After the massacres by Hamas, all Jews must stand together - opinion

The abhorrent massacre of Israelis by Hamas terrorists, the massive numbers of wounded and missing and/or kidnapped into Gaza, is a tremendously painful wake-up call for Israel, as it should be for the entire free world. Hamas’s despicable onslaught transcends politics, ideology, religion, even history itself – no matter what personal take or interpretation of that history one may hold.

Here we witnessed evil in its purest form, rejoicing at the sight of murdered, raped, defiled, decapitated, and/or kidnapped men, women, children, infants, and the elderly. To say that anyone who ties such repulsive atrocities to any political reality seriously needs to reexamine their moral compass, would be a profound understatement at the very least.

Yet this article aims not to engage in abstract discussions concerning the necessary measures of retaliation to Hamas’s heinous slaughter and abuse of innocent civilians, but rather an inward reflection into the mechanisms of Jewish solidarity and mutual responsibility at such a watershed moment in our combined history.

It may not necessarily come as a surprise to any Israeli already experienced in “times of national need”, but it lifts the heart nonetheless. Israelis from all sectors of society who only a week ago argued about scores of issues are now forming mile-long queues to donate blood; thousands of existing Israeli NGOs and newly formed civil initiatives work night and day to address every need imaginable of tens of thousands of people who’ve been uprooted from their homes and torn apart from family members and loved ones; thousands of qualified volunteers rush to assist in organizations that provide mental relief in the wake of unimaginable barbarism; and many thousands attend funerals of lone soldiers killed in the ensuing fighting – paying Israel’s final respect to those young men and women from around the world, who volunteered to defend Israel, paid the ultimate price, and whose families live abroad and therefore could not attend at the most shattering moment in their lives.

This is Israel. And this is the combined force of the Jewish people when focusing on one of the most precious values that they have clung to throughout their turbulent history: Arvut hadadit (mutual responsibility). As I have always stated, the unity OF Jews is utterly distinct from any uniformity BETWEEN Jews; we are not supposed to agree on everything as a prerequisite for a unified front in the face of indiscriminatory Jew – and Israel – hatred.

Any member of the Jewish community for whom the term “Jewish” bears any significance whatsoever needs to stand up today, rally, and make their voice heard in their own community thereby lending Israel a supporting hand – on all levels. This is neither charity nor a plea forged by existential anxiety – far from it.

Israel will prevail

MAKE NO mistake – Israel will not only prevail, but will emerge stronger, despite the deep fresh scars now etched into its collective soul. This call is from a time immemorial, a call which reverberates through millennia: As a Jew, I am never alone and will never stand alone. And as a Jew, I will never leave my people alone – wherever they are, whatever the challenge.

Jewish communities around the world are doing precisely that, fortified by US President Joe Biden’s historic address to the nation, which reverberated throughout Israel as a beam of light in its darkest hour. Many world leaders and thousands of their non-Jewish citizens, for whom such abominable atrocities are utterly unacceptable and transcend any sort of political conflict were also buoyed by Biden’s address.

Yet this war is far from over, and by that, I am not referring to the Swords of Iron War unfolding these days. This war is also an internal war of human consciousness, decency, and unwavering integrity, calling upon one and all to lift their heads, raise their voices, and join as one in standing for Israel at this moment – unequivocally.

And one final word to my Jewish brothers and sisters from If Not Now, BDS, Free Palestine, and the like. Yes, indeed, my brothers and sisters. For despite my full knowledge that the following words will be met by nothing but ridicule, spiteful cynicism, and venomous hatred on your part, I would still ask you to consider these two painfully simple facts: first, had any of you fallen into the hands of Hamas – whose abhorrent barbarism you so quickly ran to sanction, and who couldn’t care less about “freeing Palestine” as much as it sanctifies the annihilation of Israel and destruction of Jewish lives – you would have nonetheless been massacred alongside our other Jewish brothers and sisters, whose despicable murder and defilement you so easily justify from the blissful shelter of your distance, the comfort of your home, and the shield of your computer screens; and second, had any of you indeed fallen into the hands of those blood-thirsty extremists, you will nonetheless find me, this entire country, our incredible IDF, and all of world Jewry doing anything in our power to save you – simply because you are and forever will be our brothers and sisters.

This simple truth remains a fact, irrespective of your acceptance, acknowledgment, or any pejorative gesture in turn – even should I need to come to your aid while you spit in my “baby killer” face. That is the great ethos upon which both the Jewish people and Israel have always stood and will continue to stand firm, despite all attempts to destroy it.

None of us are guilty of these atrocities; the guilt lies solely on the shoulders of Hamas and all other extremist terrorists who relish bloodshed and for whom massacre and human carnage are a sacred duty. But we are all responsible in our commitment to stand firmly against them and put forward our most venerated values as a people, for our people.