Tag Archives: God

December 29, 2021

The Lessons I’ve Learned and Wish to Share

By davidgroen1
Loch Lomond, Scotland

Over the years, those who have followed me know that I write my best when what I write comes from the heart.  As I am on the brink of an important personal milestone, what I write today is as much from the heart as anything I have ever written.  What I want to share with you today are some of the most important life lessons I’ve learned in my 60 years on earth.

So if you ask yourself what is it about me that makes the lessons worth listening to, it’s simple. I am a very happy man.  While I may not be the most successful of people by the standards of some, should a wealthy individual with many acquisitions be seen as a success if said individual is not happy?  Well one of the important lessons I’ve learned, and one I will share right away, is that my personal happiness or success is not determined by how others judge their own.  So I will leave that question unanswered, because it has little to no bearing on me.

One of the big questions we face is whether or not life should be looked at through the big picture lens or as a series of events.  The truth is, as balance is one of the most important aspects of life, being able to identify events and the big picture as 2 major elements in a good life is very important.  Friendships, and relationships as a whole are a perfect example of the application of this balance.  There are people with who we share great moments and people with who we have long lasting meaningful relationships.  Our most treasured relationships are with those that encompass both.  However, part of that for which we need to be grateful are those who are in our life in whatever capacity it turns out to be.  The concept of accepting someone for who they are is not only poignant, it is critical to maintaining relationships that will last and most likely enhance our lives.

All these theoretical concepts are nice, but when push comes to shove how many of us are able to put aside our egos and preconceived notions in order to maintain these relationships? It’s a good question and one that no one person is qualified to answer. I will say though, that up towards the top of principals I live by is the notion of not losing sight of the objective.  To put too much emphasis on being respected or making a point, knowing full well that respect can’t be forced and ideals can be imposed, is taking a potentially pleasant or meaningful gathering and turning it into a conflict.  Whether you justify it or not, you’ve lost sight of your objective. Or if you go on a vacation and one bad experience, be it with a place or person, occupies more space in your head than the thrill of your trip, you have lost sight of your objective.

Now of course I know that some things are out of our control and no matter what we do we can’t change them or make them better, but this leads me to an even more important lesson I’ve learned, one that we’ve heard often and one I work to apply every day of my life. 

The lesson I am referring to is one of the core principals in living a happy and fulfilling life.  It is understanding that we should only focus on controlling that which we can control, and knowing how to accept, or at the very least come to terms with that which we cannot control.  The age of COVID-19 is a more important time in which to apply this principal than any other time I can remember.  At least from a communal perspective.  It is hard to believe that we live in an era in which dealing with how people treat each other during a pandemic is an added problem to contend with, but as we all know, it most certainly is one.  I am not knowledgeable enough to speak in absolutes when it comes to COVID, and whether or not I feel anyone else is or not.  All I can do in every aspect of my life is to treat others in a way I feel is fair and decent and take any actions or precautions I deem appropriate for me or anyone else for who I am responsible.  Disease, illness and death are not good things I can change with a positive attitude, but my attitude can have an impact on how I and sometimes others can deal with or come to terms with these issues.

Don’t get weighed down by the need to avoid living a life with some or many clichés.   Each moment is precious. There! I said it, fully aware of what a cliché it is. Does that make it any less true?  Absolutely not.  Appreciation for what we have now is as important as appreciation for what we have had till now. Being in the moment allows us to get joy from a brief encounter with a stranger, a delicious food, a refreshing drink, or a beautiful sunset or vista.  While an individual moment rarely is special enough to alter an entire perspective, the cumulative appreciation makes the love of these moments more than just brief experiences, they make you the person you should desire to become and helps give you the added strength to deal with life’s more challenging moments.

Before I share with you what I have come to believe is the most important thing I have learned about life, I am going to briefly, and as safely as possible address what are arguably the 3 most highly debated subjects to discuss.  Money, religion and God.

I am of the belief, another belief I know I share with others, that when it comes to all 3, each individual needs to decide for themselves how much importance they each get, if any.  Most people who say they don’t care about money have either so much that is no longer a concern, or feel that what they have in life is enough to make them happy. Whether you care about money or not, the one piece of advice I would offer, is do not let money control you or define you.

