ON READING THE ATLANTIC, APRIL 2015

The cover cannot be ignored

“Is It Time for the Jews to Leave Europe?” by Jeffrey Goldberg

Cracked concrete Star of David artfully centered in grey on grey

Surely this is an historical piece

Surely not a report on conditions in the twenty-first century

Surely not

The truth cannot be ignored

The Diaspora is real with horrifying implications foreign to my naïve WASP mind

Jews wherever they are in the world are under scrutiny and torment from bigots

Surely this is merely myth

Surely not a truth about a people living in the twenty-first century

Surely not

The evidence cannot be ignored

Historical traditions of hate and fear and lies exist despite attempts to progress

Ancient habits conspire to keep an entire people counted, collected, controlled

Surely this is unbelievably wrong

Surely not a possibility with all the brilliance and wisdom available in the twenty-first century

Surely not

Surely not, Lord.