Tag Archives: Gaza

October 29, 2023

Exposing today’s Liberal Progressive Frauds

By davidgroen1

In order to make the points needed in this piece there will be a number of definitions riddled throughout. The need for that comes from the astounding and alarming ignorance that prevails in much of global society. For far too many, progressiveness has become regressive. tolerance has become distinct bigotry, and liberalism has been completely hijacked. Independent thinking, or even thinking at all for that matter, has become a thing of the past.

A progressive is defined as a person advocating or implementing social reform or new, liberal ideas. I will address this definition after I address liberalism.

Tolerance is defined as “the ability or willingness to tolerate something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with.”

There are 2 definitions indicated for liberalism. For the sake of this discussion both are pertinent.

1: willingness to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one’s own; openness to new ideas.

2:a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise.

Now for some excerpts from the Hamas Charter.

The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement was issued on August 18, 1988. The Islamic Resistance Movement, also known as the HAMAS, is an extremist fundamentalist Islamic organization operating in the territories under Israeli control.

The Islamic Resistance Movement is a distinguished Palestinian movement, whose allegiance is to Allah, and whose way of life is Islam.

Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it. 

[Peace] initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement.

The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight Jews and kill them. 

If only it would be so easy that just reading the definitions and the facts would make an impact? However, since reading everything already quoted isn’t enough to change the minds of those seeing themselves as liberal or progressive, allow me to help.

By definition, liberalism is rooted in tolerance. Freedom of religion, freedom to express dissenting viewpoints, sexual freedom, and free elections, would likely all be necessary components of a liberal society. After all liberalism is a willingness to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one’s own; openness to new ideas. HAMAS, is an extremist fundamentalist Islamic organization. Since I know many of the mindless idiots trying to dispute this won’t bother, or get confused when not on TikTok, here are the definitions of the words extremist and fundamentalism, the two words at the core of your support.

Extremist a person who holds extreme or fanatical political or religious views, especially one who resorts to or advocates extreme action.

Fundamentalism :strict adherence to the basic principles of any subject or discipline.

Tolerance is more a precursor to liberalism than it is an opposing idea. As tolerance is “the ability or willingness to tolerate something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with.” Here are some fun tidbits for Queers for Palestine-the sister group of Blacks for the KKK and chickens for KFC- to rest their green and red hats on.

Palestine criminalizes same-sex sexual activity between men. Sentences include a maximum penalty of ten years’ imprisonment.

In October, Ahmad Abu Murkhiyeh, a 25-year-old gay man, was found decapitated in Hebron. He had sought asylum in Israel two years prior to his murder.

In February 2016,  Hamas   executed Mahmoud Ishtiwi – one of the group’s leading commanders – under allegations of gay sex and theft.

In August 2019, the Palestinian Authority announced that LGBT groups were forbidden to meet in the West Bank on the grounds that they are “harmful to the higher values and ideals of Palestinian society”.

So now we expand this to define a progressive as a person advocating or implementing social reform or new, liberal ideas.

Woman in the home of the fighting family, whether she is a mother or a sister, plays the most important role in looking after the family, rearing the children and embuing them with moral values and thoughts derived from Islam. She has to teach them to perform the religious duties in preparation for the role of fighting awaiting them.

In what sick world is that social reform or a liberal idea?

Allah is its target, the Prophet is its model, the Koran its constitution: Jihad is its path and death for the sake of Allah is the loftiest of its wishes.

In other words, equal rights for anyone who is Muslim and no one else.

Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement.

Read this a half a dozen times and research why all peace treaties have fallen apart next time you have the gall to call Israelis the Nazis.

To quote the only good thing to be associated with the United Nations since Audrey Hepburn, (a great woman who worked with the UN to help feed starving children, not destroy Israel), palestine.unwomen.org states:

Approximately 15 per cent of married women in Gaza experienced incidents of sexual abuse by husbands over the previous year. More than half of these experienced it repeatedly (3+ times)

50 per cent of Palestinian women and 63 per cent of Palestinian men agreed that a woman should tolerate violence to keep the family together. 

That means that when you shout Free Palestine and From the River to the Sea, you are supporting the suppression of half of humanity, and if you are a lesbian, you are marching against the acceptance of your lifestyle. Feel stupid yet?

