delray beach orthodox rabbi

                                             
                                                                                            B"H

Sadness in Israel - coping with the murder of six hostages
 
The Jewish world remains paralyzed by a grief so profound it is difficult to put into words. The horror of hearing that six of the hostages—six innocent souls—have been murdered in cold blood is a nightmare that haunts us all. For eleven months, these vibrant, beautiful young men and women endured unimaginable terror, their dignity stripped away by cruelty. Perhaps, in their moments of deepest despair, they held on to the faint hope that they could hear the voices of their families calling out to them from across the Gaza border, praying for their return. But that hope was shattered, leaving only the bitter sting of a world once again indifferent to Jewish suffering.
 
I wish it were not so. I wanted to believe that the global community would unite in defense of the innocent, that humanity had learned the lessons of the past and taken to heart the solemn promise of ‘Never Again.’ How naive I was to think that the memory of the Holocaust had left an indelible mark on the collective conscience, and that world leaders would rally to prevent the spilling of Jewish blood. Yet here we stand, witnesses to the silence where there should have been outrage, to the apathy where there should have been compassion.
 
The Torah teaches us, צדק צדק תרדוף "Justice, justice shall you pursue"—and I find myself asking, why does this call to justice seem to apply to everyone but the Jewish people? It is not revenge I seek. Revenge only ensures a cycle of endless violence, a spiral that claims more lives, both Israeli and Palestinian. But I do believe in Israel’s right to secure its borders, to take the necessary steps to ensure that what happened on October 7th never happens again. A ceasefire that absolves murderers of accountability is not justice. And while I understand the peril of further bloodshed, I also believe that Israel has the right, indeed the responsibility, to hold those responsible for these atrocities to account.
 
I am grateful for the support of both political parties in the United States—an outlier in a world that has too often turned its back on Israel. Yet, I cannot help but feel disheartened by the United Nations, which continues to vilify Israel while remaining conspicuously silent on the brutalities of Hamas. Many nations, blinded by a false equivalence, are pushing for recognition of a Palestinian state, rewarding a leadership that supports and applauds Hamas’s actions. These leaders fail to see that the Palestinian Authority shares Hamas's ultimate aim, even if they lack the audacity to pursue it as brazenly.
 
Today, our Jewish community mourns as one. Many wept during the funeral of Hersh, feeling the raw grief of a family torn apart, and I am terrified for the remaining hostages. The burden on their families is unbearable.
 
I do not fault the United States for being unable to save Hersh, who was one of their own. Nor do I blame Israel, though the pain is deeply personal. What I know is that justice demands that every country do everything in its power to secure the release of these hostages. People are quick to criticize Netanyahu, accusing him of political self-preservation over negotiating for the hostages’ freedom. But do we really have so little faith in the prime minister of Israel? It seems to me that his political opponents are seizing this moment to hasten his downfall, even at the expense of national unity. The recent strike, declared illegal by Israel's left-leaning Supreme Court, was nothing more than a political maneuver aimed at toppling Netanyahu's government. I’m not suggesting Netanyahu is a saint—far from it—but blaming him for the acts of terrorists serves no one but the terrorists themselves.
 
In these dark times, I hold fast to the Torah's command to pursue justice. But that pursuit must be sincere, free from political agendas or the vilification of one’s opponents. Those who cannot unequivocally condemn Hamas have no place in passing judgment on Israel. Those who enable or support terrorists financially should be equally condemned, and they certainly should not be part of the solution. The inconsistencies I see in global reactions remind me of a passage from the Talmud: עולם הפוך ראיתי עליונים למטה ותחתונים למעלה "In the days leading to the Messianic era, the world will be turned upside down; those who should be elevated will be cast down, and those who should be cast down will be elevated." I am not one to dwell on thoughts of the Messianic age, but I struggle to find a better explanation for what we are witnessing today.
 
Rabbi Jack Engel