After yesterday’s events in Amsterdam, telling Holland to wake up is a natural and understandable reaction. But I could just as easily said, “Wake up world”, for what we saw take place in the city where my parents grew up, is going to happen everywhere in Europe, and beyond, including eventually America, if this problem isn’t addressed. While I like to believe the majority of Muslims are not a problem, let’s call this what it is, a Muslim problem. Maybe more importantly, we should learn from history and identify the parallels of what we are seeing in Europe today to what we saw in Europe in the 1930s.
While we might be inclined to say that this is different because it is not government sanctioned, that is not entirely accurate. After the Islamic revolution of 1979 in Iran, it was made very clear that the goal was to make the entire world Muslim. Much of Holland’s Muslim population is of Moroccan descent, an important point to make when addressing the issue. Morocco traditionally has been a country welcoming to Jews. When Jews left Morocco for Israel in the first large migration of Jews from North Africa, the Royal family practically begged them to stay. But with the tentacles of Iran spreading everywhere, and using the Palestinian issue as there moral high ground, they have spread their evil rhetoric worldwide. That coupled with the funding of Qatar and others has fueled this rise in Muslim fundamentalism, And of course, just as was the case with Nazi Germany, while there ultimate goal is world domination, their favorite target is the Jews.
For those who throw around the terms “Nazis” and “fascists”, if you truly want to see an example of that today, just YouTube yesterday’s events in Amsterdam, events eerily reminiscent of Kristallnacht, which took place 86 years ago tomorrow. My fellow Jews need to call to task all of those who stay quiet when the Jewish people, .02% of the world’s population, are treated as though they are the problem and are targeted and attacked just because they are Jewish. We must not remain silent and we must not be afraid to speak the truth, regardless of who it offends or angers.
As for not only Holland, the country not just of my ancestors but my immediate family, but the rest of Europe and countries beyond, if you do not wake up, your governments will ultimately fall and you will enter an age of terror not seen since the 1940s. I like to believe that it is not too late, and in all honesty I just don’t know, but what I do know is that the only chance we have is in identifying and dealing with the real threat, not whatever scapegoat is easier to target and makes us feel better about ourselves.
I am not going to lie. I hate every last one of the pro Hamas protestors on every American campus. But unless we identify those responsible for getting us here, it will be over for Jews in the United States, and after that happens the United States as we know it may ultimately be well on its way to a collapse.
I first started identifying a disturbing trend after 9/11. There were those on the right that blamed what they called failed policies by Bill Clinton. There were those on the left that attacked then president George W. Bush for not publicly showing alarm in front of kindergarteners when he first heard of the attack. Those that did that seemed too afraid or too political to go after those responsible for the attack, namely Al Qaeda and their leader Osama Bin-Laden. Why? Maybe because it felt safer to them to react in the manner. Do I hold young adults protesting on behalf of murdering terrorists accountable for their actions? Of course I do. But that can not let any one of us stay silent about those that either planted the seeds or fertilized the ground. We need to speak openly and honestly about how we got here.
First and foremost, let me be perfectly clear. Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. You do not have to like Israel’s current government, a large percentage of Israelis do not. But Israel is a strong and functioning democracy that can work it out for itself, and standing against it in what may be the most perilous time in the history of the Jewish state is ultimately calling for the death of Jews.
If you are a proud Jew and Zionist such as myself, one who makes every attempt to learn from history, holding back on speaking the truth should no longer be an option. The seeds of this cancer have been planted by Qatar, the most devious country on the planet. With its annual influx of billions of dollars to College administrations, this country, one that is playing everyone, has in essence bought the narrative of America’s future.
Then there’s the 10’s of billions of dollars of frozen assets released to Iran during the Obama administration, culminating with a massive airlift of cash in his last days in office, in essence supplying the money needed to fund Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and of course Hamas which ultimately led to previous wars, October 7th, and the current war in Gaza. This is not a truth many people want to admit to, but a truth nonetheless.
