The Jew News Review – October 21, 2023 – “Evil”

Shabbat shalom. And a tip of the kipah this week to President Biden and Anthony Blinken. The two have provided tremendous leadership during this crisis, presenting a balanced view that demonstrated full support of Israel and the right to defend itself, in a way that respects the rule of law and international humanitarian standards, and “taking every possible precaution to protect civilian life.”

However, I am still angry, and as I ruminate on topics of the week for this posting, I still can’t get past that anger, despite the incredible volume and pace of the news this week, including the release of two hostages, the ongoing Republican clown show and the guilty pleas from the treasonous Trump sicko-phants. But I can’t go there yet. I keep coming back to October 7 and the wanton and senseless slaughtering of innocent men, women and children, whose only “flaw” was being born Jewish in a Jewish state. 

Philosophers talk about Evil with a capital “E”, as being the act of useless violence: the “deliberate production of pain and suffering as an end in itself. There is nothing apart from the violence to which one could point and say “that’s why they did these things”. The sole aim of useless violence is to torture, to inflict as much pain and suffering as possible. It is not evil, but Evil.”

Hamas unleashed their version of Evil on October 7 when they invaded Israel and beat, robbed, raped, kidnapped, and executed Jewish men, women and children. They also burned families alive, shot babies in the head, and decapitated them. Such horrific crimes hadn’t been perpetrated against Jews since the Holocaust. It was an act of terror that embodied Evil, and the only effect or purpose I can see behind it was to instill fear, shock and terror. Terror teaches that the world is a bad place, that life is more pain than joy. Terror also distracts minds and hearts from life. Instead of tending to ourselves, our families and communities, the drama of terrorism pulls us away from today’s reality and toward an endless barrage of questions we can’t answer and emotions that are overwhelmingly difficult to face. This is where I find my own state of mind this morning, but unlike my Israeli friends, I sit comfortably in my home office, safe with my family, far from the terror and Evil doings of Hamas. 

I reached out to my Israeli friends last week to share in their pain and to make sure they and their families were safe. Some are young enough to get called in for Reserve duty, a pretty scary prospect. But the overall sentiment from these mostly Tel Aviv based folks was captured in this quote from one of them, “We are over the shock, and ready to kick some ass!” 

Israelis are a pretty hardened people. Tough, and resilient, facing continuous existential threats, they have overcome many such threats and terrorism since its inception in 1948. I have no doubt they will endure and overcome this one, but it will come at a greater cost, not just in blood and treasure, but in world opinion. As usual, there will be a double standard applied to them in how they conduct themselves in this war, as if any other country takes as much caution in warning civilians and avoiding collateral civilian death and damage. They are already losing the PR battle, thanks to the lame stream media’s amazingly shoddy work in reporting the recent bombing of the Hospital in South Gaza. 

And I wonder if the “progressives” in this country, particularly the college kids, that are demonstrating their sympathy and support for Hamas and the Palestinians understand this Evil? Why is it that when Israel tries to defend itself from a group that is committed to exterminating them, they get criticized by these groups that complain about Israeli oppression? Do you think for a minute that if every Palestinian demand was met by Israel that the Palestinian hatred of the Jews would be satisfied? Is there any record of Palestinian mass protest against Hamas? Have doctors demanded that Hamas take their rocket launchers away from hospitals? Have teachers demanded that rockets be taken away from schools? Have the international supporters of Palestine demanded the same? Do these “social justice” warriors think that being an Arab gay or Arab woman in any Arab state is better than being an Arab gay or woman anywhere in Israel? 

Yes, I am still angry. I hope something positive can come out of this terrifying situation, but I am weary and worried, and can’t help but reflect on what former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir used to say, “If the Arabs put down their guns, there would be no more fighting. If the Israelis put down theirs, there would be no more Israel.”

I will hopefully not be angry next week, and be back with the usual round up of news for the Jews. Until then, be careful out there!

Brad out.