Many of us were pleasantly shocked when President Donald Trump posted this statement on Monday. The power behind it was shocking. I heard from many people that this is what they expected when they voted for Trump. I heard from others that they hate it when they agree with something Trump said. The most common theme I have heard is, “what if President Biden had said this on October 8th?” It’s something many of us will wonder about and we will never know because he didn’t. He was supportive of Israel, visited Israel, and has ensure Israel has the weapons they need despite lots of controversy and delays with some weapons. Despite the good President Biden has done for Israel since October 7th, he has never come out this strongly about the hostages and demanding their release. Now that we know that Omer Neutra was actually murdered on October 7th and Hamas stole his body and took it into Gaza, there remain 6 American hostages alive plus Omer’s body in Gaza. The words that we use matter. Who says them matter. It is why we need to advocate to our leaders so that they speak out. So that they get educated. It is why we fight those who use words to delegitimize and lie.
My favorite line in President Trump’s post is the end where he states, “RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW”. It’s different than “Bring them home now” and puts the responsibility where it belongs – on Hamas to release them and on Iran to force Hamas to release them. Words matter.
A perfect example of this was when President Biden went to a bookstore in Nantucket and purchased The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine, written by the Palestinian-American historian Rashid Khalidi, an anti-Israel academic who recently retired from Columbia University. The author describes it as “a history of settler colonialism and resistance from 1917 to 2017.” Once again, attempts to spread the lies that Israel is a colonial state and that despite rejecting multiple oppotunities for peace and state of their own over the past 76 years, the Palestinians are ‘resisting’. There are many options to learn about the history of the region. There are many academic books that provide unbiased and factual information. The fact that President Biden chose this book is a problem. The fact that he publicly walked out with it for the media to see is yet another problem. Actions make statements. Intentional or not, President Biden’s actions made a statement providing support for the lies about Israel.
I don’t know why I am shocked or surprised at the antisemitism that happens throughout the world. The violence no longer shocks or suprises me, it simply disgusts and saddens me. What does suprise and shock me is when Jewish academics blatently lie and spread falsehoods. This is where truth is supposed to be sought. This is where it is ok to debate issues however facts are facts. It is ok to debate opinions and interpretations but you don’t get to create your own facts.
Except at Yale University where the Center for Jewish Studies completely changes the Talmud from being Jewish to being Palestinian. They have completely removed Judaism and Jews from the Talmud, making them Palestinians instead. I find it beyond offensive. It is another reminder about how important it is to do research on Universities before sending your child there for an education. My oldest already has his master’s degree and my youngest graduates college in May. I would never send them to Yale or any of the schools that have shown themselves to be antisemitic. Columbia? No thank you. Penn? Not a chance. Harvard? Are you crazy?
When we see things like this, it’s critical to not just call them out but also to make sure the Department of Education knows about it. All Universities receive federal funding and are held to standards. Title VI violations have been reported and lawsuits filed. It’s critical we hold these Universities, their Presidents and their faculty accountable for their actions and their inactions. If we allow them to get away with it then we are just as responsible as they are.
When our leaders speak up, we see what happens. On Monday night, the UJA-Federation of NY held their Wall Street dinner. This year it raised $55 million dollars, an all time record. The focus of the diner was on the hostages and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin (z’l) spoke. In her keynote address, she urged them to use their voice and power to make a difference, stating, “I know that there are many in this room that have the ability to make this happen. It might be that the only reason you do it is because it is righteous, it is holy. It is the singular most godly act you will ever do in your life to help these innocent and beloved souls who are languishing in Gaza.”
At the event, UJA-Federation Board Chair Marc Rowan, who last year made headlines for stopping his significant donations to his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, in response to its handling of campus antisemitism went even further, calling on these Wall Street leaders to use the power of their organizations’ voices and their hiring power to fight antisemitism. “It is our responsibility, it’s our job, it’s our challenge, to secure the future of the Jews and the future of Israel. Fundamentally, we need to pivot,” he said. “The Wall Street community is a very fortunate community. Many of you in this room are leaders. Raise your voices, charitable boards, school boards, boards of civic organizations. Remind those around you that antisemitism will not be tolerated.”
The more our leaders speak out, the more power we have. The more we can fight antisemitism and protect Jews. The family of Hersh Goldberg-Polin (z’l) has made sure that his memory is a powerful tool for remembering the hostages and doing everything they can to get them freed. Visuals matter. Words matter. Actions matter.
What are you going to say? What are you going to do? How are you going to make sure you are seen? The days of being silent and hidden are long gone.
