I Suppose an Explanation is In Order at This Point in the Series: Why Should Those Who Are Not Jewish Care So Much About Antisemitism? Here's My Story of How I Got Here.
A story for the ages. What a trip. What I like most is that when you lost your mentors, beyond the hurt you took it upon yourself to continue their work. That is the only true tribute.
That certainly is a mouthful. I imagine you trying to catch your breath between well-ordered tirades. You learned many life lessons—the hard way. But, you learned, many people never do.
I’ve read so many stories of people who moved from cult to cult, from alcohol abuse to drug abuse and back again to pop-religion. Our drive for truth and self-realization is both a blessing and a curse.
I ask myself if I could have followed a similar path. At nineteen, that was my parents’ biggest fear for me as I embraced my Jewish legacy with both hands, that heritage that in my parents’ generation was watered down to simply marrying within the religion. Not more, not less, and the more scared them as much as the less.
With me it didn’t begin with the religion, but with Zionism. I heard Rabbi Meir Kahane give a talk at my university and in a split second became, an enthusiast Zionist. He made no claims over me or anyone else I knew. He wasn’t a head hunter, but rather an inspirer of people to fulfill their obligations and to be in the game of history rather than sit in the bleachers. I moved to Israel (after graduating) and realizing it would be hypocritical to live a secular life, I had to redefine myself, and took upon myself to fulfill all my Jewish obligations.
David, it seems your odyssey is complete and you can define yourself properly. Thank you for sharing this. God’s speed.
Thank you so much for your kindness and encouragement Glenn. In some ways my odyssey is just beginning, though. I have much work to do to reinvent my path as a Zionist and start connecting with more people like yourself who share these values and will be allies in this quest. Should you ever be compelled to contribute to our little publication please hit me up. I'd be fascinated to hear more of your perspective and share it with others.
I thank you as well and appreciate your honesty and tenacity. I mentioned in a previous comment [when you mentioned your goal to also publish in the future] that I'm near the end of a memoir, which of course deals with my moving from the States to Israel over forty-years ago. I hope I can also find time to contribute pertinent essays.
Wow. That was an incredible journey to where you are today. Thank you for sharing this. I now have a better understanding of your FPM days. I was hoping as I read the piece, Horowitz was one of your champions, especially regarding Judaism. Sad to read that doesn't seem to be the case.
Thank you so much for your kindness, Mary. David and I haven't spoken in over a decade and I've hesitated to write about my experiences working with him out of fear of provoking a lawsuit. I'm content to just wait until after he dies to tell the truth about who he was and what all I saw him do. But for now I'll simply say this: his moral value system has absolutely nothing to do with Judaism. He is an agnostic and a nihilist. He's written and said quite clearly that our lives and actions are meaningless. The pursuit of money and the idolatrous worship of his fans are his primary goals.
Kabala influenced my decision to convert to Judaism but ultimately the Bible and gemara kept me going until I hit mikvah. When I was trying to get published in Cracked (got published a couple times and found their editorial standards ridiculous) I pitched an article on converting to Judaism and one of my listed items was "You will have an opinion on Israel and you will fight" - I didn't say if it was a negative or positive opinion but the feedback was "I know a Jew and he never talks about Israel" - Cracked really turned to shit in its later years but the rot of dudebro bullshit was always there.
Thank you for remembering our teacher Barry Rubin. Given the trajectory of his extraordinary life journey, I think he would recognise you as a kindred spirit! Hazak ve-ematz be strong and courageous!
We very much were kindred spirits. I edited his last blog post before he died. Him being my colleague at PJ Media changed my life and was one of the main reasons I went to work there. I always keep his teachings in mind when I write about the Middle East today.
A story for the ages. What a trip. What I like most is that when you lost your mentors, beyond the hurt you took it upon yourself to continue their work. That is the only true tribute.
Thank you so much for your kindness Ehud. Looking forward to more of your writing and friendship.
David,
That certainly is a mouthful. I imagine you trying to catch your breath between well-ordered tirades. You learned many life lessons—the hard way. But, you learned, many people never do.
I’ve read so many stories of people who moved from cult to cult, from alcohol abuse to drug abuse and back again to pop-religion. Our drive for truth and self-realization is both a blessing and a curse.
I ask myself if I could have followed a similar path. At nineteen, that was my parents’ biggest fear for me as I embraced my Jewish legacy with both hands, that heritage that in my parents’ generation was watered down to simply marrying within the religion. Not more, not less, and the more scared them as much as the less.
With me it didn’t begin with the religion, but with Zionism. I heard Rabbi Meir Kahane give a talk at my university and in a split second became, an enthusiast Zionist. He made no claims over me or anyone else I knew. He wasn’t a head hunter, but rather an inspirer of people to fulfill their obligations and to be in the game of history rather than sit in the bleachers. I moved to Israel (after graduating) and realizing it would be hypocritical to live a secular life, I had to redefine myself, and took upon myself to fulfill all my Jewish obligations.
David, it seems your odyssey is complete and you can define yourself properly. Thank you for sharing this. God’s speed.
Glenn Perlman
Thank you so much for your kindness and encouragement Glenn. In some ways my odyssey is just beginning, though. I have much work to do to reinvent my path as a Zionist and start connecting with more people like yourself who share these values and will be allies in this quest. Should you ever be compelled to contribute to our little publication please hit me up. I'd be fascinated to hear more of your perspective and share it with others.
I thank you as well and appreciate your honesty and tenacity. I mentioned in a previous comment [when you mentioned your goal to also publish in the future] that I'm near the end of a memoir, which of course deals with my moving from the States to Israel over forty-years ago. I hope I can also find time to contribute pertinent essays.
All the best, Glenn
I look forward to reading more of your work soon!
Wow. That was an incredible journey to where you are today. Thank you for sharing this. I now have a better understanding of your FPM days. I was hoping as I read the piece, Horowitz was one of your champions, especially regarding Judaism. Sad to read that doesn't seem to be the case.
Keep pressing on!
Thank you so much for your kindness, Mary. David and I haven't spoken in over a decade and I've hesitated to write about my experiences working with him out of fear of provoking a lawsuit. I'm content to just wait until after he dies to tell the truth about who he was and what all I saw him do. But for now I'll simply say this: his moral value system has absolutely nothing to do with Judaism. He is an agnostic and a nihilist. He's written and said quite clearly that our lives and actions are meaningless. The pursuit of money and the idolatrous worship of his fans are his primary goals.
Kabala influenced my decision to convert to Judaism but ultimately the Bible and gemara kept me going until I hit mikvah. When I was trying to get published in Cracked (got published a couple times and found their editorial standards ridiculous) I pitched an article on converting to Judaism and one of my listed items was "You will have an opinion on Israel and you will fight" - I didn't say if it was a negative or positive opinion but the feedback was "I know a Jew and he never talks about Israel" - Cracked really turned to shit in its later years but the rot of dudebro bullshit was always there.
Noachide is a belief system that says that non jews need only follow seven rules to please g-d
Thank you for remembering our teacher Barry Rubin. Given the trajectory of his extraordinary life journey, I think he would recognise you as a kindred spirit! Hazak ve-ematz be strong and courageous!
We very much were kindred spirits. I edited his last blog post before he died. Him being my colleague at PJ Media changed my life and was one of the main reasons I went to work there. I always keep his teachings in mind when I write about the Middle East today.