I ask you. Does any of this sound liberal to you? Does it sound progressive? Is this rooted in what any sane person would call tolerance?

True liberals, such as my sister, have very tolerant and progressive ideas, rooted in what they conclude are ways of showing complete tolerance to all decent people and the pursuit of complete freedom of individuals to choose how they wish to live. However, she also recognize that fighting for your survival take precedence over all else, and that there is nothing liberal or progressive in supporting a movement that clearly defines one of its main objectives as the annihilation of an entire group of people, as Hamas does regarding the Jewish people. She recognize that there is nothing liberal about supporting a group that beheads babies and rapes and mutilates females of all ages. If you are someone who identifies as a Progressive or Liberal and you have chosen to rally in support of Hamas you are neither of these things. What you are instead is a mindless idiot, basing everything on doing the one thing that is less than progressive than anything else, following a mob. Worst of all, not only are you digging your own grave, you are helping move the world back to the Dark Ages. If that is what you support, you’ve redefined progressive and liberal.

Never Again is Now!

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October 28, 2023

Is the truth being covered up regarding the murder of Synagogue President Samantha Woll?

By davidgroen1

On Saturday morning, October 21st, Samantha Woll, President of the Isaac Agree Downtown synagogue in Detroit was found stabbed to death outside her house in the Lafayette Park neighborhood. Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, is the day many would know that a president of a synagogue would likely be home. Samantha Woll was a high profile member of her community, and by all accounts very much loved and respected.

It is hard to imagine a more frightening place to be living as a Jew right now than Detroit, Michigan. You have a large Muslim population being riled up by their Congresswoman, Rashida Tlaib. Always one to speak out against Israel, since the vicious terrorist attack on October 7th, Tlaib has taken it to new heights, displaying a visceral hatred for Israel that is clearly rooted in anti-Semitism. The protests in the streets, some that happened even before Israel began its response to the attacks, shows how Tlaib willingly put fuel on an already dangerous fire, without caution or remorse.

Fast forward to October 21, when Samantha Woll was found dead of stab wounds in front of her home. Since that time, the only definitive statement coming from the Detroit Police Department is that there was no evidence that it was a hate crime. Detroit Police Chief James White said the following. “We are working through what we have identified as some persons of interest … but we are very early in the investigation. We have a number of people who give us interest, we are just short of calling one of the people a suspect.” A “number of people who give us interest” but somehow you are sure it was not a hate crime? In this climate, a climate exacerbated by a local Congresswoman? There is no evidence to suggest that there is some sort of cover up here, but without information proving otherwise, is it so crazy to consider that this might be the case? After all, if it was someone, Muslim or otherwise, inspired by Rashida Tlaib’s ongoing tirades of hatred towards Israel and the Jewish people, one might say that she has blood on her hands. If this were to be the case, might we consider the possibility that the police would dismiss this quickly to avoid an increase of tensions, or even in order to absolve Tlaib from responsibility?

Frankly, I hope it is not the case, as I do not want tensions increasing anywhere, and as of now no evidence has shown this to be so, but until someone says something to indicate otherwise , how can we be sure it is not the case? The most important thing people not only in Detroit, but in all of the country can do, is make sure this story doesn’t just vanish into obscurity. I did not know Samantha Woll, but from what we hear about her, she would deserve better than to have the investigation just go away without a resolution. I hope Detroit police are as so many other police in this country are, decent and ethical law enforcers, and that there none within their midst, including the upper echelon acting as politicians just protecting their own. Or what would be even worse, getting pressure from people higher up outside the department. Maybe even Detroit’s Mayor Mike Duggan. If this is the case, we need to know, as does the rest of the world.

Never Again is Now!

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October 25, 2023

Open Letter to Jordan’s Queen Rania: Let’s not forget Black September

By davidgroen1

Dear Queen Rania,

I had the displeasure of seeing parts of your interview on CNN during which you focused on the events that have taken place since October 7th, while downplaying the atrocities of October 7th. This interview, conducted by Christiane Amanpour, who is clearly and consistently biased against Israel, felt more like a propaganda video than it did an interview of a woman of royalty.

In the interview you said the following:

“When October 7th happened, the world immediately and unequivocally stood by Israel and its right to defend itself and condemned the attack that happened … but what we’re seeing in the last couple of weeks, we’re seeing silence in the world.”