But let’s not forget the era in which we live. An era of Instagram posts and Tik-Tok reels in which Chuck Schumer, the highest ranking Jewish politician in U.S. history, calls for elections to replace Israel’s Prime Minister in the middle of a war. Students see and hear this. When Jonathan Glazer, a Jew himself makes an acceptance speech at the Oscars for Best International Feature Film and states that his Jewishness and the Holocaust are “being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people”, young college students see this clip. It is widely believed that when you follow the money, much of what does not lead back to Iran and Qatar leads back to George Soros, a Jew himself and one who escaped the Holocaust. Bernie Sanders, notoriously anti-Israel to the point of providing false statistics during previous conflicts, can only be described as a traitor, who, as one of my brothers so eloquently put, should rot in hell. Even if you want to say that many of those among my fellow Jews mean well and have even done a lot for Israel and the Jewish people before now, what they are doing today is fueling the burning and growing fire of Jewish hatred in America and worldwide. To put it more bluntly and to clarify how devastating this is, giving life and power to these protestors is likely killing any hostage still alive, because as Hamas sees the societal disaster taking place in America, they have increased incentive to keep the war going. Why would they accept Israel’s terms when thanks to the voices against Israel and the agitators protesting on campus, some of which are actually students, Hamas is in effect, winning the war.
There are the Jew hating celebrities like Roger Watters, Susan Sarandon and Jon Cusack, who repeatedly accuse Israel of committing Genocide and will insist that some of their best friends are Jewish. They are all cowards and fools, as displayed by Cusack who banned me from his X account after I accused him of being on the wrong side of history. https://x.com/HollandsHeroes/status/1785158544645378104 . They are cowards because it is truly my belief that deep in their hearts they see a world with growing Muslin extremism and they feel safer going after 8 million Jews. It is hard to argue with their logic if you only look at the numbers, but it brings their cowardice into focus.
Let’s not forget the squad and the loud and proud Jew hating voices led by Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Jamaal Bowman, whose growing power have forced President Joe Biden into hiding during the crisis on colleges campuses.
The heroic voices of people such as Douglas Murray, Bill Maher and John Fetterman need to grow. Proud Jewish celebrities like Robert Kraft and Jon Lovitz need to be identified and supported for their position in favor of their people.
I recognize that America and the current administration has supported Israel since October 7th, and for that I am grateful, but if the people in power spend more time worrying about keeping their jobs than doing their jobs, this will only get worse, and history is flush with stories of empires that collapsed after they persecuted and either killed or expelled the Jews. Past is prologue, and those who do not learn from it are in essence digging their own graves. This is not meant only for Jews, but non-Jewish Americans as well. When protestors on campus are calling for Intifada, if you believe it is only directed towards Israel, you are a fool.
When I started watching the news last night, it was so disturbing that I wanted to turn off the TV. However, what happens if I and all of you choose to bury our heads in the sand will make what it happening now look like a picnic, so I kept watching. Silence is not as option. Never Again is Now.
In the weeks and months following the October 7th terrorist attack, Jewish people worldwide have felt greater pain, fear, and sadness than in any time since the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. The suffering endured by our brethren in Israel is undoubtedly far greater than what we in the diaspora have endured, but the anguish is there, nonetheless. With all of this all being true, I’m left asking myself this one very poignant question. Why is it that I am happier and prouder to be a Jew today than in any other time in my life?
Part of it has to do with the fact that everything unfolding before us seems to validate my belief system. As someone who believes in the legitimacy of the Torah, I never thought I would feel as though I was living through the story of Purim. Purim tells of a time when a leader of Persia put forth a plan to wipe out the Jewish people, only to be defeated and destroyed. Here we are today, seeing Israel pushing forward and closing in on its destruction of Hamas, the terrorist group that brutally attacked Israel on October 7th. Hamas, an arm of Iran, the country which in ancient times we knew as Persia, and a country who sees it as their sacred mission is to destroy Israel, is perhaps setting itself up for a repeat of the Purim story.
