It has been said that in times of crisis, people show their true colors. Thursday night, in West Palm Beach, led by Chabad leaders from all over the county, an entire community showed its true colors.
The theme of the evening was a clear and simple one. We, the Jewish people who are not physically fighting on the front lines, are the spiritual soldiers. We heard inspirational messages from Rabbi Gancz of West Palm Beach, Rabbi Vigler of Palm Beach Gardens, Rabbi Raichik of Boynton Beach, and Rabbi Muskal of Wellington. We heard about the One Mitzvah program from Rebbetzin Rosenfeld of Lake Worth. All these wonderful people, spiritual warriors for Israel and the Jewish people spoke in ways that would have made the evening worthwhile and meaningful. And yet, they were only a taste of what this evening was, thanks to 3 very powerful and emotional segments.
We had the honor of hearing from Sheriff Ric Bradshaw of Palm Beach County, who made it very clear, that the Jewish people in his care were being protected. He made it clear that as he put it, his “footprint” was large, and that any bad actor with any ideas of causing any type of damage or pain to the Jewish community would be made to regret their actions. His words were supportive and comforting, and those words, but even more importantly his actions, are immensely appreciated by all of us.
We heard Cantor Aryeh Leib Hurwitz, whose beautiful and powerful voice, singing prayers and Jewish songs of hope and faith, sent chills down our collective spines, creating a range of emotions centered around hope and inspiration. One of the most powerful moments of the night coming with his rendition of El Maleh Rachamim, the cry to God to give true rest to those who have departed this earth, accompanied by former members of the IDF lighting candles in their honor and memory.
And last but not least, we heard from the children. Introduced by a video of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the children led us in song. And to the message that the Lubavitcher Rebbe gave so many years ago when Israel faced more vicious attacks from its enemies, we could hear the spiritual power in the singing of the children. The purity and innocence of a child’s voice, giving so many of us hope. We can not help but think of the children who were murdered last weekend in Israel, but last night their fellow children took the fight to the enemy, by leading us in song.
In times of darkness the world looks for light. Last night in West Palm Beach, the hundreds of people in attendance had the light shined upon them. It is now up to us to take that light and shine it upon the world. It is our time to step up and be the emotional and spiritual warriors that our brothers and sisters in Israel, and all the Jewish people of the world need.
For those who do not know, I will give you a brief and simple historical background. B’nei Akiva is an Orthodox & Zionist Jewish youth group in which boys and girls, later to become men and women, from all over the world, Israel and beyond, get together in celebration and solidarity. It was founded in 1929 and has over 125,000 members in over 42 countries. Each age group has what is called a Shevet, or in English, a tribe. Once you belong to a Shevet, you don’t change to another, you are part of that Shevet for life. B’nei Akiva’s slogan is 2 words. Torah ve’Avodah. Torah, which is for the Jewish people very literally the 5 books of Moses, but includes all forms of Jewish study and learning, and Avodah, work, or labor, the physical and supportive efforts needed to build the land of Israel and help the Jewish people.
On a more personal note, I am a proud and happy member of Shevet Amichai. When I was 13 and living in Philadelphia I flirted with a few B’nei Akiva events, meeting a few amazing people including the late Ari Horowitz of Blessed Memory. But it was not until I was 14, after my parents moved to Holland and I began to attend Hasmonean in the Hendon area of Northwest London, that B’nei Akiva (BA) became something so important to me that it would resonate with me till today. Little did I know that during that one lunch hour in school when I was approached by an older student and convinced to come to a BA event, that over 45 years later his younger brother would still be one of my best friends, as would be a number of other of my friends from Amichai. Socially, nothing has ever compared, and to this day, my 6 week BA Israel camp in 1978 is still the best summer of my life.
