As I watch Israel burn at the beginning of Yom HaAtzmaut, a day that celebrates Israel’s independence and unleashes joy throughout the country, it struck me that Jew-haters can be quite intentional.
When Hamas massacred 1200 Israelis on October 7, 2023, they chose the happiest day of the religious calendar, Simchat Torah.
Regarding the fires, we know that Hamas and other terror groups have incited arson attacks on Israel in recent days, and an arrest has already been made. As reported in Times of Israel, “The arrest coincided with calls made by Palestinians on social media to carry out arson attacks on Israel during the country’s Independence Day.”
“It’s a terror attack on Israel,” Eli Beer, president of the United Hatzalah emergency response organization, told The Media Line, with Beer noting that “fires were started in 20 separate locations.” A security source also confirmed to The Media Line that “a terrorist act was likely behind the fires, adding that several people had been arrested.”
In other words, it’s hardly a coincidence that these fires are raging on the happiest day of the Zionist calendar: Yom HaAtzmaut. Israel’s enemies, evidently, don’t just hate Jews when they’re alive; they also hate them when they’re happy.
When we reflect on such hate, it’s important not to overlook its ugly dimensions. Jews are so focused on taking responsibility we tend to look at our own actions to explain everything. What did we do to deserve this animosity? What can we do to live in peace with those who hate us?
As valuable as those questions can be, at certain moments they deserve a time-out. This is one of those moments– a moment to engage in candid reflection on the deepest emotions of our deepest enemies.
The emotion behind I hate these people so much I can burn their families alive and rape daughters and murder babies in front of their parents is more than hate.
The emotion behind I hate these people so much I’d be happy to see their whole country burn on their day of celebration is more than hate.
Remember the glee of the Hamas murderers of Oct. 7 as they savaged innocent human beings at the Nova festival? Remember the video clips proudly displaying human atrocities on a scale we’ve never seen?
As Israel burns today, is there any doubt that the Jew-haters holding Israeli hostages in Gaza are in a frenzy of joy at Israel’s misery? Of course not.
Until we recognize the depth of contempt for Jews among the Islamic terrorists who dream of nothing else than total Jewish annihilation, we’ll get sucked in by the dumbest deals and most naive pipe dreams.
You can be the biggest lover of peace and biggest hater of war and still conclude that the only way to deal with those who want to annihilate you is to stand strong and resolute and convey a clear message: We know how much you despise us because we’re Jews. We don’t trust anything you say. We only have one thing to tell you: You will never ever destroy us.
At a time when few things are black and white, it behooves us to recognize the exceptions. The contempt for Jews among those who want to annihilate Israel is black and white. The sooner we recognize this terribly inconvenient truth, the better we will be able to fight it.
The horrific fires burning through Israel on the nation’s day of joy is a reminder from our enemies that these ugly emotions are not going away. This is what they’re telling us, in black and white: As long as Jews are alive and happy, we will never leave them alone.
It’s up to us to let them know that as long as they feel that way, we will never leave them alone.
In the meantime, it’s reassuring to receive this message from a friend in Israel: “We’re partying like there’s no tomorrow.”
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