Chapter 329: Is Being Jewish This Desirable?
Lin Ran was shocked. “I’m a hundred percent pure-blooded Chinese person. How did I become Jewish in your mouth?”
Because his birth father might have some issues, but his birth mother is absolutely impossible to have any problems.
There are three ways to become Jewish.
First, being born into a Jewish family, regardless of whether one believes in Judaism; second, having Jewish ancestral bloodline, mainly referring to matrilineal inheritance; third, even without Jewish bloodline, one can become Jewish through formal conversion to Judaism.
One and three are impossible. Lin Ran thought, unless my mother is Jewish, or there is Jewish bloodline on the maternal side.
Could it be that you Jewish people are spacetime police, able to go to the 2020 spacetime to investigate my mother’s bloodline?
Goldberg had mentioned earlier that he is the America Ambassador to the United Nations. Lin Ran had worked with Goldberg when he spoke at the United Nations accusing the nuclear-powered satellite.
In the original spacetime, after stepping down, Goldberg would serve as Chairman of the America Jewish Committee, a true power figure among America Jewish people.
“Professor, according to the Jewish investigation, your mother is of Jewish descent, and your father is of Chinese descent,” Goldberg continued.
“Professor, thank you for taking the time to see me. I know this is unbelievable to you.” Goldberg took out a thick file from his briefcase, with “Jewish Material Claims Conference” printed on the cover.
“I’m not here as an ambassador, but as a Jewish person, someone who cares about historical justice, to talk to you.
This file is the result of years of investigation by our committee.
It concerns your family and your roots.”
Lin Ran thought inwardly with just one word: “Huh? Am I really?”
Goldberg adjusted his glasses and opened the first page of the file.
“Professor, according to our archives and Germany postwar records, your father is of Chinese descent, an engineer.
But your mother, Emma von Klein, is of Jewish descent.
She was born in a Jewish community in Poland. In her youth, to escape the anti-Jewish wave, she changed her surname and married your father, which is why you look so different from traditional Chinese descent.
They tried to hide their identity in NAZI Germany, but ultimately perished in the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1942.
The committee confirmed this through survivors’ testimonies, household registration records, and property lists.
Your mother was Jewish, which means, according to Jewish law, you are also a descendant of Jewish descent.”
Lin Ran said in shock: “Huh?”
Damn, you guys are really good at making things up, even coming up with names for this.
Goldberg leaned forward. “Professor, I understand your shock.
I have faced such moments too, when tracing my family, I discovered my ancestors lost everything in the Holocaust.
That’s not shame, but legacy, a responsibility we need to inherit.
The committee is not here to hurt, but for justice.
We search for the descendants of the missing in Germany, help them claim property, and rebuild lives.
Your case is special: your parents left property—shares in a Germany listed company, a deposit in a Switzerland bank, and property in Berlin—which can now be recovered through the committee. But more importantly, your bloodline contains the wisdom, resilience, and strength of Jewish people.
Think of those who persisted in faith in concentration camps; their sacrifice was not for us to deny, but for us to acknowledge.”
Lin Ran thought, damn, it’s still a sugar-coated cannonball.
Goldberg held Lin Ran’s hand: “It’s normal to be afraid, Professor.
But think of Martin Luther King; he just passed away, and we are all fighting for civil rights.
Jewish people know the taste of being marginalized; we found strength through community.
Acknowledging your identity doesn’t change your achievements, but enriches them.
Joining organizations like the Jewish Material Claims Conference, you can help others find the truth.
Converting to Judaism is not formality, but a return of the heart.
We have rabbis to guide you, and the community will welcome you home.
Your mother would be proud; she hid her identity to let you live, and now you can vindicate her.”
The file he mentioned was issued by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, which translates to the Jewish Material Claims Association Against Germany in Chinese, established in 1951, headquartered in New York, with an office in Germany.
In the 1960s, it was responsible for negotiating with West Germany and distributing compensation funds, including finding heirs of Holocaust victims, handling Jewish property claims without heirs, and paying compensation to survivors and heirs, etc.
