Читать книгу The Essential Agus - Steven T. Katz - Страница 34

The Hebrew prophets projected the vision of a united society of mankind, in which all “the families of the earth” will join together to eliminate the scourges of war, injustice, and poverty. Yet, in the Jewish tradition, pacifism finds little support, for we must not imagine at any one time that the millennium is already here. We are called upon to strive for the realization of the dream of human perfection—as if it could be achieved tomorrow. But we must begin with the existing patterns of international relations and work from there, taking a step at a time.

Nevertheless, individual Jews may incline to one edge of the spectrum and become “conscientious objectors.” They may draw their convictions from the mystical stream in the Jewish heritage, which asserts that all is in the hands of God. All that man can do is to refrain from evil. Or they may come to feel that, as Jews, they stand outside history; they have been assigned a unique task and consigned to the realm of eternity. Hence, they must not immerse themselves in the power struggles of the nations. While in our judgment such views may seem “extremist,” we have to recognize that in the dynamic polarity of Judaism, some small groups will cling to either one of the two poles. Such people should be allowed to serve the nation in ways that accord with their religious convictions.

With our emphasis on justice as well as on love, we can advance toward the Ideal Society in two ways: by helping to build an international network of institutions of justice, and by engaging in various international projects of benevolence. The first task is largely a governmental effort. A reign of law among nations may be established by degrees, through the extension of international law and the promotion of international institutions. The United Nations organization should be encouraged to build up an international civil service and a panel of judicial administrators who, perhaps, would be required to give up their individual citizenships and become world citizens, an affiliation that would entitle them to live anywhere and to be protected by a special covenant. From such a panel, the men and women who administer the various U.N. projects could well be drawn. Ultimately, this panel might include renowned judges, who would be selected to arbitrate any and all international disputes. We cannot expect that an order of law will be established overnight, but neither can we delay indefinitely the beginning of such an order.

The second task is largely personal, the extension of a helping hand to those in need, regardless of existing barriers. The Peace Corps project of President Kennedy and the vast Foreign Aid Program are particular expressions of this activity. In this field, there is ample room for the initiative of private individuals.

The Jewish people, recalling the evils of national zealotry, are likely to bring to this effort the impetus of their historic tradition. Also, the wide dispersal of Jews throughout the globe makes them aware of the need of stretching the bonds of fellowship across national boundaries. A residue of the sense of alienation, however weak and muted, remains in the minds of Jewish people, and this feeling serves to immunize them against the temptation to lay down rigid lines either for the character of the nation or for its destiny. Jews are the natural “protestants” against national idolatries and the outcroppings of chauvinism in all ethnic groups.

The young State of Israel has already launched a far-flung foreign aid program, with the object of extending technical assistance to the underdeveloped nations. This program is still in its infancy; yet, already it serves more than fifty nations.