Chapterhouse: Dune – Entry #1

I was amazed to find a quotable quote on the first line of the first page.  In fact, it is the chapter starter for Chapter 1.

Those who would repeat the past must control the teaching of history.

- BENE GESSERIT CODA

(Chapterhouse: Dune, p. 1)

Hmmm.  Makes me think.  Sounds like something George W. Bush would believe in and act upon.  That is not a compliment.

One of the most personally fascinating aspects of this part of the story is the uncovering of the Jewish society still thriving after so many thousands, even tens of thousands, of years.  Lucilla, who had been assigned to Lampadas, had narrowly escaped an Honored matre attack and had fled in search of a safe hiding place on Gammu.  She had recalled a remark from odrade which had led her to believe she might find protection there.

“You know an interesting thing about Gammu?  Mmmmm, there’s a whole society there that bands itself on the basis that they all eat consecrated food.  A custom brought in by immigrants who have never been assimilated, frown on outbreeding, that sort of thing.  They ignite the usual mythic detritus, of course: whispers, rumors.  Serves to isolate them even more.  Precisely what they want.”

(Chapterhouse: Dune, p. 33)

Lucilla had been interested, searching for further information in Archives and had surmised that the secret society on Gammu were Jews.  Odrade informed Lucilla that there were other secret pickets of Jews throughout the universe.  Odrade shared a secret message from Archives whose source was a “Mother Superior during and after the battle of Corrin” (Chapterhouse:Dune, p. 35).  This is a little off since the sisterhood didn’t truly take hold until after the Battle of Corrin according to the books by Brian Herbert.  Although, Raquella had suffered an “agony” of sorts before the Battle of Corrin and had formed a school.  That said, it would not be surprising for a Reverend Mother to have recollections from that time in Other memory and to have Jewish ancestors.

A portion of the message from this ancient Reverend Mother is worth including here:

“The people to whom your attention has been called are the Jews.  They made a defensive decision eons ago.  The solution to recurrent pogroms was to vanish from public view.  Space travel made this not only possible but attractive.  They hid on countless planets – their own Scattering – and they probably have planets where only their people live.  This does not mean they have abandoned age-old practices in which they excelled out of survival necessity.  The old religion is sure to persist even though somewhat altered.  It is probably that a rabbi from ancient times would not find himself out of place behind the Sabbath menorah of a jewish household in your age.”

(Chapterhouse: Dune, p. 34)