Israel is doing a fine job of defeating her enemies, but what about us?

Israel went through hell recently and continues to suffer the consequences.

But I have faith that Israelis with G-d’s help will wipe out Hamas (they are doing so at great pace currently) and deal with all of their enemies.

 

You might recall that hours after the Oct 7 pogrom, when the PM of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu announced that Israel is at war with Hamas in Gaza, pretty much the entire world predicted a disaster for Israel. Estimates for dead or injured IDF soldiers who would eventually have to enter the crowded cities within the Gaza strip were in the tens of thousands per month!

Those who support Israel, like myself, were very concerned. I myself was hoping that Israel would turn the entire Gaza strip into rubble via bombs dropped from planes. I didn't want to risk one Israeli life dealing with concealed weapons, booby traps and tunnels. 

Yet here we are, 2 plus months into the war and the IDF are doing amazing things. The 'brave' Hamas fighters are surrendering in record numbers. Here is a recent photograph of a bunch of these overweight fighters. Apparently they are not starving after all...

Of course many Israeli soldiers and civilians have lost their precious lives and many continue to suffer. But the casualty rate has not come close to the many dire predictions. Hopefully in good time, Hamas and their supporters (most Arabs in the Middle East) will be taken care of (if you know what I mean). 

But we in the diaspora are not holding our own. I’m afraid that I lack any great faith to push back from the myriad antisemites that confront us daily. 

There are some glimmers of hope for sure. I am thrilled to hear of many of my friends who until recently have been mostly silent on the war against antisemites of which there are plenty.

From individuals to public and private institutions including our government, there is no shortage of people who hate us. It took the UN months to admit that innocent Israeli women and children were raped, beheaded, burned alive and tortured in the most gruesome ways imaginable, let alone publicly condemn it. 

Just as the pogrom on Oct 7 woke up some of us who stand on the right side of history, that is, with Israel - it also woke up many haters on the wrong side, against Israel and of course against Jewish people everywhere. 

Israel being a Jewish state, does not suffer the kind of antisemitism that we do outside of Israel. To be sure, hers is of a most serious, existential threat. Her Muslim enemies want to wipe Israel off the map. If you can't see that they absolutely mean what they say, then you are beyond help.

Whereas in the diaspora our enemies are mostly not committed suicide bombers or beheaders just yet. There are some obvious exceptions like 9/11. But we have been under assault daily in just about every community in the West for forever. But it's getting nasty out there. To those who live in my city (Toronto) for example, think back 20 or so years. Can you recall seeing 'Palestinian' or Hamas flags on our streets throughout our beautiful city? On every single university campus (who's presidents are complicit in their solidarity with their Jew hate)? At multiple city halls? There has been a pro-Palestinian demonstration every single weekend at my city hall since Oct 7 and G-d help you if you try to run a counter demonstration there. I live in a mostly Jewish suburb of Toronto and just a couple of hours ago I saw some people carrying large Pali flags towards a bridge over our main highway (401). My Jewish friend who lives downtown told me how only recently police had to surround his building in order to protect the residents from anti-Israel (anti-Jewish) demonstrators. This evokes images of Kristallnacht in Germany in 1938, does it not? 

All this was unheard of just a decade or so before. I'm not saying that it wasn't simmering but it surely wasn't as overt as it is now. Thankfully my late Holocaust survivor parents aren't here to witness it. 

Although we are small in number compared to our detractors, we must speak out now more than ever. In fact because (I like the Hebrew word 'dafka' even better than 'because') we are the minority, we are obligated to be more vociferous than they are, right?

Now is the time to not hold back. Speak your mind out loud and repeatedly. Show your face. Go to rallies in support of Israel and to put pressure to free the hostages. If you don't, apolitical folks in the West will not speak up for you. They will most likely speak up for the loudest voices they can hear.