Religion may forever be debated as coming from God or man, a matter I will not debate in this piece, but no one can ever convince me that using religion to harm another human being is anything other than a perversion of what one claims to be an ethical pursuit. If you believe in any religion, use it for good.

While some may have put God and religion in the same category, I firmly believe these are 2 very separate discussions.  Religion is about dogma and personal and communal behaviors.  God is rooted more in belief of a higher power, and in my opinion, there may be nothing more personal, nothing more unique than each individual’s perception of the existence or lack of existence of God.  The impact of the subject of God may very well be compared to a snowflake.  No 2 people look at it entirely the same way.  While much of what brings me peace, guidance and happiness is my trust in God and the plan in place, I make it a point to accept this as a perspective very personal to me, regardless of whether or not it is agreed upon or totally dismissed by another.

So where do other people fit into all of this discussion of a happy and fulfilling life?  While I see this subject as I see so many others, very personal and individual, for me it is simple.  We are put on this planet to live with others. I know that we are born alone and we die alone, but the time in between is a different matter entirely.  We live in a world with other people.  While I recognize that many may be less comfortable with strangers than I am, and some may be skeptical or suspicious of other’s intentions, one of my most important credos is as follows.  Meeting someone I did not know when I woke up in the morning is one of the things that makes life worth living.  It always has been the case for me and I intend to do my utmost to make it a sentiment I hold with me for the remainder of my days.  To the people I have met, loved, helped and wronged, I thank you all for helping to make me who I am today, and know that I am truly sorry for when I wronged you. It was never about causing you pain, it was only a result of being what we all are, flawed creatures.

All of these lessons enrich my life and make challenges easier to deal with, but when all is said and done, the one principal that truly dictates how I live my life is one taught in Jewish teachings.  It is the lesson in Pirkei Avot, The lessons of our fathers.  It is the simple and most powerful sentence teaching how to live a happy and fulfilling life.  While I know of many people who know this sentence, for those who are not familiar with it, is goes as follows.

Who is the rich one? The one who is happy with their portion.

There is no more sound formula for a happy and fulfilling life than the true understanding of this sentence.  It is easy to wake up with so many of your goals achieved and with excessive good fortune, but what happens when it does not all go the way that you planned?  At one point or another everyone has to face sadness or disappointment.  I can tell you with clarity, understanding and complete honesty that my life has gone very differently than I hoped or expected it would when I was a much younger man.  However, I can also say that as I sit here today, just days shy of my 60th birthday, that I am a very happy man. Because my happiness is not dependent on what I will get or even how much time I will get in the future, but on what I have been blessed with today.   Life itself is a gift, and I am truly happy with my portion in this life. I wish the same happiness for all of you.

LIKE THIS POST? SHARE IT ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER

BRAM’S VIOLIN

HOW TO BUY THE BOOK

JOIN “THE GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL” ON FACEBOOK

IN CONJUNCTION WITH GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Uncategorized

April 20, 2016

God’s Disproportionate Response to Egypt

By davidgroen1

10p

Despite the fact that many consider the Old Testament to be a man-made fabrication, billions of people worldwide do indeed believe it to be an authentic accounting of what took place thousands of years ago.  With so much of the world’s violence revolving around religious belief and doctrine, the lessons learned from the Bible are indeed relevant today, if for no other reason than the fact that people believe it to be true.  As the Jewish holiday of Passover approaches, the story of the enslavement of the Jewish people in Egypt is front and center.  In a time when Israel’s response to violence is once again being challenged by those who either wish her destruction, feel passivity will lead to peace, or look to appease the enemy, the story of Passover has become even more relevant.  When the statement is made that Israel’s retaliation to violence is a Disproportionate Response, the question one has to ask, especially this time of year is, was God’s reaction to Egypt subsequently a Disproportionate Response as well?

