Friday, August 23, 2024

"ALLO, HELLO, SHALOM KNOCK, KNOCK, ANYBODY HOME?"

  Or I hear ya' knockin' but you can't come in". Or "Go away; not wanted." Or the ultimate truth - "we do not want your kind here." And that is the bottom line, unvarnished brutal reality of the truth. This time around this ever-present animosity has managed to grow and encompass all variations within its serrated sharp-edged borders, no possibility of exit in sight. Well, perhaps I lie. Apparently, I have disremembered that if one denied one's own being, totally negated oneself in abhorrent abnegation, in surrender of all dignity, well, maybe, a passage for that brief second appeared, but it was only for THAT moment. Instantaneously the process reset itself and it was a case of ad nauseum ad absurdum - only it was not absurd, was it?  

In fact, it is a return to the ugliness of yesteryear, sans the Lone Anger, Tonto, Zorro, Sabra, Golem, nor knight in shining armor atop a huge white horse. No, only that overwhelming suffocating ugliness and an inability to transmit that state of being to anyone not within the target zone of those practicing this newly elevated 'religion' of condoned, even sanctified violence and bloodshed with an acknowledged and open goal of final status; exclusion and extermination.

Clear as glass. and yet the world once again turns its back, makes excuses, refuses to acknowledge its moral cowardice. Its silenced voice is heard loud and clear, is, in fact, deafening. "We need to attend to business, old business. New business is shit outta' luck!" Into each life some rain must fall, correct? Only why must this rain of blood pouring from battered souls and bodies be a constant, ever ongoing, never openly acknowledged, ever savage in intent?  Ever discernable no matter the disguise.

A columnist recently wrote with good intention in mind that what all this amounts to is an attempt to break the "moral spine" of Jews. He quotes:

"In support of Jewish emancipation in 1789, the Comte de Clermont-Tonnerre told France’s National Assembly: “The Jews should be denied everything as a nation but granted everything as individuals.” On a growing part of the American left, the offer stands. To debate whether this violates one Jew or another’s freedom of religion is to miss the point."

The spine is a forced denial of the essence of most people - the right to be seen as a peoplehood, a nation. But it is more than that. It is not so much a separation of that peoplehood right as to a surrender of religion, though our foes claim that falsehood. Its lie is clearly displayed via the morphing signs calling for defeat and erasure of Israel, segueing into chants and posters calling for "death to the Jews. Same difference. All even remotely associated with Judaism, Jews, Israel, Zionism is anathema to these beasts. All of those concepts are denied and discredited. It becomes a sacred duty to kill Jews, to destroy Israel.  

 It is not the spine of Jews and Judaism that is being broken. Our students made us proud and are determined to follow through, not to surrender to fear and threats, to intimidation. to renounce their   Judaism, their support for Israel, and even to hide     their Judaism by forswearing any and all symbols of such. The response was the immediate growth. of the wearing of the Jewish star, of kippot, of any symbol of Judaism. Neither their physical nor moral spine was broken. In fact, they were strengthened. In fact, broken shards of spines still diseased and dangerous belonged to the protesters, the supporters and advocates of murder, bestiality, of Hamas. 

The broken spines belonged to the Arab and Muslim nations, nations of the world who refused to condemn the bestiality of Hamas, the massacre of Oct7and the continued holding and slaughter of hostages taken that day, from infant to elderly, men and women, who tortured and raped and killed in cold blood. No, we know whose spine is broken. Though subjected to battering it remains intact and strong, even better than before as our unity is strengthened. Those whose thinking is off, who align with those calling for their demise, will come face to face with the truth and when they do, they will be taken back into their people. Our moral spine is intact. 

We do not separate ourselves and divide via religious observances, for bottom line, those differences that exist are family squabbles, some more serious than others, like any family. That does not negate our oneness, our unity, our commitment to and with each other.  

Am Echad, Lev Achad.

One People. One heart.          

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