The eternal or wandering Jew

The eternal or wandering Jew.

Introduction:

This are ancient legends, some claim early Christian, others much older, with the common theme of an immortal Jew, a lonely person who was doomed to live for eternity, as punishment for skimping Jesus on his way to his crucifixion, or symbolizing the home less Jew, remaining without a homeland, and searching for ever, to find his own corner.

Even though, these legends are at least 1.500 years old, it is still used by various authors to express their distaste, but also frightened admiration for the Jews, whom will not integrate in the surroundings, but manages to stay apart in history.
This was the theme for a Nazi film, presenting the Jew as a pest and dangerous factor in the society, but others used this same theme to portray the mystery and romance of the lonely Jew, unable to find conclusions to his life. In my opinion, this idea of the wandering eternal Jew figure represents the strength and continuation of the Jewish race, their (our) need for an homeland and the reclamation of the Jewish people in the family of nations (a progress which is still going on, which does not go very smooth, but slowly but surely, our Jew will eventually succeed).

In the legends, this Jew got named Ahga-shveros like the King in the Purim legend of Queens Esther, others named him Jud, but like Shakespeare, who named him Shylock, wrote “what is in a name”, as indeed the name is not important, the symbolic figure of an older Jew plays the outsider, on the edge of history who observes everything, but is never participates in the story of those days, with the same role of European Jews since the Roman empire.

I am not an historian, nor an author, only an elder Jew with an idea to present the history of the Jews in the eyes of this eternal wanderer, feeling himself belonging to the Jewish people, living in the Diaspora, and eventually returning home after 2.000 years, in order to learn that his homecoming will not be peaceful or painless and will requires enormous sacrifices.

At this stage, I need to remind you that history is a gathering of stories of somebody other relating the scene, as history is always repeating history, in my case most sources are taken from Google, and too numerous to note the name of original writer (who, when talking about history, is neither the original writer but a part of the chain of story tellers, an ancient habit by civilized people, in order to learn from the past).
I have an additional request; please do not take everything too serious, I am not intending to write a new bible, only an additional vision on history, and this time from out the eyes of the underdog.

My hero writes for himself the following conclusion, which might explain to you the attitude of the Jew to life and religion, his personal beliefs and ideals.

I have now lived on this earth for more than 2000 years and most probably will be around during the next decennial. I still am a very devote Jew, but do not accept the rites and traditions of the current Jewry, who in their intent to preserve Jewish life adapted very strange customs that in my opinion are not related to real Jewish life, thus I decided to make up my own rules on religion. Today, I travel from place to place, by changing my papers, name and identity. In the last few hundred years I gathered for myself a fortune, that is used for philanthropic purposes, mostly without involving myself.

I have returned and visited my ancestor's homestead in Israel near the town of Modiin in the area of the tribe of Benjamin (to day a very modern town in the state of Israel), but my family's wine yard has disappeared. I still love my country and am extremely proud of their achievements in such a short period of time. I will do everything in my power to help rebuilding the state, and so to make an end to provide a suitable answer to our apparent defenselessness and Antisemitism we had to suffer in the diaspora.
I must say that my homesickness for this place has never weakened, and when I finally die like an ordinary mortal, I would like to be buried in my home ground.

If you are looking for me, you won't be able to recognize me; I look like a practicing Jew in his 40th, healthy for his age, and remaining never long enough at one place to be found out.

I related to my friend Verveer a few of my happenings, especially over the life of my people in the shadow of history, in my opinion we were never the cause of disasters which the Gentiles endured, even though they often blamed us for it, starting with the crucifixion of Joshua, followed by the accusations of the early Christians in Smyrna, etc., etc.

August, 2010
Kfar Saba, Israel