To get a better idea of whether or not this is the case one needs to know a little bit about the history as it is appears in the Bible.  The story starts with the Jewish people being seen as a threat to Egypt by the country’s new  King or “Pharoah”. His concern was that the Jews were multiplying too quickly and becoming too strong, therefore posing a threat to Egyptian society.  Despite the fact that they had done nothing to warrant these suspicions, the Jews were felt to be such a growing danger that they were enslaved, forced to do hard labor, and made to build ostentatious and glorious cities for Egypt’s Pharoah. When their number continued to increase, the Pharoah decreed that all newborn Jewish males should be thrown into the Nile River.  Moses, a child that would survive this systematic murder of Jewish male children, would ultimately be the man who would lead the Jews out of slavery. However, not before the Egyptians would go through tremendous suffering of their own.

When Moses ascended to his leadership role of the Jewish people he ultimately stood before the Egyptian leader and in the name of God implored him to “Let my people Go!”  When the Pharoah refused, God decided to punish the Egyptians with a variety of plagues.  The water turned to blood, the land would be infested with swarms of locusts, there would be a debilitating darkness, and the people and cattle would be cursed with boils and lice, just to name a few of the hardships God brought upon the Egyptian people. Was this fair?  Was it right for the Egyptians to suffer so tremendously merely because the Pharoah wanted to maintain his labor force? After all, the Jews who were allowed to live were  given enough food and shelter to survive.  Their social structure was kept in tact enough that men and women were able to get together and multiply to the point where they were deemed a threat.  Was it really fair for God to come down so hard on the Egyptians?  Did they deserve to suffer on such a high level merely because they would not let the Jewish people break out of their generations of bondage and suffering?  By today’s standards certainly not.  Today every level of injustice is measured with some sort of bias, often in favor of those committing the injustice.  But if you believe the story of Passover, the injustices committed by the Egyptians against the Children of Israel were not going to go unpunished by the most powerful being of all, God.

When Pharoah still refused to let the Jewish people go, the suffering would reach it’s pinnacle.  All of Egypts first born sons would be killed unless the Jews were freed. Pharoah in his arrogance and stubbornness refused to capitulate, causing the death of countless numbers of Egyptians sons, the most notable of which would be the son of the Pharoah himself.  Was all this necessary merely because the Jewish people were living as slaves?  Seeing as there was no United Nations back then there was certainly no governing body to condemn what was happening, but even if there had been, what were they going to do, condemn God?  Maybe, you never know.

When the Pharoah finally gave in, for a large part due to his own immense suffering at the loss of his child, he actually had second thoughts and sent his army after the Jews as they fled Egypt.  Up to the last moment, as the Jews were escaping Egypt, God would still cause suffering on the Egyptian people, causing multitudes of soldiers to be engulfed and washed away to their death in the Red Sea.  All this just so the Jews would live as free people.  All this suffering that befell the Egyptians truly must be seen as a Disproportionate Response on the part of the Almighty, should it not?

Of course the truth is a simple one.  If this did indeed happen as it is portrayed in the Old Testament, these harsh “Disproportionate Responses” were actions by God in defense and protection of the Jewish people.  But regardless of whether it was the Jews or anyone else, the message it sends is that taking away the freedom of an entire nation is indeed a crime punishable by great suffering.  If a people are being attacked or enslaved by another group of people, attacks against those that enslave them, persecute them, or murder them are not only acceptable, they are warranted.  Attacks against those who threaten a people’s sovereignty are warranted, regardless of whether or not the United Nations, the European community, or the likes of a Bernie Sanders find it to be acceptable behavior.

If man is truly created in God’s image, then there is no such thing as Disproportionate Response against those that wish to wipe out a nation.  If no other lesson is to be learned from Passover, this is one that should be, especially in the world in which we live today.

LIKE THIS POST? SHARE IT ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER

HOW TO BUY THE BOOK

READ MORE OF WHAT I HAVE TO SAY IN THE DAILY COLUMN

JOIN “THE GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL” ON FACEBOOK

GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL IS NOW ON TWITTER @gcimovement

IN CONJUNCTION WITH GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL

 

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Uncategorized

March 18, 2015

Thank God!

By davidgroen1

Netanyahuvictoryspeech397260_20150317_234829

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve never been shy when it comes to showing my support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhau.  I’m also not considered to be someone who is ever at a loss for words.  That being said, after Netanyahu’s victory in today’s election, with all that was at stake for Israel, the Jewish people, the region and the entire world, the only thing that needs to said is this.  Thank God!  Let’s pray that Prime Minister Netanyahu continues to be blessed with the wisdom and strength to do what needs to be done.