A second part of why I feel as I do is the upcoming holiday of Passover. Passover, a holiday telling of Israel’s redemption from slavery in Egypt through a slew of miracles, seems more realistic today than ever before. There are those who will look at the Torah and say it is filled with stories based in fantasy, and yet here we are, as a Jewish people, facing hardships unlike any other people on the planet, and to be frank, in need of miracles. For me, the story of Passover helps me to believe in those miracles and it gives me hope. It does, for lack of a better way of saying it, show us that God has been and always will be on our side. Perhaps that explains why no other people in the world have had to endure more hatred than the Jewish people. A people that comprises a mere .02% of the world’s population, a little under 16 million of the planet’s 7.88 billion people causes what many see as an unexplainable obsession. Perhaps it is because as the Chosen People, we are the light of the world. Those who align with us share in that light, and those who do not, hate us for being that light. It’s a burdensome life indeed, but one of which being part of makes me very proud and eternally grateful.
A spiritual global war has begun, and while the death toll nowhere nearly qualifies as what we would call a world war, make no mistake. The fate of the world is hanging in the balance, and should the scales get tipped in the wrong direction, the devastation will be enormous and more catastrophic than we have ever witnessed.
Having a positive outlook and being a person who spreads light into a dark world is important, but we live in times when a hard dose of reality must take precedent over all else. It is vital that we do not allow ourselves to be intimidated or frightened from telling the truth. Allowing someone else to dictate the terms of your very existence debases the gift of life given to us by God, and to allow someone to mark us as a racist for stating the facts, handcuffs us into submission. Between 1933 and 1945, Germans were not being called dangerous because they were born in Germany, or because they were white, they were called dangerous because they were ruled by a Nazi party that made much of the country follow their instructions and carry out their evil intentions. So too, to make the very accurate and critical statement that the world has a rapidly growing Muslim extremist problem, is not racist, it’s factual. One important fact is that the people in the Muslim world who enjoy their freedoms need to recognize we share a common enemy. If the western world wants to avoid a descent into another Dark Ages, the leaders of the west must start to identify the problem, for if they do not, life as we know it, will either be taken from us, or horribly changed forever.
How is it being done? They have the physical forces on the ground, most conspicuously controlled by Iran. However, the opportunistic, two-faced approach from Qatar, a country that funds the poison in American universities, is at least as heinous and destructive. One is attacking head on, while the other infiltrates from within.
The problem we are facing can best be illustrated by looking at 2 recent days. October 7th and October 8th. Everyone who is open, honest and even slightly decent, knows that the shocking and surprise attack that took place on October 7th was cruel, evil and barbaric to an extent not witnessed in the modern era. And yet, the victim, the Jewish people and the State of Israel, were ambushed again the very next day. Nowhere near the same devastating way as the day before, but in a clearly calculated, planned and coordinated effort to pour salt on our collective wounds. If you believe that the demonstrations that “popped up” the next day, before Israel even began its retaliation, were not part of the plan, then I want to tell you about this bridge between Manhattan and Brooklyn that I can get you at a cheap price.
I have known enough Muslims in my life to know that at their core, they are decent people like everyone else. But when any group has a growing element at the top that has learned how to tap in and poison the minds of a significant segment of society, a dangerously significant percentage of people can be swayed to commit evil, or at the very least, support it. This is what we are seeing today with those who want the destruction of Israel, the Jewish people and the whole western world. But to fool ourselves into believing that the problem only exists in the Middle East, is to fight a battle while surrendering the war. When we see the throngs of people in the world’s biggest cities, siding with terrorists and believing reinvented facts, we must realize that to leave this ignored, it to accept a new world order that will cost millions of lives and a descent into a world no civilized person will want to live in.