But today BA and what I can speak to specifically, Shevet Amichai, is so much more than just a gathering of men and women enjoying each other’s company whenever possible. It is an organization of comfort and support. With Israel going through what looks to be its worst crisis since its establishment in 1948, and the Jewish people under its greatest attack and continuing threat since the Holocaust, my friends from Amichai, many who have family, including children fighting in the IDF, Israeli Defense Forces, are stepping up with amazing commitment, resolve, and love. It is no surprise to me, since every time an individual in the group has experienced a crisis or a loss they are always there, but today the sense of responsibility for Israel and the Jewish people has never been on greater display. Their efforts are ongoing, practical and critical, and I have never been so proud and so honored to be part of Shevet Amichai.
If I am to call all of Israel my family, Shevet Amichai is my immediate family. I stand with you, I pray for you, and I love you.
For YEARS I have said that randomly throwing around the word Nazi was dangerous. I have said that comparing someone to Hitler without factual backing is dangerous. It has happened on all sides towards anyone who committed acts or said thing they didn’t like. This is not a political post. As a Jew I feel that we are not in a time of politics, we are in a time of survival.
In speaking out about this, my reasoning was as follows. If you call everyone that says or does something you don’t like or does something that is actually wrong, when someone who is a Nazi or someone who is another Hitler rears their ugly heads, you might not recognize it. Well we are now seeing behavior truly comparable to the behavior of Nazis, lead by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, someone whose words and actions truly do compare to Hitler.
And now we have people rallying in favor of Hamas and screaming Free Palestine at rallies around the world, not knowing, or even worse not caring that in doing so they are supporting another Hitler, one who is openly leading a Muslim incarnation of Nazi Germany.
It is now time for all of us who have always understood who the Nazi were, tell the world that these terrorists attacking Israel are truly Nazis. Start calling them by what they are. Let the world know that not only has that disease been allowed to come back, it has come back strong, and there are far too many people supporting their cause.
As the full scope of the barbaric attack on Israel is still unfolding, people’s true colors are on full display. For all those tourists who visited Anne Frank’s House, or movie lovers and Hollywood types who loved and honored Schindler’s List, for all of those who have visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., or took selfies at Auschwitz, this is your time to speak up. The world is on trial now, and the verdict will likely not only determine the fate of Israel and the Jewish people, but very possibly the fate of the planet for decades, maybe even centuries to come.
Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933. By the time he was conquered in 1945, while estimates vary, the death toll was believed to be around 60 million people in total, more than two thirds of which were civilians. While Hitler rose to power on the back of economic devastation in Germany, much of what powered him was an insane, uncontrollable homicidal hatred for, you guessed it, the Jewish people. Yet the world did nothing while Fascists groups rose and spoke up all over the world, including a pro-Nazi rally in New York City’s Madison Square Garden on February 20, 1939. Had it not been for Pearl Harbor, one could would wonder if the United States would have even entered the war at all. While America and Great Britain eventually played significant roles in defeating the Nazis, their knowledge of the tracks leading to Auschwitz never lead them to destroying them. Ultimately what it came down to then, and still comes down to today, is one very sad truth, and that is the fact that for a large portion of the planet, Jewish blood is cheap.
I know there are many good people. I know there are many who would die just as quickly to save a Jewish life as they would for any other innocent life. But still today there are far too many people out there who are tolerated for unimaginably distorted ideas of what the Jewish people are and what Israel is as a nation. People who saw videos of young women, children, elderly being kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Women raped and brutalized. Families slaughtered in their homes. Jews dehumanized as they were by the Nazis in what would turn into the mass murder of 6 million Jews. Many of who were Jewish women and children, raped, brutalized, humiliated, terrorized and experimented on by evil “doctors”. All lead by the obsessive hatred of one man, whose obsessive hatred led him to seek world domination that ended in the death of tens of millions of civilians.
Are you scared yet? You should be. Because that same hatred has been indoctrinated into a generation of Palestinian youth, youth that have now grown up to want what Hitler wanted, the death of all the world’s Jews.