First of all, the whole world did not stand by Israel. Those with a modicum of moral clarity did, as did some of its closest allies, however before Israel even had a chance to respond to the barbarism committed against their citizens there were protests in the streets against Israel. As expected, there was no strong condemnation by the United Nations. And as soon as Israel started it’s bombing of Hamas targets there was an uprising in universities, many of them feasting off of funding from the Arab world. There were “Days of Rage”, called on by Hamas which conveniently led to protests in the streets. But your words are telling, because you say “what we’re seeing” as opposed to what is actually happening, because you see what best suits your prejudices and interests.

You then said:

“This is the first time in modern history that there is such human suffering and the world is not even calling for a ceasefire. So the silence is deafening – and to many in our region, it makes the Western world complicit.”

Really? First time in human history? Not one country joined in fighting against the Nazis before being attacked themselves. 6 million Jews were killed in what was truly a genocide and you have the audacity to speak of deafening silence? And complicit in what? Self defense? The government of a sovereign nation giving its people the right to live in peace?

You then went on to say:

“Are we being told that it is wrong to kill a family, an entire family, at gunpoint, but it’s OK to shell them to death? I mean, there is a glaring double standard here. “It is just shocking to the Arab world.”

I can see how it would be shocking to the Arab world. At least the element within the Arab world that does not value human life. The 1400 people murdered on October 7th were not warned to get out of the way and were not human shields for terrorists. They were innocent men, women and children, many of whom were helping Gazan residents on a regular basis. And to say “kill a family, an entire family, at gunpoint”, should already be seen as wrong by you under the circumstances under which it took place, but since it is not, allow me to make things a little more clear for you. Babies were beheaded. Living and dead women were raped. A pregnant woman had her stomach cut open and her baby shot next to her. People were burned alive. And all of these atrocities done on purpose by a gleeful bunch of terrorists. So to even attempt to draw a moral equivalency between that and the attacks on Gaza is rather disgraceful on your part.

What has to be remembered in light of your comments, is Black September, 1970, when an estimated 25,000 Palestinians were killed by your country, Jordan, after the PLO tried to overthrow the ruling monarchy. Let me repeat that, so that people reading this know the real double standard here. Jordan killed 25,000 Palestinians. Not because 1400 Jordanians were brutally murdered. Not because Jordanian women were raped. Not because Jordanians were under constant attack from missiles. And not because more that 200 Jordanians were kidnapped. Your country killed 25,000 people because the PLO tried to overthrow your monarchy. The only reason the number wasn’t more was because at that point you had successfully removed the PLO from your country and your leadership, which was the main concern of your ruling government, not your people. Israel’s war is being waged to protect the safety of its people.

You concluded by saying the following:

“I just want to remind the world that Palestinian mothers love their children just as much as any other mother in the world.”

If this is true, and I hope that it is, they will ultimately thank Israel for giving their children a future. With Hamas in charge, the future for Palestinian children is a future where at best they are pawns in a mission to destroy Israel, and at worst they are terrorists carrying out that mission. If you truly cared you would admit that to the world, but then again, if one really looks at the history we learn that Jordan never had any use for the Palestinians. That is the truth, but unfortunately, you and so many like you do not care about the truth, you care about what best suits your interests, and it is clear that Palestinians living in the freedom Israel would gladly help them achieve, is not one of your interests.

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October 24, 2023

It’s all about survival, stupid

By davidgroen1

For those mindless, cowardly hypocrites protesting in favor of sadistic terrorists, it is time you learned what it means to be Jewish. Despite the propaganda you so willingly accept, it is not about making money or controlling the media, and certainly not about occupation or genocide. It is about something far more basic than that. It is all about survival, stupid.

For Jews it goes way back to the time when we were slaves in Egypt. We learn about it and remember it every year on Passover. In fact, we are taught to approach it as though it happened directly to us in every generation. Seems the Rabbis somehow knew it would be a good idea to teach the Jewish people from the start how to suffer. We were oppressed and enslaved in Egypt, and as a result of our resistance we fled to the desert, and somehow managed to resist without raping any little girls or chopping of babies heads.