Ultimately this problem can only be solved by those with the power to do so. Every western leader that values the freedom their country provides them must stand up and be counted. It starts with supporting Israel, the country fighting the battle on the front lines. While it is true that it is fighting for its survival, taking actions that provide resistance to Israel’s victory is opening the door to a global catastrophe. Besides emboldening those looking to destroy the west, losing Israel, a country critical, not only strategically but militarily, is waving a white flag before taking the battlefield. This means the leaders of the free world must support Israel’s efforts to destroy Hamas and any adversary threatening its existence. This means these very same world leaders can not be intimidated by the protests in their streets and acts of hate and aggression that allow the inmates to run the proverbial asylum.
If this sounds like harsh medicine, it should. The disease that must be eradicated is spreading by the day, and the survival of the world as we know it today may very well depend on it.
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.
When I found myself writing a similar letter to you 4 years ago, I was so filled with disgust for the distorted way in which you approached Israel I found myself feeling a disdain I never want to feel for a fellow Jew.
You see, the fact is that I would rather like you than not like you, but as a proud Jew, Zionist, and son of Holocaust survivors, I feel my priority is with the ideals that support the long term survival of the Jewish people. When I stop and realize this fact it becomes very clear to me why I have such a problem with your positions. It is not so much in their logic as it is in their motivation.
You see Mr. Sanders, I am open minded to a discussion about what is wrong in this world, even when it pertains to actions by those with whom I feel I have a personal connection. However, your positions towards Israel are so distorted and one-sided against it that it is clear that you take your positions not for the sake of peace and well-being of both sides, but rather for the purposes of achieving your own, very self-serving political goals.
You portray yourself as a caring, fair man, one who wants equality for all, but when it comes to the safety and future of the State of Israel you seem to conveniently put fairness and balance on the shelf. Perhaps you have wealthy Arab donors. Who knows? Perhaps you see a voting block in the increasingly anti-Semitic, BDS influenced college elite. Who knows? But what I do know is that if the well-being of people is of such importance to you, why is it that you over compensate in the wrong direction when it comes to the safety and well-being of your fellow Jews?
You’re a clever man. You know that the safety of Israel is directly connected to the safety of Jews worldwide. I believe that you also know, if you take the time to think about it and care enough to be honest, that most anti-Israel sentiment is rooted in anti-Semitism. I know you are attempting to change that discussion, but as someone who deeply cares about the future not only of Israel, but of the free world as well, I can not and will not remain silent when someone such as yourself distorts reality.
It is really not all that complicated if you truly wish to understand the situation. The Jewish people all over the world are far less safe without a strong Israel. You do not push to support those that wish to change some of Israel’s policies, you push to support those that wish to bring Israel to its knees. Israel has made countless attempts to reach peaceful solutions with the terrorist organizations that fraudulently represent the Palestinian people. Why do you not attack those organizations? Are you afraid of them? Do you need their money? I am sure we will never get an honest answer from you to this question, but in case you are in such denial of the truth that you are not aware of the following, allow me to enlighten you. The so-called leadership of the Palestinians is nothing more than a group of self-serving criminals, largely financed by Iran with the sole function of using hatred against Israel and Jews worldwide as a means of generating support from an abused and manipulated populous. Their priority is not to help their people but to hurt Jews, particularly those in Israel.
Sadly the description of the Palestinian leadership sounds a lot like that of Nazi Germany in its somewhat advanced stages. As concerning as this is, it is far from shocking. The ultimate motivation is the same. A weakened Israel is a weakened Jewish people, and for any Jew to be part of that is not only disturbing, it is unforgivable.
You want to do good for the country and the world Mr. Sanders? Start by remembering who you are, and by understanding that those who do harm to themselves are not good people, they are damaged people looking for ways to compensate for unresolved, sometimes dangerous personal issues. It is my hope that you will either wake up or shut up. Either way, the status quo is unacceptable.
I have spent the past year, over the course of the US Presidential election cycle speaking out against the concept of what many might call the concept of defending the indefensible. I take pride in being anything but a hypocrite. So much so that I sometimes have views that are not in line with where I appear to stand politically. Therefore I can no longer keep silent regarding the current administration’s recent stance regarding Israel and the United Nations condemnation of the only true democracy in the Middle East.