So, politics aside, if you are anyone who tolerates anti-Semitic rhetoric from your local politicians, you are ultimately digging your own grave. If you are a social activist who is believing the rhetoric that Israel is an Apartheid State, you are digging your own grave. If you are a member of the LGBTQ community marching and shouting Free Palestine, you are marching against the one country in the Middle East where you could live freely, and yes, ultimately digging your own grave. But most of all, if you are watching brutality playing out before your eyes against innocent Israeli citizens, including women, children, and the elderly, and you are still blaming Israel, you are digging everyone’s grave.
This is not a game. The world is on trial, and those of us who believe in God might say that he is watching very closely. Watching to see who makes the right choice, and who makes the wrong one. This is real life, and whether those of you who hate Israel and think Jewish life is cheap want to admit it or not, you are fighting a battle that will end in your own demise. Ironically, not from those you are attacking, rather from those that you are supporting.
There are so many things I could say. After the horrific events of the past few days in Israel, and the terrifying uncertainty of what could happen next, made so much worse by legitimate concerns of the fate of the hostages, I like countless others, have my fears, my opinions, even my theories on what to do moving forward. But to be frank and very honest, my fears, opinions and theories will do nothing to help anyone right now. Since this letter is not just to my friends and family in Israel, but to all of my fellow Jews there as well, I write this not to vent, but as a show of love and support.
I am extremely cognizant of what might be the most important thing for Jews outside of Israel to know right now, and that is that this attack was not just an attack on Israel, it was an attack on every single one of us. So many of us are besides ourselves with feelings of sadness, anger and helplessness. We will look for ways to help, but until then I know many of us will be here to pray for you, speak with you, message you, and look to those who can provide funding to be ready to offer financial support.
As I sit here, I think of those close to me who are frightened for their future, or even more frightened for their children, brothers and sisters and all other friends and family preparing to fight in defense of the Jewish people. The pain I feel for what you must be going through is something I will keep with me until I know all of you are safe and secure. I fight off my tears and the fear I feel because as I sit safe and comfortable in Florida, I feel I need to stay strong for all of you. Even if none of you ever need me or want to reach out to me, I will remain here and ready to do anything within my capabilities to support you. If all I ever do, all you ever need from me is to know that I stand with you, we all stand with you with all our hearts and souls, then at least you know you are not alone.
Furthermore, while there will be questions that need to be answered, this is not the time for Jews outside of Israel to do anything other than offer unwavering support for the government. This is life and death, and any accountability or political issues attached to this need to be shelved until Israel is once again safe and secure.
Finally, I want you to know what I saw the last 2 days as I celebrated Simchat Torah in my synagogue in Florida. As we all found out what was unfolding, the largest percentage of us became increasingly distraught. I came to realize that in some way I owed it to all of you to celebrate the holiday. The young men and women that are about to put themselves in harms way in defense of the Jewish people are doing it so that all of us can live a life as happy, healthy and free people. Remaining distraught was not a victory I was willing to give to Hamas. While my heart was heavy, my mind prevailed, and I found the happiness and joy appropriate on this holiday, because I came to realize how fortunate I am to have been born a Jew. A very proud Jew, not just because our remarkable past, not just because of my attachment to our faith, but maybe most importantly because of all of you, my dear friends and family that live in the place that protects all of us by its existence alone. I love you and continue my prayers for you and for all of us.
Let us know what you need and what we can do to help you. In the meantime know that you are not alone.
My name is David Groen. Please allow me to tell you a little bit about myself. I am the son of Holocaust survivors from Holland. As I am sure you know, Canada and Holland were strong allies in World War II. In fact, my father, who was an active member of the Dutch resistance, rode into the town where my mother was hiding when the Canadian military liberated it from Nazi occupation. The most important thing I want you to know about me is that I never knew my grandparents, one uncle, one aunt, and countless cousins, since the Nazis decimated the Dutch Jewish community, murdering 75% of the Jews living in Holland between 1940 and 1945.
