Stabilizing the euro is one thing, healing the culture that surrounds it is another. A world in which material values are everything and spiritual values nothing is neither a stable state nor a good society. The time has come for us to recover the Judeo-Christian ethic of human dignity in the image of God.
People are feeling and sensing a return of anti-Semitism - even in Europe, which, seventy years after the Holocaust, is a very scary thing. I think they are feeling that Israel is very isolated and doesn't always get what they see as fair treatment in the European media.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects concern over the resurgence of anti-Semitism and the perceived unfair treatment of Israel in European media.
Jonathan Sacks highlights the alarming resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe, suggesting that despite the lessons learned from the Holocaust, society is witnessing a troubling pattern of discrimination. He notes that as individuals perceive Israel to be increasingly isolated and mistreated by European media, it reinforces a climate of fear and concern regarding the safety and acceptance of Jewish communities in the region.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a seminar discussing the rise of hate crimes, this quote could be used to emphasize the importance of being vigilant against anti-Semitism.
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Jews read the books of Moses not just as history but as divine command. The question to which they are an answer is not, 'What happened?' but rather, 'How then shall I live?' And it's only with the exodus that the life of the commands really begins.
Why did God create mankind? Because God likes stories.
Find people not to envy but to admire. Do not the profitable but the admirable deed. Live by ideals.
Some years ago there was a study to discover the most stressful occupation. It turned out not to be the head of a large business, football manager or prime minister, but rather: bus driver.
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Against the suffering which may come upon one from human relationships the readiest safeguard is voluntary isolation, keeping oneself aloof from other people. The happiness which can be achieved along this path is, as we see, the happiness of quietness. Against the dreaded external world one can only defend oneself by some kind of turning away from it, if one intends to solve the task by oneself.
Youth loves honor and victory more than money.
For, dear me, why abandon a belief, Merely because it ceases to be true, Cling to it long enough, and not a doubt, It will turn true again, for so it goes.
Teleology is like a mistress to a biologist: he cannot live without her but he's unwilling to be seen with her in public.