Pride and hope
In the face of unprecedented antisemitism around the world, we must be defiant; we must hold on to our traditions and our Jewish pride.
Four hundred days.
The scars of October 7, 2023, will never heal for our global Jewish nation. And especially not with the open wound of 101 hostages (98 of whom were taken on that day) who remain prisoner in the dark tunnels of Gaza.
It is true that Israel has had a string of recent military successes in Gaza and Lebanon. But until the captive fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, sons and daughters come home, this terrible war will never be over.
We think of them every day and long for their release. But sadly, we largely do so alone.
As we wrote here 200 days ago, “At best, they are ignored by global media, world leaders and the United Nations or paid mere lip service in statements that mostly criticise Israel and call on it, not Hamas, to lay down its arms.”
Nothing has changed.
Israel remains condemned in international forums for its military self-defence efforts against Hamas in Gaza, and now also against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israelis are being hunted down in the streets of Amsterdam.
Eighty-six years after Kristallnacht, the anniversary of which we have just marked, the world has again turned its back on the Jews.
But as Rabbi Yaakov Glasman writes in this week’s AJN, in the face of unprecedented antisemitism around the world, we must be defiant; we must hold on to our traditions and our Jewish pride.
At the same time, we hold on to hope. The hope that no matter how grim their plight may appear, the hostages will one day come home. The hope that one day soon, peace may descend on Israel and the region.
Whatever one may think of the man himself, the election of Donald Trump as the next US president may begin a shift in the right direction.
Though Doha has publicly denied it, reports indicate Qatar has already asked that Hamas relocate its political bureau to another country.
And with the staunchly pro-Israel Trump back in the White House, Iran, its proxies and other rogue actors in the Middle East may well decide it is wiser to prioritise their own survival over Israel’s destruction.
comments