"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." (Kohelet)
This is the season when G-d shows us mercy. Strict justice is suspended for even the worst of us, in order that we be given time to reflect and strive towards change.
This is a time of heavenly compassion. If G-d, in His mercy, opens the gates of repentance and forgoes rigid judgement, then it's certainly incumbent upon us mere mortals to suspend our pointing of accusing fingers in condemnation of our brethren.
Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur every Jew is entitled to a temporary reprieve (including our misled leaders), and we passionate, uncompromising zealots would do well to take a breather from our relentless pursuit of justice and redirect our efforts towards serious introspection - if only for 10 days.
This week, Nadia Matar, co-chairperson of Women in Green, launched a well-deserved and scathing public relations blitz against Evacuation Administration head Yonatan Bassi. But, with all due respect, her timing and tactics may have been off.
Nadia quoted a 1942 Judenrat letter that was addressed to the Berlin Jewish community, and compared it with Bassi¹s appeasement letter to the Jewish residents of Gush Katif. She wrote to Bassi, "You are a modern version of the Judenrat - but actually much worse...." The analogy was indeed chilling, but its effect and fairness is debatable. However, it should be noted that any accusations associating Nadia's methods with incitement are far off the mark.
"We strongly request that you follow the instructions and carry out all of the preparations for the transport in a calm manner."
Frightening words from sixty-two years ago, but I imagine residents of America's Gulf Coast heard similar instructions last week, as they were preparing to evacuate the hurricane zone. I suppose residents in the Chernobyl area also received analogous directions, as have refugees from various war- and famine-torn regions, and people participating in civil defense exercises. Discomforting directives for sure, but nobody holds an exclusive on the existential fear that grips all individuals when they are about to be torn from their homes in efforts aimed at either destroying them or saving them. If those same directives are, at some time in the future, issued to the Palestinian Arab population, will Nadia find them problematic?
In my article, "Lens, Lies and Videotapes", I called into question the Palestinian Arab and international media's visual and verbal antics, as they tried to hijack the tragedies of the Holocaust and Hiroshima and superimpose them on Israel's defensive operation in Rafah. Indeed, Justice Minister Tommy Lapid fell into the media's Holocaust memorial trap and he told the world that images of an elderly Palestinian woman searching through the rubble of her Rafah home reminded him of his grandmother who was killed during the Holocaust - making big headlines across the globe.
If we Jews set a precedent of taking historical events out of context and manipulating them to play upon the traumatized Jewish psyche, then surely every other revisionist group and historian will gladly jump on the bandwagon. In fact, they already have. Aside from comparing Israelis to Nazis, numerous academics, politicians and historians have compared our unique national situation to the struggles that took place in Algeria, Northern Ireland and India. These comparisons are unfair, because Jewish history marches to a different drummer.
We must remember and learn from our history, but there are more differences than there are similarities between the Holocaust and Nazism and the tragedies unfolding in Israel today. The Holocaust was a Diaspora event and the current parallels being drawn are demoralizing for a nation engaged in an uphill march towards Redemption. One can certainly draw a general comparison between the behavior of the Court Jew throughout our history and the way in which our current Diaspora and Israeli leaders pander to the gentile nations. But when it comes to our internal struggle, we have many more appropriate homegrown examples to pick from than that of out the Judenrat.
Our lessons and direction with regards to our national struggle should be taken directly from the events which took place in the Land of Israel as outlined in the Torah. This is something that Israel's founding secular Zionist leaders knew, and this knowledge and pride in their land and history inspired them - and for many years led us on the road to success.
Let's not confuse the issues. The Jews are clearly forbidden to surrender portions of the Land of Israel. Our leaders are acting in an undemocratic, godless and criminal fashion due to their arrogance, lack of wisdom and a series of historic blunders. We don't have to turn to Nazi-occupied Europe in order to recognize a pattern of mistakes that has clearly been a part of our national heritage. Because the majority of the generation has lost its connection to G-d and to Torah, we're now living in an era characterized by an unprecedented lack of wise and creative leadership, while we are faced with a glut of arrogant dolts. I'd classify our leaders as being more idiot than Nazi, more stupid than sinister. But there is also an element of rebelliousness and treason among them. They "...have turned away from Your commandments and from Your good laws..."
Those of us who are actively trying to wake up the nation and alert them to the dangers at hand find it tortuous to continually bear witness to the gross injustices and atrocities taking place in Israel. We are champing at the bit for a day of reckoning. Moderation, balance and patience are often qualities that are lacking in the zealous personality, but wisdom, timing and thoughtfulness must fill that void if we are to be effective and see fruits from our efforts.
Nadia Matar, Ruth Matar and all those associated with Women in Green have worked tirelessly these last eleven years in order to preserve the integrity of the Land of Israel. Their efforts have been nothing less than heroic. They are genuinely guided and inspired by the words, "For the sake of Zion I will not be silent, for the sake of Jerusalem I will not rest." But to pause, reflect and contemplate a change in tactics during this time is hardly rest. It may be the most difficult and painful task that is required of us.
We hope and pray that Ariel Sharon, Yonatan Bassi and the rest of the gang take advantage of a heavenly opportunity and season of mercy to turn to G-d and to return to their true selves.