This piece is not about Donald Trump, so I will only refer to him this one time, merely to make a point. Those who have read my work over the past year or so are fully aware that I did not support him. I found it bizarre and a bit scary when his supporters defended words and behavior many of us saw as indefensible. I can not be sure of what kind of person he actually is, but as president, to be blunt, I just don’t like him. That being said, when I speak of dislike, my feeling towards the United Nations is on a different level. So as I sit here and realize that my president, a man I voted for, has chosen as one of his last acts as leader of the free world to align himself with this bastion of corruption, I find myself in the position where I can not and will not defend the indefensible on a level far greater than any over the past year.
Ironically the issue, at least in my opinion, is not so much in the details. There are many people in Israel who are opposed to the settlements. There are also many people who believe the only real solution to the conflict is a two state solution. But that’s not the issue. What is more significant here is the condemnation by the United Nations and the lack of loyalty and support the United States has shown to Israel in not only not obstructing this condemnation, but very possibly being a driving force behind it. The United Nations has made a very lucrative business out of criticizing and condemning the Jewish State. While nations have murdered and tortured their citizens, while terrorist groups have begun to form in various parts of the Middle East, and nations like Iran have called for the death and destruction of Israel and the United States, the United Nations has encouraged and arguably promoted the idea that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians. For any United States government to do anything other than oppose this, truly falls in the category of indefensible.
Just as a lie of omission is still a lie, an abstention by the United States at a United Nations vote of this significance is the same as a show of support for the vote. I truly believe Israel will get through this, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it is a clear act of disloyalty towards an important friend, and if it is personal and based on the relationship between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is far worse than that. It interferes in Israeli politics in a manner not too dissimilar from a foreign government hacking America’s political parties and possibly influencing the election. It tells the Israeli people, I don’t like the person you elected through your democratic process and subsequently as a result I am turning my back on you as I walk out the door.
This is not about being a Liberal or Conservative. Alan Dershowitz, a man as liberal as anyone in the public forum has spoken out against this without any filter, and clearly feels the same sense of betrayal so many of us do at this time. This is about how to treat a friend and knowing and acknowledging the difference between right and wrong. Israel is a nation of equality. A nation where people of all religions, races, nationalities and orientations have the opportunity to live in peace. If an outgoing president and an international body decide to end the year attacking Israel instead of going after the real manifestations of evil in the world, this becomes nothing other than a vendetta, be it political, racial, or as many believe in this case, personal. Regardless of the motivation it is an act that is truly indefensible.
Although many reading this may know where my vote is going, this letter is about something far more important than anyone’s personal choice for the next President of the United States. On November 8, one of the cornerstones of American freedom and democracy takes center stage as the people go to the ballot boxes and choose their next Commander in Chief. There is no question that this day, a day that is always vital, is even more critical in 2016. However, what possibly separates this election cycle from so many others is that as crucial as November 8th is, a very solid argument can be made that there is a day far more important, and that is the next day, November 9th.
Even many staunch supporters of Trump and Clinton feel that the country is in big trouble. Many feel that this election is an embarrassment. The world has been watching and they love to say that we Americans have made fools of ourselves with our choices and our attacks on each other. Well I am here to say otherwise. I am writing this letter to all Americans who genuinely want a better country. As critical as the choice is on November 8, and as uncertain as our future is, we as Americans have a choice that is even more critical than for who we cast our ballot. That choice is whether or not we are prepared to work together as a nation in support of the next president. That choice is to show the rest of the world who we really are, not who they like to believe us to be.
I know how the biggest critics feel about Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. It’s been well-documented, highly publicized, and discussed ad-nauseum. But on November 9th, assuming the election has a clear enough outcome to declare a winner, people all over the great United States have an opportunity to heal the nation. To continue bashing the other side and sit back and type nasty comments online and come up with silly names about the candidate you didn’t want after the election, will just prove the naysayers right. When the Supreme Leader of Iran uses this election to declare that America’s choices and behavior during this election proves Iran to be right, it is our responsibility to use November 9th to prove how wrong he actually is by showing how right the American system is. Show the world that peaceful democracy and a free society creates dispute, but ends in peaceful coexistence.
