One of the most progressive Jewish principles of old is now being put to the test: "In those days they shall say no more, `The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children`s teeth are set on edge`. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge." (Jeremia, 31.)
In recent times, this logic has frequently been acted upon. When Stalin`s secret police arrested a man as an "imperialist spy", his family was dispersed, his wife sent to the Gulag and the children to the party`s orphanage. The Nazis created the term "Sippenhaft", meaning that the whole family is responsible for the acts of any of its members. Until now, such methods were associated with totalitarian regimes. |
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