I do believe that the Jews have been cruelly wronged by the world.
"Ghetto" is, so far as I am aware, the name given to Jewish
locations in many parts of Europe. But for their heartless
persecution, probably no question of return to Palestine would ever
have arisen. The world should have been their home, if only for the
sake of their distinguished contribution to it.
But, in my opinion, they have erred grievously in seeking to impose
themselves on Palestine with the aid of America and Britain and now
with the aid of naked terrorism. Their citizenship of the world
should have and would have made them honoured guests of any country.
Their thrift, their varied talent, their great industry should have
made them welcome anywhere. It is a blot on the Christian world that
they have been singled out, owing to a wrong reading of the New
Testament, for prejudice against them. "If an individual Jew does a
wrong, the whole Jewish world is to blame for it." If an individual
Jew like Einstein makes a great discovery or another composes
unsurpassable music, the merit goes to the authors and not to the
community to which they belong.
No wonder that my sympathy goes out to the Jews in their unenviably
sad plight. But one would have thought, adversity would teach them
lessons of peace. Why should they depend upon American money or
British arms for forcing themselves on an unwelcome land? Why should
they resort to terrorism to make good their forcible landing in
Palestine? If they were to adopt the matchless weapon of
non-violence whose use their best prophets have taught and which
Jesus the Jew who gladly wore the crown of thorns bequeathed to a
groaning world, their case would be the world's, and I have no doubt
that among the many things that the Jews have given to the world,
this would be the best and the brightest. It is twice blessed. It
will make them happy and rich in the true sense of the word and it
will be a soothing balm to the aching world.
Panchgani,
14-7-'46
Harijan, 21-7-1946