I’m reminded of my father, may he rest in peace. I won’t speak for my siblings, but in my case, when my father was vehemently opposed to one of my life choices he would push very hard to do things the way he felt I should do them. Would he get mad at me if I wasn’t seeing it his way? If the issue was important enough, most definitely. Would he make it very clear that he felt I was making a mistake? Unquestionably. However, those times when I chose not to listen, once I made the choice, even if he was unhappy with my choice, he supported me in my decision. Sometimes he was right, sometimes I was, but every time I came out loving him even more. Why? Because when it’s important enough to you and those you care about, you may show passion for your choice, but the true indication of love is to continue to show support whether or not someone listens to you or not and regardless of whether or not they share your passion. I got that from my father.
On November 9th Americans have an opportunity to show their true love of country. Granted it will be easier for those on the side of the winner, but the opportunity exists nonetheless. The winning side must be prepared to genuinely welcome the other in building and healing the country. Although each side has different philosophies on how to move the country and the world forward, a totally one-sided agenda from the winning party’s candidate will alienate too many others who voted for the opposition, and nothing will be more important on November 9th than a country moving towards unity.
It is a common thing in life for people to blame their problems on others. Humanity does that on an individual level and as a people. The truth is that many problems can be resolved by doing what is right and working hard towards making things happen. This election is no different. As important as it is, upwards of at least 40% of the voting populous will not get the candidate they want. These people will be left with 2 choices. Continue to fight the opposition and set this country back decades with more infighting and obstruction, or join forces and find a middle ground most, if not all people can agree on.
There is a populous movement in this country. This populism has taken form on both the conservative and liberal side of the aisle. There are some fundamental disagreements on policies. That being said the overall lesson to be learned by the populist movement is that the people are more involved than they have been in the past. But involvement is not enough. This involvement must coincide with responsibility, and that responsibility is towards the common good, something that can only be reached by working together and yes, supporting your next president regardless of who gets elected.
As easy and therapeutic as it will be to insult the President-elect if that person was not the one you voted for, like so many other things in life the right thing to do is not always the easy thing to do. So it comes down to this. I don’t care if you hate one candidate so much that the very though of them becoming the next president makes you sick to your stomach. What I care about is the future of this country and the rest of the world, and regardless of who wins, for better or for worse we are far better off if we support our next president. That is something I will do. Not because I consider all options to be acceptable, but because the only way this works is if we get behind that president and grow together as a nation. If we do not do that then all of this will have been for nothing. To me that is far less acceptable than my candidate losing.
Fight for what you believe in. Fight for what you feel is right. But at the end of the day do what it right for your country, and that means supporting its leadership, even if it wasn’t the leadership you chose. Tomorrow I will support my candidate. On Wednesday I will support the next President of the United States.
But first get up tomorrow I will do what I hope all of you will do. I will get out and vote.
It’s somewhat encouraging to see the victories taking place against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Taking out their second in command and capturing the town of Palmyra are both significant accomplishments in the war on the territorial front. That part of the war can be won in somewhat conventional fashion. The only question is what the best course of action is to win it. Even the lesser military minds can see an end game. The main questions are what strategy to use and how long it will take? With the ongoing terrorist attacks in the west, operations have increased and have so far proven to be relatively successful. The second war, the terror war being brought to Europe and as of yet on a lesser scale to North America is not a war that can be won any time soon, if at all. The sad news is, it’s just too late.
