Israel is real. I was reminded of this on the first night of Passover right at the moment in the Seder where you break the matzah in pieces and distribute it. The initial piece I broke off for myself was in the perfect shape of … the land of Israel.
All 16 present at the Seder marveled as I held up this unleavened, edible Israel in awe. Perhaps a sign from above? A reminder that G-d is as present in our lives today as he was when he took us out of Egypt and brought us to our promised land? Or just a ‘lucky break’?
I immediately began contemplating what this little piece of matzah in my hand represented.
All sixteen present at the Seder marveled as I held up this unleavened, edible Israel in awe.
From this huge, round matzah, I received my little share. A microcosm of G-d gifting the Jewish people our tiny but beautiful Israel from his perfectly round, stunning earth. I continued to reflect on the modern state of Israel and its willingness to give of itself in so many ways for peace. Only to be met with war and terror.
History has shown our enemies are eventually banished from existence. This week we will be honoring Yom HaShoah and the memory of the six million lives murdered by those who put on display the opposite of a willingness to coexist, but rather, a murderous agenda of annihilation and genocide. They are gone. We are here. Here in the world and here in our land of Israel.
Some say that Israel was a sort of consolation prize for our people coming out of the horrors of the Holocaust. I say: Israel has nothing to do with the Holocaust, and yet, everything to do with it. Nothing, because our return to Zion has been a part of our prayers and hopes long before a Nazi ever put on a pair of boots. Nothing, because the European genocide is only part of the story of Jews being globally persecuted and exiled, from the expulsion of the nearly one million Jews from Arab lands to pogroms, crusades and inquisition.
And yet, Israel has everything to do with the Holocaust because its very existence provides refuge and a safe haven for global Jewry, thereby enforcing and implementing our mantra of “never again.”
I go to Israel at least once a year. I can’t wait to spend the holiday of Succot there in October. Whenever I go, I see with my own eyes an open, democratic and free society tirelessly striving and yearning for peaceful coexistence. What I see is diametrically opposed to the rhetoric I hear. Whether it’s falsehoods and misrepresentation that smatter much of the Hadid clan’s posts, or the modern libel of apartheid emanating out of the mouths of the duplicitous hypocrites at Amnesty International, or as I like to call them, ‘Am Nasty’.
Their lies and false narratives fly in the face of reality and truth. The fabric of Israeli society is one of plurality, diversity and multiculturalism. Israel has shown its willingness to live in peace and share our homeland with those who want to partake in its richness and holiness. Let this piece of matzah be a reminder and a lesson to all those filled with hate, to the ones shouting, “From the river to the sea” or to anyone calling for Israel’s destruction. You are not a peace partner. You are an enemy of peace. And you have one choice: Seek peace and coexistence or history will go against you.
Elon Gold is a comedian and actor who can currently be seen on the 11th season of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and at The Laugh Factory Hollywood on May 18th for Merry Erev Lag BaOmer.
