There are times that one looks in wonderment at the world around us and then at the people of this very land. One wonders why they have so much difficulty in seeing, though the reality is exploding right before their eyes.
One continues to have difficulty believing what one hears on the radio as the American administration bemoans the last murderous bombing in Netanya. They decry the fact that the attack proved to be a setback for the "valiant" peace efforts of the Israeli and Palestinian governments.
What valiant efforts could they be talking about?
Do the "valiant" efforts include the Israeli government expelling Jewish citizens from their homes? This is especially confusing, considering that this expulsion has confirmed to the Palestinians that their war of terror is justified and winable.
Could the "valiant " efforts include a Palestinian entity that has in fact done nothing?
The Israeli people, according to this week's polls, seem to be interested in re-electing Ariel Sharon and Shimon Peres of the so-called Kadima party and Amir Peretz of the Labour party. They have been captivated by the strength of resolve of Sharon and his allies. They don't want to contemplate that this resolve involves rewarding corruption and bribery.
They won't think about the fact that this resolve was best carried out against our own people, yet it evaporates when confronting the demands of the world and the Palestinians.
The people of Israel seemed to have become a tired and fatigued people, who have lost their moorings of faith. It is towards that low level of self-awareness that the politicians of our days reach. The impression is that these are a people who have begun to believe that they are worthy of no better.
That is what it seems like to someone who becomes transfixed by the empty statements on the radio and the self-serving polls in the newspapers.
But this slumbering lion called Judah can stir, and always knows when to do so (Bereishit 49: 9): "Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?"
This week, the ugly clutches of terrorism reached out and plucked five more souls in its grasp. In one "valiant" murderous moment, a Palestinian bomber snuffed out the lives of Eliyah Rozen, 39, of Bat Hefer, Daniel Golani, 45, of Nahariya, Keinan Tzoami, 20, of Petah Tikva, Alexandra Garmitzki, 65, of Netanya, and Chaim Amram, 26, of Netanya.
Eliyah is survived by her husband Gadi, 41, and their three children - sons Ro'i, 5, and Gal, 12, and a 10-year-old daughter, Noam. Daniel Golani is survived by his wife Ronit and their two daughters, Shir, 17, and Raz, 14. Keinan is survived by his parents and two older brothers, Lior, 28, and Ohad, 24. Alexandra Garmitzki is survived by her son Dr. Andrei Garmitzki, 41. And Chaim Amram is survived by his parents, Esther and David, and three siblings, Vicky, Guy and Keren.
Pain and suffering seeps through the land again. Yet, even in the midst of this horror, the courage of the sons of Israel again blossomed into greatness.
Chaim Amram was one of the security guards at the Netanya Mall that fateful day. He probably did not know any of the shoppers who were going in and out of that mall's entrance.
He sensed that there was something suspicious about the young man with the dark coat. He did not hesitate and quickly walked towards the young man. He grabbed the shoulder of that man clutching the bag. Every fibre of his mortal self was probably screaming at Chaim to run and hide, and yet, he began to push the terrorist away from the entrance, away from all the innocent bystanders.
He did what normal people wouldn't usually do. He held onto death and steered it away from the innocent.
It was then that the murderer pressed the button and killed Eliyah, Daniel, Keinan and Chaim. It was the courageous, selfless act of one man, of Chaim Amram, that saved so many others.
Israel's newspapers have been filled with articles describing the self-serving antics of the politicians. They are filled with predictions and assumptions of how the Israeli public will vote on election day. They are filled with everything but the simple fact that one young, Jewish man heroically sacrificed himself for his fellow countrymen.
Chaim Amram could have worn the same mantle of mediocrity that shrouds all of Israel's leaders and politicians. Instead, in an instant, he decided to don the mantle of a selfless son of Israel, a "lion" rising up. Though the story of Chaim was relegated to the back pages of the papers very quickly, it remains the story of the Jewish people.
I know that Chaim's loss, as well as all that of the precious souls who were snuffed out in that murderous instant, will forever remain as wounds in the hearts of those who knew and loved them. Yet, the simple, selfless act of a very special Jew called Chaim has helped renew faith in the possibilities of the people of this land.
The small-minded politicians and media mavens are but irritating dust, polluting the fresh air in the land. The spirit of courageous young people like Chaim will eventually come roaring through our land and clear away the dust and the pollution that seems unending.