Then there were the 2 temples in Jerusalem, part of the land believed to be given to the Children of Israel by God as opposed to taken by an occupying force. The temples were both destroyed by the Romans, and in a way that targeted innocent civilians, as opposed to avoiding them as much as possible. Too bad the BBC wasn’t around back then to report on the mistreatment of the Romans.

Let’s not forget the blood libels, when the claim was made that Jews killed Christian children in order to use their blood for Jewish rituals, including the making of Matzah for the Passover feast. These blood libels led to pogroms and yes, you guessed it, a lot more dead Jews. For those of you who might not understand the concept, it’s a lot like bombing a parking lot of a hospital in your territory, killing a few dozen, and then telling everyone that the Jews killed hundreds in indiscriminate bombing. Like that would ever happen, right?

Then, at the end of what was seen as a Golden Age for Jews in Spain, there was the Inquisition, in which Jews were tortured, killed and ultimately completely expelled for that heinous recurring crime of, you guessed it once again, being Jewish.

I’ll just kind of skip over the pogroms in Russia in which it was considered righteous and necessary to brutalize and murder Jews en masse, (boy does that sound familiar), and jump to that really big thing called the Holocaust. You know, the thing many out there say never happened and it was just made up by the Jews to garnish sympathy? Kind of like claiming that more than 1400 people were murdered in a half a day, and realizing less than a week later that it must have been made up. After all, look around. Everyone clearly loves the Jews. There’s no way that could have happened. That thing called the Holocaust, that did actually happen, just as the killing of the 1400 plus, led to the decimation of European Jewry and the murder of 6 millions Jews. A genocide perpetrated by a government that came to power in the wake of a failed state and a society in decay, which of course had to be the Jews fault. After all, if a murderous dictator tells you that the Jews control the banks and the media it must be true.

Out of the ashes of the Holocaust the modern State of Israel declared its independence in 1948. But the Jews had the gall to think they had the right to live in peace. Even worse, they felt they could do so in the land given to them by God. But what the Jewish people did that was most appalling was that they had the audacity to fight back and win against the countries attacking them on every border. After all, they had committed the greatest crime of all. They had survived.

Left with no alternative, since we just wouldn’t go away, our Arab neighbors tried again in 1956, but rather than being killed, the Jewish nation once again fought back and won. When another attempt failed in 1967, Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan, the Sinai from Egypt, and the Golan Heights from Syria. A move which of course would ultimately make us the oppressors and occupiers, since we started the war after all. Oh wait! No we didn’t. We once again showed how evil we were by not letting every Jew in Israel get thrown into the Mediterranean Sea. In 1973 they tried once again, but this time they decided to fight fair and attack us on the holiest day in our calendar, Yom Kippur. This finally took away the Jewish nations unfair advantage of being prepared to defend itself. But guess what? That didn’t work either. Starting to see a trend here?

When Yasser Arafat founded his multi billion dollar enterprise known as terrorism, the groundwork was laid for a steady diet of attacks against innocent men, women and children. Lucky for him he had the United Nations in his corner from the get go, so that not only could he begin to once again normalize the killing of Jewish women and children, he had a worldwide organization telling everyone that he was doing it in the name of justice and peace, and that the Jewish people were the violators of human rights.

Despite every effort to make peace with the unwanted Jordanians in the West Bank, and the Arab gypsies in Gaza, the 2 groups the world now refers to as Palestinians, every effort at peace has had one unforgiveable obstacle put in the way by us Jews. We refuse to die. But I get it, if we don’t make peace with people that don’t believe we have a right to exist, obviously it is our fault.

So to all those those mindless, cowardly hypocrites protesting in favor of sadistic terrorists who believe they are on the right side of history because of what was done to us in the past, know this. There has never been a more powerful Jewish army than there is today, militarily, intellectually, and spiritually, and now we have a battle cry that encompasses centuries of persecution and murder, most notably and most recently, the Holocaust and the mass murder of 6 million Jews. That battle cry is Never Again, and believe me when I tell you, we mean it. Because, after all, it’s all about survival, stupid.

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October 19, 2023

Open Letter to Rashida Tlaib and a call to expel her from Congress and put her on the terrorist watch list

By davidgroen1

Dear Ms. Tlaib.

Over the years I have written numerous open letters to high profile individuals in defense of Israel and the Jewish people. Today I am writing one that is also in defense of the United States of America and the entire free world.

