When Does “Never Again” Begin

After being pulled out of a synagogue by IDF soldiers in Gush Katif, Gaza in 2005 as part of my personal protest against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s “Disengagement Plan,” I was never surprised by Hamas rocket attacks against Israel. All the thousands of protesters in the Jewish settlement bloc predicted it was a matter of days until Hamas would start launching rockets into southern Israel once the Gush Katif ‘buffer zone” was removed.

We also predicted they would one day reach Tel Aviv. For all those worried about soldiers losing their lives protecting “settlers” in Gaza, dozens of Israeli soldiers nevertheless lost their lives in “boots on the ground” cross-border operations. Since 2005, there have been so many cross-border operations that I’ve lost count. Launching rockets into Israel is basically a jihadi summer pastime.

And still, each war struck my heart deeply, whether I was in Israel at the time or not. I always, even after the treachery of the Israeli government against the Jewish citizens in Gaza, wanted to fight for Israel and its people. And, of course, I still do, but now fighting means holding Israel and no one else—not “the world,” not Biden, and not even “Hamas”—responsible for each successive defeat that has brought us no more closer to true security.  “Never Again” was in 2006, 2008, 2012, 2014 (there was a lull under the Trump Administration). But while we like to hashtag the phrase all the time, we never really do anything to prevent #NeverAgain.

I’ve tried to, eloquently and often musically, state Israel’s case and plea for people’s compassion and understanding. I did so for no profit and often to ridicule, even though “hasbara” (the Hebrew term for public relations in Israel) is a big industry. I just wanted me and my family to be safe, to not have to hunker down in bomb shelters anymore. At the start of this war, a Hamas rocket hit a building next to a park where my daughter played in the winter.

I answered every Hamas “hit” with my own “hit.” There was this Miley Cyrus parody of Wrecking Ball, which garnered close to 150,000 views. Then there was the satiric hit “Kill All the Jews” by the fake band “Gaza Girls”, which got close to half a million views before it was deleted from every social media platform. (Including most recently, Rumble, but Daily Motion has kept it on). But not to worry, Gaza Girls came out with two more hits “Ew Jew!” (also obliterated) and “Rocket Launcher”, a parody of Sia’s mega-hit “Chandelier” (which is still on YouTube). The milder “Hear the Rocket Blast” (after Vanessa Williams’ “Save the Best for Last”) didn’t do as well as the others, but I think it’s a pretty explanation of what it feels like in Israel right now.

After a year living in lockdown because of Corona, Israelis are now in “lockdown” again, in bomb shelters, and my heart goes out to Israelis for this endless, unnecessary suffering.

These Gaza-Israel wars have already become bloody theater. All the old suspects can now get back to the same scripts: Europe (and this time America) telling “both sides” to ease tensions. Israel hitting Hamas targets in retaliation, then Hamas vowing revenge. Israeli leaders speaking tough but not really knowing how to stop this once and for all. “Hasbara” specialists feeling useful. Pro-Palestinians protesters shouting “Free Palestine” at global protests, then the pro-Israel counter-protests. And the ever-famous image of Jews as victims, crouching in their bomb shelters.

The problem is: the Israeli government with Prime Minister Netanyahu at the helm has not treated the virus of anti-Semitism in Gaza with the same zeal with which it has vaccinated more than half of its population. While Israel was conquering Corona, the Gaza virus was spreading unchecked. Unfortunately, Jews in Israel have become so used to stopping their lives for the sake of the “nation,” that it is no longer considered a sacrifice to sit in a bomb shelter. It’s a sacred duty.

At some point, I no longer wanted to cry to the world to see our pain. I wanted to cry to my own brothers and sisters in Israel to let them know they deserve better. And so this original music video, “Protect You” about a father and daughter in a bomb shelter is among my favorites–and saddest. Watch it to the end to understand the true tragedy behind these wars.

I’m sure I’ve made more videos but I won’t include them lest this post seem to be an exercise in self-promotion. It’s just that I’ve said so much already about the Gaza situation—so why reinvent the wheel? (I’ve even written a novel on the subject, The Settler)

I’m don’t want to be an actress in this drama anymore. I turn my anger to an Israeli government that is just indulging in this theater and not building deterrence. At least, this time, it doesn’t seem like Israel’s sending in “boots on the ground,” so no reserves have been called up. They’re hitting the enemy from the skies.

Sure, I could be upset at the German government for not taking Israel’s side, but at the end of the day, even Germany doesn’t have the responsibility to defend Israel, although it would give Israel a lot more strength if Germany told Israel it had the right to demolish its enemy. But it shouldn’t rely on Germany’s permission.

So every time another war breaks out, maybe I’ll just post one of my old videos. In the meantime, I’m happy I cancelled my trip to Israel this weekend even before this Gaza drama started. I’m grateful for the lockdown boredom of Berlin. I’m happy I don’t have to run into a bomb shelter with my little girl.

Some may call me a traitor, especially for telling all of this to a German audience, for sitting comfortably in Berlin. Some may say I’ve been defeated. I think I just refuse to be a victim, yet again.

This article originally appeared in German in www.Achgut.com.