be no peace until they achieve its liberation from the occupiers. If there are a few exceptions, their voices are not heard in the totalitarian conditions of Palestinian terrorism.

Dr. Wilf’s interlocutor was Abby Pogrebin, a well-known representative of mainstream journalism. She did not show much enthusiasm during the conversation. The audience at the Central Synagogue consisted of her like-minded, so she did not have to try very hard. Pogrebin focused on the usual argument—innocent civilians. How innocent these residents are, who celebrated on October 7 and still support Hamas, is not a question. Even in the totalitarian obscurantism of Iran, without external support, the people rose against the fanatical regime, but there is no opposition in Gaza even today, when there is an opportunity to get rid of the terrorist regime.

Wilf spoke about the Israeli army’s preventive measures, Hamas’s use of human shields, and the refusal of Arab countries to accept refugees. The war was provoked by the monstrous attack on October 7; it might not have started if Hamas had returned the hostages, if international organizations had played a positive role instead of demonizing Israel. But Israel had to release thousands of terrorists, lose hundreds of soldiers, and suffer enormous economic losses because the world remained indifferent or supported the terrorists. The question of whose hands are stained with the blood of innocents arises only in cases of clinical moral idiocy.

Pogrebin’s final question was essentially: how does Wilf see the future of Israel and the Palestinians? Wilf replied that the Palestinians must acknowledge their defeat and the lack of prospects for their current course. Must?! But their entire ideology and way of life are based on the idea that everyone owes them something, Israel in particular. The Palestinians and those who use them as a weapon against the Jewish state will never admit the harmfulness of their course and their defeat. Especially now, when the world is overwhelmed by anti-Semitism, the West is in chaos and confusion, and political divisions in Israel are intensifying.

Wilf recently created a new right-wing party. There are 40 parties in Israel and 10-12 major coalitions. Finding a prominent place in such a landscape is difficult, if not impossible. Vilf is highly educated, a brilliant speaker, and has a realistic view of the world and her country. If knowledge, logic, and moral superiority were enough to convince and win, her ideas and party would find widespread support. But the world lives by different norms and rules.

I told Wilf that I felt very sad after her speech. No one could have presented more convincing arguments to a reasonable person; she did an excellent job of presenting a realistic view of the problem. But, even without mentioning overt anti-Semites, did she convince anyone in the Reform synagogue, where, during the war, the same prayer commemorated the victims in Israel and Gaza? Will Pogrebin moderate her criticism of Israel in The New York Times? Will Chief Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of the Central Synagogue understand that relying on empathy and building bridges of friendship with anti-Semites, as she has been doing for many years, is a waste of money and time? That Trump, not her friend Obama, is the true defender of Israel and American Jews? Nothing of the sort will happen.

How to talk to reptiles

In today’s world, a perfect storm of harsh global contradictions has converged: the consequences of the collapse of the socialist system, liberal democracy, and globalism; the loss of Europe and America’s dominant influence in the world; the emergence of competing new centers of power; the rise of Islamic radicalism; global terrorism; immigration crises, the escalation of nuclear conflicts, climate threats and pandemics,  a sharp increase in economic inequality, the displacement of jobs by new technologies, half of humanity will not even be needed for exploitation, and the list goes on…

Humanity has looked into the abyss and, for the first time, has seen the threat of its own destruction in its highest intellectual achievement—artificial intelligence. But all problems and challenges can only be exacerbated if worldview and behavior are determined by primitive instincts.

All this has given rise to enormous social tension and dissatisfaction, panic and paranoia, but there is no rational response to the challenges of the times. Where rational thinking is absent, irrational worldviews and behavior prevail. The world is full of absurd conspiracy theories. Global communications and boundless freedom of speech open up endless possibilities for them. Populist demagoguery and simple answers that point the finger at the guilty find a wider audience than complex analyses that are difficult to understand.

It is not surprising that the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, myths about Jewish control of governments, media, and finance, have found continuation in conspiracy theories about 9/11, October 7, the Epstein case, the Kirk assassination, the behind-the-scenes reasons for the US military’s actions in Venezuela and Iran, and proposals for the settlement of Gaza.

Among the most absurd conspiracy theories is the reptilian theory: that reptiles from other planets assume human form and seize power over the world. But reptilian thinking and behavior are vivid metaphorical images, and much in the current world provides reason to use them.

According to Paul MacLean’s concept, put forward in the 1960s, the human brain consists of three layers that evolved: the reptilian brain—simple survival instincts; the mammalian brain—emotions and social relationships; and the human brain—reason, logic, and foresight. The concept did not generate enthusiasm among the scientific community, as the parts of the brain are not autonomous but constantly interact, but there is some truth to the theory.

It can be noted that this concept is close to some of the tenets of Kabbalah and Hasidic teachings. Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe, the leading representative of ethical philosophy in modern Judaism, expressed many ideas about the relationship between animal instinct and reason: “If a person does not work on himself, he remains the most dangerous of beasts.”