[Part 1 of 2]
This is the season when G-d shows us mercy. Strict justice is suspended for even the worst of us, in order that we be given time to reflect and strive towards change.
This is a time of heavenly compassion. If G-d, in His mercy, opens the gates of repentance and forgoes rigid judgement, then it's certainly incumbent upon us mere mortals to suspend our pointing of accusing fingers in condemnation of our brethren.
Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur every Jew is entitled to a temporary reprieve (including our misled leaders), and we passionate, uncompromising zealots would do well to take a breather from our relentless pursuit of justice and redirect our efforts towards serious introspection - if only for 10 days.
This week, Nadia Matar, co-chairperson of Women in Green, launched a well-deserved and scathing public relations blitz against Evacuation Administration head Yonatan Bassi. But, with all due respect, her timing and tactics may have been off.
Nadia quoted a 1942 Judenrat letter that was addressed to the Berlin Jewish community, and compared it with Bassi¹s appeasement letter to the Jewish residents of Gush Katif. She wrote to Bassi, "You are a modern version of the Judenrat - but actually much worse...." The analogy was indeed chilling, but its effect and fairness is debatable. However, it should be noted that any accusations associating Nadia's methods with incitement are far off the mark.
"We strongly request that you follow the instructions and carry out all of the preparations for the transport in a calm manner."
Frightening words from sixty-two years ago, but I imagine residents of America's Gulf Coast heard similar instructions last week, as they were preparing to evacuate the hurricane zone. I suppose residents in the Chernobyl area also received analogous directions, as have refugees from various war- and famine-torn regions, and people participating in civil defense exercises. Discomforting directives for sure, but nobody holds an exclusive on the existential fear that grips all individuals when they are about to be torn from their homes in efforts aimed at either destroying them or saving them. If those same directives are, at some time in the future, issued to the Palestinian Arab population, will Nadia find them problematic?
In my article, "Lens, Lies and Videotapes", I called into question the Palestinian Arab and international media's visual and verbal antics, as they tried to hijack the tragedies of the Holocaust and Hiroshima and superimpose them on Israel's defensive operation in Rafah. Indeed, Justice Minister Tommy Lapid fell into the media's Holocaust memorial trap and he told the world that images of an elderly Palestinian woman searching through the rubble of her Rafah home reminded him of his grandmother who was killed during the Holocaust - making big headlines across the globe.
If we Jews set a precedent of taking historical events out of context and manipulating them to play upon the traumatized Jewish psyche, then surely every other revisionist group and historian will gladly jump on the bandwagon. In fact, they already have. Aside from comparing Israelis to Nazis, numerous academics, politicians and historians have compared our unique national situation to the struggles that took place in Algeria, Northern Ireland and India. These comparisons are unfair, because Jewish history marches to a different drummer.
We must remember and learn from our history, but there are more differences than there are similarities between the Holocaust and Nazism and the tragedies unfolding in Israel today. The Holocaust was a Diaspora event and the current parallels being drawn are demoralizing for a nation engaged in an uphill march towards Redemption. One can certainly draw a general comparison between the behavior of the Court Jew throughout our history and the way in which our current Diaspora and Israeli leaders pander to the gentile nations. But when it comes to our internal struggle, we have many more appropriate homegrown examples to pick from than that of out the Judenrat.
Our lessons and direction with regards to our national struggle should be taken directly from the events which took place in the Land of Israel as outlined in the Torah. This is something that Israel's founding secular Zionist leaders knew, and this knowledge and pride in their land and history inspired them - and for many years led us on the road to success.
Let's not confuse the issues. The Jews are clearly forbidden to surrender portions of the Land of Israel. Our leaders are acting in an undemocratic, godless and criminal fashion due to their arrogance, lack of wisdom and a series of historic blunders. We don't have to turn to Nazi-occupied Europe in order to recognize a pattern of mistakes that has clearly been a part of our national heritage. Because the majority of the generation has lost its connection to G-d and to Torah, we're now living in an era characterized by an unprecedented lack of wise and creative leadership, while we are faced with a glut of arrogant dolts. I'd classify our leaders as being more idiot than Nazi, more stupid than sinister. But there is also an element of rebelliousness and treason among them. They "...have turned away from Your commandments and from Your good laws..."
Those of us who are actively trying to wake up the nation and alert them to the dangers at hand find it tortuous to continually bear witness to the gross injustices and atrocities taking place in Israel. We are champing at the bit for a day of reckoning. Moderation, balance and patience are often qualities that are lacking in the zealous personality, but wisdom, timing and thoughtfulness must fill that void if we are to be effective and see fruits from our efforts.
Nadia Matar, Ruth Matar and all those associated with Women in Green have worked tirelessly these last eleven years in order to preserve the integrity of the Land of Israel. Their efforts have been nothing less than heroic. They are genuinely guided and inspired by the words, "For the sake of Zion I will not be silent, for the sake of Jerusalem I will not rest." But to pause, reflect and contemplate a change in tactics during this time is hardly rest. It may be the most difficult and painful task that is required of us.
We hope and pray that Ariel Sharon, Yonatan Bassi and the rest of the gang take advantage of a heavenly opportunity and season of mercy to turn to G-d and to return to their true selves.
[Part 1 of 2]