On Ed Koch's tombstone: from persecution to strength

In response to Ed Koch’s Tombstone Inscribed with Daniel Pearl’s Last Words:

Ed Koch is–well, a hero for including that bold epitaph on his tombstone. 

But in some ways it’s also emblematic of an earlier generation of Jewish political fighters. They were deeply conscious of the recent victimization of the Jewish people, and drew their strength from that awareness.

There are signs in the U.S.–and long extant in Israel–of a new generation that draws inspiration not from victimization but from survival and success. Those are the pugnacious Jews that have inspired me, at any rate.