With thanks to the Unholy podcast and Bret Stephens for their discussion on anti-Semitism (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuQanxyh-xY) and Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah for their discussions on hope and Dara Horn for her analysis in "People Love Dead Jews."

The Aquatics are still feeling abused by the rest of the Galaxy. Or at least 14 out of 18 of their species seem to be.

On Luna, there is a growing anti-exo movement. But, interestingly, there is also a growing "We Welcome Everyone!" movement in resistance.

In hopes of better understanding and being able to deal with these sentiments, I have contacted New Haifa, an unconnected Lunar city. The residents do not usually allow outsiders to visit New Haifa. I was there about 47 years ago when we did the first SafeGuard treatments to seal in air and water from leaking out of the Lunar cities and into the rest of the Solar system. I have not been a part of more recent treatments for newly excavated parts of the settlement.

So I am one of two non-New Haifans living on Luna to have visited New Haifa (Dr. Rachel Levine is the other.) Because they remember me (without being afraid of me), they have agreed to let me visit so that I can talk with them about their experiences in dealing with bias.

Dr. Levine told me New Haifa's ethnic/cultural/religious group, the "Jews" (which is also HER ethnic/cultural/religious group), is arguably the group Earthers held the most bias against, and for the longest time. This bias has its own name; it is called "antisemitism." Although the "Semites" are actually a larger human group, antisemitism refers only to the Jewish portion of the larger group. AND, of course, because humans seem to be that way, the remainder of the Semites is actually anti-Semitic against the Jewish Semites. While antisemitism seems to be dormant on Luna, she assures me that all Jews suspect it is only a matter of time before it resurfaces and strikes even here.

I have hitched a ride on a Gilgot "atmospheric" transport, the only safe way to access an unconnected Lunar city. "Atmospheric" of course, is a misnomer on Luna, which has no atmosphere, but that term is used to differentiate them from the interstellar transports which are larger and generally spin to create artificial gravity. Atmospheric transports are carried on interstellar transports or accessible on space stations orbiting planets. They are streamlined and heat shielded; they can land on a planet. Interstellars cannot; they have too complex a shape to be heat shielded and would burn up on reentry. Interstellars are built and remain for their entire time in service in operation in space.

I am met at the docks by an older man who says, "Shalom - welcome!" and identifies himself as Daniel Mizrahi. He glances at my claws and makes no attempt to shake my hand.

"I remember you from when you were here before," he says.

I am surprised. "You must have been very young," I tell him.

"I was ten," he says. "I remember - who could ever forget! - my first alien!"

"I guess that would be memorable," I agree. "I hope it was pleasant?"

"I remember you stopped your technicians from working on Shabbat, even though, as non-Jews, you could continue working. But you said the treatments might be disruptive to our Shabbat peace. And, you found out that we cannot cook on Shabbat, so you found a "chef" among your technicians who made a giant pot of hot stew - we still talk about that stew!"

"I bet that "stew" was different from what you usually make."

"It was that..." he laughs. "But it was... uh... memorable."

"Maybe not "tasty"?"

"Definitely "memorable." But we appreciated the thoughtfulness."

"My stew would have been even worse," I assure him. "I'm a physicist, not a cook."

"Quantum stew?" he suggests.

"Entropic, probably..."

He laughs.

"A friend tells me that New Haifa was actually the first settlement on Luna," I observe.

"Yes. Our first settlers arrived about ten years before any of the others came."

"And you were fleeing bias against your people? Not like the others, fleeing oppressive regimes?"

He nods.

I have questions not related to the subject of my visit. I'm glad to have an opportunity to ask them. "The other cities were near death when the Gilgot arrived. But they tell me you were, well, glad to see them, but not desperate."

He laughs. "Yes, we were glad to get some additional air and water, and we ordered a couple more mixers to make soil from the regolith, but we had come to settle Luna and had come prepared to meet the conditions here. The others were planning on "camping out" for two to three years and then continuing on to Mars." He pauses, then adds, "And, I think, they really had no idea what would be needed to survive under Lunar conditions."

"They certainly would NOT have survived without the Gilgot," I agree.

"And, they established "cities" whereas we always intended this to be an agricultural settlement."

