As word broke about the deal with Iran, I flipped through the television stations for a news source that would provide some sort of relief or understanding. But the left wing, right wing, panel talk shows, liberal commentators, conservative pundits all broadcasted the same horrific report.
The greatest state sponsored terrorist entity in the world, with its rulers who proclaim regularly and loudly for the ultimate destruction of Israel, the genocide of the Jewish people, and the decimation of Western civilization … got the green light.
Iran’s sanctions will be lifted, money will flow back to its government, weaponry can be acquired and traded freely, nuclear capabilities can be gotten (damn the details) and all are relying on the veracity, good will and trustworthiness of handshakes and signatures.
And so my remote control pleaded with the TV channels for something or someone to bring light to this dark moment. As I went higher into the stratosphere of U.S. cable programming, clicking past the daytime shows, above the Home Shopping Network, beyond even the weather channel, I came upon an old science fiction movie from my childhood. It was by today’s standards low budget with poor special effects and crude set design. But unmistakably it was recognizable immediately as Planet of the Apes.
The same Charlton Heston who led the Hebrews out of Egypt and to Mount Sinai in the classic film, The Ten Commandments, was now once again in front of me as Taylor the lost astronaut finding himself marooned on a planet governed by apes.
What am I doing watching this cheesy movie? So I turn back to the prolific, wall-to-wall, discussions on how the only other choice was war or more sanctions; or the agreement made with North Korea years ago was four pages and this one with Iran is 100 pages. Or everyone is happy except Israel; or will this lead to a nuclear race in the Middle East; or are we just kicking the can down the road; or is Obama stupid or loves Muslims or is looking for a legacy; or John Kerry fell off his bike and broke his leg.
I flip back to Planet of the Apes.
I watch it to the end. Not to ruin it for anyone who didn’t see the film, as I don’t think spoiler warnings are necessary after 47 years, but Taylor the astronaut discovers he has been on earth all along. In the dramatic final scene he is screaming and banging his fist into the sand along the shoreline upon seeing the head and arm of the buried ruins of the Statue of Liberty protruding from the beach.
We, Jews, are running out of channels to flip to and leaders to turn to and planets to fly to.
Our Moses, now turned astronaut, in the year 3000 is yelling and demanding how this could have happened. How did we on earth kill ourselves and destroy our world?
I press my remote button to “previous channel” and turn back to the year 2015. How indeed?
We live on a planet where the futuristic destruction of our civilization is just some scripted Technicolor fantasy that no entity today wants to take responsibility in preventing. And we live on a planet where many view the Ten Commandments as science fiction and feel no proclivity to respect the Jewish people who once stood at Sinai accepting these laws.
We, Jews, are running out of channels to flip to and leaders to turn to and planets to fly to. Although we have traveled a long way from the inquisitions and the pogroms and the gas chambers, we find ourselves today with essentially a U.S. and world backed Iran, and back where we began… on FDR’s beach screaming at a buried Statue of Liberty as we are sent back to Germany.
Hitler will now have The Bomb; and countries that boycott Israel will be doing business with Iran. The Jewish people and Israel are again alone. We must support Israel and her brave IDF defenders. And Jews from all corners of the earth must dust off our Ten Commandments and all our commandments and take on Mitzvot with great action to infuse our Torah into our lives and into our societies. For a world without our commitment to the morality and Mitzvot of Sinai is destined to be a planet of apes.
Rabbi Dr. David Nesenoff is an internationally renowned speaker on Israel, anti-Semitism, Judaism, Chasidut and media. His popular website isDavidINSPIRES.com and his video interview exposing and expelling the anti-Semite Helen Thomas from the Washington Press Corps went viral and became global news. Nesenoff@gmail.com