So yes, I take what recently happened in your country’s parliament very personally. As an author and public speaker passionate about making the world aware of the atrocities that took place and keeping alive the memory of what happened under Hitler’s barbaric reign, my reasons for reaching out to you, as important as they may be, are not politically motivated. In fact, I am reaching out to you specifically to avoid being political, as the more political move would be to reach out to the leader of the opposition. However, my motivation is not to impact Canadian politics, it is to address and help fight a growing global crisis. I do not know you, so I am unable to comment on whether you are a good man or a bad man. I do know that certain Canadian officials, up to the very top, have pleaded ignorance regarding the history of Yaroslav Hunka, the Nazi living in your midst. I choose to believe that plea as being an honest one. Nevertheless, that does not make it an acceptable one. The only thing that will truly make it acceptable is a response in your parliament, preferably from someone who will tell a story of exactly why it is so important that this high level of ignorance be combatted. The speaker should not be a mere talking head, but someone whose family was impacted by the evils committed by the Nazis.
My public speaking revolves around the story of my uncle, Bram Rodrigues-Lopes. The younger and only sibling of my late mother, Bram was a violin player and band member when the Nazis invaded Holland. Through my book and website, Bram’s violin made it back to me and my family a little over 4 years ago. What makes Bram’s story so powerful and so relevant is the fact that he was murdered by the Nazis just 3 weeks shy of his 19th birthday. He never had a chance to build a life and leave behind a legacy. His story speaks to the reality and to the heart of what the Nazis did to those they wanted to exterminate, the Jewish people being priority number one. The story also speaks of the decency and bravery of the friend that safeguarded his violin, as well as his son who made the effort to find me.
Should you choose to bring me to Canada to address your parliament I will provide a powerful message emphasizing the dangers of forgetting the atrocities of the past together with the hope provided by the decency of others. What took place in your parliament this past week only magnifies the importance of keeping the story alive. My presentation will not be political as not only have I made a conscious decision to leave politics to those more qualified, but I also feel I have a different mission on this earth besides moving any country’s political needle. Since I see this as being an apolitical topic, and one of critical importance, I will leave everyone in the room with a message they will carry in their hearts and minds for years to come.
Many of us in the Jewish community use the line, “Never Again”. To work towards that, it is critical for it never to be forgotten. I believe certain people in Canada need a reminder, and I offer myself as the person to provide that reminder to your parliament.
While I knew I had to write something about 9/11 in honor of what took place 22 years ago, it wasn’t until I saw 60 minutes that I had a more clear idea of the message I wished to convey. I urge you all to watch the 60 minutes episode dedicated to the heroics of the firemen on that day. It made me realize that on that day New York consisted of 3 categories of individuals. Witnesses, heroes, and victims. It also made me realize that the most important message coming from the memory of that day comes down to one word. Responsibility.
There are different levels of suffering or sadness caused by devastation and tragedy. When we look at the Holocaust, those who had to hide in fear and run for their lives suffered differently than those that went to the camps. Those who survived the camps suffered differently than those who were murdered in the gas chambers. And while human nature causes us to judge things on levels, since the impact each incident has is also determined by the mental and physical makeup of whomever is experiencing these events, to compare them is not only impossible, it is unfair. These are all victims on some level. As someone who was in NY on September 11, 2001, I see this in a similar light, but with one important difference. I realize today how 9/11 helped me form my own personal sense of responsibility and understanding of what I am. I am not a victim. I am a witness. As a witness it will forever be my responsibility to share what I witnessed and how I felt on that day.
There are moments in our lives that are forever embedded in our memory. Then there are days when those moments are magnified on a level unlike all other days. Here are the moments I will never forget from that fateful day.
On September 11th I was living in Forest Hills, a beautiful and active neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. My apt, 10L had a view, albeit distant, of Manhattan. Of course the taller the building, the easier it was to see, making the Twin Towers visible on most days. Visibility however was not an issue on this day, because one of the common memories shared by most people in NY on that day was that the weather could not have been more perfect. It was a comfortable temperature and not a cloud in the sky, and I can tell you with complete honesty and sincerity that there is no other day I have been alive that I remember the weather more clearly. For on this day the contrast between beauty and horror is one of my most indelible memories.