All of the connected Lunar Cities are just that: cities. They each have agricultural areas, but these are generally removed from the cities themselves except for air circulation, access to water, and access by workers and for shipping. In Luna City, for example, the "fields" are through a separate sealed door exiting the space docks on the other side from the door into the city. Because New Harvard is so close, they actually share the same "fields."

"That agricultural emphasis certainly helps with the breathable air issue. And you had no impact from the pandemic?"

"None. We have a population of about 700 now."

I am stunned. The largest Lunar cities have a maximum of about 300 citizens. Most are much smaller. The New Haifans are obviously doing something right!

We leave the docks and enter through the sealed doors into New Haifa.

New Haifa is totally different from the Lunar Cities. New Haifa is itself a giant field - crops grow and animals forage in the large open area. People live in apartments hollowed from the surrounding outside walls. Businesses, schools, synagogues are also in the outside walls. It makes the SafeGuard treatment process particularly challenging.

I take a deep breath of the moist air. "It's pleasant to see New Haifa again," I tell Daniel. New Haifa is also kept a bit warmer than Luna City - lovely for a Uralian!

"We like it," he says.

People are working in the fields. A few sheep are grazing. Chickens and ducks are running around my feet.

Daniel leads me to a long table set on pavement between the edge of the fields and the wall buildings. I remember the communal dinners we had here 47 years ago (including the stew.) At that time, there were only about 80 inhabitants. It was more like a large family than a city. And most families don't always get along all that well...

Knowing that the New Haifans do not generally speak Lunar Standard (although Daniel obviously does), I plug in my earbuds from my com, which will translate their speech for me, and a small mic that will translate my speech (from Uralian to Hebrew) for them.

I find that today I am meeting with a small handful of people.

But ALL of the schoolchildren are there, apparently from different schools. Like Daniel, they will have memories of seeing the "alien."

I wave at them, hoping that this is a friendly move in New Haifa and not a threat.

They giggle and wave back.

One of the older children has a question: "What sort of alien are you?"

"I am a Uralian," I tell him. "I was here 47 years ago for the first SafeGuard treatments."

The children are blank. They apparently have not been told about this.

"We made weird, inedible stew," I add.

The children all nod and nudge each other, giggling. They have heard THIS story.

One of the teachers steps forward. "We would love it if you could come and talk to the children after your meeting," he says.

"And I'd love it, too!" I tell him.

The children laugh and cheer and scurry off in various directions with their respective teachers.

"Thank you for agreeing to talk to them," Daniel says. "We'll get them all into a central location so you won't have to repeat."

I look a question.

"Our schools are run by the synagogues. And, yes, even though there are so few of us, we have six synagogues. It's an old Jewish joke: five Jews, six synagogues. Why six? One for each person, and another because that's the one NOBODY would go to."

I smile at the joke, although I am not very good at understanding Lunar humor.

But, if I am understanding it at all correctly, it sounds as if the group Earthers held the most bias against and for the longest time has found a way to incorporate "other-ness" into their own culture.

Our group sits around the table, Daniel, me, six others. All adults, but over a range of ages, four males, three females.

Daniel starts the conversation. "I met the Ambassador about 47 years ago during the first SafeGuard treatments. I believe she would like to ask us about antisemitism."

Everyone nods, looks serious, and turns to me.

"Luna is presently experiencing a wave of anti-alien, anti-exo feelings. This is a surprise after over 60 years of good relations, first with the Gilgot, then with other exos as time passed. There are presently about 30 exos living on Luna from 7 different species. Recently one was attacked and killed."

The humans shake their heads sadly.

I am hesitant to bring up the other situation, but decide it might help them to see the extent of the problem. "And, also recently, the Aquatics in the Galaxy... well, several species... not all... most... have resigned from the Galactic Government citing "abuse" by the Surface-Species. We have no idea what this "abuse" might be. So, I'd value any insights you might have as to what causes these feelings - I'm assuming the two are similar, if not actually connected."

"Aquatics?" a young woman asks.

I remember: New Haifa is not part of the Lunar Government. They wouldn't have much knowledge of the Galactic Government and its composition.

"There are Surface-Species, like you - the Lunars. Like the Gilgot, and like me, Uralians. Then there are Aquatic-Species that live in planetary oceans. They are actually more common than surface species."