I had a totally different topic for this blog post and was in the middle of writing it when the alerts came out that Iran had launched drones at Israel. It quickly became 50+, 100+ and the final report is more than 300 drones. Iran launched cruise and ballistic missiles. Yemen has launched drones. Hezbollah launched drones and rockets. The US came to the support of Israel. American forces intercepted drones in the skies over Iraq and Syria.
This image, from the NY Post, shows where things came from yesterday.
Reports indicate that British fighter jets stationed in Cyprus will assist in intercepting the drones. Jordan launched planes and shot down those that came through their airspace. Egypt closed it’s airspace and said they would destroy anything that came through it. Iran has said they will attack US bases if there is any US offensive involvement. There was no way I could finish the blog I intended to write with this going on.
So, I’m going to write about where we are. These are my opinions. They are my hopes, dreams, concerns, and fears. I will be wrong about many of them, and we will find out in the coming days what I was right about, what I was wrong about, and what things are yet to be determined. I’m going to write them now anyway, even as things are developing moment by moment and by the time this is published, some of what I write may be dated.
Most people expected an Iranian response after the bombing of the headquarters of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Syria. The IRCG is a branch of the Iranian military that has been designated by the US as a terrorist organization. The retaliation was expected to happen after Ramadan, so it’s not a surprise that Iran did something. I’m not sure anybody expected that it would 300+ drones with bombs, cruise, and ballistic missiles, or that it would come from Iran, Yemen, and Hezbollah. As I watched TV, last night, reading my WhatsApp updates from both the IDF and the Bernie News Network (an amazing way to get updates), I am filled with so many different emotions.
My first reaction was “this is what happens when you allow evil to remain.” I have written at length about evil and how it needs to be destroyed. The world’s inability to eradicate evil when we see it, leads to things like this. Hamas is evil and must be removed. There are no excuses to not remove them. The leadership of Iran is evil. As Iranian people. I have friends both of Iranian decent and who live in Iran currently and they hate the government. Hezbollah is evil. The Houthis are evil. As long as we are willing to allow evil to remain, to continue, for any reason, we put the world at risk. Yesterday was a good example of why Israel must go into Rafa and eliminate Hamas. It’s why we can’t continue to attempt diplomacy with Iran. Their government is evil and cannot be trusted. They only respond to strength.
My second reaction was to reach out to my family and friends in Israel to check on them. With this many drones and missiles fired at Israel from multiple directions, the entire country is on lockdown. Everybody is concerned. My friends with young children were playing games with them to keep them calm as they were in their safe room. Those with adult children serving in the IDF are concerned not only about their own safety but the safety of their children. Those without children at home were trying to sleep but obviously couldn’t. And my friends that are single were sharing their confidence in Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and the Arrow 3 Israel has in place. I reached out to two friends in the IDF. One responded that ‘it will be a long night’. The other, a high-ranking officer, did not respond as I’m sure he was involved in high level, secret meetings about the response to Iran’s attack, when and how Israel will enter Rafa, or some other critical matter. October 7th was personal for me and many diaspora Jews. The attack today is another personal attack, a day I won’t forget.
Drones and missles over Jerusalem being shot down by Iron Dome and David’s Sling.
As I watched the news, once again I was amazed as people blamed Israel for Iran’s attack. People defending the Iranian government and this massive attack. People trying to separate Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis from Iran. I found myself getting very angry listening to them spin responsibility, saying Israel deserved to have 300+ suicide drones ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles fired at the entire country, targeting civilian and military targets. The video of Iron Dome in effect over Temple Mount is a spectacular example of targeting non-military targets.
Drones flying over the Temple Mount. Thanks to Iron Dome, nothing was damaged and nobody injured.
I think about our US government and those who voted against funding Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and the Arrow 3 technology. These are defensive technologies, designed only to save lives. They have no purpose other than to save the lives of civilians from terrorists firing rockets, missiles, and drones at Israel. The members of the US House and Senate who don’t support Iron Dome funding are even more clearly antisemitic. The only reason to have them is to save the lives of all Israeli citizens and those who live in Israel. When they vote against this funding, they are saying that Israeli lives don’t matter. On a day like today, when hundreds of rockets and missiles are fired at Israel, the need for this technology is even clearer. I’ve written about how October 7th has changed me. The events of today have impacted me as well. Those who won’t support Iron Dome and defensive technology designed to save lives are people who I view as wanting me and all Jews to be dead. If they had their way, many Israelis would have been killed. My friends and family. If I happened to be there, me. And they’d be happy if I was killed here. That makes them people who shouldn’t be in office and who I feel an obligation to do what I can to have them lose their positions. Today, and their actions, have made me an activist.
The Arrow 3 system defeating a ballistic missile in space. This video has gone viral on X with over 850k views since I posted it.
