MORAL FIBER, MORAL STRENGTH, MORAL COURAGE

     This might be a bit lengthy, but bear with me. I intended to write something else today, but got sideswiped by my daughter's call last nite after the Sabbath and had to include what follows. It is a rare person in this world who can truly bear up to some of what the Lord hands out. It is certainly rarer when that person comes out even stronger than before and one wonders at the plans of G-d. Such a person is Rachel Frankel, a woman bereft of her son, torn from her via a murderous kidnapping, shooting, and burning of the body of her 16 year old son, Naftali.
     This Shabbat she spoke at my daughter's synagogue and in the area and she went to hear what she had to say. There, she told me, stood a towering hero, not because of any physical height, but because of her strength and courage, her ability to answer questions, to comfort others who were weeping, even as she spoke lovingly about her son and children. When asked if she is angry, she did not deny it, but said that one cannot live a life only of anger and must put oneself back together, if only for the sake of others.
     She spoke of the fact that most of his belongings were burned in the fire, in his knapsack, as most Israeli boys of that age have only a few pairs of clothing and they went back and forth to school and home. His tefillin were burned as well so there is nothing to hold, to fondle - just the memories and the album pictures, yet Naftali lives on. When his younger siblings recite the Shma at nite before going to sleep and they call on the angels to watch over them, they add in the name of their beloved brother, - "also Naftali." When his sister could not speak, sat in silence, his friends came over and spoke to and with her about Naftali, got her to tell her stories and look at pictures and remember her brother in life, as he was, as he will always be.
     I could go on and on, write of my tears as my daughter kept relating the details, but the point is made. There are people to admire, to copy, in this world, just too few of them. And how sad it is when the leader of a powerful country such as the USA is not one of them. This man, President Obama, has no moral fiber and that fact is becoming more and more evident as the days go on. This man cannot call the truth out for anything. There are no Islamic terrorists out there, only some vague generic terrorists. There was no Armenian massacre or genocide perpetrated upon them by Turkey. The rest of the world is finally admitting it yet this man will not - because Turkey will not like it. Well, too bad. Truth is truth and I can still remember when I first heard about it from an Armenian professor I had, tough as nails, who began to cry as she spoke of the lost members of her family during a forced march into the desert. It happened, Obama, deny it or fudge over it as much as you will, but the facts are the facts.
     Terrorism in today's world is most often, not only, but most often, inspired by Moslem extremists and even if, even if, and I am not sure of this, even if they are a minority, sizeable minority, of the billions of Moslems in the world, that means nothing unless the majority speak up, stand up, but if there is no moral strength or courage there, then.....
     Today we have Iran as the state sponsor of much of that terrorism, supplying funds and ideas to this movement, perpetuating its homicidal ideology. We finally had them on the ropes, crumbling under the weight of the sanctions that were imposed on them by the USA and the world but Mr. Neville Chamberlain the Second in the person of Obama, felt he had to "reach out" to them, extend a hand. Why? Why? Why? So they could blab away all they want, supposedly agree to a deal which was not half of what was necessary, and then embarrass all involved, especially Obama, by saying, no DEMANDING, that the sanctions be lifted before they even did anything! That is like giving a murderer parole before he serves his sentence because he promises to behave, even though he has reneged on his promises before and his way of thinking is alien to civilized society. But, no, our spineless president just sails on blithely, ceding all, conceding everything, and leaving pieces of his moral spine all along the way.
     Then yesterday he topped it all. He began to explain away the sale of the missiles from Russia to Iran! Excuse me? There is no excuse. Putin has joined the ranks of historically insane leaders, bringing his country to rack and ruin even as he tries to draw the attention of the citizens  away as he invades other countries and makes bad bad bad policy decisions. But not to worry, our Neville will excuse it all, as his moral fiber shreds away.
     Does it matter that Iran, the very country to which he is giving away the store, is the avowed and sworn enemy of Israel, the best ally the USA has ever had in the Middle East? Does he even care? Not really. He ignores the growing strains and cries of anti - Semitism in Europe. He is the soccer fan who cries out at a game, Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas” and “Jews burn the best!”  He threatens to allow anti Israel votes in the UN.
     Is it moral cowardice? Is it true anti Semitism that he imbibed at his madrassa that he attended as a child? Is it the words of his anti Semitic pastor? Is it cowardice? President Obama, I extend a personal invitation to you, come visit CV again and this time, answer the questions with truthful answers, explain your deeds. Like that will ever happen. Hey, you can even come to my home.
     And finally, we have our own prime local example of a man or men without moral fiber, moral strength or moral courage. People of morality do not need to threaten others. People of morality will work for the side of the right and not for their own personal profit or desires. People of morality are not afraid to allow people to see what they are doing, to open their books, to tell the truth, to hear what people have to say. If one has nothing to hide, if one has proceeded as a moral person should have done, if one is truly proud of one's actions and achievements, then why must one hide and stall. It is the same as the government hiding certain pages of the 9/11 tragedy. What is the government hiding? If nothing, as they say, then open the papers. People hide things when there is something to hide and the more stubborn they are, the more suspicion grows on them. Ditto for here as well.
      Lies and more lies, the denial of the facts and the truth as it is, the nasty behavior on whatever level, all cannot hide the shine of the courage and strength of a woman such as Rachel Frankel. Shame on the rest of us that we do not try to emulate this woman and allow the lowlifes of the world to prosper because we say and/or do nothing. And kudos to those who are trying to right the wrongs, to clear the air, to expose the truth. Moral fiber, moral strength, moral courage. A trio of powerful reminders of what we are supposed to do and have and strive for here on earth.