"Amazing," says the young woman.

I haven't even told them about the Post-Biologicals...

"About the bias issue..." Daniel prompts.

The humans nod and glance at each other.

An older woman speaks. "Humans are naturally suspicious of the unknown. It was a survival instinct in ancient times - an unknown food might be poisonous. An unknown creature might be a predator. An unknown person might be an enemy. So xenophobia has always been present."

I agree. "I think ALL species have that. As you say, it's a survival mechanism."

She nods. "Because it is so deeply programmed into our brains - animals share it, too - it doesn't go away just because we are living in a safer, more modern society. And, it could still be an asset in some situations: a foreign nation that professes to wanting to help your nation, when what they really want to do is conquer you and steal your resources, an alien species that seems friendly but could be wanting to use you as a food source."

I smile. I've SEEN that vid: "To Serve Man" is a Lunar classic!

"But it becomes detrimental when the suspicion is totally unfounded... when another nation really DOES want to help you... when an alien species really IS friendly."

A younger man chimes in. "But how do you KNOW when it's safe? Isn't suspicion until proven safe the best option?"

"That is, of course, the policy of New Haifa. Of course, a little suspicion is warranted, but if danger seems less imminent than benefit is, well, then," Daniel laughs, "you let the Gilgot in!"

Everyone smiles. Except the young man.

"But, you never KNOW," he insists.

"Do you really think the Gilgot are going to invade?" asks Daniel.

"The Gilgot love everyone who trades with them," I observe. "Anyone who will NOT trade with them, they ignore. But, if I'm understanding it correctly, the Jews were NOT "newcomers." Not "strangers." You had lived in many nations for centuries, and had never harmed the people you were living among, and still they were biased against you?"

Everyone looks at each other. Again.

The older woman speaks again. "We never "mixed in." Rulers always defined us as the "others." They blamed famines, pandemics, wars, even taxes on us to keep their citizens from blaming them, the rulers."

"Was that always the case? Even in ancient times?"

The older woman (possibly a historian) thinks, then states, "I haven't found evidence of antisemitism in ancient times when we were living in our own land. It seemed to start when we were brought as war captives into other lands. The fact that we remained a separate, identifiable group made us a target. Early anti-Jewish sentiment focused on religious, social, and cultural differences, including claims that Jews were clannish, misanthropic, or disloyal. Possibly, over time, people had been blaming us for so long that it just became part of the culture. I don't think it's in the DNA."

The young man leans forward and says: "I honestly believe you have to accept the sad fact that a large portion of the world is going to hate you, for a host of reasons, most of which have less to do with policy or reality and have mostly to do with how humans think. It may not be part of the DNA, but it IS part of the biology."

Everyone squirms and leans forward to dispute him.

But he continues over the bedlam: "This gives us an opportunity to stop caring. Given the implacability and permanence of antisemitism, they're never going to like us, so we confer on ourselves a kind of moral impunity. We can do what we like because they're not going to like us either way, whether we behave badly or behave well."

A cacophony of disagreement erupts.

Daniel finally brings the conversation to order. "But this is not helpful to our visitor. Anti-alien sentiments are NOT ancient."

"It could be a replacement - hate aliens instead of Jews."

I insert a fact. "There are a LOT of Jewish people on Luna. They, so far, are not considered an "other." It is, at present, only the exos."

"You are the obvious "other" right now. But they'll remember they hate the Jews if the aliens leave..." the young man observes darkly.

"But, are there any ways to stop this?" I ask.

"Leave," the young man asserts. And, of course, that is what the New Haifan ancestors did.

The older woman is shaking her head. "Back on Earth, in our homeland Israel, we had fought many wars with the Palestinians. Many of our people had died at their hands. Many of their people had died at ours. A small group of people felt that accelerating violence was not providing an answer. They created a group of Palestinians and Israeli Jews who were willing to look each other in the eye, see the pain there, and realize it was a shared pain. Many embraced each other and supported each other's healing."

The young man insists, "Most did not."

"True. But the solution is not giving up - not despair. Hope is the future. Despair is more dangerous than violence because it destroys the possibility of a better future. Giving in to despair means surrendering one’s agency to change the situation. Despair is the ultimate destroyer of the future. Choosing hope is an act of resistance."

