Rhode Island - How Bad It Is - Articles about Israel -Grossman

Driving for hours through Rhode Island
near the Massachusetts border,
a man pulled into a gas station.
He asked the attendant how long it would be
until he got out of Rhode Island.
With great indignation,
the attendant asked,
"And just what's the matter with Rhode Island?"
-Reader's Digest
August 1989, page 89

That's the spirit.

Maybe the gas station attendant had made a successful Aliyah to Rhode Island

Maybe he was happy with his position

Maybe he just didn't see a need to complain.

The result: He was successful in life. He may or may not have had more tzorris than the rest of us, but he did have local pride.

That gas station attendant was not likely to be a Jew. Jews seem to be lacking that spirit. Maybe it's because we've been banished from so many countries over the generations. No matter where we live, we have that "golus mentality".

And Israel, the natural home for all Jews, seems to have more kvetchers per square dunam than many other locations. That typifies a problem faced by Israelis, not by Israel. We need more guys like that gas station attendant in Rhode Island – but we need them here in Israel.

Somehow, people in Rhode Island, or in just any place except for Israel, tend to make excuses for things that are not up to their exacting standards. Jews, on the other hand, are more critical of our own country and more forgiving of others. Jews don't think of punishing the States by leaving, even though our status there may be lower than it would have been in Israel.

Perhaps that's because we feel more relaxed and easygoing about Israel. It's ours, so we can say anything we want about it. We can even bash it.

Do you see any problem with our collective attitude?

Where do you want to go now?