From a personal point of view, these past
few days have not been the best of days.
I had a most wonderful time in the past few
weeks: American Indians, Cuba, Cochin and Kuala Lumpur. And I was looking
forward to London, despite having a completely unbalanced inner clock.
Constant travelling can upset ones sense of
equilibrium but the friendliness of the people you meet on the road balances
that. I have been on the road constantly since March 1993, so this lack of
place has not created chaos in my life.
As my late mentor Dr Cecil Helman one said:
You seem to be devoid of great conflicts, you go around people who have
problems that you cannot help or get involved with them. I know that you get
closer to people and sometimes the trains take different directions and one
departs without bitterness. One thing is for sure, those who departed my life
have left for ever, and that I don’t make any attempt to see them, there is no
point, because in my opinion, broken pots cannot be put together as well as the
new.
As long as you are at peace with the world,
not anxious about the past or the future, content with yourself and what you
are doing, being grateful and compassionate, life rewards you with the best,
day after day.
On this trip of two weeks: Malaysia and
London, I made so many new acquaintances. I give their histories a meaning and
in return am satisfied with simple interactions of a purer nature. It was nice
to receive notes from Flight Attendants to say how much they enjoyed our
conversations during the flight!
I am also a Jew. Not in the religious sense
of the word but fiercely faithful to the idea of a Jewish Culture and Jewish
People. It was not a problem being Jewish in Australia or England or America, but
being Jewish in Europe at the moment is rather polemic.
At a party I met a group of young French
diplomats who were so blatantly anti-Semitic and welcoming of the Arabs (this
was in 2006), it set a tone for my distaste for France. Obviously they don’t say
that any more, after what has been happening. In conversations, they defended
that the French would never profile any of “their” citizens and that most of
the 5 million Moslems in France are good French citizens. This kind of naiveté
has led them into deep trouble.
The new antisemitism of the educated hides
itself in anti-Israel rhetoric.
So each time something anti-Jewish happens
in Europe, my heart bleeds. When a criminal Moslem murdered innocent Jewish
children in Toulouse, it was a wakeup call for the French Jewish community but
I don’t remember the French rising up against that. Even Charlie Hebdo, mostly Jewish
victims, didn’t bring a softening of the anti-Jewish sentiment.
Now that they are being indiscriminately
killed, last November in Paris and this week in Brussels, a lot of noise being
heard.
It may be already too late for the Jews of
Europe, especially from France and Belgium.
It is certainly too late for this Jew.
I am psychologically severing myself from
Europe (of course UK is not included in this madness, London is absolutely my
favourite city in the European Union).
Symbolically, I am making an Aliyah to
America.
I have always enjoyed my work in America
and its proximity to Cuba and that is where you would find me. Yes, I would be
traveling as always but there would not be many itineraries to Europe, unless
it is to London, Barcelona or Lisboa!