 

LIKE THIS POST? SHARE IT ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER

HOW TO BUY THE BOOK

CLICK TO JOIN “THE GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL” ON FACEBOOK

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Uncategorized

November 17, 2014

My Plea for Unity

By davidgroen1

Jewish-unityWhen I got into this activism mode a few months back, I did so to fight the enemies of the Jewish people. As I feel more and more like the debate is turning into Jew against Jew it becomes increasingly exhausting for me.  I am by no means afraid to confront ANYONE, but I reserve the right to show more tolerance for Jews than I do for others sharing opinions I feel incorrect or even damaging to the Jewish people. We speak of 6 million dying at the hands of the Nazis. What would happen if we found out that 1.5 millions were so liberal and overly tolerant that they wanted to try to negotiate with Hitler. We know they’re wrong, but do we alter our discussion? Do we only truly mourn 4.5 million slaughtered Jews once we know this? As I love to do I quote these wonderful words by my father Rabbi Nardus Groen of Blessed Memory:

“We may in the course of it meet people who, for whatever it’s worth, may be portrayed as heroes, while others are cowards, pacifists, or activists.They are all the products of mankind. For them, there will always be a place under the sun (with the exception of the traitor). But being as we are a homogenous society, no one can ever be left out. And as it is by the very
inclination of the human race, the dark shadow of the wicked will play an overpowering role in leaving behind the marks in the way of scars brought upon them by society.

If the worst could ever be turned into good, the only lesson to be learned of that is, never ever forget. For in the past lay the present, and in the present the future. Without that, we will be repeating our mistakes and shortcomings, and as a result the world will not be the place it was created to be.

In order to live, you still have to be able to somehow believe in the goodness of mankind.”

 

Whenever we pray to God for forgiveness we hope our worst actions will be understood as being a result of weakness or stupidity.  We turn to God and hope he will accept the failings that coincide with our humanity.  I am not saying we tolerate someone who puts us in clear and present danger, I am merely saying we allow the same courtesy to decent albeit misguided or weak people that we ourselves beg from God.

And as my father, a man who lived a good life till the age of 87, a man who worked against the Nazis in the Dutch resistance, saved the lives of innocent people, fought in the Dutch Marines and then served the Jewish community as a Rabbi for decades and was anything but naive once said, “In order to live, you still have to be able to somehow believe in the goodness of mankind.”

I’m all for standing up for one’s principles, but my first priority is to fight against those that want to do harm to the innocent and harm my people.  I am not here to fight Jews.  There are enough people who want to do that.  I refuse to be one of them.

 

LIKE THIS POST? SHARE IT ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER

HOW TO BUY THE BOOK

CLICK TO JOIN “THE GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL” ON FACEBOOK

Follow Holland’s Heroes on Twitter @hollandsheroes

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Uncategorized

October 27, 2014

Open Letter to Shia Labeouf from a Proud Jew

By davidgroen1

shiaDear Shia,

Thank you.  You helped crystallize an opinion I’ve had for quite some time. In leaving, or I should say believing you’ve left the Jewish faith, you made the statement that you just couldn’t cut it.  It’s important that I make something very clear.  If someone’s faith makes them a better person I respect them for the religion they are following.  However, as a Jew, and  I know I am not alone in this sentiment, someone who says they are leaving the faith I feel is at least to some degree a bit of a traitor.  Proud Jews believe we have something special going here, and when you Shia Labeouf choose to take your manifestation of faith elsewhere, you are, in the eyes of many, saying it’s not good enough of for you.  But I see it differently. I believe you are saying it is too difficult for you.

It is somewhat ironic that I write this letter.  You see, I am not such a great Jew.   Of course when I say this I am referring to my level of observance.  How good or bad I am is something left for God to judge, but there is no debating that my religious practice leaves a lot to be desired.  So when I seemingly go after someone for running from Judaism’s challenges, the irony is that I do that every day.  There’s one difference.  I don’t go elsewhere because I think it is easier.

