HOW DID WE GET HERE?

  How indeed did this happen and continues to happen? In the midst of fighting a seemingly eternal war, composed of chapters of different lengths and pauses between those chapters, other, perhaps wars even more critical are being waged, It must be stated that the pauses are never complete, wholly intact, for even then the shooting and the death and destruction continue apace, even as the wars within the nation continue to rend this nation to shreds.

There is no place anymore for eyes and hearts to rest. Print media and online media as well, work hard to fill in any vacuum and pass on ever more news of the day. More young men and women with lives taken and/or massive wounds, both mental and physical, begin to swamp the fighters and their families. And then, on the back of the nation as it is   attacked from without by ancient enemies, names not particular in importance, enemies attack us from within. The sirens go ultra red in thunderous silence. 

Those who are awake and accepting of truth hear the warning of the ugliness ahead. The ugly sight    of Jew fighting Jew breaks all who see it. All who take part on either side. Arrogance combats determination. The law is twisted and turned until there is no law any longer. Do we continue to fight within our own selves, within our own nation cursing and hitting each other? 

What is the truth of this nation and what is the truth about people, particularly those who use an ancient false meme to justify their opposition to what is right. Perhaps even used as a cover up to their cowardice. Even as they see our conscripted fighters and our reserves, constantly turned back onto the fields of war, into the skies of danger. The civilian population and economy are attacked time and again as soldiers who have already done their share, more than their share, in protecting their nation, their families, even the strangers in the street, for we are all Jews together. 

Why is this the reality? Because openly, obviously, cowardly refuse to do what they must. They, those who claim the spiritual upper hand, are the very ones violating the laws regarding wars and warriors of their own religion. Haredi sects who refuse drafting of those within their own sects while of age and of necessity to the very survival of this nation, have induced a shortage of thousands necessary to ensure the safety and survival of this State of Israel.  Looking ahead again, clearly we see thousands more that will be missing. And the ever-increasing call upon those who fulfill their responsibility, work, and time and time again must leave families, home and businesses and positions, to enable the existential survival of our nation. Looking ahead, clearly can be seen  a drastic shortage, so much so that defense of our nation will be curtailed. even, G-d forbid, to the point of possible defeat of our blessed nation. 

The burden of defense must be shared among the entire population. Exclusions for purposes of study of the Torah and the Talmud must be carefully watched and allotted to those of truly best rank and ability, actually a student of that caliber. They are indeed necessary for the defense, but certainly not in the thousands, those pushed to defy and evade.   This is a system that has been corrupted and stretched beyond the breaking point. There are too many who find the time to wander the streets rather than occupy the seats in the study hall. They do find, however, time to hang as hoodlums, as gangs, on the streets of the cities of this nation. Calling halts to entire cities, setting things on fire, endangering not only themselves but also the police and others called in to restore the streets under attack to functioning levels. 

Ironically, when those who recognize the necessity of standing on the borders of our nation, blocking all with massacre in their hearts, they prove to be excellent warriors. They are strong in character, strong in determination and able to withstand those of their communities who act as beasts of the fields towards them.

However, this situation does not only end there with religion being excused as a clearly thin disguise of a cowardly, but even treasonous quest to avoid the trenches, the flying bullets and the pounding of the hearts. No one wants war. No one wants to fight a war. No one wants to see their children caught up in wars. Time, and time again. The people of Israel are tired. It has been a nonstop slog on the battlefields, in the cities and roads where terrorism found opportunity. All the better to be able to shoot rifles in the air and shout "Mat al Yahud" - Death to the Jews - their ultimate goal. Generation after generation has lost so many. In fact, there are many families who have lost at least one in every generation. Fathers, brothers, sons, sisters, mothers, daughters. From the oldest to the youngest, even to those unborn. Parents taken away.

 Common sense question arises Why then do we pick fights and battles and declare war on our fellow citizens? Our fellow residents of this nation. Why have we indeed become not a refreshing clear light unto the nations but rather have become a lamp clogged and nonworking. We now engage in   fight for power We fight for position We fight to  amass money.cWe get so caught up in other worlds contained within our Venn diagrams that we disremember that in those Venn diagrams there is an overlap with others of our own.

Somewhere along the line we've lost our independence. We allow others to tell us whether and what we can do, even, and especially, when our survival is being challenged. Having to deal with those demented in their hatred and their duplicitous   false practices and claims that religion has won.  G-d favors them and he will save them. We certainly hope that the Lord remembers us down here but there are no promises that an answer will be given and that answer be positive in nature. We cannot read the mind of G-d. We are only able to do the best we can, to be welcoming and kind to all. 

Unfortunately, we clearly do not abide by that mantra. We criticize others for their lack of heights of observance, for their nonobservance, for their observance with the wrong customs as they deem it so. We pass on insults comparing those who differ   to beasts of the fields, to filthy animals, to creatures who still crawl upon the face of this earth. 

I don't understand that, for even as they claim brotherhood of all, on the other side of the mouth they speak otherwise. They rebel against the laws displeasing them. They work to place this nation under the smothering canopy of a theocracy, most unwanted. For all these internal battles we have earned ourselves a corrupt and corrupting government. People who have been held on too long, way past their sell by dates. 

And finally, for now, I abhor the treatment of women here in Israel. In other countries, even of the Third World, women have been heads of government. The only one we have had here is Golda Meir and Lord knows we need more of her, please.  We have from within those who believe every falsehood, every blood libel, cast out into the world about us. Ever so eager to back every lie that our enemies spew forth?  

We must stop cutting out the faces of women or blurring their faces as they become non-persons. We must cherish and acknowledge and celebrate all that women have contributed to our history. All the Heroines of all the Times. We must not stifle their talents and their minds and allow them to speak out and speak up, Contributing all they can and will to our people, to our nation, to our world

 Possibly foremost of all, we need proper education for within that schooling will be the seeds of a more united nation, of an unselfish population. No more to be governed by those who have a high opinion of themselves, are robed in cloaks of hubris. who want lives of all benefits to them, to grow in influence and power, in amassing monies beyond counting.  

 Education, secular and religious, will birth a more productive nation, with all contributing in righteous and proper manner. All conceding that this is where our nation must be and where we must go, with great strides and clear eyes, vision pure, to get there to share our heritage with all, for a Jew is a Jew is a Jew. It is not upon other Jews to decide that no, they are not, in some way lacking.

Back to the top. How did we get here? How did we lose ourselves? When and why do we increase that which separates us rather than enclosing us within, as one, together. How did we find ourselves so deep under water, so smothered by fetid stinking muds and entangled in poisonous weeds. How did we allow so much to fall upon the shoulders of so few, as on the battlefield they battle and do the same on the home front.

Yesterday. How indeed do we find ourselves back here?

Today. A baffling situation, almost not to be understood, yet it must. If we are to move positively into our

Tomorrows. That which awaits us and is on us. As always.