The truth is, the more the world turns viciously against Israel and against the Jewish people, promoting and pressuring her to accede to deathly appeasement policies, at worst, or at best, has turned to the age-old blood libels about the Jewish people, the stronger my pride swells in being Jewish and in being a part of amazing eternal Israel.
It’s certainly challenging at times. It’s easy to fall apart from all the hate directed at us.
And war inevitably brings with it unjust suffering of innocents.
But instead of focusing on the transparently phony AI generated war pictures with the sole purpose of causing the world to hate Israel —pictures filled with, for example, Gazan children wearing layers of long sleeve winter clothes in 100 degree Gaza heat as they hold out squeaky clean pots, shinier than the ones that come out of a dishwasher, the pots protruding between narrow iron bars, which make it impossible to pull a full pot of food back between the bars without turnings it on its side and dumping the food on the ground — instead of boiling over with anger and hurt at these blatant smears and lies against IDF soldiers who, for the most part, conduct themselves in precisely the opposite manner, I’m trying my utmost to focus on the truth of what caused this crushing war that Israel didn’t start, didn’t want and which has brought so much pain.
Instead of focusing on the anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic rhetoric that has taken hold like a raging fire out of control, rhetoric that blames Israeli Jews for various problems in the world, I am trying to stay true to the truth of history and the sad reality that we have always known that anti-Semitism has nothing to do with Jews or Israel; that Israel is just the pretext, the newest mutation of Jew hatred.
There was no Israel when Shakespeare penned “The Merchant of Venice,” and no Israel when Jews were expelled from England. Shakespeare probably didn’t even have actual interactions with Jews.
There was no Israel when Jews were burned at the stake under the Spanish Inquisition and when the Jews were expelled from Portugal and Spain.
There was no Israel when Hitler decided Jews’ didn’t fit into his white, Aryan vision of Germany and Europe, but today Jews and Israelis have ironically and transformed into the “white, privileged,” the “supremacists.”
Instead of focusing on the distorted slanted news that has been misreporting the facts of the fraught, difficult situation in Gaza due to Hamas’ sociopathic campaign that the world seems to be buying hook, line and sinker, I am appreciating the nuance in a letter penned by Bono of U2, whose conclusion I might disagree with, but whose letter is the first of its kind I have encountered since Oct. 7, a letter with nuance, context, sincerity, It is the kind of letter that stimulates a healthy conversation and potential for dialogue — perhaps, potentially, even some kind of resolution.
If only the discourse of other world leaders had been expressed in a similar vein as Israel conducted this devastating war.
Instead of focusing on all the hateful, distorted reporting, I welcome a good piece, replete with moral clarity, plain old common sense, integrity and clarity. The Washington Post piece by Marc Thiessen is titled, “Hunger In Gaza Has Many Authors, But Israel Isn’t One of Them.”
Instead of focusing on media personalities who gaslight us by casting Israel’s military response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack as an “excuse” to get the hostages back. I focus on the hostages plight and pain, and the truth that they are still in Hamas’ malevolent captivity, I focus on the mothers of hostages meeting with the International Committee of the Red Cross this week to provide basic food and medication to hostages, hoping that their sons will be saved.
Instead of focusing on the demonization of Israelis, I am focusing on the stories of inspiration constantly rising from within Israel. Two vignettes I randomly came across:
• A moving Magen David Adom reunion between an emergency volunteer who saved a Bedouin Arab boy’s life on Oct. 7 after the poor child witnessed Hamas terrorists brutally murder his father.
• Rav Granot, a renowned rabbi in Israel whose son fell on Oct. 7, whose parents and fiancée wailed over his grave, officiated at his deceased son’s former fiancée’s chuppah.
To think of the nobility of character not only to give his dead son’s fiancée his blessing, but to officiate at her wedding, to sing with such fullness under her chuppah — it’s ineffable.
I remember at the funeral, one of the first big ones after Oct. 7 and we were all in a traumatic daze, Rav Granot turned to his son’s fiancée and cried out to her: “Live! Live!”
Tonight, this bereaved father gave his son’s fiancée his hand, his voice in ushering her to her new life as she leaves his son behind forever.
These are the kinds of inspirational stories about the depleted yet somehow unyielding reservists and their families serving in this long, excruciating war.
This is Israel.
The Israel, that, against all odds, has continued its legend, in living and loving. The Israel that right now is wounded, yet still as luminescent as ever.
© IJN 2025
