> From Trooper Amy Barath > > My Grandmother has a failsafe method for determining a mans Jewishness. She stares at him. She claims every Jewish man is adorned with an invisible yarmulke on his head and an equally invisible Tallit hanging from his shoulders. She claims these adornments are clearly visible; one only has to look carefully. With one long crooked finger she will knight thee, Jewish, loudly and confidently. There will be no need to confirm this on Google, Grandma is always correct. Imagine my surprise, when Senator John Kerry, the controversial Vietnam veteran turned President Obamas Secretary of State, came into Grandmas line of fire. As her finger pointed to John Kerrys image on the TV screen. Jewish, she said. The Irish Catholic Massachusetts Senator? I said in disbelief. Jewish, she insisted. Jewish blood she added. I wasnt so sure about either of those predictions. Heres what Grandma saw - after I did Google it: > Benedikt Kohn (John Kerrys Great-Grandfather) According to the records I was able to find, John Kerrys Great-Grandfather was a man named Benedikt Kohn, who lived in southern Moravia. He married Mathilde Frankel. They lived in a town called Bennisch, which boasted a population of 4200, (27 of whom were Jewish). Benedikt Kohn died in 1870; Mathilde moved to Vienna with her three > children, one of whom was Fritz, who would become John Kerrys grandfather. > > > Fritz Kohn/Fred Kerry (John Kerrys Grandfather ) John Kerrys Grandfather Fritz suffered through a growing anti-Semitism that prevailed in Europe at the time. Fritz and his brother Otto decided to abandon their Jewish heritage and converted to Catholicism. Otto dropped a pencil on a map and it landed on the Ireland County of Kerry and so, both brothers took the name of Kerry, dropping the name Kohn. Ida Loewe (John Kerrys Grandmother- descendant of Rabbi Judah Loew) Fritz became known as Fred. Fred married Ida Loewe, a Jewish musician from Budapest. Ida was a descendant of Sinai Loew, a brother of> Rabbi Judah Loew, the famous Kabbalist, known as the Maharal of Prague, believed to have invented the Golem. Two of Idas siblings were killed in Nazi concentration camps. Fred (Fritz) immigrated to America through Ellis Island in 1905. They had three sons who were all baptized as Catholics. They kept theiJewish roots a secret. Fritz Kohn/Fred Kerry (John Kerrys Grandfather commits suicide) In 1921, Fritz Kohn (John Kerrys Grandfather), shot himself in the head in a Boston hotel; he was 48 years old. There were whispers that the transition from Czechoslovakian Jew to American Catholic was too great a burden for him to bear any longer. Richard Kerry (father of John Kerry-baptized as a Catholic) Cameron Kerry (brother of John Kerry-marries a Jewish woman and converts to Judaism) John Kerrys father Richard was six years old when his father committed suicide. He went on to marry Rosemary Forbes, the beneficiary of the Forbes family trusts. John is one of four children. His younger brotherCameron married a Jewish woman and personally converted to Judaism in 1983. > > Its a lot to swallow; but not unlike the family histories of many > Americans. And so now John Kerry (Kohn) finds himself at a powerful > crossroads. > > Which John Kerry Kohn will Israel meet? > > Every 4 years or so, Israel must suffer the consequences of the > American Presidential election. The question is raised each time: What > should America do about Israel? > > If youre on the Palestinian/anti-Israel side, youve established a > precedent called prisoner release. In exchange for only a promise of coming > to the table to talk, hundreds of vicious murderers will be freed from > prison; if youre waiting for the punch line I must disappoint you as this > is not dark comedy, only dark reality. > > This is one way to break prisoners out of jail without much effort, > if you only have to agree to talk just divide the amount of meetings > according to the number of prisoners and they will all be home for dinner > eventually. > > When a new US Secretary of State is appointed, Middle East Peace > Talks are all the buzz. The newly appointed secretary is certain that this > time he or she will be the difference maker. Weve heard it many times > before. It always results in Israel relinquishing land, releasing criminals, > or both, without any benefit in return; the returns are dire. > > Israel does this for what, a pat on the head from the US? Israel > does not need a pat on the head from the US. > > This time however, it is truly special, Israel has the chance to get > so much more than just a pat on the head from the US; Israel has the chance > to be betrayed by a Kohn. >
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 20:24:18 +0000
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