From: ibshambat@gmail.com   
      
   In The Merchant Of Venice, Shakespeare writes about a Jewish merchant named   
   Shylock. Shylock gives this speech:   
      
   “Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses,   
   affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons,   
   subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by   
   the same winter and summer as    
   a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not   
   laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not   
   revenge?”   
      
   Then he loaned out money, and when it was not returned demanded as his bond a   
   pount of flesh. He keeps demanding that pound of flesh, until a judge named   
   Portia called him on his hypocrisy.   
      
   There is in fact a merit to this story. If one is to demand tolerance from   
   others, then one must practice compassion toward others as well. And we as   
   Jews need to learn how to treat non-Jews rightfully.   
      
   There is now a lot of anti-Jewish agitation around the world, and that calls   
   for two things. One is confronting the false arguments and false claims that   
   are being presented. More important is to show by our actions that our   
   accusers are wrong. It is to    
   hold ourselves to a high standard while dealing with non-Jewish people and to   
   treat them rightfully.   
      
   That does not mean not being loyal to the Jewish heritage. It means seeing   
   where others have done the right thing and where they deserve respect. It   
   means respecting what's good in people who are not of Jewish heritage. It   
   means following Moses'    
   commandment to be good to foreigners, as we have ourselves been foreigners in   
   Egypt.   
      
   So that while much work does need to be made by way of confronting slanders   
   against Jews, even more work needs to be made by way of making these slanders   
   non-credible. And that calls upon us to be good to the Gentiles whatever we   
   may think about their    
   beliefs.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)