Every time I sit down to pen an essay on the Jewish question I end up writing a book. A Goy Pries Into The “Talmud” appears to be no exception. It was my original intention here to produce a long essay cum short pamphlet on an anti-Semitic booklet which was distributed (covertly) in Britain in 1991. Such a pamphlet would have been, indeed is, long overdue. However, in 1990 I made the acquaintance of Rabbi Cohen (through channels totally unrelated with my on-going researches into the extreme right), and we entered into a correspondence.
Sometime after I had decided to write this pamphlet, I decided also that it would benefit by some expert commentary from a Talmudic scholar. He very kindly consented to discuss not only the spurious quotes attributed to the Talmud in Four Small Candles and The Six Million Reconsidered but to discuss the entire question of Talmudic fabrication generally. He helped also to shed some light on the on-going “controversy of Zion”, so the agenda I started out with has widened considerably.
It is therefore with some reservations that I have stuck to the name I chose for this publication originally: A Goy Pries Into The “Talmud”; this publication is every bit as much his as mine. Indeed, in some ways it is even more his than mine, for while I have pried into the Talmud on my own initiative, and could have exposed the obvious forgeries and misinterpretations without his assistance, Rabbi Cohen has put the whole matter of Talmudic fabrication into context, explaining the at times archaic language of the Torah and providing vital background material on the historical context of the entire body of Jewish theological writings.
In addition to all that, this short monograph contains an eloquent discussion of, and refutation of, specifically religious anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic propaganda. However, it will not be a total loss to those anti-Semites who masquerade as anti-Zionists; I am sure they will find some crumb of comfort in the Rabbi’s assessment of Zionism and the stranglehold this ideology has exerted over Diaspora Jewry since the Second World War. (2)
Rabbi Cohen has also, in my humble opinion, provided not only a total refutation of the lies, hate, slanders and libels that have been directed at the Torah over the centuries, but has mustered as eloquent a defence of any religious writings by any holy man of any faith, anywhere, and at any time. I feel sure that no intelligent, thoughtful person who reads A Goy Pries Into The “Talmud” will ever at any time in the future be taken in by either the ravings of fundamentalist bigots or by the subtle but insidious fabrications of those who seek to incite anti-Semitism for much more sinister motives.
But the most remarkable thing about Rabbi Cohen’s analysis is the calm, almost laid back way in which he took everything that was thrown at his sacred books then shrugged it off like water off a duck’s back. Contrast this with the hysteria, paranoia and at times outright violence of certain self-professed “anti-fascists” [sic], who are often (or claim to be) of Jewish origin. Every time they see a Union Jack, much less a swastika, they burst into paroxysms of rage. In showing how a real Jew reacts to hate, Rabbi Cohen has set an example to these “anti-fascists” and indeed, to us all.
I am also most grateful to Mark Taha for double checking my researches, proof reading, and for his continued assistance, and to Chris Tame of the Libertarian Alliance without whom this publication would not have seen the light of day or with quite so professional a presentation. Chris is also the most genuine and dedicated anti-fascist I have ever met.
A special mention goes to Mr David Saltman of the American Jewish Committee for supplying me with a photocopy of Talmudic Forgeries.
And a very special mention to Mr Ezra Kahn, the Librarian at Jews College, for translating selected passages from the Shulhan Aruch and Jalquit Simeoni.
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