After Goldberg finished speaking, Lin Ran found it amusing. You guys made up a really interesting story, no wonder you’re Jewish people.
“Alright, Arthur, you know what kind of person I am, and I know what kind of person you are too. There’s no need for such charades. This alone is not enough to convince me to become Jewish,” Lin Ran said calmly.
Goldberg smiled. “Haha, Professor, this is the background story we made up for you. As long as you agree, we will promote it widely through our media in America.
Professor, if you agree to become Jewish, the conditions are naturally not those above. Our condition is the crown.
You will become the king of our Israel, a king in the truest sense.”
Lin Ran was shocked. What kind of condition is this?
“Once you agree, we will amend the law, specifically amending the law for you. You will gain the eligibility to run for the highest position in Israel. Once you retire from America, you can return to Israel to run. I believe all Jewish people in Israel will welcome the Professor to become our new king.
All of Israel will support the Moses of the 20th century to become the king of Israel.”
This is the condition offered by the Jewish people.
They know that the other Lin Ran really doesn’t lack anything. Women, power, fame, money—these resources in the worldly sense, Lin Ran has none of them missing.
The only thing he could never possibly obtain is the president’s seat, that is, the highest power, a country’s control.
In the past, inside Israel, within the Jewish people group, there might still have been divisions about whether to offer such a high price.
Even though Lin Ran’s two mentors, Horkheimer and Professor Seagull, are both German-descended Jewish people, he counts as one of their own in some sense.
Lin Ran’s identity, placed in the past, would have far greater recognition among the Jewish people group than among the black people group.
Second only to his recognition among the Chinese people group.
But ever since dodging the bullet from ten meters away and Moses Parts the Sea, after the black people prostrated in worship, regarding this proposal, there were no more obstacles inside Israel.
All of Israel’s interest groups do not reject Lin Ran becoming a Jewish person, becoming their new king.
The America Jewish Association conducted polls simultaneously in Israel and America, surveying Jewish people of different classes and income levels in both countries on the support rate for Lin Ran serving as Israel’s highest leader if he were a Jewish person. The results showed that the support rate exceeded 80%.
This was in the past.
Now, after Moses Parts the Sea, this proportion can only be higher.
Israel is a small country, that’s true, but it has never been a weak country, not even now.
The Six-Day War ended just last year. Israel fought simultaneously against all neighboring countries, and the war result was that Israel’s territory expanded threefold.
Not to mention, in the later 2020 spacetime, Israel was solidly America’s uncrowned king. America pinched the global sphere, and Israel pinched America.
Saying Lin Ran is now America’s uncrowned king would be a misnomer. In reality, he doesn’t have that much power yet; his power is still limited to a certain range.
If he truly acknowledged himself as a Jewish person, returned to Israel and became Israel’s king, then he would become America’s true uncrowned king, possessing unprecedented authority. Even spending decades to slowly eliminate all the founding elder families of America’s build country, achieving one family dominance, wouldn’t be impossible.
It has to be said that compared to other conditions, the conditions brought by Goldberg are indeed sufficient to move Lin Ran.
This condition isn’t ordinarily good.
Lin Ran thought for a moment: “Like this, I still need to consider it further. I’m very conflicted. But you can announce it externally like this. I won’t deny it nor confirm it.
Anyway, I still have many years of work in America. If you want me to go to Israel, you also need to communicate well with the White House side. This will definitely take time too. Talking about these now is too early.”
Lin Ran thought to himself that he needed to keep a backup plan, and Israel could become that backup plan.
Goldberg revealed a satisfied smile. Not denying it is fine. He stood up and shook hands with Lin Ran. “Professor, I just knew you are one of us!
Professor Seagull and Professor Horkheimer are both elites among Jewish people. They cultivated you, and you also possess Jewish thinking. We are natural partners.
Professor, believe me, Israel’s law will soon undergo adjustment. There will be special legislation targeted at you, setting up bills to allow you to participate in elections in Israel.
On the White House side, we will do the work. You are still young. Even twenty years from now, you will be not yet fifty. Returning to Israel will be just right.