You might say that I am out of line.  I’m sure I will even hear that from some fellow Jews who read this letter.  After all how can I make the assumption that you left the religion of your birth because it was too tough for you.  I make this assumption because I know that to many of those lost souls wandering around aimlessly,  it is a lot easier to choose a system where they believe that all they need to do is declare their faith. Being a Christian by your perception in what you so spiritually referred to as a not in a  F-ing Bulls*t type of way, doesn’t involve all the restrictions and daily commitment being a Jew in a not F-ing Bulls*t type of way does.  I’ll even go along with your premise and admit that I often behave in ways that makes it seem like I believe in Judaism in a F-ing Bulls*t type of way.  I rather admit my flaws and practice poorly than run to something else where I can appear religious without really doing anything.

I have Christian friends.  I respect them and admire them.  I don’t believe in all the same concepts that they do, but since they respect what I believe in as well our differences don’t matter.  And to be very honest, I have no issue with anyone who chooses Christianity over the faith of their birth unless it was Judaism.  You see Shia, I have a great fondness and pride for what I am.  I know it is tough being Jewish.  There are lots of restrictions, many responsibilities, what sometimes feels like unfair expectations, and with the amount of people who have wanted to kill us over the years and still do to this day, what often feels like a big target on our backs.

There are some who believe that Judaism makes it too hard for people to join the faith.  They believe that conversion should be made easier.  The opinion you helped crystallize by your declaration of conversion is that one of the reasons for anti-Semitism is the way we Jews who are even marginally traditional Jews feel we’re an exclusive group which people have to show real dedication to if they wish to join.  I think it causes many to subconsciously feel, if you can’t join em, beat em.  I myself have struggled with this very question, Does Judaism make it too difficult for converts?  Maybe so.  But I guess it’s because we rather not have someone claim to be Jewish and then be a Jew in a F-ing Bullsh*t kind of way.  It’s usually required that they believe in it in the kind of way that goes beyond just saying in an interview to a magazine that they’ve been saved.

Despite the perceived tone of this letter, I do wish you spiritual peace.  I also want you to know I still consider you Jewish whether you do or not.  You see, I was raised to believe it’s a lifetime membership whether you feel you can handle it or not.  And if I am right you’ll have to answer to God big time.  Then again so will I.  But at least I accepted what he gave me from birth.  You felt you knew better, or found an easier answer.  Good luck with that.

Sincerely,

David Groen

 

LIKE THIS POST? SHARE IT ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER

HOW TO BUY THE BOOK

CLICK TO JOIN “THE GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL” ON FACEBOOK

Follow Holland’s Heroes on Twitter @hollandsheroes

7 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Uncategorized

September 30, 2014

It’s Not God’s Fault

By davidgroen1

Blaming-GodAs hard to believe as it might be, this is my second attempt at writing this article.  Since I started this blog approximately 2 1/2 years ago,  I have made 457 posts. It was not till today, after I wrote an article titled “It’s Not God’s Fault”, did I actually have an instance where an article vanished in between my writing it and posting it.  As much as I would like to say that this incident is actually God’s fault, and how chillingly coincidental it is that this of all posts is the one that vanished, chances are I just hit a wrong button.  But who knows? It certainly is food for fault.

When I originally wrote this piece, the point I started with was that potentially the two most dangerous people are the ones that believe in God too little and the ones that believe in God too much.   I know many people who either do not believe in God or have serious doubts that God exists.  They are some of the best people I know.  They are kind, considerate, function well in society and have good families.  It’s irrelevant that I feel their inherent values come from guidelines given to us by God.  What’s relevant is that they believe or highly doubt there is an all-powerful or almighty force controlling events or monitoring behavior.  However, for anyone who has blatant criminal or harmful tendencies, if they do not believe in God, they are not at all inhibited by fear of God’s wrath.  Often the only thing standing in the way of their committing criminal or heinous acts is avoiding human detection. On a larger scale, the most dictatorial of Communist regimes, controlled by people who did not believe in God, pushed the idea that all the control rested in the hands of the citizens, and that there was no higher mystical power in control, even if the citizens actually had very little control themselves.

