Why, please tell me, do we continue to say such ugly things about each other, continue to dismiss and savage any and all Jews who are not Jews like you, who don't agree with you, practice Judaism differently than you?

Why, please tell me, do Jews, of every kind, continue to play 'Jewish baseball.' Meaning one strike, one difference between us, and you're out. As far as I'm concerned, you are not a fellow Jew.

Why, please tell me, even though Jewish disunity has gotten worse and worse, we are doing less and less about it. Let Ahmedinejad say one nutty thing about Israel and the entire Jewish world mobilizes to deal with it. Have Jews say horrible things about other Jews and not a peep.

Alan Dershowitz, the prominent attorney, used to be very good friends of Richard Goldstone, one of the most respected jurists in South Africa and a man who has devoted his life to supporting Israel.

Well, last year, Goldstone was appointed by the United Nations to head a commission looking at the Gaza War. His conclusion was that during that war, both Israel and Hamas did some things that could be considered war crimes.

The Jewish world went nuts, labeled the report an unfair, unjust travesty, totally lacking in understanding of the situation and ridiculous in not accurately characterizing Israel's behavior.

Fine. I happen to agree the report was off base in a lot of ways.

But that's one thing. And it's certainly appropriate for Israel and the Jewish world to respond to the report, point out its shortcomings, lay out the real facts, tell the whole story.

But tell me something. Why do we also feel the need to rip Goldstone to shreds?

This is a man who has devoted his life to the law, to the Jewish community of South Africa and to Israel, who top Israeli officials have often called a "good friend" of the Jewish state.

So let's say he made a mistake, even a big, bad mistake, was wrong in his judgment, was really off the mark with his report.

Okay, so he was wrong, mistaken, stupid even. But why do we have to destroy him? Is he not a fellow Jew? Are we not all humans? Are we not allowed to make a mistake?

And yet, listen to what Alan Dershowitz just called Goldstone. "An evil, evil man," he said. "A traitor to the Jewish people."

An evil, evil man? Richard Goldstone? A Jew who has spent his life working for Israel? An evil, evil man?

Listen to that language. If Goldstone is an evil, evil man, then what was Hitler? Does Goldstone really and truly deserve to be called an evil, evil man, a traitor to the Jewish people?

When a respected guy like Dershowitz, who many, especially himself, see as Mr. SuperJew, feels totally okay, justified even, calling a fellow Jew, "an evil, evil man" and a "traitor to the Jewish people," Jewish disunity is beyond bad, is truly a threat to us.

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Why, please tell me, have we not heard one word of careful optimism about the fact that the new charter of Fatah omits language calling for Israel's destruction?

Up to now, every Fatah charter has done exactly that. Which is why Jewish groups, especially right wing Jewish groups, opposed to any peace process with the Palestinians, have always said there could be no negotiations with Fatah, the party of the leadership of the Palestinian Authority, until it eliminated the call for Israel's destruction from its charter.

Get rid of that language, they would say over and over, and then we can talk. Well guess what? Fatah's new charter, adopted this past summer, got rid of the call for Israel's destruction.

And yet, haven't heard any of the right wing Jewish groups give them credit for that, express hope because of that, talk about now being willing to talk peace as a result of that.

Tell me, please, why that is?

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Why, please tell me, can't we ever just enjoy?

Israel's response to the tragedy in Haiti was truly in the best traditions of the Jewish people. Israel immediately sent help, a lot of it, experts at rescuing people from the rubble, doctors and nurses fully equipped to save lives and bring healing to those hurting.

Their job done, the Israeli team headed home where they were greeted at the airport by Prime Minister Netanyahu, who told them, "you raised peoples' spirits; you raised the name of the State of Israel and the name of the Israel Defense Forces. Precisely during these days, during which there are those who conspire against us, and distort and degrade the name of the IDF and the name of the State of Israel, you showed the world the true spirit of the IDF."v Tell me, please, why the negativity, why always the neuroticism and the victimhood and the overheated, exaggerated language? Why? Israel is a strong country, with a powerful military, with diplomatic relations with every important country in the world, with one of the most vibrant economies on earth. And yet we always got to make ourselves out as victims.

Why couldn't have Netanyahu just said, "you raised people's spirits; you raised the name of the State of Israel and the name of the IDF ... you showed the world the true spirit of the IDF."

Just that, just the upbeat, just the positive, made us feel good about us, instead of always making us feel bad about the world.

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Why, please tell me, do we so go out of our way to feel hated, under attack?

It made big Jewish news when the former prime minister of Malaysia, Matathir Mohammed, recently said it was America's "Jewish lobby" that was preventing President Obama from ending the war in Afghanistan; that even after the Holocaust, Jews "survived to continue to be a source of even greater problems for the world;" and that Jews were behind 9/11 so as to provide an excuse for war against Islam.

To which I say, who cares what Matathir Mohammed says about us. Why do we care? Why do we make a big deal out of it, scare ourselves with it? Why?

Now maybe when he was the prime minister of Malaysia and said such things, there was a reason to take note, be aware. Maybe. But he left office in 2003. That's right, not only is he not now prime minister, he hasn't been for seven years.

And yet every time, every few months, he pops up and pops off about the Jews, it makes the Jerusalem Post and the JTA news service, and Jewish newspapers all across America.

It seems we can't get enough of hearing about crazy Jew haters saying crazy Jew hating things. Even if they're the head of an insignificant country like Malaysia who nobody pays attention to. Hell, even if they're the former head of an insignificant country like Malaysia who nobody pays attention to.

But we do pay attention. Why?

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Why, when important leaders say something supportive of us, do we just let it pass, don't feel good about it, make a big deal out of it. And why do we put the Holocaust above all else in making us feel Jewish?

As to the first, Brazil is now one of the most important countries in the world. By far. And its leader, Luiz da Silva, is one of the most influential statesmen in the world. And yet it registered nary a blip on the Jewish radar when da Silva asked to be the main speaker at a Brazilian synagogue as it marked Holocaust Remembrance Day. And that he said, "it's impossible to deny the Holocaust ... Nobody has the right to ignore the extermination of the Jewish people."

Good for him, good for us. If only we noticed.

And then there was this. A new survey of Israeli principals, teachers and students showed that the one common denominator among all students, of incredibly diverse backgrounds, is their awareness of the Holocaust and its impact on their worldview.

Now, yes, that's good. We must never forget. But somehow, considering all of Jewish history and teachings and traditions and values, is the Holocaust the thing more than any other what we want to most define the Jewishness of Israeli students?

What about the Torah, Zionism, 'do unto others as you would have done unto you,' Dr. Jonas Salk, Maimonides, Einstein, and so much else positive and noble and enriching in our long history?

Yes, we want every Jewish kid to know about the Holocaust, but do we really want the time when the whole world turned against us, when six million Jewish souls were exterminated, to be the common denominator that ties all Jewish kids together, tells them what being a Jew is?

There is so much beautiful and creative and inspiring about our story and our history, don't we want the next generation of Jews to be motivated by that, have their worldview guided by that?

Don't we?