Everyone is thinking about that. It DOES sound like the only solution. But an unlikely one. Bias against an "other" is part of the biology, part of the culture. As the young man says: it's how humans think - actually, in my experience, ALL species think this way. And I cannot imagine looking the New Princeton Ambassador in the eye and seeing his "pain." He doesn't have "pain." He just has unmet expectations...

And I have no pain that was not inflicted by HIM...

And, of course, the New Haifan ancestors chose "leave" rather than "hope." Or, perhaps they felt that was the ONLY hope?

The young man is not done speaking. "Right now the Lunars are blaming exos for their disappointments. They will expand to include Jews, persons of color..."

I stop hearing him. I am thinking about "persons of color." Red, blue, green humans? Like Uralians? "Persons of color?" I ask.

Daniel clarifies: "Persons with darker skin tones."

That seems trivial to me. I have always thought of humans as being various shades of tan. "But Ambassador Johnson, who seems to be spearheading the anti-exo movement, has very dark skin..."

"The leader of the movement is BLACK?" he asks in apparent astonishment.

"Well, not BLACK exactly, more like dark brown..." I explain.

Everyone is thinking hard. They seem a bit shaken.

"On Earth, the blacks - the very dark brown people - were second to the Jews in bias against them," Daniel explains. This new data obviously goes against their previous explanation of the phenomenon.

"For the same reason?"

"No..." he hesitates, thinking. "Both of us were "others," but Jews self-isolated, then were forced into isolation in the ghettos, while blacks in white societies were always isolated by their surrounding communities."

I'm thinking of "white" humans. Paper white. Ghostly white. As unlikely as truly "black" humans. I will never understand the Lunar language.

The young man chimes in, "They thought we were smarter than they were - inventing magic and machines to harm them. But blacks they thought were dumb, not able to create technologies to harm them, but physically strong, emotionally unstable, violent, and dangerous because of that."

"So, both groups were not just "other" - they were viewed as DANGEROUS."

The older woman speaks again, "Yes - it starts with defining us as "other." During that phase, they try to make us blend in. Of course, blacks, AND EXOS cannot blend in, so they skip that and go directly to phase 2: these "others" are dangerous to us."

The young man adds, "That's when they start killing - to protect themselves."

If "killing" is the natural result of the process, we are already at phase 2 on Luna. I am totally discouraged. And this is full circle in our conversation; we started with survival by xenophobia.

"Any ideas about what the Aquatics might think is abuse?" I ask.

Universal shoulder shrugs.

The only exos they know are the Gilgot traders bringing occasional deliveries and the Uralian technicians doing SafeGuard treatments on new excavations. It's not fair of me to ask them to speculate on species they know nothing about. They've never met an Aquatic - didn't even know they existed before this conversation.

Come to think of it... neither have I... met an Aquatic, that is. I've only interacted with them on the com.

A young woman suggests, "Lack of respect?"

Respect... the Gilgot don't care if they get respect. They only care if they can get an order for trade.

Do Uralians care if we get respect? I think the SafeGuard technicians always DO get respect; the places getting treatments are ALWAYS glad, even grateful to see us. Do the rest of us want respect?

I'm thinking that being "anti" someone is the ultimate disrespect...

But "lack of respect" may actually be at the heart of the matter, since I cannot imagine the Feyar or the other Aquatics fearing actual physical abuse being inflicted by Surface-Species on them. We cannot physically even GO to their home planets to visit them; thousands of feet underwater, it is just too dangerous.

Space travel is dangerous; deep submarine travel is suicidal.

The New Haifans have given me a lot to think about. I thank the members of the group.

No one tries to shake my hand.

Our meeting breaks up. I notice a separate meeting of dark-clothed males at a table across the fields from us. I motion towards them. "Did they not want to join our discussion?" I ask.

"They can't talk to you," says the young woman.

"Because I'm not Jewish?"

"Because you're a female. They can't talk to females."

I ponder on that for a moment. "But, female members of their group might be able to talk to us...?"

"They wouldn't have any ideas. They're not encouraged to have ideas beyond childrearing and recipes."

I can see that, even among the persecuted Jews, there is a need to designate an "other."

