Trump Is No Triumph

       In any case, we might recognize – as Mr. Levine recognized – that between 1900 and 1920 — the total population of the country’s Jewish community, went from roughly 16,000 in 1901, to 125,000 in 1921. There are many statistics on the Jewish society in every country, and to my observations, the most engaging and appealing revelation is in Toronto. I’m not surprised when I’m told that the accumulating Jewish fellowship is almost “disturbing” for us Anglos. To me it’s nonsense but to some others they are almost viewed as disturbers. What nonsense. The 1920 editor of The Globe got hot under the collar and spouted and fearful largely because of “a Jewish invasion of the public schools.” Wow!! As for the other paper, The Toronto Telegram, it expressed “grave concerns”. Along with that, the media (what we call it now) took to rough talk in saying the following: “an influx of Jews puts a worm next to the kernel of every fair society where they get a hold these people have no have no national tradition… They’re not the material out of which to shape a people holding national spirit… Not on the frontiers of the plough and axe, but in the cities where their low standards of life cheapen all about then….” Oh my, my, my! Let’s put up concrete walls, yes here and over there! How about it Charlie?

     To be a bit serious, the fact is that in that age, attitudes were utterly different. Compassion for an immigrant who was a little bit “different” was dangerous, difficult, destructive and just maybe desperate. How about compassion Charley? Reply: “What’s compassion? Eh?”  (He probably went to grade seven. No sorry grade five.)  Levine’s book is absolutely superb.  The culture of that age, was just another utterly distainful attitude. Mind you, my study is filled with not just Canadian material, but much American. Consider this bungled and graceless comment:

    “In Trump’s America, immigrants are modern–day ‘savage Indians…” Can you accept that? Well now. The important aspect in this ugly attitude, is simple: It’s because of a rude and crude man named Donald Trump. I’d say that the crude and rude language is a large segment of his ugly expressions but there are thousands and thousands who accept, agree and applaud. (Now that’s another culture and I’ll take it on someday soon.) But, in the meantime, it’s just an ignorant man and poorly prepared, in many ways, to take the Presidential office. A philosophic media group has it right on the agenda, simply because they said yes to an ill informed man called Trump. (Compare him, say, with Truman  in 1940s in public utterance: “One of the reasons we lead the free world is that we are a nation of immigrants.” Yes, and thank you Harry Truman.

   Nonetheless we have at this time, a President who, like it or not, is the Presidential leader of a very influential nation. But what about his competence? Consider it in terms of immigrants? I can’t convince myself that he is prudent and receptive of the promising migrants, no matter where they’ve grown up.  What about the revelation of your congregation or mine in terms of church situation. Don’t dare raise it my friend. To the current President his high position is, well, incredible. How can we accept him calmly in the world’s high leadership, President of the United States of America.  It’s no joke, no witticism, no humour.  Triviality?  Honestly. Consider this comment made in the1950s by one of human history’s greatest leaders: Winston Churchill. This single statement deserves to be for you and me in history forever: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Honestly now, do you think Trump would even realize the altruism in that single sentence. Now turn to one of the newspaper daily Trump quotations on immigrants: “President Trump has transformed presidential discourse on immigration by making immigrants the new face of threatening “others” a primitive savage on the American frontier….” Well I guess all I can say is be friends. Remember Trump said it a year or so ago: “We cannot let people just enter our country.” Oh yes I forgot to ask you: friends, have you by chance, ever heard of what’s called democracy?

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