Park East, a Manhattan modern Orthodox synagogue faced violent protests a few days ago as masked terrorists protested at their door step, screaming “Globalize the intifada” and urged the “resistance” to “take another settler out.”
Pal-Awda, a group linked to terror organized the protest in efforts which it said was against efforts to “recruit American settlers to illegally occupy stolen Palestinian land.” Protestors blocked doors, prevented Jews from praying and entering the synagogue and something which occurs regularly is that the NYPD was there but failed to protect the Jews.
In response. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch came to the congregation and said that “cops should have done a better job of keeping away protestors” and that “the NYPD failed to keep the front entrance clear and ensure “people could easily enter and leave shul.” For that, the top cop received a standing ovation, and was lauded repeatedly by congregants including Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who called Tisch a “woman of valor.” Not even one attendee expressed anger and pain at this treatment of the Jews.
A handful of Jewish organizations, Betar among them, demonstrated outside despite condemnation from the ADL and other Jewish organizations who urge not to confront these protestors. The reality is that in New York City, like many other cities - including London, Toronto, Sydney and Chicago - this is the new normal where Zionists will face violent protestors on a regular basis.
As communities struggle with what to do, we recall the words of 19th century Zionist philosopher, Max Nordau, who told Zeev Jabotinsky that “the Jew learns not by way of reason, but from catastrophes. He won’t buy an umbrella merely because he sees clouds in the sky. He waits until he is drenched and catches pneumonia.”
Nordau’s words remain completely accurate and reliable today. Jews in the Diaspora aren’t safe and while some of their organizations are active, sadly much of the Jewish world hasn’t changed a thing. Zionist movements across the world are deafeningly silent.
Author Benjamin Kerstein who recently wrote “Self Defense: A Jewish Manifesto,” recently said that Jews must "make trouble" in America like Blacks did in the Civil Rights era.
He writes: "If American Jews make trouble, there is no question that they can win. The trick is going to be persuading them to make trouble, because one of the watchwords of American Jewry for two [to] three centuries has been 'Don't make trouble.' 'We'll just be good Americans. If we're good Americans, they'll leave us alone.' Well, they're not going to leave you alone anymore."
Kerstein is right to say that Jewish college students, when confronted with demonizing claims about Israel, should “stand up and look at their professors and fellow students and say, ‘That is a lie.’”
Betar leaders are repeatedly arrested for protesting against these scourges but where is the rest of the Zionist world? Why is it a right wing issue to combat Jew-haters? The answers of what to do can be found in the words of our Zionist sages.
As the great Revisionist Zionist Zeev Jabotinsky urged us, Jews should come home to Israel. Aliya now has to be a central point for every Zionist organization. Those who don’t make aliya, are making a choice to stay. And if they choose to stay, then as Jabotinsky taught us, Jews need to learn to fight. In so many anti-Semitic cities fighting back against Jew-hatred is something which we all must do.
In New York and in so many other cities, Jews must be prepared to defend their synagogues physically. One cannot count only upon hired help to defend our children, families and religion. This must happen now.
(Note that this may be beginning at last. The group that rushed to protect St John’s Wood Synagogue on Sunday afternoon from a Gaza mob old the Jewish Chronicle that since the police could no longer be relied upon “we are going to do their job for them". Are campuses next?)
During these frightening times, it is interesting to remember Zionist heroes, such as Max Nordau, who first raised the concept of what he termed at the time a “muscle Jew,” at the Second Zionist Congress in Basel on August 28, 1898. As Nordau described it, this Jew “would help form a regenerated race of healthy, physically fit, nationally minded, and militarily strong Jews.” Indeed, as Nordau noted, Jews must “no longer passively accept their fate as impoverished, weak, and powerless ghetto Jews…”
At the Second Zionist Congress, Nordau talked about “the assimilated, Western Jews whom had long since ‘fallen away’ from Judaism and [went] to synagogue but once a year,” and said they “must reclaim the richness of their Jewish heritage…” How great would it be if today’s Diaspora Jews responded to the attacks on Israel by growing closer to our people!
In the same speech, Nordau urged Jews all over the world: “Don’t rest until you have convinced the indifferent and downright hostile world that your people have a right to live and enjoy life just like other peoples.”
It is incumbent upon all decent people to physically stand up - tweets and petitions won't help, it's too late for that. In the Diaspora no one is coming to save the Jews. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
And while the Jews cheer and give standing ovations to the police who fail them, the terrorists are on the doorstep. Its incumbent on the Zionists of all political persuasions to fight back. Now.
Ronn Torossian is an Israel based entrepreneur, community leader and author.