Including all of Israel’s resources in America will be open to you. This is the remuneration we pay in advance.”
Not denying it is enough, for the Jewish people group.
Even Xu Aizhou, a China businessman, understands the principle of give to get. The even more formidable Jewish businessmen understand this principle even better.
First open Israel’s resources to Lin Ran, and you will naturally slowly integrate into our system.
This is a naked open scheme, the top-level open scheme.
Not afraid you won’t do things, just afraid you won’t accept gifts. If you don’t accept gifts, you will never do things for me. But if you accept even a gift, sooner or later you will help me do things.
For some small matters, you will feel that since I’ve accepted so much, it would be embarrassing not to help, and you might even proactively offer to handle these things for me.
The initial small matters are conveniences within the rules. Slowly, you will ignore the rules, help with big matters too, until you two become a tight interest community that can’t be separated even if wanted.
The Jewish people group behind Goldberg is playing exactly this idea.
Soon, Lin Ran witnessed Israel’s power.
On the America Jewish Association side, they regularly send him briefings and lists. The former contains some important information; any single piece casually on there could make an ordinary person earn a fortune in the stock market.
The latter includes houses, cars, luxury goods, Hollywood actors, television hosts, and everything else imaginable. Whatever you want, just check the box, and they will deliver it.
The people even include both men and women, lest your tastes be unique, not liking women but liking men.
There’s even a column for else. Lin Ran knew at a glance that this damn thing couldn’t be Loli Island, could it.
Then there’s a special place for you to write down what you need their help with. Write it down, and they will help you accomplish it.
This is solidly Moses treatment, Lin Ran thought.
Actually, This is equivalent to a god system, one that doesn’t require completing any tasks to settle rewards, a god system where you don’t even need to chase women yourself.
Lin Ran didn’t even dare to bring the resource list back to Jenny’s villa, only daring to keep it in the drawer of his own office in the White House.
And the information contained in the briefings is exhaustive. Even information that the White House hasn’t grasped yet, they have guesses about.
Because the security personnel in this assassination had their face destroyed by sulfuric acid, making it impossible to identify who it was.
But Israel’s briefing has a guess: the other party is United Nations Russian Language translator Petrov.
Not only is there a guess, but the guess is very close to the facts.
This couldn’t help but make Lin Ran sigh. No wonder Israel could go from a small country to America’s most core partner, even being considered by Chinese Internet netizens as Israel being America’s dad.
This is something even the whimpering empire couldn’t achieve. The whimpering at most counts as birth father, but America long ago stopped recognizing its birth father.
Israel’s work is done too damn thoroughly.
On April 11, 1968, the next day’s special program “Analysis of King’s Death and the Professor Assassination Attempt” aired in a Washington studio.
The program lasted one hour, with a background of America under the shadow of the Cold War, and black-and-white news clips scrolling on the screen: King’s coffin, Lin Ran’s dodging movements, and NASA’s rocket launch footage.
The studio had been carefully modified, designed like the command center at Cape Canaveral, with star maps and a globe projected on the walls, and rocket models and newspaper clippings on the table.
The lights were soft yet glaring, creating a serious analysis atmosphere.
Host Walter Cronkite appeared again, this time not as an emergency insert, but as in-depth feature reporting.
He recalled last night’s chaos: this event was not just an assassination attempt, but a symbol of an era’s turning point: the intersection of civil rights, the space race, and the Cold War.
“Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. Yesterday, at Dr. Martin Luther King’s funeral, a shocking assassination attempt occurred that stunned the world.
NASA Director Randolph Lin miraculously dodged three shots.
Today, we are not just reviewing the facts, but analyzing its profound impact from multiple dimensions.
We will explore whether this is part of a Cold War conspiracy, the professor’s speech at Andrews Air Force Base, and how NASA under the professor’s leadership has changed the global balance of power.”
Cronkite’s opening remarks were concise and clear. He paused, and the screen switched to slow-motion footage of the assassination: Lin Ran turning, rolling to dodge, precise like ballet, then standing up, raising his fist and arm in a cheer, parting the crowd like Moses parting the sea.
