delray beach orthodox rabbi

                                             
                                                                                            B"H
Crocodile Tears
 
My support of Israel is unwavering, but I still felt some sadness after hearing that a hospital in Gaza was bombed and five hundred people were killed. I was confident that it was unintentional but was frightened by the consequences that may follow. The initial reports all pointed to an Israeli bomb and many of our Western allies were beginning to waver. The images were damning and I could sense a shift in public opinion. I had no doubt that condemnation from the Arab world would be vociferous and threatening. I had no confidence in the United Nations, Russia, and China and just slightly more in the European Union. Canada did what Canada does and I need not say more. Thank God the United States still had the moral composure to delay criticism until the facts were known.
 
Israel’s immediate response was that they would look into it and shortly thereafter stated that it was not an errant Israel bomb, but rather an Islamic Jihad rocket that exploded prematurely. A few hours later President Biden, after seeing proof, concurred that it was not an Israeli bomb. Great Britain followed suit and thankfully Israel’s friends were still supportive.
 
Alas, despite the facts the condemnation didn’t stop. Iran and the Arab world kept their narrative alive. Strangely, there was no condemnation of Islamic Jihad. The Arab world and the UN didn’t try to bring up a resolution condemning Islamic Jihad for their heinous bombing of innocent civilians. On the contrary, the global Arab world was silent. Now that Israel was cleared of responsibility, the plight of 500 deaths seemed less newsworthy. There were no riots and protests against the Islamic militants in Turkey, Egypt, and Iran. The Arab world was no longer incensed that Palestinians were murdered. There were no horrifying videos of parents crying or babies mutilated.
 
Harvard student groups didn’t sign letters of moral outrage against Islamic Jihad. Their selective indignation highlights their disingenuous crocodile tears. The world is not upset about Palestinian deaths or suffering. If they were, then they would open their borders to alleviate the hardships of those residing in Gaza. Their immoral compass is simply a hatred of Jews and a hatred of Israel. Five hundred dead Palestinians was a small price to pay if Israel and the Jews would be condemned. I didn’t hear Ilhan Omar or her group of progressive anti-Semites rant and scream about the injustices happening against the Palestinians.
 
Simon and Garfunkel’s big hit “The Sound of Silence” resonates at this time. It started with the words “hello darkness my old friend.” To Jews and Israel that darkness is an ever constant existential threat to our survival and that darkness highlights a truth that has been known to Jews for millennia. B’chol dor v’dor omdin aleinu l’chaloteinu, v’HKB’H matzileinu m’yadam. In every generation there are those who seek our demise, and the Almighty ultimately saves us.
 
By nature I’m an optimist and I’m certain that Israel will ultimately have a resounding victory. However, I can’t confuse optimism with a clarity that ani-semetism is ever present. The playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote, “the pen is mightier than the sword.” The barbarism of Hamas is inhumane and beyond comprehension, but the words penned by anti-Semites on college campuses and global media outlets is also deadly. Their hostility may be sanitized but the underlying goal of their vitriolic hatred is exactly the same. The war with Hamas will not be over with the destruction of Hamas.
 
It is often impossible to present the truth in a tasteful manner. The current silence of all those who were quick to condemn Israel is morally unconscionable and shows their true colors. Iran and Qatar who finance Hamas are as guilty as the Hamas terrorists they backed. Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia and the other countries who allow the anti-Semitic rhetoric to continue unabated are also responsible for the carnage in Israel. Those who engage in the constant vilification of Israel share responsibility for the death of over a thousand Jews and the taking of over 140 hostages. And those who sit in their prestigious academic vestments and limit their concern only to the suffering of non-Jews highlight deep rooted anti-Semitic tendencies.
 
The only way to achieve lasting peace is by eradicating those whose agenda is to do anything in their power to ensure there will never be peace. Unfortunately, it’s a never ending pursuit.
 
Shabbat shalom,
 
Rabbi Jack Engel