As millions starve in north korea, the west make jokes about their missiles

By Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

Last week I held a press conference at The Korean-American Voter’s Council in New Jersey. I shared with them my strong feelings of affinity with the Korean community whose values and circumstances reflect those of the Jewish community in many ways. South Korea lives under the threat of destruction from a nuclear-armed North Korea, just as the Jewish people have always historically lived under the threat of annihilation, even up to this day, with a nuclear-ambitious Iran and its proxies who threaten to destroy the State of Israel. Yet both our communities have shown resilience under the ominous shadow of thug regimes. Many other parallels can be drawn. The Korean-American community exhibits hard work, entrepreneurship, and industriousness, with a strong emphasis on the centrality of education. They are devoted to the Bible and build devoted religious communities. They have an innate sense of identity and maintain the uniqueness and beauty of their culture. And recently, even ancient Jewish texts studied in Jewish religious institutions the world over, most notably the Talmud, have reached the attention of the South Koreans, who now study these works in an effort to learn from the timeless wisdom passed down from the Jewish Sages of old.

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Comments:	A friend has recommended you read the following from The Jewish Journal... As millions starve in north korea, the west make jokes about their missiles Last week I held a press conference at The Korean-American Voter’s Council in New Jersey. I shared with them my strong feelings of affinity with the Korean community whose values and circumstances reflect those of the Jewish community in many ways. South Korea lives under the threat of destruction from a nuclear-armed North Korea, just as the Jewish people have always historically lived under the threat of annihilation, even up to this day, with a nuclear-ambitious Iran and its proxies who threaten to destroy the State of Israel. Yet both our communities have shown resilience under the ominous shadow of thug regimes. Many other parallels can be drawn. The Korean-American community exhibits hard work, entrepreneurship, and industriousness, with a strong emphasis on the centrality of education. They are devoted to the Bible and build devoted religious communities. They have an innate sense of identity and maintain the uniqueness and beauty of their culture. And recently, even ancient Jewish texts studied in Jewish religious institutions the world over, most notably the Talmud, have reached the attention of the South Koreans, who now study these works in an effort to learn from the timeless wisdom passed down from the Jewish Sages of old. http://www.jewishjournal.com/rabbi_shmuley/item/as_millions_starve_in_north_korea_the_west_make_jokes_about_their_missiles_ Sign up for our free email news alerts at http://www.jewishjournal.com/email.
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