A shanda fur die goyim

For those who aren't familiar with Yiddish, the title of this post is an expression that literally means 'a shame before the nations'... but which is used colloquially to describe any embarrassing or compromising behavior performed by a Jew where a non-Jew can observe it.

I remember when U.S. Senator Lieberman - a visibly observant Jew - was selected as Al Gore's running mate in the 2000 presidential elections, many Jews around the country were justifiably proud (this was before we found out he had more waffles than an IHOP).   But in private, many voiced deep concern over the potential 'shanda' that would result if the first Jewish Vice President were to do something truly scandalous. 

This double edged sword of pride and trepidation is the driving force behind this mindset.

The moment the modern State of Israel came into existence in 1948, the phrase 'A light unto the nations' was dusted off after two millenia of disuse, and tossed around by Jews worldwide.  However, in the back of many people's minds was the very real risk - one might even say certainty - of the 'shanda' that would result from the less-than-admirable (i.e. human) behavior of Israeli leaders and citizens in full view of the family of nations.

During almost sixty years of it's existence, Israel has been no stranger to public and private scandal.  Many of the big players in drugs and organized crime around the world are Israelis... and so many of our elected/appointed government officials have been indicted/convicted of wrongdoing in recent years that the very idea of an honest Israeli public figure seems like a fairy tale.  Our young, post-army vagabonds are such a scourge in some parts of the world that governmental campaigns have been tried and tried again to try to get Israelis to understand that they represent more than just themselves when they are abroad.

So while I wasn't particularly surprised this morning, it was with a heavy heart that I read a news report of the Israeli Ambassador to El Salvador having been found bound, naked and drunk on a public street with a rubber ball stuffed in his mouth and various, er, adult toys nearby.  As I skimmed the article I hoped against hope that he had been the victim of some sort of assault or hate crime.  But as the information unfolded, it became fairly clear that this latest 'shanda' was the result of him having been involved in some sort of Sado-Masochistic game-gone-wrong.

I suppose that if we Israelis can't seem to elect public officials capable of keeping their hands out of the till and their tongues (and other things) out of their coworkers, I shouldn't be particularly shocked at the questionable judgment of their diplomatic appointments.  If all it takes in this country to become a member of the government is to know the right people and kiss the right @ss, the bar for becoming an official Israeli representative abroad is obviously set considerably lower.

'A light unto the nations', indeed.  More like 'a shanda fur die goyim'

Another source here.