I will be direct. Not only are you continuously behaving in a cynical and heinous manner, and not only should you be expelled from Congress, as far as I am concerned, you should be on the no fly list and the terrorist watch list. It is not that complicated. You continuously take the side of murderers and terrorists, you fake crocodile tears, and you rally the ignorant in support of a cause that promotes a second Holocaust of the Jewish people. Because I believe in the 1st amendment, I do not believe that anything we know of that you have done requires incarceration, but your words do need to have consequences. You are willingly and enthusiastically promoting hate. Please note that I chose my words carefully when saying “anything we know of”, because anyone who embraces lies to promote evil as you do, and has your level of vitriol, should be investigated and be under constant surveillance. If you were privy to any intelligence that could have assisted in the October 7th terrorist attacks, we need to know. If you have access to any information that could lead to terrorist attacks on American soil, we need to know. Simply put, moving forward, you should no longer be seen as a member of Congress, you should be seen as a potential enemy combatant of the United States and the entire free world. Furthermore, as it says the following in the 1st Amendment, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, and as a member of Congress you took an oath to uphold to constitution, as a Jew who feels that your behavior is prohibiting the free exercise of religion of my fellow Jews, I believe that calling for your expulsion is justified.

I believe you know what you are doing and that you always have. I also believe that you are motivated by 2 factors. Personal gain being the primary one and hatred for Jews being the second. If you truly were concerned for the well-being of the people of Gaza you would want Hamas gone. But that doesn’t suit your own personal, sick intentions. I am sure you know the truth. You live in an environment where it is all around you and if not right in front of your face, incredibly easy to find. Decent and honest people pursue the truth, you ignore it willingly and this is the most disgusting part, you do so gleefully.

You showed your true colors in the most magnified sense over these past few days by focusing on the debunked accusation of Israel’s responsibility for the deaths of the people in the hospital in Gaza, over focusing on the tragedy of the deaths. You ignored evidence indicating that the explosion was not caused by an Israeli airstrike because the truth does not suit your own personal and despicable motives.

I call on every person who reads this letter to share it everywhere. More importantly Ms. Tlaib, I urge them to flood it into your social media outlets. Post it on your X (twitter) feed and to put it as a comment on every post you have on X till it gets to a point where your account is unimaginable. Since you have shown the world that you are evil, I am confident that disturbing you on social media would bring you more grief than watching the videos of Israelis being tortured on October 7th. And to take these particular actions because I, and people like me, do not call on any violence to be committed against you, because we are decent people that value the rule of law.

While I am not so naive as to believe that you care about the difference between right and wrong, I will not be silenced. People need to know who you are and all legal means need to be taken to take away your voice. Your words make this world more evil and more dangerous, and will and have already put innocent people in danger. You put fuel on the fire and help Hamas in its war against Israel, the United States, and the entire free world. Ms. Tlaib, simply put, despite your crocodile tears and dramatic performances, you have blood on your hands. It is my contention in putting Jewish people and American citizens everywhere in danger, you should be expelled from Congress. I hope that there is enough moral clarity among our leaders to see this through, and I urge everyone out there to communicate this on a grand scale.

Sincerely,

David Groen

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October 18, 2023

How to win the War being waged on our Hearts and Minds

By davidgroen1

We are at war. And whether or not the misguided cowards in the Jewish community who marched on the US Capitol calling for a cease fire while elderly people, young women and babies are amongst the hostages being held in Gaza want to believe it or not, this is a war whose goal is to eradicate every Jew from the face of the earth. Not having learned the lessons of the Holocaust, it is clear that there are too many Jews among us who feel they are safe by kowtowing to the enemy or by hiding their identity. They are dreadfully wrong, and as much as I despise their lack of character or ethical standards, I also hope they never find out to what extent. These people have already capitulated on one front, and that is in the war being waged on our hearts and minds. It is a war we can not afford to lose, and I will tell you why, and how to make sure that we don’t.

While the death of every member of Hamas is what we all want, the Israeli Defense Forces are going to win by administering justice, and fighting for the safety and security of the people of Israel. Wanting vengeance for what was done is understandable, but to fight the battle with a singular focus on ridding the planet of this evil and providing for the safety of future generations, is how the fight is one on all fronts. To allow those who are evil to control how you feel, even if it leads to their destruction, is giving them a victory they do not deserve and will not help us as individuals or as a people. This is the fight within our minds. However, we might say that the more challenging fight we are facing, is the war in our hearts.

