Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Esau don't like us

I heard a story from an older Russian Doctoress, Tzilia Lotman this Sukkos which interested me. Many years ago, there was a cruise ship which was renovated by the USSR. They decided to take it on a tour of the Western world, to show how advanced the Soviets were. 50 members of the Russian "intelligentsia" were selected to come on the cruise, along with 40 members each of the other 14 Soviet republics. Dr. Lottman, a university professor, was also invited, the only Jew to be so honored.

So there they all were, going on a tour of the Mediterranean, stopping for a week or two in each port and engaging with the local literati. One day in Naples it was discovered that one of their number had defected to Italy. Immediately of course they were rounded up, but it was difficult, because they were spread throughout the city. Dr. Lotman was one of two people missing when she came back to the ship, and she was greeted with thunderous applause. She wanted to say something, but she was too choked up to be able to get anything out, so she just got onto the ship. A KGB officer who was part of the security detail, and a friend of hers, came up to her later and told her that the guy who had defected was found in Rome and was "being taken care of".

Dr. Lotman said, "It was only then that I truly realized that I needed to leave the Soviet Union. Over six hundred people on that boat, and who did they all assume was the one who defected? The lone Jew. That's why they all cheered, because they were so surprised that I came back. Only then did I realize that they truly hate us, that no matter what we do..."

22 comments:

e said...

aurgh! I hate these the-goyim-hate-us-no-matter-what-so-always-watch-your-back anecdotes. Can't we just relax and love our neighbors?

Leo de Toot said...

Dear Mr. R.S.
I'm afraid your estwhile commentator ("e") has succumbed to the most insidious disease of all time - infectious liberalism. Clearly e has spent too much time in proximity to people like Judge "Kapo" Goldstone, Jimmy Carter (may he choke on a peanut), and the late unlamented bad driver Ted Kennedy. Disgustedly yours, Leo de Toot.

Leo de Toot said...

Dear Mr. R.S.
I'm afraid your estwhile commentator ("e") has succumbed to the most insidious disease of all time - infectious liberalism. Clearly e has spent too much time in proximity to people like Judge "Kapo" Goldstone, Jimmy Carter (may he choke on a peanut), and the late unlamented bad driver Ted Kennedy. Disgustedly yours, Leo de Toot.

Altie said...

TRS- I hope this short post is indicative of how your future ones will be. Shorter posts are easier to read.

Nice story.

E, we do love our neighbors.

Cheerio said...

can you imagine the boat ride back?!!

Zvi said...

To me, it didn't sound like racism at all. Sounded more like had anyone been missing they would've cheered. It was probably a culmination of other experiences as well. But there's definitely lots of jew hating in russia...

e said...

Ldt: yo? What's the big deal? Is it that horrible to wish we could like our neighbors? I'm not suggesting we should give them land or anything. I just want a little more love.

C said...

e-I'm impressed with your reaction.

TRS-I have nothing to say, but I actually want to follow this one...

e said...

When you lose your religious scruples, you pick up some humanistic ones.

Yitzchak said...

Burn the infidels.

Anonymous said...

I agree with e. This is b.s.. I bet when you walk around in America you are more racist and feel more superior then a lot of the other non-Jews walking around.

bonne said...

Eh, planes are faster anyway.

e said...

anon: do not take my name in vain. you bring up a valid point, but it's not at all what i meant.

Anarchist Chossid said...

It was a safe assumption. She was so insulted that people thought she’d want to leave the Soviet Union that she left the Soviet Union.

Why is “intelligentsia” in quotation marks? Were they not really members of intelligentsia?

Anarchist Chossid said...

She had to go to Naples to realize that Russians hate the Jews?

e said...

and what's she getting so upset about? The people cheered when she came back, because they were happy to see that she wasn't a disloyal Jew like all the others. For Russians, that's not bad at all.

Modeh B'Miktsas said...

It is bs. We want a joshua story.

Anonymous said...

love the short posts

Just like a guy said...

Everyone: Seems like you managed to have a nice conversation here without me.

e: Not that I'm saying anything, but remember Nazi Germany? The Jews thought they were all assimilated and everything... Remember the USSR? Jews like Dr. Lotman here thought they were all assimilated...

CA: They were real intelligentsia, but I'm skeptical of anyone who calls themselves that...

e said...

yeah, you're right. Better go get a .42 and the JDL.

e said...

*and join the JDL.

Just like a guy said...

A Kach sympathizer?