fbpx

Christmas season terrorism: A world run over by reality

[additional-authors]
December 20, 2016

Recently, there have been more days when the world feels like it is 1914 all over again. A Russian ambassador is shot dead in Turkey. A Pakistani immigrant kills a dozen people and wounds many more in a Berlin market. It is almost Christmas eve, and no symbolic ” target=”_blank”>Jewish zealots who traded in assassinations (including the high priest, among others). Assassination is a form of terrorism aimed at scaring governments and officials, at altering policies by getting rid of a certain statesman (Yitzhak Rabin), at inciting countries against one another. In yesterday’s case, Russia and Turkey do not seem inclined to let this incident come between them.

Driving with a truck into a crowd is a different type of terrorism. It is more brutal – as it targets innocent civilians and not officials (officials, in many cases, are also personally innocent, but targeting them is targeting the government). It is more random. It is, in many cases, less coherent: what does the Pakistani immigrant want to achieve as he drives into a crowd of Germans other than kill and maim a group of people he had no personal business with? There is no easy answer to this question. The victims are random; the goal is vague. Could Germany – or any other country – pursue a policy (other than strengthening security) that will make terror attacks less likely?

I don’t know if there is such a policy, but one thing I do know: terror attacks such as the one in Berlin are likely to make the lives of immigrants and refugees more complicated. If some Americans, such as Irving Kristol, were once “” target=”_blank”>Foreign Policy, that “with national elections looming in 2017 in the Netherlands, France, and Germany, there is concern that Europe may be inundated by a populist wave, driven in large part by right-wing parties exploiting anti-globalization, anti-immigrant, and anti-Muslim sentiments.” Of course, “concern” is in the eye of the beholder. You could also say, there is “hope,” or there is “finally a chance,” or there is “a good reason for which.”

If Germans are becoming more weary of their country’s immigrant policies, it is for a reason. Truck drivers running into a crowd is a reason. And not a reason for “concern.” In fact, it would be more concerning, and more surprising, had Europeans not reacted with “anti-globalization, anti-immigrant, and anti-Muslim sentiments” to recent events. The fact that Europeans understand that change is needed, and that some of their current policies could lead to disaster, is a sign that they have not completely lost their survival instinct. That some of them are not yet ready to cave and surrender.

The problem with all of those “anti” sentiments is that too often they manifest themselves in ugly, hateful ways. We witnessed this during the US elections, we witness it in Israel on occasion, and we will now witness it in Europe. Apparently, balancing a healthy concern about immigration and Muslim extremism with the need to remain civil, fair, humane, is not easy for everyone. But the difficulty often leads to a conceptual mistake: those who support restrictions on immigration and who want more aggressive combat against Muslim extremists (and other extremists) suspect and denigrate anyone who preaches for different priorities, such as more humane treatment of people. Those who prioritize civility, humane treatment of people, and limited use of force against Muslim extremists suspect and denigrate anyone who preaches for different priorities. There are groups which monopolize gentle civility, and those who monopolize realist brutality. A combination of the two becomes rare. In fact, the more it become necessary, the more it becomes rare.

There is a lesson here for Jews in America and Israel who are facing their own problems. Jewish Israelis, a realistic bunch, should not lose sight of the need to remain moral and civil as they try to keep their country safe in a tough environment. Jewish Americans, a not-so-realistic bunch, should not lose sight of the real concerns that other Americans have as they do crazy things such as voting for Donald Trump. The fact that Israel has real worries about its security doesn’t justify ugly manifestations of bigotry. The fact that America had elections with occasional ugly undertones doesn’t justify a dismissive approach to the sentiments that elevated Trump.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Difficult Choices

Jews have always believed in the importance of higher education. Today, with the rise in antisemitism across many college campuses, Jewish high school seniors are facing difficult choices.

All Aboard the Lifeboat

These are excruciating times for Israel, and for the Jewish people.  It is so tempting to succumb to despair. That is why we must keep our eyes open and revel in any blessing we can find.  

More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.