I write this with some trepidation and beg forgiveness in advance. The situation in Israel is well above average on a polarization scale that continues to recruit members at both ends of the spectrum at a frightening rate. Keeping in mind (Berndt) Rule #31: “If you’ve never offended anyone, you might ask yourself if you’ve ever said or done anything worth thinking about”…
At the invitation of one of my dearest friends, I attended a solidarity event last Tuesday at Temple B’nai Amoona, the synagogue at the school where I ended my teaching career. Ever since I have been trying to refine my thoughts about the multiple human tragedies unfolding daily since October 7 in the Middle East.
U. S. citizens have zero business judging the leadership of any other democracy, especially not since 2016. The similarities between Netanyahu and Trump, with a touch of Putin for flavor, are both glaring and frightening. Wannabe autocrats actively sabotaging freedom share many qualities, none of them admirable.
Jews know their history, not just their history in Europe during World War II. For the current hostages in particular, but all Jews in general, how familiar must the events of October 7 feel? Innocents murdered, tortured, rounded up and hauled off to an unknown fate by people openly dedicated to their complete annihilation. Blatant anti-Semitism has emerged from its closet, not just recently but over the past several years, and it must create a frightening sense of déjà vu.
Listening to the reading of the 240+ names who have been abducted – and still remain – as hostages in the dark tunnels of Gaza, one family stood out for me (though it was just one of several). Two parents and three of their children were taken from their home on a kibbutz near the border, and dragged off to what is, essentially, an underground concentration camp, where they remain.
We all want simple solutions, simple answers to incredibly complex problems. I know enough, have read enough, have studied enough, to realize such a desire is completely delusional. No one, certainly including me, knows how this tragedy will play out, how it will end, and in some cases has already ended, for the many thousands impacted by it. All the analyses of causes and effects, all the political posturing, nothing will change that. Unfortunately. Abducting and holding innocent hostages only inflames an already open sore.
Poisonous hatred, and anti-Semitism is only one potent ingredient, has been steeping in the boiling darkness of our world for much longer than any of us are probably willing to admit, and the resulting concoction is, and, sadly I fear will remain, a bitter brew, with a polluting aftertaste that will last for years.
Hostages. Did I mention Hamas continues to hold innocent civilian hostages? Over a month after their initial attack. Yeah, pretty sure I did, but it’s a fact that must neither be forgotten or ignored.
