Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel

Mary Shelly’s famous horror story, “Frankenstein,” is one of the most profound work of modern literature; like all timeless works, this story continues to unfold new possibilities of meaning that continue to challenge today’s readers in novel and unexpected ways.

Although most people identify Frankenstein with the monster he created, the personality of the monster’s creator is really what is at the heart of this great story. Shelly anticipated the dangers of the scientific revolution, where man embarks on a relentless conquest of the technological world. With subtle irony, Shelly also shows what happens to man when he tries to create a human being without the aid of a woman.

Deciphering the psychology of Victor Frankenstein is complex. Victor is determined to find a technological way of transcending death. Throughout recorded history, people everywhere have grappled the problem of mortality, as seen in the Epic of Gilgamesh of antiquity. However, Victor Frankenstein is indifferent to the moral consequences of his creation; and neither is his creation. He is unconsciously driven by the desire to unseat the Creator of the world through science.

The Frankenstein metaphor certainly seems like an apt metaphor for the world of changes we are witnessing today in the international arena. The United Nation’s manic quest to create a modern Frankenstein-esque state named “Palestine” is no less shocking. The assonance of “Frankenstein” and “Palestine” seems more than coincidental.

Imagine a state where parents send their children to a summer camp, where its leaders inspire children to become suicide bombers. No, we are not talking about Kafka, but we might just as well be! Imagine streets named after suicide bombers, or entire museums depicting the blown out Israel bus or a blown up Israeli pizza shop strewn with body parts? Picture a society that is dedicated to making Israel “Jew-free” regardless how many they must kill?

Imagine creating a terrorist state that sees nothing wrong with volleying 10,000 missiles into Israeli cities. Picture a society that loves the death or “martyrdom” of its followers more than they do life itself. Can you imagine a country whose leaders cynically use the “peace treaty” of Camp David as an excuse for war, or as Feisal Husseni once said, “The Palestinian-Israeli peace treaty is nothing more than a modern-day Palestinian Trojan horse.”

Earlier we mentioned how the obsession of Victor Frankenstein really makes him the true monster of our story. Are not the European nations any different? Rest assured that just as the Frankenstein monster rebelled against its creator, you can be sure that Islamic totalitarian forces looking to create a Palestinian state will eventually turn against its creators by educating and expanding their network of terror throughout the Middle East, Europe and beyond.

The world must understand that there can never be peace between those countries that refuse to acknowledge the existence of the Other. Israel and its people has made great strides in accepting the reality of a Palestinian State, but the Palestinian leaders have never prepared their populace for peaceful co-existence with Israel.

As one editorial said, “The only difference between Arafat and Abbas is that the latter wears a suit and only looks “civilized”, but neither wish to even acknowledge Israel as a Jewish homeland and there is our real problem. In my opinion, Arafat was at least a little bit more honest about his lack of humanity and civility. But in all honesty, Abbas is playing a fool’s gambit. If he fails in his attempt to create a Palestinian state-a certainty with the US veto-you can count on Hamas using this failed attempt to completely gain power and control over the West Bank. Like the Frankenstein metaphor we have examined above, Abbas’s new creation will rebel against him-it is inevitable. Sometimes doing nothing is preferable to acting impulsively, and this situation is certainly the case!

One last note: I would strongly recommend to PM Abbas that he rename his country, “Frankenstein,” and call his people “Frankenstinians.”