The Israelites, upon their exodus from Egypt, were chosen by God because of their weakened physical state. They had no identity, home, or religious bodies to look towards. Because of this, God believed the Israelites would be the perfect fit to start a new religion as they would be in need of an identity and a figure to put their faith into. However, Jindrich Lion never lost his identity. He was always a strong individual whose identity lied in his interests, not necessarily his religion or country. For example, Lion only went to synagogue on the high holidays as a kid. He was a Bar Mitzvah and a member of B’nai Brith, but lived in a secular family where he celebrated Christmas and most likely identified more with his secular and curious traits than he did with his Jewish or Czech traits. When Lion moved to Jerusalem, he lived in the Arab quarter. As an adult living in Vienna, he raised his kids Christian. This being said, while both the Nazi’s and communists attempted to silence Jindrich Lion, he never was broken down or looking for a hero, like the Israelites were, Jindrich Lion always maintained true to his ideology. Usually people assimilate when they lack a strong identity, one reason God made it so important that Jews have a strong Jewish identity. This can be seen in Deuteronomy 7:1-11 when God tells Moses to destroy …show more content…
This being said, Jews were the perfect fit to start a new religion because of their worn-down state. However, they were forced to isolate themselves because a lack of identity correlates with assimilation. When a Jew loses his Jewish identity, he becomes like the rest of his society, and loses the “Jew” within him. However, Jindrich Lion was a modern man who was never a strong Jew and never really lost his identity. Wherever he was, he was able to find people who shared similar values, and his story cannot be compared to the plight of the Israelites. Nonetheless, Jindrich Lion still embodies a member of the “chosen” people because of his determination to open blind eyes. However, as Lion raised his kids Christian, many would view him as an insult to Judaism. This is why the concept of chosenness is so complex. Jindrich Lion was undoubtedly a great human being, but never was devout in his following of