American public watched breathlessly in front of their black-and-white televisions at home.
“No matter how many times I see this footage, the excitement in my heart lingers. In this footage, everyone else pales in comparison to the professor, even President Johnson.” Cronkite added.
The audience in front of their televisions then realized that Mr. President was also in the footage.
The program invited three guests: former federal agent John Harris, a burly fifty-year-old man with scars from World War II on his face; historian Professor Allen Brinkman; and NASA space project consultant Mary O’Connor, a female expert in her forties who had worked at NASA and now works as an analyst.
Harris spoke first, a sense of professional vigilance surging in his mind: the gunman’s disfigurement was handled too professionally.
“Walter, let’s analyze the event itself.
The gunman fired three shots, each from a different angle, but the professor synchronously turned, fell, and rolled, dodging all bullets.
This is extremely difficult to achieve in physics. Pistol bullet speed exceeds 300 meters per second, human reaction time is only 0.2 seconds, and usually the first shot is fatal.
And the gunman turned around, giving the professor at most 0.5 seconds reaction time. The professor’s movements show prediction; he followed the gunman’s turn, requiring extremely high spatial awareness and instinct.
According to federal guard training data, close-range shooting survival rate is less than 5%, let alone dodging three shots.
The whole thing is either the professor and gunman communicating in advance for a staged performance, but that’s impossible; the professor has no motive to arrange such a performance.
So I tend to believe what the professor said: somehow he received a revelation, a divine warning that he too would be shot.
The gunman’s face was disfigured with sulfuric acid, his identity hidden airtight. I strongly suspect this is a professional intelligence operation; it’s definitely not a simple lone wolf act.”
As Harris spoke, he gestured ballistic trajectories with his fingers, and an animated simulation appeared on the television screen: bullet paths and the professor’s dodging routes.
Professor Brinkman nodded in agreement, a historical analogy flashing in his mind: this was like a sequel to Kennedy’s assassination, but ending in a miracle.
“From a historical vision, this event holds special significance in the grand Cold War narrative.
This year is a turning point: after the stalled Vietnam War spring offensive, both sides reached a ceasefire agreement; the civil rights movement peaked with Martin Luther King’s assassination; in the space race, America gained an unprecedented advantage with the reusable rocket.
Gentlemen, notice that in all these major events, the professor plays an indispensable role.
In the Vietnam War, though not a commander, he played an unprecedented role, negotiating as ambassador with Kosygin, single-handedly promoting peace talks and the final ceasefire agreement.
In the civil rights movement, he provided theoretical support for Martin Luther King and other activists. After Martin Luther King’s assassination, having the professor give the closing remarks at his funeral also shows his importance in the civil rights movement.
And in the space race, no need to say more: according to the latest New York Times poll, over 80% of Americans believe that without the professor, we would still be behind in the space race.
Meanwhile, the New York Times interviewed people with college education or above, and this proportion rose from 80% to over 95%, approaching 100%.
All major event nodes cannot bypass the professor.
Even this year’s presidential election, candidates from both the donkey and elephant parties have deep ties with the professor. If such a figure really died at Martin Luther King’s funeral, it would become a historic moment.
The professor is not an ordinary official; he is America’s dream’s best spokesperson.
Assassinating him is not just about destroying American unity.
After the event, on-site reporters recorded that as the professor walked through the black crowd, they spontaneously parted, raising their hands to see him off, like Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt to Canaan.
The professor is leading America to advance into the universe; his survival inspires public sentiment like a miracle.
This scene is no longer just a historic event, but elevated to a miracle.”
If the Göttingen miracle belongs to the mathematics community, then this one belongs to all Americans.
Mary O’Connor leaned forward, recalling the information she knew: the Soviet Union’s fear of America’s space advantage was real.
“The key is the professor’s achievements.
In the early 1960s, after taking office, the professor pushed NASA to complete the Apollo Program. In recent years, under his leadership, NASA has pursued even more strategic innovations.
Under his leadership, NASA developed the reusable rocket, which is absolutely revolutionary technology: after launching satellites or crew modules, it returns to Earth for recovery and reuse.
