"Everyone can stay except for Jewish people."
The godfather of pogroms past returns from the dead to haunt me in the comments.
I have no idea who Chief Investigator is, but I looked up Konstantin Pobedonostsev, and this is what I discovered:
Konstantin Petrovich Pobedonostsev (Russian: Константи́н Петро́вич Победоно́сцев, 30 November 1827 – 23 March 1907) was a Russian jurist and statesman who served as an adviser to three Russian emperors. During the reign of Alexander III of Russia, Pobedonostsev was considered the chief spokesman for reactionary positions and the éminence grise of imperial politics. Between 1880 and 1905, he served as Over-Procurator of the Most Holy Synod, making him the non-clerical Russian official who supervised the Russian Orthodox Church.
His writings on politics, law, art, and culture emphasized the positive element of the spiritual and secular unification of Russia with the acceptance of Christianity, while simultaneously condemning the Jewish population. He warned of the negative element in Russia, portraying democratic and liberal movements as enemies of the national and religious unity of the Russian people.
And this:
The Tsar’s minister Konstantin Pobedonostsev stated the aim of the government with regard to the Jews was that “One third will die out, one third will leave the country and one third will be completely dissolved in the surrounding population.” The pogroms and the repressive legislation resulted in the mass emigration of Jews to western Europe and the Americas. Between 1881 and the outbreak of the First World War, an estimated 2.5 million Jews left Russia — one of the largest group migrations in recorded history.
After the Pesach pogrom of 1903, pogroms became the official policy of the Russian Empire, and the antisemitic terror reached its peak in October 1905.
In other words: Konstantin Pobedonostsev effectively chased my grandparents out of Lithuania and Ukraine in the late 19th century. Now, thanks to the magic of Substack, Konstantin has risen from the dead to haunt my family again.
Konstantin Pobedonostsev has joined the chat…
A few days ago, I posted this Substack note…
I received this reply:
I usually don’t respond to hostile comments, especially anonymous ones. It’s not worth the time or heartache. Nothing I write is going to change anyone’s mind. But this time I heard a voice from above: “Join the conversation!”
Like I said at the top: I’m not sure why I did this. I must harbor a fantasy that maybe Chief Investigator will think to himself: Hmmm… maybe I don’t have all the relevant information in hand. Maybe my view of the world is somewhat blinkered. Maybe the Talmud is not the diary of Satan. Maybe I don’t have all the answers.
Because I know I don’t.
One closing thought…
I often hear Jews trotting out self-congratulatory riffs like this:
The Jewish people have encountered and survived many kingdoms and empires throughout our long history. Many of them have persecuted us. The ancient Egyptians… the Assyrians… the Babylonians… the Persians… the Hellenistic empires… the Romans… the Byzantines… Islamic empires, including the Umayyad, Abbasid, and Ottoman Caliphates… the Nazis… the Soviets… They have all perished, consigned to the ash heap of history, yet we Jews have survived!
This is presented as proof that Judaism possesses something special, a magical elixir, the proverbial Tree of Life — and that maybe, just maybe, the G*d of Israel isn’t a myth at all.
But plenty of people — including guys like Chief Investigator and Konstantin Pobedonostsev — see Jewish survival as proof of Jewish scheming, perfidy, and immorality. They see 3,500 years of Jewish history as conclusive evidence that Jews destroy whatever they touch. This is why they say: Jews are a danger! A threat to your family and your country! Just look at what they did to all those other countries and kingdoms and empires — the greatest powers the world has ever known! They all collapsed and disappeared after getting infected with the Jew virus! Beware!
It’s exhausting and dispiriting just typing this stuff, but I can’t say it’s a total surprise. Because somewhere high above, my dear departed Grandma Rose is shaking her head sadly, and whispering: “I told you so.”
Look on the bright side Alan. Antisemites seem to have come a long way. He doesn't want to kill you, he just wants you to move to Israel. Now that is real progress. Of course, if you were to thank him for this generosity we can all imagine what his answer would be.
The rule is: Just Block. It's not your job.
I have sometimes allowed antisemitic comments to my posts to remain in the comments section. I leave them sitting there like little piles of shit, evidence of the dark pustular mind which excreted it.
Educational too. Thanks for your writing.