Saving humanity

Since October 7th, Noah Rabinsky and I have struggled with feeling helpless. We know we are not alone.

What has also become clear since that terrible day is this is about something so much bigger than we realized: this is about saving humanity as we know it.

Like Isis, the Nazis, and so many other barbaric racist, xenophobic, hateful mobs that were not eradicated before turning into “movements,” Hamas has not only declared war against the Jews. It has declared war on Western Civilization.

Sadly, in a tale as old as time, we Jews are on the front lines of this war. Like many prior iterations of this same story, this hateful attack on The Other begins with an attack against the Jews, history’s favorite Other.

Rachel Goldberg, whose wounded son has been in Hamas captivity for 18 days, in her speech to the Security Council yesterday (linked here), articulates this clearly. It is easy to hate the Other. It is easy to separate yourself from the Other — to believe that somehow they deserve whatever horror is coming to them. That cognitive dissonance is powerful, and it is dangerous.

On October 7th they came for the Jews, but make no mistake, they would come for you too. The difference between “would” and “will” is taking action now. Hamas, and the ugly, hateful ideology that fuels it, is so cleverly exploiting the disunity and dysfunction that exists among Westerners. On college campuses in America, young protestors are calling for the death of Jews, for the eradication of the only Jewish state in the world. On city streets throughout the West, people who believe they are helping Palestinians are waving Isis flags. Around the world, people are angrily ripping down posters of kidnapped children; imagine the hatred one needs to feel towards a people to believe grieving mothers are not worthy of empathy just because they’re Jews.

These are indications that Hamas is succeeding. They are causing liberals in the West to begin justifying the beheading of babies, the raping of women, the torture of civilians of all ages. Imagine that; how shameful.

Hamas is holding babies whose parents they massacred, elderly who don’t have their medication, a young girl with muscular dystrophy they ripped out of her wheelchair at a music festival. She is without her feeding tube.

They’ve taken civilian hostages of more than THIRTY nationalities. WHERE IS THE GLOBAL OUTRAGE? Where are the global demands that the hostages be released?

Hamas is testing The West. Will the West continue to delude itself that Hamas was only attacking “the Zionists” similar to how Hitler was originally only targeting “the Jews?” Or will we as a society finally wake up and realize “the Zionists” is a proxy for “the Jews” and “the Jews” is a proxy for “the Other” which is a proxy for people who value life and liberty.

Listen to what Rachel is saying to The Leaders Of The Free World. INTERNALIZE IT. Then count your blessings and realize it is only a matter of time before they come for you.

Many of our closest family members, extended family and friends are in Israel. Every single one of them is on the front lines of this war. Some are on the literal front lines in fatigues ready to engage in combat with the enemy; some are doing what they can to keep life going in Our Homeland to ensure our Zionist dream remains an enduring reality; and some are moving heaven and earth to bring home our hostages. All of them are on the front lines of this war against evil, and they need our support. They need the support of each and every one of us who values life and the ways in which we are all free to live our lives.

What can you do? STEP UP AND MAKE YOURSELF HEARD. Don’t wait for someone else to do it. If you don’t have the words, direct everyone to Rachel Goldberg’s words. Explain to anyone who will listen that the only difference between Rachel and them may be time and whether or not the world wakes up.

Make noise. Implore your leaders to lead, and what better way than to lead by example yourself. Help us bring our brothers and sisters home, and eradicate this evil from our midst — for the sake of humanity.

With both chilling fear and sincere hope,

Noah and Talia