I have friends, both in Israel and in the Diaspora, that are struggling with the pain and anguish they are feeling from the events of October 7th. These are strong-willed, determined people I speak of, leaders in their communities, leaders in their families, leaders in their groups of friends. These are people I am proud to call friends. I see horror and suffering in their words, and even despair. And their feeling are as justified, moral, and even righteous as any feelings a human being could experience. But I had the benefit of being raised by 2 amazing people, my parents, Holocaust survivors from Holland, who while the horrors of what they went through never left their hearts and minds, they instinctively knew the one way to win the fight daily on a more personal level. By living life and striving for happiness. By feeling joy and love, and not being overrun by anguish and despair. When my mother of Blessed Memory laughed, it was pure joy. I will share with you a story that illustrates just a small part of the woman that was my mother. Someone once had this mechanical parrot that repeated every word said to it, and what I once witnessed take place between my mother and this toy is one of the most memorable and purely fun things I have ever seen in my life. My mother said something and the parrot repeated it. My mother thought this was funny and started to laugh. The parrot mimicked the sound of my mother laughing, which caused my mother to laugh even harder. And on this went for what I would guess was a solid 2 minutes. This was a woman who, when she closed her eyes and went to sleep, suffered through nightmares. But when she woke up and was conscious of her life and the world around her, instinctively spit in the face of the Nazis by enjoying her life through love and laughter.

I know that the wounds are still fresh, and that it is very likely going to get worse before it gets better. I also know that the friends I have who are feeling these difficult emotions are strong and can be fine even without words of support from me or anyone else. But I wish to offer these words to all of you struggling with how to cope today and moving forwards. You can not change what happened, and you may very well not be able to impact what does happen, but you do have control over the war this evil is waging on your heart, mind and soul. Find those things that make your life have meaning, try to do any of the things that make you happy, or engage with those that you love. Force the pain and sadness out as often as you can, and in doing so you win one very important battle in this very important war.

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October 17, 2023

Morality Starts at Home

By davidgroen1
From my trip to Israel in June of 2022

There is that old saying that reads, “charity starts at home”. While giving to others is always commendable, the saying speaks to the reality that helping someone else at the expense of your own needs is not living by a higher ethical standard. Ultimately, in order to help others, you must see to your own needs, in order to stay strong, maintain clarity, and retain the tools needed to do so.

Morality is not much different. If anything the need for morality to start at home is even greater, for there is no greater moral requirement than protecting your innocent and helpless. There has been no moment in my lifetime where this issue has played out more clearly and more publicly, and it is happening with Israel and the Jewish people at center stage.

I am not a war monger. I find war at its core to be unethical. I have never been a soldier and I live in a peaceful environment, so even if I didn’t feel that way, I would feel like a coward if I were to push for war for the sake of retribution or vengeance. It’s easy for someone who does not put their physical safety on the line to push for others to fight a battle. Sitting and watching is nothing compared to risking injury or death, or inflicting the same on others. When Israeli troops go into Gaza in search of Hamas terrorists and in the hope of finding the hostages, no matter how bad it gets, us who are far away from the action will not bleed, physically suffer or die. I get that. With all that being said, at the end of the day where every Jew is impacted, whether they admit it to themselves or not, is that this is a fight for the survival of all us.

So then back to the matter of morality. It took a week, give or take a day or two, for much of the world to move its focus from the atrocities committed by Hamas on innocent Jewish families, women, children and babies, to the plight of the people in Gaza. Much of that shift has been generated by those who never saw it as wrong for Jews to be raped, tortured, murdered and kidnapped in the first place. But to those who recognized the evil perpetrated on the Jewish people, who may be authentically worried about the well-being of all people, while I have no quarrel with you, to be brutally honest, your concerns are not mine, for morality starts at home. The government of Israel, the heroic men and women of the IDF, the religious leadership, the residents of Israel and all Jewish people on the face of the earth have one moral priority over all others. Our survival.

