Jews The I-O-people

The "I-O" in I-O-people refers to people who are both insiders and outsiders.  They're insiders in the sense that they are part of the society in which they find themselves.  During WW I, German Jews fought for the Kaiser.  They contributed to the German chemical industry.  As French citizens, they also fought for their country.  Ditto, the English Jews, the Russian Jews, American Jews and so on.  They added to their country's literature, sport, justice system and industry.

And, yet they were most often also outsiders.  Consider the Dreyfus Affair and the treatment he received at the hands of the French military.  In so many countries, despite their contributions to the advancement of those countries, they were treated like lepers.  This can, perhaps, be chalked up to anti-Semitism; an example of the dislike for the other.

Is there a possibility that there is something about Jews that makes them subject to such treatment.  What makes Jews different.  Even in America, where Jews play important roles in all walks of life, is there anything inherently different about them.  Yes, of course.  They are Jews.  They may be Orthodox or they may be reform, but they're still Jews.  They are a people with a unique history.  Hebrew, like Latin, was once considered a dead language.  With the advent of Israel, that is no longer so.  It has come back to life and now flowers.  As for Latin, it remains a building block for a great number of languages, but it's still dead.

Jews may dismiss their religion.  Repairing the world has become for some their prime directive.  But, they're still Jews.  Distancing themselves from their religion may seem simple.  But is it?   Does atheism provide the same rich texture to one's life?  Judaism my not seem perfect.  It's got any number of imperfections.  These however fade to insignificance when it's held against the world's other religions.  A rabbi might easily find himself humming "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas"  at yule time.  But, he's still a rabbi -- anyway, the song was written by a Jew.  For better or worse,  Jews, though they may be "insiders" to the culture in which they find themselves, will also always be "outsiders."