Man is not angelic; he is imperfect, depraved, and sinful. The Bible speaks with certainty about this, and science recognizes the influence of biological evolution and the role of the subconscious. Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman refuted the idea that humans are rational beings, saying that prejudice is stronger than logical thinking. There is plenty of stupidity, hatred, and absurdity in the world. Global anti-Semitism, as an atavistic, reptilian manifestation, is convincing evidence of this.

A reptilian reaction arises from fear, anxiety, and an inability to find a solution when a traumatized psyche seeks an outlet for suppressed negative experiences without realizing their true causes.

Attempts to counter reptilian thinking and behavior with logic, common sense, and facts are futile. Hopes that education, intellectual and cultural development, dialogue, and the convergence of social systems and cultures will solve the problem are utopian. This is especially true when education and culture are subordinated to the cultivation of hatred or utopian ideas.

Many great intellectuals were monstrous anti-Semites. Today, the most enlightened part of American democracy—teachers, university professors and students, media personalities, and the cultural elite—have joined forces with the dregs of society in supporting Hamas and condemning Israel, which has lived under an existential threat throughout its history.

The reptilian brain does not simply suppress knowledge; it forces it to work to justify a false picture of the world, its causes, and its consequences: conspiracy theories and myths are created, facts and statistics are manipulated, and a false ideology and worldview are constructed.

Many objects in the world could be targeted by a negative biological reaction: the social order, political leadership, and the ruling elite, social injustice, the distribution of national wealth, and other ethnic and cultural groups perceived as alien and dangerous…

Why are Jews the focus of attention? An endless amount has been said and written on this subject, from the Torah, which promises punishment for apostasy, forgetting the commandments and the covenant with the Almighty, to envy of the Jewish people’s divine election, talents, and successes.  There are explanations based on sympathy and affection, but even more so on hatred and bigotry.

But in any case, there is no other ethnic group that has attracted as much controversial attention as the Jews, who make up a small percentage of the world’s population. In psychology, there are stable associative connections: a word or situation is accompanied by a dominant pattern, “fast thinking,” as defined by Daniel Kahneman, when the brain, without bothering with deep, “slow thinking,” autopilots the most accessible, well-trodden path or standard option. Among other things, this creates a sense of solidarity, unity, and resistance to loneliness and alienation.

This socio-psychological mechanism is well known. It has been actively and consciously used throughout history as a technique for distracting from real problems and causes, a golden reserve for all difficult situations in life, for propaganda and manipulation of public consciousness. Emperors, kings, and tsars have always found Jews guilty of all evil deeds. Anti-Semitism brought Hitler to power. For Iran and its satellites, the destruction of Israel is the meaning and purpose of their existence, the justification for all their problems and disasters.

The new, most extensive Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in the context of a general multifaceted global crisis, has turned anti-Semitism into global political capital. Anti-Semitism distracts from real problems, wins votes, expands readership and listenership, and soothes a sick psyche with lies and manipulation. Whereas anti-Semitism used to be regional, now even places without Jews don’t want to miss out on the political opportunity. In America, anti-Semitism has been exploited mainly by the left in recent decades, but now the right has joined in with the spirit of the times. The successes of anti-Semites inspire followers.

Tucker Carlson knows that the story of Jeffrey Epstein is exceptional in terms of the participants involved, but quite banal in essence; analogies are not difficult to find in Roman and Greek chronicles and in all subsequent periods. Everything that could be said and squeezed out of this story for political gain and the delight of the general public has been said and squeezed out. And everyone knows that Epstein was Jewish. But Tucker has found a creative approach: Epstein was not just Jewish, he was a Mossad agent, and this was not just a brothel for the rich and famous, but a Jewish conspiracy to control the kings of the universe.

Ben Shapiro will present all logical and legal arguments, calling Carlson’s program “an act of moral idiocy,” but Carlson’s audience grows with every anti-Semitic fabrication and with every anti-Semite invited to his program. It is to the detriment of any politician to criticize Carlson.

The problem is not Carlson, nor his colleagues in business and ideology, Candace Owens, Nick Fuentes, Hasan Piker, Mehdi Hasan; there have always been people like them. The main thing is that what, until recently, would have been a disgrace and destroyed a career, today elevates one to the status of a ruler of minds and souls, ensuring attention and income.

The picture is grim, but not hopeless. Anti-Semitism has been exploited since biblical times, but inevitably, reliance on ancient hatred, on stirring up the basest and most primitive elements in society and in people, has led to social catastrophe, not limited to Jews. Sometimes you have to wait for centuries, paying for understanding with monstrous sacrifices.

Today, time is accelerating. In Iran, Israel’s most dangerous and insane enemy, a revolution is brewing from below, and hysterics about a Zionist conspiracy are not helping. Whatever the outcome of the popular uprising, it is a formidable lesson for the reptilian existence and consciousness of anti-Semites.