For the record, I'm a Jew. I was born a Jew; I'll die a Jew. When I was 11 I stood in a protest rally outside the Jewish Community Center on 82nd and Holmes in Kansas City, attesting to the plight of Soviet Jews and begging the world community to amend its ways and 'let my people go.' We sang Holocaust songs in Yiddish and my commitment to activism was born. Again when I was 15, we held a 24-hour rally to bring to the world's attention the plight of our Soviet family of Jewish people. This time even Christians joined us in solidarity. That was a surprise to me.
So when I watched rallies across the world, here and there, in and around the horrors of 7 October 2023, and the continuing plight of Jewish people, most notably the hostages captured on that fateful morning, my heart aches to help and my activist streak wants to kick in. What can I do to help? What can anyone do to help?
A friend of a friend on Facebook posted a link to an Israeli news outlet that chastised an American political party for what they deemed as an improper response at their national convention held in Chicago last month.
"But rather than side unreservedly with Israel, the Democratic Party and the Biden administration have chosen to take unprecedented measures against the elected government of a friendly nation. With unspeakable impudence and cynical exploitation of his Jewish origins, Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer purported to know better than the Israeli electorate what is good for it. In a desperate attempt to kowtow to his party’s increasingly assertive radical wing, he accused the elected Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of being an “obstacle to peace,” calling for early elections to replace him, despite the fact that, even today, he is the most popular politician in the country."
This sentiment was written by the journalist Dr. Martin Sherman. The crowds this weekend, and for months now, that are telling the government of Israel to make a deal, that are not agreeing with PM Netanyahu, that are calling for his removal, are not in the view of Dr Sherman.
The BBC reported after the weekend's protests, "Tens of thousands of people have rallied across Israel after the bodies of six hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip were recovered by soldiers, causing national outrage. Protesters - many clad in Israeli flags - descended on Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other cities, accusing PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his government of not doing enough to reach a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas during the 7 October attacks.
Sunday's protests were largely peaceful - but crowds broke through police lines, blocking a major highway in Tel Aviv. This comes as a major Israeli labour union, Histadrut, called for a nationwide general strike on Monday, pressing for a hostage deal."
I'm very much still 'for Israel.' I would still march when global opinion would turn away from her. Here is a great resource if you are 'for Israel.' I read it as well. If you want to follow the Australian Jewish Association and all the media watch they perform here is the link: https://jewishassociation.org.au/news-media/ .
AT THE SAME TIME, I will not stand idly by and let a seemingly uncaring government have full power. As long as we live in democracies, and we do, we should speak up when we see/ hear injustice. I hear the words of the prophets decrying Israel's duly 'elected' or 'appointed' leadership whether it is Jeremiah (chapter 23) or Ezekiel (chapter 34), and the judgment which befell Israel was God's doing. Yes, He uses the nations around Israel to accomplish these disciplines, but in the end, it is our responsibility to turn to God, and to repent, and to ask Him for His favour to be on us.
All that said, what Schumer said in calling out Israel's PM is what we do in democracies. Schumer is not anti-Israel. He's opposed to stonewalling. I wish the PM would have made a deal before the 6 bodies were discovered this weekend having only recently been executed by Hamas. Bring them home, PM. Bring them home, world government. Bring them home, UN. Let's get it right. The evil violence of the 7 October attack should be rewarded with world rejection and not world sympathy for Hamas.
What would you do if you were still PM today?
No comments:
Post a Comment