Then there are those whose religion makes them fanatical. Many people use religion as a moral guide and subsequently are very good people.  However, there are some so-called religious leaders that use religion as a means to motivate the masses behind them to commit acts of violence and evil.  I am of the belief that these leaders are people motivated far more by personal gain and power than they are by anything genuinely religious or Godly.  What they do is gather support under the guise of something holy, claiming it will make people’s lives better.  They preach a fanaticism that tells people that any action they take is permissible if it is in the name of God and that God wants them to do whatever it takes to spread his word.  They convince them that these actions regardless of how heinous they may be, are God’s will and will make their life or death something better than it otherwise would be.  Using this premise the most unimaginable atrocities can and sometimes do take place.  We’ve seen it on a relatively small-scale till now.  As the numbers grow, so too will the frequency.

Extremism on any level is dangerous.  I believe this entire discussion in itself is proof that it really has nothing to do with God.  Decent people who believe in God use that belief as a means of improving their lives and the lives of those around them.  Decent people who do not believe in God live their lives in pursuit of the same things that will improve their lives and the lives of others. They just don’t believe an all-powerful entity is involved in the process.

As one who believes in God it is impossible for me to comprehend how one can manipulate that belief to do evil.  What causes people to do bad, be it environment, genetics or unfortunate circumstances is something I’m not smart enough to determine, certainly not on a mass scale, although it often has to do with something as basic as economics.  One thing I know for sure. It’s not God’s fault.

 

LIKE THIS POST? SHARE IT ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER

HOW TO BUY THE BOOK

CLICK TO JOIN “THE GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL” ON FACEBOOK

Follow Holland’s Heroes on Twitter @hollandsheroes

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Uncategorized

September 13, 2014

An Anchorman Tells the World he is Dying

By davidgroen1

dave_benton2007-01-25-1169779168It’s one thing to talk the talk, and yet another to walk the walk.  Anchorman Dave Benton does both.  In a stunning announcement on air, Benton told his audience that his brain cancer had returned and that the doctors have told him he has 4-6 months to providing inspiration and strength to us all at a challenging time .  A man of faith, he also said the following statement:

“I am at peace and I know he’s going to take care of the days ahead and that the goal here is to have the best ones possible,” he said.

CLICK HERE TO SEE HIS MOVING ON AIR STATEMENT

The 51-year-old Benton of WICA-TV in Illinois clearly does walk the walk as much as he talks the talk.  It is hard not to be moved by this video of a man telling the world he is dying, and doing it with what is clearly a total faith and trust in God’s decision.  When Dave Benton says on air he hopes he can help other people, you know it’s not self-promoting.  You know it is genuine.  I wish him and his family strength, pray his experimental treatment works, but most of all hope his days ahead are meaningful and blessed.

 

HOW TO BUY THE BOOK

CLICK TO JOIN “THE GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL” ON FACEBOOK

Follow Holland’s Heroes on Twitter @hollandsheroes

 

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Uncategorized

September 10, 2014

A Prayer for Safety and Peace

By davidgroen1

ground zero, 9/11, Tribute in Light

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we get ready to remember the 9/11 attacks that took place 13 years ago, I would like to express my hope that everyone will be safe tomorrow and in all the days to come.  We live in troubling times and with many concerns for the future.  I pray to God that we will all be fortunate to realize a genuine peace in our lifetime and that very soon, good will win the battle over evil.

Maybe the best way to honor the people we remember on 9/11 is with an optimism that the world can become the place we hope it can be, and to continue to thank God for that in the world that is indeed good and right.

Let us never lose out hope, our love , and our faith in a bright future.

 

HOW TO BUY THE BOOK

CLICK TO JOIN “THE GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL” ON FACEBOOK

Follow Holland’s Heroes on Twitter @hollandsheroes

email: hollandsheroes80@gmail.com

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , | posted in Uncategorized

September 2, 2014

An Open Letter of Appreciation to the Christian Community

By davidgroen1

120810091855-jerusalem-skyline-story-topMy dear friends,

From time to time I refer to the words of my mother, a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor from Holland who compares what is happening today to 1938 Europe.  I always respond the same way, focusing on the fact that the very existence of the State of Israel makes this dangerous and frightening time unlike any other time in the past 2,000 years of Jewish history.  There are other factors I refer to as differentiating today from 1938 such as the tremendous leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu and the countless amount of Jews with the thought of “Never Again” ingrained into their very soul.  There is one other difference from 1938 and it is not only not to be overlooked, it may turn out to be the most important difference in the long-term struggle for survivor.  That difference is the unwavering support of the Christian community.