This is not science fiction: in the most recent test, the rocket successfully completed the full launch and recovery process, reducing costs by 90%, allowing us to deploy more resources in space.
Combined with President Johnson’s Star Wars Program, this is a fatal threat to the Soviet Union. Their rockets are also advanced, but not reusable, creating huge economic pressure.
According to the information I received, Kremlin internal evaluations assess that this technology absolutely upends the space balance, leading to American dominance in space.
Assassinating the professor is likely an action directly guided by Moscow, aimed at delaying this process.
Think about it: if the professor falls, all plans will be delayed, giving the Soviet Union hope to overtake in the space race.”
Cronkite tapped the table, guiding the guests to discuss more deeply:
“Everyone, the professor’s statement at Andrews Air Force Base mentioned that a clear voice guided him. Was it God’s will, or PhD King’s soul?
I think this is not just a personal miracle, but part of the national narrative. God is blessing the professor, and at the same time, God is also blessing America.”
Harris added: “I mentioned earlier that I tend to believe there really was a voice.
But from a professional perspective, it was more like intuition.”
Professor Brinkman said: “It could also be a kind of intuition. The professor resonated with Earth’s consciousness. As a Moses-like leader, the professor will lead us from Earth’s poverty, discrimination, and war to a new beginning in the universe.
Earth doesn’t want to see such a great figure fall just like that.”
Cronkite followed up: “Professor Brinkman, does your statement imply that the professor is greater than President Kennedy or PhD Martin Luther King?”
Brinkman said matter-of-factly: “From the perspective of all humanity, whether it’s President Kennedy or PhD Martin Luther King, what they could achieve, someone else could do as well, not necessarily worse than what they did.
But the professor is different. If it were someone else, the situation might be completely different.
The professor might lead us to immigrate to the Moon this century, whereas someone else might not achieve it even in a hundred years.”
People of this era could not imagine, even in their wildest dreams, that if it were someone else, let alone immigrating to the Moon, NASA couldn’t manage a Moon landing again for nearly half a century, and couldn’t pull off keeping an astronaut in a space station for a whole year.
At the end of the program, Cronkite summarized: “Thank you, guests. Today’s event is not isolated, but a mirror of the era.
The professor’s miracle lights up hope. Good night, America.”
The screen faded out, accompanied by images of a NASA rocket launching, and the audience fell into contemplation.
In this turbulent 1968, miracles and science walked hand in hand in this era.
However, even worse, the assassinations never ended, but continued on.
On the night of June 5, two months later, the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, was enveloped in celebratory clamor.
The hotel, located at 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, was a historic building known for its opulent ballroom and complex internal passages.
That evening, the hotel’s ballroom was packed with Donkey Party supporters, reporters, and political figures.
Robert Kennedy was only 42 years old, taking up his brother President Kennedy’s mantle, participating in the Donkey Party presidential primary election.
He was tall and slender, with slightly messy hair, wearing a dark suit and tie. As a presidential candidate, he had just won the California primary.
(Robert Kennedy preparing before the speech)
This victory made him stand out in the party, with only a few weeks left until the Donkey Party national convention.
His speech was delivered from the podium in the ballroom, with blinding lights and his voice echoing through the microphone: “Now, we must move forward!”
After the speech, the crowd erupted in thunderous applause, and Kennedy waved in acknowledgment.
His wife Ethel Kennedy and assistants surrounded him, preparing to leave.
To avoid the crowded hotel lobby and media, Kennedy’s team chose a shortcut: through the hotel’s kitchen passage.
(Robert Kennedy and team members talking in the narrow passage)
The passage was narrow and dim, about 40 feet long, with light-colored tile walls, non-slip rubber mats on the floor, and the air filled with kitchen grease fumes, pungent detergent smells, and lingering food aromas.
Stainless steel food carts, trays, and dishwashers were stacked along both sides of the passage,
with lights from overhead fluorescent lamps casting long shadows.
At 12:15 a.m., Kennedy led the way, followed by his bodyguard William Barry, Olympic champion Rafer Johnson, former football player Roosevelt Grier, and other assistants such as Paul Schrade and Ira Goldstein.