So as the images come out of Gaza are seen as sad and tragic, and not feeling that way will be called immoral by many, my current lack of focus on that issue is indeed a product of my personal moral compass. However, it is not for the reason that those who hate Israel will likely attack me. My moral compass is strong. I know that what is possibly the sickest irony in this whole situation, despite the rallies of the ignorant and evil and the outcry of the corrupt United Nations, is that the only hope for the people in Gaza lies in the hands of Israel. For these people to be free and to live a normal life as part of the world community, Hamas must be destroyed. For that to happen, some very brutal actions very likely need to be taken against more than just Hamas. Military action against Hezbollah and even Iran, no matter how devastating these actions may be, if they are what Israel needs to do to survive, they are moral.

In the weeks and months ahead, people will die. Many of them will have done nothing to deserve their fate. But to allow Israel to be demoralized, depleted and God forbid destroyed out of concern for the safety of others, is the most immoral thing we as Jews could ever do. Morality starts at home, and Israel is our home.

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October 8, 2023

A letter of love and support for Israel

By davidgroen1

My dear friends and family,

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.

Am Yisrael Chai!

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February 28, 2020

Open Letter to Bernie Sanders: How dare you?

By davidgroen1

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Dear Bernie,

I decided that before I begin sharing with you my feelings on your stance towards Israel I would first research your comments condemning the attacks by Palestinian terrorists on the civilian Jewish population.  So, in fairness, to begin I will post those condemnations before I proceed with what I would like to say.

 

Now that I have finished with that I will continue.  No, I did not forget to cut and paste anything in this letter and I skipped a line on purpose to bring attention to the blank space.  The truth is that I was unable to find any time in which you condemned acts of terrorism against the Jewish population of the State of Israel.  Of course it is easy to find times in which you condemn Israel.  Everyone is very aware of that, however in order for you to be an honest broker, would it not be required to address the issue from an objective standpoint rather from the vacuous self-serving pandering place from which you wish to start?

Mr. Sanders, I have no problem with people criticizing Israel or its governments policies.  A large portion of the Israeli population does the same.  The difference is that the larger percentage of these people, besides having to live with the consequences of their opinions, also have served in the Israeli military.  The vast majority of these people do not have to answer to anyone for their motivation.  You however, seeing as you believe yourself worthy of the presidency of these United States can indeed be questioned as to your motivation for all of your political viewpoints.  To me your motivation regarding Israel is clear.  You see it as far more politically expedient to attack Israel than support her.  When do you stand with any representatives of the State of Israel?  Even those opposed to Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.  I see you standing proudly and with joy next to those who openly hate Israel.  To people like Linda Sarsour, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, people who at best laugh off blatant anti-Semitism, at worst contribute to it and perpetuate it.

I will not listen to the argument from you about how you can be against the State of Israel and still care about the fate of the Jewish people when you have done nothing to show yourself as an honest broker.  Where are your efforts to help the people you claim more and more to be part of as you get closer and closer to primaries in states with a larger Jewish population? And in case you claim to not know why Israel is connected to the fate of Israel, something I believe you do know but conveniently ignore, allow me to enlighten you.

The Jewish people have been victims of persecution throughout time, culminating into what was the most systematic and organized mass murder of one segment of the population the world has ever seen.  Out of the ashes of the Holocaust the modern State of Israel was born.  It was not created as a business venture or for political gain.  It was created as a safe haven for the Jewish people.  History shows us that the very survival of the Jewish people, YOUR people, may very well depend on having a Jewish state ready and able to protect and shelter us.  So while criticizing its government is a democratic process permitted and accepted in what you refer to as a racist government, supporting people, as you do, who attempt to grow organizations determined to bring Israel to her knees and destroy it is totally unacceptable.  To say in a New York Times interview 4 years ago that Israel killed 10,000 people in Gaza when that was way more than the terrorist group Hamas fraudelently claimed were killed is unacceptable.  To argue on behalf of the dignity the Palestinians while keeping quiet when it comes to the survival of Jews is unacceptable.

When asked recently what it means to you be to Jewish you responded as follows.

“I can remember very vividly, as a kid, looking at picture books about what happened in the Holocaust. As it happens, my father’s family was wiped out by Hitler.”