May Chaim Amram's memory be for a blessing.
One continues to have difficulty believing what one hears on the radio as the American administration bemoans the last murderous bombing in Netanya. They decry the fact that the attack proved to be a setback for the "valiant" peace efforts of the Israeli and Palestinian governments.
What valiant efforts could they be talking about?
Do the "valiant" efforts include the Israeli government expelling Jewish citizens from their homes? This is especially confusing, considering that this expulsion has confirmed to the Palestinians that their war of terror is justified and winable.
Could the "valiant " efforts include a Palestinian entity that has in fact done nothing?
The Israeli people, according to this week's polls, seem to be interested in re-electing Ariel Sharon and Shimon Peres of the so-called Kadima party and Amir Peretz of the Labour party. They have been captivated by the strength of resolve of Sharon and his allies. They don't want to contemplate that this resolve involves rewarding corruption and bribery.
They won't think about the fact that this resolve was best carried out against our own people, yet it evaporates when confronting the demands of the world and the Palestinians.
The people of Israel seemed to have become a tired and fatigued people, who have lost their moorings of faith. It is towards that low level of self-awareness that the politicians of our days reach. The impression is that these are a people who have begun to believe that they are worthy of no better.
That is what it seems like to someone who becomes transfixed by the empty statements on the radio and the self-serving polls in the newspapers.
But this slumbering lion called Judah can stir, and always knows when to do so (Bereishit 49: 9): "Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?"
This week, the ugly clutches of terrorism reached out and plucked five more souls in its grasp. In one "valiant" murderous moment, a Palestinian bomber snuffed out the lives of Eliyah Rozen, 39, of Bat Hefer, Daniel Golani, 45, of Nahariya, Keinan Tzoami, 20, of Petah Tikva, Alexandra Garmitzki, 65, of Netanya, and Chaim Amram, 26, of Netanya.
Eliyah is survived by her husband Gadi, 41, and their three children - sons Ro'i, 5, and Gal, 12, and a 10-year-old daughter, Noam. Daniel Golani is survived by his wife Ronit and their two daughters, Shir, 17, and Raz, 14. Keinan is survived by his parents and two older brothers, Lior, 28, and Ohad, 24. Alexandra Garmitzki is survived by her son Dr. Andrei Garmitzki, 41. And Chaim Amram is survived by his parents, Esther and David, and three siblings, Vicky, Guy and Keren.
Pain and suffering seeps through the land again. Yet, even in the midst of this horror, the courage of the sons of Israel again blossomed into greatness.
Chaim Amram was one of the security guards at the Netanya Mall that fateful day. He probably did not know any of the shoppers who were going in and out of that mall's entrance.
He sensed that there was something suspicious about the young man with the dark coat. He did not hesitate and quickly walked towards the young man. He grabbed the shoulder of that man clutching the bag. Every fibre of his mortal self was probably screaming at Chaim to run and hide, and yet, he began to push the terrorist away from the entrance, away from all the innocent bystanders.
He did what normal people wouldn't usually do. He held onto death and steered it away from the innocent.
It was then that the murderer pressed the button and killed Eliyah, Daniel, Keinan and Chaim. It was the courageous, selfless act of one man, of Chaim Amram, that saved so many others.
Israel's newspapers have been filled with articles describing the self-serving antics of the politicians. They are filled with predictions and assumptions of how the Israeli public will vote on election day. They are filled with everything but the simple fact that one young, Jewish man heroically sacrificed himself for his fellow countrymen.
Chaim Amram could have worn the same mantle of mediocrity that shrouds all of Israel's leaders and politicians. Instead, in an instant, he decided to don the mantle of a selfless son of Israel, a "lion" rising up. Though the story of Chaim was relegated to the back pages of the papers very quickly, it remains the story of the Jewish people.
I know that Chaim's loss, as well as all that of the precious souls who were snuffed out in that murderous instant, will forever remain as wounds in the hearts of those who knew and loved them. Yet, the simple, selfless act of a very special Jew called Chaim has helped renew faith in the possibilities of the people of this land.
The small-minded politicians and media mavens are but irritating dust, polluting the fresh air in the land. The spirit of courageous young people like Chaim will eventually come roaring through our land and clear away the dust and the pollution that seems unending.
May Chaim Amram's memory be for a blessing.