Bystanders. The bane of any healthy society. Bystanders. People who, while others are in need, remain on the sidelines. Bystanders, those who watch, often with apathy. Bystanders. Those who do nothing to offer help.
Almost always, those who are bystanders fear that if they were to get involved, something might happen to them. They fear that because of their involvement, they might even get sued or prosecuted. They fight the natural urge to help others in distress.
It is that fear that explains why, for many years, doctors recused themselves from helping strangers and from saving lives when they were out of their offices and hospitals – when they were not robed in their white coats. That fear of springing into action was ultimately what brought about the initiation of the Good Samaritan laws in the US. These laws protect doctors who help others in need by removing the fear of being sued for malpractice.
Bystanders think of themselves and not of the overall good of society. Their inaction is contagious, and it poisons society.
Often, a society slowly converts from active, engaged participants into a society of bystanders. It has to do with complacency and concern only for themselves. It coincides with a weakening of national pride.
Rather than act, rather than being proactive, bystanders let others do the hard work of running society. They want others to do the work of building a society that they can then enjoy. Bystanders do not become public personalities, neither are they volunteers. In their eyes, volunteers are suckers doing work for free and gaining no benefit.
Once a bystander does not mean always a bystander, however. People can change and bystanders can move up and become engaged members of their society. But sometimes, the reverse happens. Sometimes, a once actively engaged person becomes disillusioned and becomes a member of the bystander crowd.
Volunteers flock to help
IN ISRAEL, the tragedy of October 7 forced many bystanders into the sphere of engaged volunteers helping the many who needed support. Out of the horrors of October 7, wonderous societal changes emerged. Committed city folk flocked to help out in rural communities. Remarkable art, music, drama and poetry emerged.
What was happening in Israel caught on with American Jewry, many of whom flocked to Israel to do something, anything, that needed to be done. And they returned home inspired not by what they had done, but with the way Israel and Israelis were coping.
The national unspoken message was “get involved and do something!” That spirit of volunteerism should be a model not just for Jews the world over, but for the whole world.
In the US, there is a strong tradition of volunteerism, certainly within the Jewish community. Without the American Jewish women of Hadassah, led by the inimitable Henriette Szold who galvanized hordes of volunteers, Israel’s medical community would be a different place. It was Hadassah ladies, as they were called, who raised much of the money needed to create hospitals in Israel. It is hard to imagine how long it would have taken to establish those institutions without the volunteerism of Hadassah.
Fast forward to today. Despite that great history, nowadays the tone in the United States has weakened the spirit of volunteerism and few are willing to take the responsibility that comes with standing up and getting involved.
Trial of David Penny
THE TRIAL of Daniel Penny is a perfect example. On May 1, 2023, a homeless man named Jordan Neely boarded the Second Avenue subway in New York City. He threatened his fellow riders. They became frightened. Penny, an ex-marine, stepped in to protect those riding that subway car by placing Neely in a choke hold. Neely died.
Daniel Penny was charged with second-degree manslaughter and negligent homicide. With a deadlocked jury, the prosecution dropped the manslaughter charge. In the end, the jury found Penny not guilty of the second charge of negligent homicide.
Penny was a free man. But despite the jury’s decision, the message that was sent out to New Yorkers was be a bystander. Don’t get involved. That is a very dangerous and damaging message. A nation wants people to get involved – wants them to protect their country not only when they are in the military but to protect the nation in everyday life; to protect the character of their nation.
Nazi Europe
In Nazi-occupied Europe during the Holocaust, the citizens fell into three groups. One group, a relatively small one, collaborated with the Nazis. Another relatively small group rebelled and fought the Nazis. The vast majority of the people were simply bystanders.
The masses were afraid to stand up against the Nazis. They knew that they could be killed – not just them, but also their families. They were scared and they remained silent because they knew that Nazis practiced collective punishment, holding people responsible for actions taken by others.
During this awful period of history, most people just stood by and watched. There is a famous scene in Claude Lanzmann’s epic documentary Shoah in which a local Pole was asked what he did to help save Jews. The local recalled seeing cattle cars stuffed with Jews, he recalled seeing Jews trying to see through the tiny slat of the train and grab a breath of fresh air. This Pole recalled that when the trains stopped, he passed his hand across his neck as if to say he was warning them. Warning them that they were to be slaughtered.
It doesn’t take a hero to stand up and help others. Sometimes that comes in the form of monetary donations, sometimes it comes by donating time and even advice. All it takes is compassion and consideration for others. Just like Israelis are doing.
The writer is a columnist and a social and political commentator. Watch his TV show Thinking Out Loud on JBS.