I am Jewish.  Although my personal conviction doesn’t always translate into behaviors consistent with my beliefs, I believe in the Jewish religion.  It was how I was raised and although I often question the dogma, it is still the religion my life at least to some extent revolves around.  However, I am very grateful for being raised with a respect for those who believe in different things than I do, even if and when I do not agree with them.  I have had very close friends with whom I have had some very enjoyable religious debates. What I always came away with from those debates, and is more evident to me today than during any other time in my life, is that if you truly believe in God, a God that created man in his image and is a God of love and mercy, there is no room for hate, destruction and violence.  I know that as I write this there are some of the more extreme within the Jewish community that are asking if I am unaware of the past.  The answer is that I am very aware of the past, however I am even more aware of the fact that today’s Christian generally lives by a special and moral standard, and that part of that standard is a love for Israel and the Jewish people.

I had been considering writing this letter for quite some time, but it was not till tonight when I saw an interview done by Bill Maher of Benjamin Netanyahu that I felt inspired to get it done(CLICK HERE TO WATCH).  When Bill Maher, someone I like but differ from in philosophy when it comes to the discussion of God, tried to compare Muslim extremists desire for a post apocolyptic world to how Christians speak of the end of time, Netanyahu set him straight.  He clarified that the difference is based on 2 important points.  First of all, even when Christians believe there will be an end of time they are not trying to make it happen by blowing people up. And secondly he stated that the biggest difference is that regardless of how extreme their beliefs may be, Christians are sane people.

I am fully aware of the fact that Christians believe that Israel is a critical element in their belief of how the future of the world plays out.  When I say that it is of no importance to me, I say that with the utmost of respect.  It does not mean that I have anything other than respect for how you feel and what you believe, what it means is that all I care about as a Jew and a Zionist who believes in something different, is that your belief now translates into strong and loving support for Israel and the Jewish people.

I believe that the fight, and I believe subsequent war, is one that can only be won if Christians and Jews work together.  I have come across and continue to come across scores of Christians who appear to feel the same way.  My personal gratitude for what I’ve witnessed from my Christian friends specifically over the past few months has been a wonderful enlightenment and has given me hope for the future of the Jewish people and the planet.  As far as what happens next, once we get through this conflict against evil, and with God’s help victoriously, well we will deal with the differences then.  The good news is I am sure we will do so as friends.

Sincerely,

David Groen

 

HOW TO BUY THE BOOK

CLICK TO JOIN “THE GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL” ON FACEBOOK

Follow Holland’s Heroes on Twitter @hollandsheroes

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Uncategorized

August 26, 2014

My Summer of Gaza

By davidgroen1

img65649The summer of 2014 was set to be a great one.  I had slimmed down from the year before, had recently moved into a better home closer to the beach, the World Cup had started and I was all set to enjoy the next few months. Although life always presents its challenges, nothing had come up that was so important that it would change my priorities significantly.  Then something happened that changed everything.  3 Yeshiva boys were kidnapped.

I still remember that ray of hope we had that Naftali, Gilad, and Eyal would somehow make it back safely.  The motto “Bring Back our Boys” was everywhere as we all prayed that somehow God would see them back to their homes unharmed.  I have seen many bad actions taken against Jews and decent people everywhere, but somehow I found myself more involved now than I had been for at least 13 years since 9/11.  I related to these boys.  I remember being a Yeshiva student myself in my late teens, in Israel, and knew that even if I wasn’t like these boys, I knew guys who were.  So it hit home and I found myself caring more than usual.  It wasn’t till they were found dead, murdered brutally at what we all knew immediately was the hands of Hamas terrorists, that something truly snapped in me.  That was when I, David, had finally had enough.