Here is the list of the 9 who voted against Iron Dome and the two who voted ‘present’ in case you want to be an activist as well.
From Top L-R Reps. Jesus Garcia, Raul Grijalva, Rashida Tlaib, Thomas Massie, Andre Carson, Marie Newman, Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Hank Johnson. (Composite/AP)
Israel isn’t alone. Despite some of the challenges with the Biden Administration and the House and Senate, the United States joined with the UK and Saudi Arabia to deploy jets from Cyprus to defend Israel and shoot down drones and rockets before they arrived in Israel. Jordan directly intercepted drones targeting Israel. Egypt closed its airspace and activated its air defense systems. Not too long ago that would have been an unthinkable thing to say. A few days ago, it was Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Iraq trying to talk Iran into not doing anything. Another unthinkable statement just a few years ago. Both Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are still on track to normalize relations with Israel in the future. Despite the rise in antisemitism, despite the worldwide criticism of Israel in the war with Gaza, despite the negativity Israel faces in the media, Israel is not alone. As Jews, we don’t have to be alone either. We can build relationships with different groups to that we are there for them in their time of need and they will be there for us in our time of need. Just like it took Israel a great deal of effort to make the Abraham Accords a reality and it’s taking hard work to get Saudi Arabia and Indonesia to normalize relations, it takes a lot of hard work to build those relationships. So start now.
A cruise missile shot down in Jordan. 8 months ago, the idea of Jordan helping defend Israel was unthinkable.
While the drones and missiles that Iran fired have largely been neutralized today with minimal damage and injuries, it is far from over. Israel will retaliate. Iran has threated the US directly and any other nation that gets involved to help Israel. Will China and/or Russia get involved? Is this the start of World War 3 or will it pass. Nobody knows at this point but what we do know is that we must remove the evil for if we don’t, it will grow. It will spread. It will come to the United States, and we will face attacks on our own soil. We will be in a far worse position for allowing it to remain than to do the hard work to eliminate it. Eliminating evil isn’t easy. It isn’t pretty. It won’t come without criticism from those who don’t understand the power of evil and the cost of eliminating it. We must do it anyway. The cost of removing evil is less than the cost of letting it remain, grow, and flourish.
As we move into a new day, we have heard that the Biden administration has told Israel that while Israel will always have the support of the US in defending herself, the US will NOT be involved with any retaliation against Iran. Once again, the infatuation of this administration with diplomatic attempts with the Iranian government, who doesn’t believe in diplomatic solutions and only strength, is astonishing. They are correct that the incredible defense by Israel and her allies is a major win against Iran but without a response, Iran will only see weakness. The message they receive is that this time it was stopped but we can do it again and again until it actually works. There must be consequences. The lack of consequences is why the government of Iran continues to terrorize and brutalize their citizens. It’s why they ignore the nuclear sanctions and continue to develop a nuclear weapon. The Iranian government lives by the words my father ingrained in my while I grew up, “Talk is cheap” and “Show me, don’t tell me.” Iran needs to be shown there are consequences and a slap on the wrist or telling them they were bad doesn’t do it. Israel will respond because they understand the need for strength. They understand that without showing strength, you lose. And losing for Israel means not existing.
I spoke to a friend of mine in Toronto late last night. I didn’t realize that while I was captivated by the news and checking on my friends in Israel, in Toronto they were in the streets cheering Iran’s attack. While the Israeli people were being terrorized by the sirens, hiding in safe rooms, listening to the explosions above their heads, Jews in Toronto were being terrorized by people in the streets. This is another example of the power of weakness. I was immensely sad chatting with my friend in Toronto. She shouldn’t have to go through this. Her husband and sons shouldn’t have to go through this. The Jews of Toronto shouldn’t have to go through this. Canadians will support the rights of anybody EXCEPT the Jews. This is the world we live in today and unless we are willing to be activists, unless we are willing to stand up and speak out, unless we are willing to show strength and fight back, we will live in terror. I refuse to live in terror or be a part of allow this to continue. That’s my choice – you have to make your own and live with it.
While Israel survived this first attack by Iran with minimal damage, it is only the beginning. The world must face the fact that Iran is evil. Their own people hate their government and have tried to resist while the world stood by and watched. Now it is Israel who will fight back. Who will escalate the situation. The world can’t sit by quietly. They must choose a side. Let’s hope they choose good over evil. Let’s hope they understand the fight they are in and that the price, while high, to eliminate evil is worth it.
Am Yisrael Chai
PS:
Jews are used to being attacked and persecuted. As such we have developed a sense of humor that even in horrible times, we use to cope. Here are two items that in the midst of this horror, I found amusing and lightened my spirit just a little. I hope they do for you.
keithdblog 