On September 11th I was in a long distance relationship with a woman in St. Louis. We had become very close, so when there was any type of major event we wished to share it with each other. So when I saw Dick Oliver of the local Fox station report on a plane hitting one of the towers, I called her to tell her something big had happened. https://youtu.be/0_CrzPvcY3o?si=omNQimalUIfmuJm5 We both turned on Good Morning America and soon after there was a report of the incident in the first tower. I managed to take a picture of the first tower burning, not knowing that I was memorializing history in the process.
Many still believed this was an awful accident, as nothing specific had yet indicated that this was an act of terror. Being one of those people I felt it was safe to make my way to work.
On September 11th the location of my job was in Brooklyn. To get to Brooklyn I had to take the F train into Manhattan where I would switch to the D train at the 34th street station. On my ride on the F train I began to hear that there was a second plane that had hit the other tower and that now it was apparent that this was a terrorist attack. I remember seeing women crying on the train in a way that people cry when they fear the loss of a loved one. I remember the train stopping with only the front car in the station and all of us being evacuated to that front car and told to leave the station. As I walked out of the station what I saw became one of those indelible memories. Standing on the corner of 36th Street and 7th Avenue, just steps away from Macys, I saw throngs of people, all walking one direction, uptown, away from the towers. And then I walked to a store front where I saw another image embedded in my brain. It was a TV that was on ABC, where the caption read, “World Trade Center, Attacked and Destroyed”. All trains in Manhattan were suspended, so I decided to begin a walk back towards home. On my way uptown I saw the image that represented the tragedy and horror of the day over every other image I would see that day. I will share that with you shortly, but first I will share 2 more images that are forever imbedded in my memory. The two things I remember when crossing what was then known as the 59th street bridge, a bridge connecting Manhattan to Queens. One of those images was in front of me, the other to my right. The first image was that of a woman walking before me, covered in the grey soot seen on so many people on that day. The soot seen on people so close to the catastrophe, that they were physically impacted by what had happened. The second image was to my right. This image was of a trail of smoke coming from downtown, from what would be a gaping hole not only in downtown Manhattan, but in the hearts of all New Yorkers.
On September 11th I was closer to devastation and tragedy on a mass scale than I had ever been in my life. Part of what made it so awful was that in being able to see the horrific images of the 2 planes hitting the buildings and the building collapsing, those closest to the nearly 3,000 souls murdered, the boyfriends and girlfriend, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, friends, and fathers and mothers, would forever see them die before their very eyes. Which brings me to the moment I will have etched in my brain for all my days, the one that most represents the day for me. As I was walking uptown towards 59th street, to my right off of one of the corners a car was parked with its doors open. The radio was loud, and as was the case with any station broadcasting that morning, it was reporting on the attack. Standing near the car was an Asian couple probably in their 50s, the woman sobbing uncontrollably and the man walking back in forth in a panic, tears flowing down his cheeks. While I will likely never have the opportunity to confirm what I thought, I was sure as I walked past this couple, that I was looking at parents that had a child working in one of those towers. It was at this moment, with that image that will be in my head till the day I die, that the harshest reality of that day sunk in.
On September 11th normal every day working people were killed just for being at work or having the misfortune of being on one of the planes used to attack the Towers, the Pentagon, or whatever destination the plane in Pennsylvania was headed for. Firemen risked or lost their lives attempting, and in miraculous fashion saving thousands of people from the burning towers. People were physically or emotionally scarred forever by being in or near the towers on that day, many dying in the years that followed as a result. People lost loved ones and subsequently had their lives changed forever.