It’s a harsh reality, one that may or may not ever impact people directly, but it’s a reality nonetheless. Even if somehow ISIS would be wiped out in its various bases of operations, the exported terrorists, sitting and waiting for the best opportunities to strike are so spread out and in such large number, even if we were to just wait it out, be vigilant, and stop numerous attacks, there will are still likely to be numerous attacks that will be successful and wreak maximum havoc and suffering. Just look at Israel, a nation dealing with terror for decades and arguably the most prepared and most adept at dealing with terrorism. Yet despite the expertise there are still numerous terrorist attacks resulting in the deaths of innocent men, women and children.
There might have been an opportunity a few years back to stop the growth of ISIS, but the sad fact is that until terror hits home, or close to home, western nations are far more accomplished in rationalization than in positive results. Terrorist activities against Israeli citizens have been rationalized as a fight for liberation. Attacks against Israelis, Iraqis, Libyans, Pakistanis, just to name a few, are not viewed by the west with the same anger and horror as attacks against the French, Belgian or American. Even today, after 63 people, most of them women and children were killed in a terrorist attack in Lahore, Pakistan, CNN and FOX are providing minimal coverage and discussion. In fact, a half day later, the terror attack isn’t even the top story. That’s been changed to a story of how Donald Trump claims to be better for women than anyone and is accompanied by a picture of him kissing his wife Melania. Incidentally, the victims in Pakistan were Christians attacked by a splinter group of the Taliban and purposely done on Easter Sunday. Iran, a nation with far greater experience and success in the development and exportation of terrorists is allowed to make a deal for nuclear energy and is somehow rewarded with the release of billions of dollars. Even if somehow we do outlast what we say are hundreds but are more likely thousands of ISIS operatives ready to strike, if the entire approach towards terror doesn’t change, if we do defeat ISIS, we are likely to be left with another group, or even worse, country to fight. For people who take the view that they can’t be worried about what happens to the “people over there”, they need to understand that it is the sons and brothers of those people the terrorists are radicalizing and mobilizing against the west.
As is the case with many of my fellow Jews and many pro-Israel citizens in the west, I have argued for years that there is not enough value put on Jewish life. I still maintain that, but the difference now is that I believe there is not enough value put on any life lost east of Germany. I am not making a bleeding heart plea for sympathy, rather a legitimate call to arms against global terrorism, not just the flavor of the moment. ISIS is by far the most active and dangerous organization in the world, but it is joined by so many other groups ready to take over prominence if they get defeated that without a long term global strategy against terror, we are doomed to live with it for the rest of our lives and very likely see it continue for further generations.
I’ve always loved Purim. The whole concept behind it is a beautiful one. It saddens me, as it does so many others, that the terror attacks and subsequent atmosphere in Brussels has caused the cancellation of Purim celebrations. But make no mistake. With or without festivities, there is no cancellation of Purim and what it represents, especially in these times.
Purim is a holiday based on events that took place in ancient Persia, now known as Iran, during a time when Persian leadership sought to wipe the Jewish people off the face of the planet. Sound familiar? It should. Besides being something that tends to happen far too often, a nation looking to rid the world of Jews, modern day Iran is testing missiles decorated with the words “Israel must be wiped out”. Hard to believe that a nation like Iran could not have evolved further from its hatred of over 2,000 years ago, yet here we are again.
Of course what makes matters worse is that the cancellation of festivities is not directly connected to Iran. After the most recent brutal attack by ISIS and the attacks in Paris, it is a wise bit of caution to consider European Jews to be in some significant danger. That too should sound familiar, as I am sure it does. Europeans need to wise up to the dangers facing them, because last time they took a “levelheaded” and patient approach to rising fascism and violence, the continent was left in shambles.
The most beautiful thing about the story of Purim for me was always the fact that it is a story in which the Jewish people did not have to suffer greatly before their redemption. It’s impossible to know how today’s travails will end up, but if history is to repeat itself, my prayer for this Purim, is that the establishment of liberty and freedom for all people in the world, not just Jews, can happen with limited additional suffering. In the meantime to my fellow Jews I urge you to remember this. Even when the celebration is cancelled, Purim never is.
Holland's Heroes 