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Jason Orenstein is currently studying for a Masters in Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
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By Jason Orenstein
September 23, 2004
Yesterday two Jews in Israel were killed simply because they were Jews. These Jews committed the crime of fulfilling the eternal dream of the Jewish people, namely, that of living as Jews in their eternal Homeland of Eretz Yisrael. Recent history has shown that the cold blooded murder of "only" two Jews (and many more permanently wounded) will not result in a meaningful response on behalf of the government.
For such a meaningful response, at least 10 Jews, maybe 15, would have to be killed. For the government of Israel to make such a fuss over a few dead Jews, would in the eyes of the world, be perceived as "heavy-handed," and lord knows, that's the last thing we want to be.
How it is that today in Israel, one of the central goals of Zionism has yet to be filled, namely that of Jewish blood no longer being cheap? With the establishment of the State of Israel and the Israel Defense Forces, the enemies of the Jewish people were supposed to know that should they continue harming the Jewish people, they would pay dearly for it.
From that day onwards, the Jews would be able to hold their heads high and once again take their place as the proud Nation of Israel, living as Jews, in their land. No longer would the Jew have to worry about "what the goyim might think," or need to hide his or her Jewishness. For the first time in nearly 2,000 years, the Jew would be able to wear Jewish identity as a badge of pride and create the ideal Jewish society that was impossible to create while living in Exile.
Over the short history of the State of Israel, there have been moments where the government of the Jewish State has fulfilled this key tenet of Zionism. But of late, this ideal seems to have been forgotten and replaced with a sense of Jewish weakness. Nearly every governmental decision is made with the question of "What will the goyim think?" in mind.
Today, I am not writing in favor or against any particular government policy. I am writing against Jewish defeatism and in favor of the Jewish People once again becoming a proud nation living in their land. Every action of the leadership of the Jewish State of Israel should be made with the question of "What is best for the Jewish people?" running through their minds, and all other considerations only coming afterwards.
Today, I ask myself, as a member of the Jewish people and a citizen of the Jewish State of Israel, how will we react to the murder of these Jews? How can we ensure that their blood was not spilled freely? Will we even remember the names of these special Jews come Yom Kippur? No doubt, the world, including our "friends," will condemn the murder of these Jews, as the world has become so well-versed in issuing such lofty (read: empty) lamentations over the Jewish dead. Of course, these kind words of solace from our "friends" come with a single condition, namely, that the Jew must continue to remain weak, for once the Jew stands up to defend himself, our "friends" will revert to the other things that they also do so well: criticizing the Jewish State for her "disproportionate" response against those who seek to harm the Jewish people, and for contributing to the "cycle of violence."
Should our leaders be up to this challenge, then the Jewish people -- the nation of Israel -- will reestablish itself as the proud nation it once was. Just as importantly, the blood of the heroic Jews murdered will not have been spilled in vain.
Views expressed by the author do not
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