Tribal Report
(20 July, 2021; 11 Av, 5781)
Contents:
1. Wales, Welsh and Israel
Unexpected Israel: Lands of our fathers. There are those in Wales who believe that they are one of the Lost Tribes of Israel.
By RUTH CORMAN.
2. Sweden. Swedes Compared to Jews
Why did Joseph Goebbels (Nazi propaganda minister) on a trip to Sweden found the "blond race" there contemptible, "Germanic on the outside, half-Jewish on the inside"?
Chris Ebbert.
3. Did Sweden provide refuge for Jews fleeing from the Nazis?
Andrew Lenihan
4. The UK and Statistics
Can the UK survive without the EU like Switzerland and Norway?
Geoffrey Thorndyke
5. New Zealand symbolically declares climate emergency
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1. Wales, Welsh and Israel
Unexpected Israel: Lands of our fathers. There are those in Wales who believe that they are one of the Lost Tribes of Israel.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/unexpected-israel-lands-of-our-fathers-407888
By RUTH CORMAN
JULY 2, 2015 23:57
Extracts:
In 1988, I arranged a visit to Israel for the Maelgwyn Male Voice Choir. Twice winners of the Eisteddfod, this 200-strong group of men born into the Welsh musical tradition realized a lifelong dream, to visit the Holy Land.
Their trip coincided with the 40th anniversary of Israeli statehood and the lesser-known fact that it was the 400th anniversary of the translation of the Bible into Welsh, this latter event being remarkable in that it contributed significantly to the survival of the Welsh language.
Jews first came to Wales around the time when King Edward I embarked on an ambitious program of building castles. He established a large number of strategically placed fortresses in Wales to protect his interests. Jews were only permitted to undertake certain occupations, one of which was money- lending. Consequently it was the Jews who contributed to a large extent in financing Edward's massive project.
This came to an abrupt end when Edward issued an edict expelling all the Jews from England and Wales in 1290. Between 4,000 and 16,000 of them had to leave, taking only what they could carry. They were never repaid for the loans they made to the king. Most of them went to Poland and could not return to England until Oliver Cromwell readmitted them in 1656.
Much is written about the connections between Wales and Israel. Geographically the same size, both have biblically named towns such as Bethel, Nazareth, Carmel, Hebron and Caesarea. So respected were these names that some of the Jewish itinerant peddlers in Wales in the 19th century changed their names to Isaac or Jacob in the belief that it would be good for business. In 1917 it was volunteers from some of these Welsh villages who marched with the 53rd Welsh Division to Palestine to liberate the population from Ottoman rule.
There are those in Wales who believe that they are one of the Lost Tribes of Israel. This claim is backed by the fact that the languages use words in common - one example being the Welsh Wlpan and the Hebrew Ulpan, meaning centers for language teaching. Linguistic experts, however, are skeptical.
In 1926 Kibbutz Ramat David was established and named not, as most people assume, after King David of biblical fame, but rather for David Lloyd George, the first Welsh prime minister of Great Britain.
Lloyd George was a devout evangelical. In 1925 he told the Jewish Historical Society of England, 'I was brought up in a school where I was taught far more history of the Jews than about my own land. I can tell you all the kings of Israel, but I doubt if I can name half a dozen of the kings of England or Wales.'
It was the Scot Arthur Balfour, another evangelical Christian, who, as foreign secretary in Lloyd George's government, authored the Balfour Declaration of 1917, supporting the establishment of a Jewish Homeland in Palestine. The efforts of these two dedicated men helped to lay the foundations for the future State of Israel.
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2. Sweden. Swedes Compared to Jews
Why did Joseph Goebbels (Nazi propaganda minister) on a trip to Sweden found the "blond race" there contemptible, "Germanic on the outside, half-Jewish on the inside"?
https://www.quora.com/Why-did-Joseph-Goebbels-Nazi-propaganda-minister-on-a-trip-to-Sweden-find-the-blond-race-there-to-be-contemptible-Germanic-on-the-outside-half-Jewish-on-the-inside
Chris Ebbert, lives in Sweden
Without having verified this story's source, I could still see how that judgment could come about.
I'm a German in Sweden who has plenty of Jewish friends.
Now, of course we also need to take this in the historical context of how all these people were in the 1920s and 30s.
What culturally sets the Swedes apart from the Germans very much even now, let alone back then, is their agreeable nature - a trait stereotypically associated with German Jews, also even today in Israel, where the word 'Jekke' ["Yekki"] describes a typical, German Jew as over the top polite and well-dressed.
That's very much the way the Swedes were then, and are now.
Also, the fiercely Darwinistic attitudes displayed by the Germans in the 3rd Reich would have run totally contrary to the inclusive spirit of the Swedes, where 'no one left behind' has always been the credo.
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3. Did Sweden provide refuge for Jews fleeing from the Nazis?
https://www.quora.com/Did-Sweden-provide-refuge-for-Jews-fleeing-from-the-Nazis
Andrew Lenihan
Yes, Sweden accepted four groups of refugees.
They accepted some German Jewish refugees in the thirties.
They accepted over 1,000 Norwegian Jews who fled across the border in 1942 to escape Nazi deportation to Auschwitz.
They accepted 8,000 Danish Jews who were ferried over to Sweden on Danish fishing boats in 1943.
They accepted a group of Hungarian Jews at the very end of the war.
These were small groups, but yes, Sweden did her part. God bless them for that.
PS. They also played a big role in keeping 100,000 Jews alive in Budapest. But this is not a direct answer to the question as asked.
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4. The UK and Statistics
Can the UK survive without the EU like Switzerland and Norway?
Geoffrey Thorndyke
https://www.quora.com/Can-the-UK-survive-without-the-EU-like-Switzerland-and-Norway/answer/Geoffrey-Thorndyke-1
Here are some statistics from the Wiki list 'Countries by wealth.'
The UK has 3.09% of the World's wealth. This places it at number 7. Ahead of countries like France, Brazil, Mexico, Canada.
Wealth per adult, UK is at number 5 after Hong Kong,Luxembourg, USA, Switzerland. Ahead of Netherlands, Japan, Canada, Germany
Share of Adult population, UK is the 15th most populous Country.
The UK is the 79th largest country by area, bigger than Uganda, Syria, Hungary and many others.
Great Britain is the 8th largest island in the world
By GDP per capita UK is at number 25, ahead of France, Japan, Italy and many other states.
Can we survive?, considering the above it would appear likely. Why should the UK not survive when Canada can?, why not ask how can the 173 countries ranked below the UK on GDP survive?
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5. New Zealand symbolically declares climate emergency
https://apnews.com/article/technology-climate-climate-change-new-zealand-financial-markets-a6b3325feb5083622a1707a79997f928
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Joining more than 30 countries, New Zealand on Wednesday took the symbolic step of declaring a climate emergency.
Lawmakers voted 76-43 in favor of the motion, in a split that followed party lines.
The government also launched a new initiative requiring many public agencies to become carbon neutral by 2025, in part by getting rid of coal boilers and buying electric cars.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the government usually declares emergencies only for things like natural disasters, but that if it doesn't address climate change, such disasters will continue to happen.
The declaration states that climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity and promises a commitment to minimize global warming. It says climate change will have a devastating impact on New Zealand through flooding, wildfires, sea-level rise and water availability.
Ardern has previously announced plans for the nation to plant 1 billion trees, phase out offshore oil and gas exploration, and to make the electricity grid run from 100% renewable energy by 2030.
The government last year passed a bill for the country to become carbon neutral by 2050, although it carved out some exemptions for farmers, who bring in much of the country's foreign income.