When tragedy strikes one never knows exactly how they will react.  Although I related so significantly to these three boys, I did not know them personally. Had I known them personally, maybe I would have been so distraught that I would have had trouble functioning.  So when I say I had finally had enough and I snapped, I felt an anger I had rarely felt in my life and I turned to my weapon of choice, the written word.  And my position as a moderate was now a thing of the past as well, as I realized that moderation is something that needs to be saved for the reasonable and fair, not the racially bigoted and brutally violent.

When the Israeli cabinet met on how to react to the boys’ deaths, I knew one thing.  As a Jew and a Zionist living in New York, unless they did nothing, I would support the Israeli government.  I committed myself to not only stating my feelings, but in rallying as many people as possible to the cause.  Not my cause, not merely the Jewish people’s cause, but in truth what should be seen as the entire world’s cause.   Before this would happen I would call someone a piece of garbage for being anti-Semitic, and occasionally even write something about it, but now it felt more personal than before.  It became so clear to me as it is to almost anyone with an unbiased desire for a peaceful world.  So now I decided to go further than I had ever gone before.  As I state on my Twitter profile, “no longer am I happy not being part of the problem. Now I want to be part of the solution.”

When Israel first went after Hamas with airstrikes in Gaza, no one really knew how serious the situation would turn out to be.  The terror tunnels they discovered were designed to carry out mass murders of Jews, and the intelligence they gathered indicated that it was going to be as soon as this Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year which falls towards the end of September. Israel’s incursion by ground troops into Gaza was used to uncover and destroy these tunnels.  However, while this was happening the situation took an ominous term.

I almost typed unexpected as well, but as a Jew paying attention, anti-Semitism is never completely unexpected.  I’ve been accused of being slightly over-sensitive to comments, but no one has ever accused me of having a persecution complex.  At least not to my face.  So when I say I was not totally shocked by the global spike in anti-Jewish words and behavior, this is not coming from someone who makes declarations that “everyone hates the Jews”.  I know better.  What we’ve seen this summer however has been epic.  Even by the usual standards of hatred.  Gone is the requirement of logic and fact.  Merely wanting to hate the Jews became enough.  Telling half of the story so that the part that exonerated Israel was conveniently missing became the strategy of the vocal and clever anti-Zionist/anti-Semite.  And gone forever is the notion that anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism are not two in the same.  When  you have two signs at a protest that say “Free Gaza” and ” Hitler was right”, you have lost the argument that they are different.  When pogrom style attacks took place on French synagogues by people claiming to do things in support of Palestinians it was made abundantly clear that this was about hating the Jew at least as much as it was about opposing Israel.

The more Jews were attacked, whether in Israel or outside of Israel, the more committed I became, expressing my commitment through articles and letters to those expressing damaging sentiments towards the Jewish people, while also writing articles acknowledging our supporters.  Every time I heard “Free Gaza” I felt more and more compelled to shout to the world that the people of Gaza needed to be freed from Hamas not from Israel.  Every time the United Nations revealed its bizarrely obvious bias against Israel I wanted to write something to expose it.  Why?  Partially because it was cathartic, but even more because I wanted to make sure everyone I could reach would know the truth, and once I began to do that, there was no turning back.  With every missile fired at Israel, with every fatality including the 64 members of the IDF fighting to preserve Israel’s survivor, my commitment grew stronger.

Recognizing the need for unity with more than just the Jewish community, I created the Global Coalition for Israel on Facebook as a means of showing a cohesive support for the State of Israel. One month later the group is at 1300 and growing daily.  When the summer began I was worried about when I was going to get to the beach, lay in the sun and get to barbecues.  I’m not saying that I didn’t do those things to some extent during the summer of 2014, but they all took a back seat to something more important.  My new activism.  Watching CNN and FOX on a daily basis to get the news coming from the region, researching websites and news sources online, and meeting people with stories to tell from Israel and Europe, the summer of 2014 became something I never expected it would become, it became my Summer of Gaza.

HOW TO BUY THE BOOK

CLICK TO JOIN “THE GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL” ON FACEBOOK

Follow Holland’s Heroes on Twitter @hollandsheroes

 

 

 

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Uncategorized