On September 11th I was merely a witness. I can not begin to imagine or understand the pain of those closest to the tragedy, for even as someone far removed from what they went through, I am left with a feeling of sadness and pain that will be with me forever. And yet, I am very cognizant of the fact that it is incumbent on me to make sure people do not forget the horrors people endure from the hands of others if I bear witness or hear testimony. It is something I carry with me daily as I tell the story of my ancestors and others killed in the Holocaust. It is the responsibility that is on someone far enough removed to not be incapacitated or weakened by these events, but close enough to them to feel true pain. It is the responsibility to let everyone know their one responsibility above all other responsibilities. That is to never forget, so that those who perished are never forgotten and so that even in their death, their lives always have great meaning.
As a proud Jew and vocal Zionist, I find the recent backlash against Bradley Cooper to be beyond ridiculous. Before anyone chooses to criticize the choice of how best to look like Leonard Bernstein, one needs to start by doing one thing. Look at a picture of Leonard Bernstein. The man had a pronounced nose. But as someone who has a stake in this conversation, I believe this whole discussion needs to go much deeper. What is my personal stake you ask? It is a simple answer. I am the author of a book titled , “Jew Face: A story of love and heroism in Nazi-occupied Holland.”
I have so many problems with this discussion that I almost don’t know where to start. I will start by saying that if you are someone who sees depicting an immensely talented Jew in a different manner than he actually looked, your attempts to avoid prejudice indicate either an ignorance as to to what it means to be a Jew, or a leaning toward such prejudice. Whether or not this movie is prejudiced against Jewish people will be indicated in the plot and dialogue, not in the attempt for the lead actor to look like the person he is playing. On the surface, I am not concerned. Leonard Bernstein was a brilliant conductor. This is why this movie is being made. Other aspects of the movie, be they favorable or not, will only indicate prejudice if they are incorrect or used to push an agenda against Jews. If for no other reason, this alone would be enough for me to tell people to get a grip.
What also bothers me is something that has bothered me for quite some time, albeit a wonderful opportunity for self-promotion. The word Jew is not a bad word. The context in which any word is used when describing a person or group will often determine how good or bad a word is. One of the main reasons I called my book “Jew Face” is because when you looked like my mother in 1940 Amsterdam, there was no questioning the fact that you were Jewish. But funny enough, not because she had a pronounced nose, which she somewhat did when she was younger. Rather because of the fact that she had dark hair, and a darker complexion than the typical Dutch person, and being from Spanish-Portuguese descent, even darker than many Jews. One of them being my fair skinned, redheaded (at the time), father. I guess that would mean, by 1940’s Dutch standards, if you got someone with dark hair and even slightly dark skin to portray my mother, that would be seen as Jew Face as a negative term. So this speaks to how perception is what creates this problem, not fact. The fact is, that if you depict a Jewish man or woman accurately, you are being a responsible reporter or filmmaker. If you break away from the truth to depict a hateful stereotype, THEN you should be seen as a problem. It should not be based on how accurately you attempt to make the person’s facial features look.
Going back to how the word Jew is not a bad word, I will reflect on a story regarding my late mother Sipora Groen, the woman on the cover of “Jew Face”. When speaking to a group of people and telling her story with the help of my book, someone confronted her saying, “Jew Face is an ugly title”. My mother responded immediately saying, “it was an ugly time”. If your focus is on the fact that the way something sounds offends you, rather than the importance of its content, you become part of the problem.
Which brings me to my next point. If you are up in arms about a prosthetic nose, used to depict a Jewish legend with a large nose, I must ask you where you were in the past? Where were you when Ilhan Omar said, “it’s all about the Benjamins”, when criticizing Jewish influence? Or when Marjorie Taylor Greene said that there are “Jewish space lasers” trying to shoot down Santa Claus. Or when Bryan Adams distorted facts about Gaza while never criticizing Palestinian terrorists targeting Jewish civilians. Have you paid to hear Roger Waters lately? The man who repeatedly calls Israel an Apartheid State? Or are you just concerned about a high profile nose, because it suits your agenda or speaks to your ignorance?