Kennedy shook hands with kitchen staff along the way, including a 17-year-old Mexican immigrant busboy named Juan Romero.
In an interview, Juan Romero recalled: “He looked so tired, yet still smiling.”
The passage echoed with low conversations and the lingering cheers from the distant ballroom.
Suddenly, from one side of the passage, a short, dark-skinned 24-year-old Palestinian man, Sirhan Sirhan, rushed out.
He was wearing a light blue denim jacket and pants, holding a .22 caliber Iver Johnson Cadet revolver pistol loaded with 8 bullets.
Sirhan’s eyes flashed with fanatic light as he shouted: “Kennedy, you son of a bitch!”
Then he fired at a distance of about 3 feet from Kennedy.
Robert Kennedy’s first reaction was to imitate Lin Ran, twisting his body to the side and falling to the ground.
The first shot hit the back of Kennedy’s right ear, the bullet striking the side of his skull, but unlike the original spacetime, it did not pass through the brain and did not cause a fatal wound.
But because of his turn, the second shot missed the right armpit and hit the chest instead, and the third shot missed.
Gunshots rang out continuously like firecrackers, instantly filling the passage with the acrid smell of gunpowder and screams.
Kennedy’s body pitched forward, his eyes wide open, shock on his face, as he murmured: “What is this?”
Then he collapsed into a pool of blood. Blood gushed from the head wound, even faster from the chest, quickly soaking the rubber mat on the floor.
Chaos erupted instantly.
Sirhan continued firing, shooting a total of 8 bullets, some hitting bystanders: Paul Schrade and Ira Goldstein were shot, and three others were lightly wounded.
Roosevelt Grier and Rafer Johnson quickly tackled Sirhan, pinning him to the ground and seizing the pistol.
Grier shouted: “Hold him down, don’t let him get away!”
Sirhan struggled and murmured: “I did it, I fought for Arabia.”
The passage was crowded with panicked people, some screaming “Oh my God, no!”, others trying to provide aid.
Juan Romero knelt beside Kennedy, pressing a handkerchief to his head wound and placing a string of rosary beads in Kennedy’s hand.
Kennedy weakly asked: “Is everyone okay?”
His eyes were half-open, his breathing rapid, his face pale as paper.
Ethel Kennedy soon arrived, kneeling to stroke her husband’s face and softly saying: “Bobby, hold on.”
Photographer Bill Eppridge captured the scene: Kennedy lying on the ground, his head pillowed on Romero’s lap, his expression rigid, surrounded by chaotic shadows and bloodstains.
(Robert Kennedy collapsed in a pool of blood)
Emergency personnel quickly arrived, lifting Kennedy onto a stretcher and taking him to the nearby Central Receiving Hospital, just a few minutes’ drive from the hotel.
En route, his pulse was weak; doctors performed CPR and oxygen administration. At Central Receiving Hospital, doctors found his injuries severe: the head bullet had not caused brain tissue damage, but the chest wound had caused internal bleeding.
He was quickly transferred to Good Samaritan Hospital, which had better neurosurgical facilities.
Surgery began at 3:12 a.m. and lasted about 3 hours and 45 minutes; surgeons like Thomas Noguchi removed bullet fragments and controlled the bleeding—the only good news was no brain damage.
Kennedy’s family, including brother Edward Kennedy and wife Ethel, waited outside the ward.
In the ward, the beeping of machines intertwined with the nurses’ whispers.
Kennedy was in a coma, his breathing dependent on a ventilator, his blood pressure unstable.
At dawn on June 6, Robert Kennedy’s condition stabilized, about 23 hours and 45 minutes after the assassination.
The hospital’s news briefing room was packed with reporters; the attending doctor announced: “Mr. Kennedy’s rolling saved him from a fatal shot. Thanks to the head wound not damaging brain tissue, Senator Kennedy’s condition has stabilized. He still needs observation and a long period of bed rest.”
Lin Ran’s assassination changed Robert Kennedy’s destiny.
