JEWS, THE 'EVER-DYING PEOPLE,' ARE ETERNAL THREATENED SINCE ITS INCEPTION, JUDAISM IS ALWAYS IN TRANSITION.

Byline: Michael Gotlieb

THE world thinks of Jews in varied ways. To some, Jews are gifted - God's chosen; to others, demonic. To some, philanthropic; to others, greedy.

Jews are rich or poor; powerful or dependent; liberal or conservative. But throughout history, Jews have predominantly thought of themselves in only one-way: as a group on the verge of disappearing.

No matter the terms used, from an insider's perspective, we Jews have been awaiting our end ever since our inception.

With so much expressed hatred of Israel (sic. Jews of Israel) coming from Europe and the Middle East, that sentiment has been more keenly felt as of late.

But, to paraphrase the late Jewish scholar Simon Rawidowicz: Jews are the ever-dying people.

From our very beginning as a religious group, we have obsessed over a sense of impending doom.

Immediately after being saved from Egyptian slavery, Jewish forebears bemoaned their newly gained freedom: ``Better to die in the fleshpots of Egypt than to die in the desert.''

After the destructions of the temples in Jerusalem and the annihilation of the Jewish commonwealth, the feeling of doom reached a plateau.

Consistent throughout our history as the oldest religion on Earth, we have feared, even prepared for our imminent demise. Not a single Jewish generation considered itself immune to the notion that it might be the last.

Paradoxically, this negative selmage is inconsistent with our theology.

Judaism has always been a religion that is immediate and life affirming. The Talmud mentions, ``Whoever safes one life, (it) is as if he had saved the entire world.''

The disparity between this destructive image of doom versus a positive, life-affirming ideology is problematic and selmposed.

L'chaim - ``To life!'' - has been the rallying call of Jews. ``To life!'' - here and now, on this planet.

Who should know the value of life better than Jews? We grew out of an Egyptian civilization that worshipped death. The holiest Egyptian text was called ``The Book of the Dead.'' No wonder the rabbis wrote: ``So long as there is life, there is hope.''

Fittingly, the national anthem for the state of Israel is called ``Hatikvah,'' the hope.

Yet, for reasons that defy history, we Jews continue to doubt our viability, we continue to anticipate our demise.

This fear is not entirely without justification. Anti-Semitism still exists - particularly within the Arab world and parts of Europe. There are those who, if given their way, would cheer the annihilation of the Jews, like those who dance in the streets after a suicide bomber murders scores of innocent Jews.

Nazis, and Communists, made it their life's work to murder Jews and destroy Judaism.

In 1948, long before Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, the combined Arab world launched an attack intended to destroy the state of Israel, to ``throw the Jews into the Mediterranean.'' Hate crimes against Jews flourish in parts of the world.

That said, there has never been a better time to live as a Jew than now.

Looking back on Jewish history, the ``Golden Age'' of Spain was not so golden. The popularly idealized eastern European Jewish communities - shtetlach - were far from ideal. The term ghetto, coined in Italy, described neighborhoods where Jews were forced to live because the non- Jewish world would have little to do with them.

From the Inquisition to the pogroms, the Holocaust and suicide bombings aimed only at innocent men, women and children, Jews have understandably feared for their existence.

But despite all of that, we continue to contribute to the good of humanity, continue to exist, even thrive.

The impact that Jews continue to have on their surroundings far exceeds their numbers. Jews total less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the world's population; some 13 million in all. More humanity lives in Mexico City than there are Jews on the planet.

Though small in number, the Jewish contribution to the world is unparalleled. Judaism brought the notion of one God into the world. It is the religion responsible for the establishment of Christianity and Islam. It has and continues to help shape and enhance Western civilization.

And, given the course of history, so long as there are humans left alive, some of them will be Jews.

But the sky has been falling down on us for generations. In our eyes, we have been dying for more than 3,000 years.

Outside of our very real concern for Israel and America's security, one devoid of terrorist threat, the debate about Jewish assimilation is another form of this self-destructive idea.

While a more than 50 percent interfaith marriage statistic worries me, it is more a reflection of the non-Jewish community's acceptance of us. A generation ago, Jews did not intermarry, largely because of the non-Jewish family's reluctance toward having a Jewish son- or daughter-in-law.

What scares me far more, however, is our internalization of the myth that we are on the brink of extinction. I am afraid that the groundless fear of our demise has caused havoc to our soul, deeply permeating and affecting our psyche.

Judaism has always been in transition, always adapting and changing to the contemporary terrain.

With each challenge comes new opportunity. If our lengthy Jewish experience has taught us anything, it is that.

So, as Jews begin to celebrate the Jewish New Year - another year of existence - may the feeling of doom make way for the feeling of hope and joy.

May the ``ever-dying'' people finally come to grips with the reality that they are here to stay.

And may they continue on course with their lofty goal of making God's Earth a more habitable place for all humanity.