To this I say to you the following words. How dare you?  As a son of Holocaust survivors I see the most poignant words in your answer as being “As it happens”.  As though it’s a side point.  Forget being Jewish for a minute, something I imagine should be easy for you, your response shows a disrespect for your father and his ancestry. As it happens?  Did you only just find this out because you felt it would help your campaign?  Or is it, as it happens, on a side note, my father’s family was wiped out by Hitler.  Or, and this is how I see it, you felt that by making it too big of a deal you wouldn’t properly pander to a base you see critical to your political ambitions.  If I were to invoke the Holocaust as the one thing I see as what it means to be Jewish, let me tell you how I would answer. “Having learned about the Holocaust from a young age, having never had a grandparent because of it and knowing that 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis, I will never sit quietly when people threaten my people again, and I will do my best to be the kind of person who will stand up to any groups that look to persecute and wipe out any group of people.”  That is what I would say Mr. Sanders.  It wouldn’t be a soundbite that sounds so disingenuous that I have to fight the urge to question if it is even true.

As a Jewish American I will conclude by saying that as long as you continue to behave in a way I believe to be the ways of a traitor to his own people, you will not only not get my vote, you will get my active opposition.  You see Mr. Sanders, if you can’t show an ounce of loyalty to your own people, background and heritage, why would I ever consider someone like you, someone I see as a disgrace, to be a leader in the country I proudly call home.

Sincerely,

David Groen

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April 9, 2018

Open Letter To Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor of Tikkun regarding his critique of Israel’s tactics

By davidgroen1

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Dear Rabbi Lerner,

Allow me to start by being honest with you.  I read your article    https://www.filmsforaction.org/articles/israel-has-broken-my-heart-im-a-rabbi-in-mourning-for-a-judaism-being-murdered-by-israel/  and stopped when I felt I could go on no longer.  Before I resolved to read any further I told myself I would only do so under one condition.  The inclusion of 2 words.  Never Again.  Having not found them anywhere in your piece I chose to not read it till the end.

I wish you to understand 2 very important things.  First and foremost, I am not without compassion when it comes to the death and suffering of innocent Palestinians.  Secondly, unlike many who may even appreciate my letter to you, I respect your  intentions and do not see you as a traitor to the Jewish people.  I do however find your approach apologetic and weak and subsequently potentially harmful to the very cause you claim to promote. Peace for all.

You seem to somehow be afraid to call out for Hamas for being what it truly is, an instrument of evil.   They care little if at all for their people, and wish to see, if possible oversee the destruction of our people.  Whether you wish to see it or not, the greatest perpetrators of abuse on the Palestinian people are their very leaders.  Whether it is the misappropriation of funds by the Palestinian Authority or the building of terror tunnels by Hamas, the leadership has shown anywhere from little to no concern for their citizens to a desire to use them as pawns in a self-serving conflict with Israel.  Even in your piece, you try to spin Hamas’s lack of recognition for Israel into something resembling a desire for peace.  They have shown nothing to indicate that is what they want.  On the contrary, they’ve shown nothing but contempt for the peace process and manipulation of Gaza’s population.

Before I address the most important issue regarding your stance, let me first state a very important point.  The Israeli government is by no means without fault.   There are certainly events that have taken place that very likely could have been handled differently and in a more productive and yes, maybe even more merciful manner.  That being said, as a Jew and son of Holocaust survivors, I do not question the overall approach and actions of the government for one split second.  You see Rabbi, and this is something you fail to address in your latest piece, the modern nation of Israel was founded on an often unspoken promise of the words, Never Again.   The Jewish people have throughout the ages been targeted for death and destruction merely for being Jewish.  From the ashes of the brutal murder of 6 millions Jews the State of Israel was born.  I am comfortable in saying that the majority of Jews I have known over the years have preferred peace over conflict.  That being said, sometimes you must fight fire with fire, and if that means those who protect you must choose between your safety or the safety of others, I thank God that they do what they are designated to do, see to it that the mass murder of Jews never happens again.  If anything, knowing what is at stake, I have grown to increasingly admire Israel’s restraint, and challenge you to find any nation or organization, particularly their enemies that would show anything close to that shown by Israel.

Golda Meir once said the following:

“We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.”

I urge you to not only read that quote Rabbi Lerner, but to study it, meditate on it, pray on it, and sleep on it.  If after that you don’t restructure your thought process, maybe I will conclude I was incorrect about your intentions, an outcome that will sadden me significantly, but do nothing to change how I and many other Jewish people feel.

Sincerely,

David Groen

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