Bradley Cooper has never exhibited any public prejudice towards anyone. For all I know, and I won’t research it because I don’t care, he isn’t even the one who decided on the nose. If you want to fight for Jewish causes, how about taking on the difficult fights. Not the one that brings attention to a silly stereotype that only means anything if you associate it with something negative. All this is to me is another example of virtue signaling. For those who don’t know what virtue signaling is, it is when you express a strong opinion because you want to show how good you are, not because you really care. Before you say another word about Bradley Cooper and a prosthetic nose, look into your heart and figure out how much you really care.
(Venice) La distruzione del tempio di Gerusalemme -Francesco Hayez – gallerie Accademia Venice
After spending time in my synagogue this evening in commemoration of Tisha B’Av, the 9th day of the Hebrew calendar month of Av, I got to thinking in more depth about part of what it means to be Jewish. Tisha B’Av, the day both Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed, many years apart, is by every account the saddest day of the year for the Jewish people. It is also a day in which the Holocaust is once again remembered, and traditionally is the day in which victims murdered by the Nazis on unknown dates are remembered and honored. As I thought about the day, and the plight of the Jewish people, my mind seemed to go deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole, and I came to some conclusions I wish to share with you.
Throughout the ages the Jewish people have been hated, persecuted, tortured and murdered. In many instances people have been made to rally around the hatred of the Jewish population, blaming them for all their ills. In many cases it was based on suspicion caused by ignorance. The fact that Jews did not suffer as badly during the black plague, widely believed to be because of the Jewish laws of washing the hands before meals and after relieving themselves, created tremendous suspicion. The bizarre claim of the blood libel comes to mind. But I would imagine that if you were to poll Jews around the world and ask them the source of anti-Semitism, most would most likely say it is because of jealousy.
Claims that the Jewish people control the media and Hollywood are not uncommon, and of course the most common anti-Semitic trope throughout the ages, the Jews control the money, and in modern times, the banks. Many whose lives are not what they would like them to be, look for someone to blame. Often times that blame falls on the Jews. And often not as much because of what they perceive that they do, but because of what they have and how they live. If there is this jealousy, which most will at the very least agree is a driving force for much of the hatred, those who are jealous need to remember this very poignant and oft used adage. Be careful of what you wish for.
As I read the Megillah Eicha, the Book of Lamentations, I read some of the most horrific atrocities one could imagine befalling the Jewish people. In many ways it reads like atrocities you could imagine the Jews suffering under the Nazis, minus the concentration camps and genocide. Jewish people feeling tremendous physical pain and mental anguish. Experiencing almost unimaginable suffering and brutality. Hunger to the point of salvation. But what makes Eicha so chilling, is that the horrors the Jewish people endure are not said to be inflicted on them by a mortal enemy, but by God himself. Many separating themselves from the mundane on this day would certainly look at this deeper and ask themselves why God would be so cruel to his Chosen People.
I do not dare to speak to how God feels, but I do feel that there is a connection between the suffering documented in Eicha and the achievements of the Jewish people in so many walks of life throughout the ages. It comes down to expectations and responsibility. Working on the belief and assumption that the Jews are indeed the Chosen People, God bestows great joys and accomplishments on the Jews. But it comes with a very steep price, and that is living by a higher code. This higher code to many is seen as the Torah, but somehow it seems that Jews who choose not to follow many of the laws of the Torah still live by a standard revolving around greater expectations. It is when you believe that God has put those expectations on the Jewish people that it begins to get somewhat terrifying, for in Eicha, for all intents and purposes, the entire theme of the book seems to be punishment of the Jews for not following the laws.
So as I go back to the idea and history of Jew hatred, I ask those who hate us for all that we have and all that we have achieved as a people, would you be willing to pay the price? I love being Jewish, but even as someone who has never suffered through slavery, torture or genocide, I know that being part of my faith comes with a price. That price is not just the hatred of groups of people throughout the ages, but also and more significantly, the punishment for not living the life that many believe is a covenant made with God. So for those whose hatred is based mostly on jealousy I say one more time and with even more emphasis and emotion, be careful what you wish for.
For those fasting I wish you and easy and meaningful fast.
Holland's Heroes 