I wonder if that is true of all species? Urans and Lians have had their differences over the years.

Was it foolish of the species in the Galaxy to try to get along? Was the Galactic Government doomed to failure from the start?

I meet with the schoolchildren. I explain that I am similar to a dinosaur from their own home planet (they like that.) I tell about the other species: the sapient plants on Oeyiah, the spherical Polarans who would blow up like a balloon without their pressure suits and how they can instantly create an arm or leg in any direction and pull it back in when no longer needed. I tell them about the Slime-mold Xx that manufacture the soil mixers the Gilgot bring. I tell them about the dignified Delitrians who cannot dance because it is against their religion (the children think THAT is AWFUL!) I'm careful to explain the Aquatics.

I do not tell them about how my own planetary system's leader exterminated his own people - some things are just too hard to admit to.

Although it is the perfect example of what happens when a designated "other" is no longer sufficient to absorb the blame a leader is trying to deflect.

I wave goodbye to the children and my hosts, thank Daniel, and reenter my Gilgot transport.

It's nice to be able to "unplug" from the translation devices. Gilgot traders speak EVERY known Galactic language. Probably even Hebrew.

I used to have negative feelings about the Gilgot. I felt they were violent and dangerous. Well, they ARE violent and dangerous, but after their guarding me against members of my own species who were trying to assassinate me, one of them even dying to keep me safe, well, I guess I feel their violence is... understandable... useful... necessary...

I just make sure Kitty is safely hidden when they are visiting.

And apparently the Gilgot always DID like me and my species. At least they like to trade with us.

Did I have a one-way bias? Aren't all prejudices "one-way"?

***

Arriving in Luna City - Home Sweet Home! Or at least it has been for 2953 Lunar days...

Dr. Levine meets me just inside the door from the docks. "Did you have a safe flight?" Lunars still greet space travelers this way - even though they can SEE you are not being wheeled past on a gurney - or in a coffin - it is an acknowledgement of how dangerous space flight really is.

"A-OK," I give the standard acknowledgement.

"Would you like to go to the Relaxation Station?"

I nod. I first met Dr. Levine at the Relaxation Station (which was originally built to be the gilded Embassy for (new) Uralia after the Leader had orphaned the original Uralian system.) That meeting did not go well; Dr. Levine was the victim of an attempted murder there. I know this is a brave step on her part.

And I remember the bouillon was tasty. Especially the beef.

"How did it go?" she asks, as we settle into our table.

"Very well. They are as delightful as I remember them. And had a lot of good information. It will help in understanding the present situations, I'm sure."

"Any particular enlightenments?" she asks, after the waiter has taken our orders.

I nod. I'm hesitant. These are Dr. Levine's cultural "cousins," but she is a scholar and an anthropologist. I'm sure she'll understand that I won't see things like she would. Perhaps that is why she is asking.

"It's interesting..."

She nods, encouragingly.

"They came to Luna, possibly the most homogeneous population here. Everyone had the same culture, the same religion..."

"Sort of..." she inserts.

"Still, because beings are, well, BEINGS - individuals - they have evolved into several different groups. And they DO treat these as "others" in spite of their common origins."

"How interesting!" she leans forward. "What groupings did you detect?"

"There was a group of males in dark clothes that they told me would not speak to - sorry - COULD not speak to me because I was female."

Dr. Levine nods. "The frum. There would have been some orthodox settlers as well as other varieties, but there were no ultra-orthodox - the frum. But they ALWAYS materialize. It must be in our genes," she hypothesizes. "I didn't meet them when I was there, either, but, then, I, too am female..."

"And the ... frum? ... females seemed to be especially non-valued. They told me frum females are not encouraged to have ideas beyond childrearing and recipes."

She shakes her head again. "New Haifa is a pressure cooker. If humans... no... if SAPIENTS need inherently to create an "other," a homogeneous culture would be especially destructive, creating smaller and smaller, more and more trivial differences between the groups..."

"The younger people seem to be different from their elders."

She laughs. "That is normal. It's how cultures evolve."

"For better or for worse," I assert.

She laughs. She explains how that used to be said at weddings.

I laugh, too. "For better or for worse" could be used as a starting slogan for so many of our ventures!

