Posted by
elaine sandler on Wednesday, February 04, 2009 5:22:04 PM
The world has indeed reverted back to a pre-Holocaust sensibility. It's frightening. Killing Jews has become acceptable again. A global pervasive hatred embraced with savage veneration by Muslims - an enormous, largely detestible group of people who encourage death even for their own children while engaging in terrible violence, female oppression and virulent anti-Semitism with no bounds. Their numbers grow; they can be found almost anywhere. Time is indeed on their side.
We have every reason to fear them, yet Israel hesitates, held hostage by U.S. misguided Presidential ambitions which continue on in pursuit of a futile peace process that can't be feasible given the nature of this crazed blood-thirsty enemy. Obama, whose real intentions cannot be known, begins another pointless quest to quell the conflict. He will not succeed.
Muslims will overtake Europe in a decade and when they do, the remaining European Jews will seek asylum in America or Israel. We watch their last dying gasps toward concession to appease Muslim's incapable of assimilation who seek to change their host countries from within.
We saw their devastating capabilities in Mumbai. There was intial shock, less for defenseless Chabad (their intended purpose some say); it was mostly directed at the breadth of violence a small group of young Muslim men could beget in short order with preparation and excellent training. It was designed to render the most violence with no regard for their own survival. They embrace death while we savor life; an inherent dichotomy that puts civilized people at a distinct disadvantage.
Meanwhile, Israel, in its imperative to cater to world opinion, provided humanitarian aid while attacking their vicious Gazan (Hamas) enemies, as well as a warning system alerting Palestinian civilians of incoming attacks. Such consideration for a people who use women and children as human shields - a fact acknowledged by the world at large. Why bother? No country should be held to such absurd standards. Yet, Israel acquiesces because of inherent decency and fear of criticism which comes anyway. The world judges this remarkable country with condemnation. We are always dispensible. We are Jews.
We can count on other future Mumbai type rampages in disparate places in which Jews, among others, will be targeted. Terrorism no longer shocks our western sensibility like before. We have become inured by this common occurrence. Yet, there has been no U.S. terrorist attack from 2001 to 2008, barely a footnote in Bush's debased Presidency. 9/11 is a faded memory, a flashback potentially jarred only by another terrorist attack that some say will invariably come. Our complacency is apparent even in our corrupt ruling party - some bicker over the viability of a 'War on Terror", words carefully couched in our politically-correct times that seek to undermine us from within.
So much talk about the growing threat Iran poses, yet we wait for it to fully materialize. Israel, too, seems paralyzed by U.S. admonitions for restraint as their enemy gains strength while declaring their commitment to eliminate Israel. Do we dare not take these threats seriously? Is this more of the same. Jews ignoring ominous threats in a cavalier world whose Hebrew Semite-regard has clearly dissipated.
The New York Times ignores Israeli realities, at their peril, surrendering to a dispirited self-loathing sentiment shocking in its bold severity. Do they recognize consequence? How did they arrive at such a mind-set in a place like New York. New York Jews do not fully grasp that there coveted high-brow newspaper sold them out.
Could Israel actually disappear? Not without a fight, you say. How many nukes would it take to wipe them out? Is this the reason the movie, "Defiance" is so reassuring, watching Jews defend themselves and survive during a time when they mostly did not. God bless Zionist Jews for choosing to defend themselves. Many of us, even some in America, would use a gun or take a bullet to protect a Jew we care about. You can be sure many of us would defend ourselves. We would be in good company complicit in the knowledge there are other Jews who would not go softly into the night.
If the world's fury is directed at Israel for daring to resist and defend itself, perhaps she should resist further using harsher measures to ensure greater certitude that they mean business and will not tolerate existential threats. Jewish death, and more violence when Israel has willingly given up land for peace that never came. Passivity and a willingness to absorb too much abuse sends a bad message.
Jews are caught in a dangerous conundrum. If we err too far on either end of the spectrum things may totter off a comfortable albeit predictable roulette continuum that has kept Israel reasonably stable up to now. There is a new election in Israel (may Natanyahu win) and a newly elected American President. We cannot know how these two leaders will get on and if Israel will benefit from their mutual efforts, assuming they can act in accord. We know anti-Semitism has marched out of the shadows. Jewish ingenuity and shrewd political -decision-making must play a formative role if we are to sustain ourselves. Nukes serve only one purpose: death and destruction. If they are allowed to fully develop for use against Israel, we will be compelled to proactively defend ourselves.
Jews did not anticipate Hitler's evil. We cannot afford to make that mistake again.
Elaine Sandler