***

The picketers are still picketing our Embassy. There are now two groups: the WWE (We Welcome Everyone!) and the anti-exos (Aliens Out of Luna!)

Our Gilgot front-door guard just has to stand there looking Gilgot-ish for the protesters to keep a respectful distance. Sometimes fear can be a Good Thing.

I find Lt. Forbes waiting for me inside. I appreciate the protection, in case things turn violent, but he quickly makes it apparent that is NOT why he is there.

"Hi, Ambassador P! I hope you had a safe trip!"

"Hi, Lieutenant! Yes, A-OK, very pleasant. It's warmer there than here..." I shiver a bit and fluff my feathers.

"Just wanted an update on conditions in New Haifa."

"Oh?"

"Well, you're the only one who has been there recently."

"We talked about antisemitism and how it might relate to the anti-exo movement. They were very helpful."

"Did they mention anything about contacting the Connected Cities?"

"No. They seem to be quite content with just their own group."

"Any indication they are struggling - starvation, in-breeding, health issues?"

"They tell me there are over 700 New Haifans. They all seem happy, healthy, well-fed."

"700?!" The Lieutenant is also surprised. "Wow! That's an amazing population growth. They aren't looking for new space to inhabit, are they?"

"They make new space just like all Lunars - they excavate it," I tell him sarcastically.

"Sorry, sorry. Headquarters wanted me to make sure they weren't planning an invasion. We know so little about them. Ignorance breeds fear."

I tell him, "They seem to feel their agricultural emphasis to be superior to the urban culture of the Connected Cities."

"They aren't hoping to convert us to their way of life?"

"I think they rather enjoy feeling superior."

"Hmm."

"Hmm," I echo him.

"Ignorance breeds fear"... That could be the motto for xenophobia.

Even the Lieutenant has good ideas about "other-ness."

***

Evenings are hard. I miss having Clmntr and Lnbršr to talk to. The opportunity to speak Uralian. Being at New Haifa reminded me how, even with our trusty coms for translation, communications are not totally reliable unless you actually speak the language. I speak Lunar Standard quite fluently by now, but does that guarantee that when I THINK I am saying something, the hearers are hearing what I think I am saying? Even between Uralian speakers, we sometimes misunderstand each other.

And misunderstanding HAS to breed resentment and fear, too.

Kitty comes up, says, "Hi!" and rubs against my ankles.

Kitty understands some of our language. I try to always use the same words for things when I am speaking to her so she will learn what the sounds mean. "Perch" "dish" "litter box" "toys" "drink" - she knows these words in Uralian. Lnbršr has taught her "attack the foot." "Crunchies" is Lunar Standard - it's just too good of a word to use anything else.

And, of course, the word she knows best: "Kitty!"

I am stupider than Kitty. I often have no idea WHAT she is saying to me. "Crunchies? Drink?? Play???" we both get so frustrated! Kitty's veterinarian tells me cats do not speak to their own species - only to us. That is an impressive adaptation!

But, sadly, while she is good company, I can't have a real conversation with her.

I click Dnhns on the com.

She tells me Lzyrnl is on an interstellar transport orbiting around the Uralian system with others who hope to be among the first to live on Botslean, our future planet (second try.) Since we have all been living for generations inside of moons and asteroids, all with very low gravity, the interstellar transport will slowly increase its spin rate to simulate Botslean's gravity. By the time the transport leaves the Uralian system and reaches the new planet, everyone should be adapted to a planetary gravity. Younger Uralians adapt much more easily. This particular transport is specially designed for the more mature Uralians who need to adapt more slowly.

I ask if this implies that the water purification units and atmospheric adjustments on Botslean are complete?

Well, no, not exactly. But a couple of "bubble" cities are ready for habitation.

I think of this as analogous to the Lunar Cities and hope that agriculture is not being neglected.

Dnhns assures me that the "bubbles" integrate both agriculture and urban life. And the "bubbles" will not be permanent. Atmospheric adjustments are being made on the planetary atmosphere and should be complete in a few years.

It sounds hopeful. In New Haifa the older woman said: "Hope is the future."

I am hoping (yes, HOPING) to avoid despair in our future.

...

I still have NO IDEA why the Feyar think we are abusing them...

Not despair...

Just puzzlement...