Clashing Symbols!

Musings #90
December 22, ‏2004
The 10th of Tevet

Clashing Symbols!

In deep pain, opponents of “disengagement” are wearing “orange stars,” and from the way the media and many politicians are acting—so shocked, scandalized and horrified, you’d think that they were pelting innocent civilians with rocks, or shooting at people traveling in cars, or stabbing people to death or even strapping explosives to themselves to blow up, murder, everyone in the vicinity.

Oops, the politicians, international leaders and media don’t get that outraged at the murder of innocent Jews. They keep shoving our other cheek out in case the terrorists need easier targets. There’s a lot of misplaced anger here. I wish these same politicians, diplomats, historians and journalists would just listen to themselves. Who are the victims? Why are they so deaf and callous to Jewish pain?

Many years ago, when I was in high school (Great Neck North), I tried to publicize demonstrations to give religious freedom to Soviet Jewry. My fellow classmates, mostly Jewish, first insisted that they were only interested in American issues, like civil rights, and Russia was much too far away for them to relate to. The following year they were enthusiastically demonstrating for Biafora, in Africa. Nothing’s changed.

Nadia Matar’s being attacked for saying that the transfer, uprooting, destruction reminds her of the Nazis. She was raised in Europe and grew up hearing of the murder and persecution of Jews. Nadia’s an idealist, a Jewish idealist, who sees Jewish survival as Jews in our Eretz Yisrael as the most important ideal. I identify with that.

What I don’t understand is Yaakov Amidror, the retired IDF general, the first religious general, who was brought into the TV studio to serve counterpoint to Nadia. He stated and repeated that in principle, he agrees with Nadia, that Sharon’s “disengagement” withdrawal, destruction plan is the worst possible policy for our country. But he stated that he supports it, because a democratic government voted for it. Nadia, in the studio, and I, watching a repeat of the interview, were equally dumbfounded. Where are his values? Where are his ideals? Are there any absolute truths in his life? If he found himself living or serving with a group of people who democratically voted that the kitchen would be traif (not kosher) would he eat traif just to obey the majority?

Four terms keep repeating themselves in the arguments: democracy, Nazi, anti-Semite and civil war. Key words, as I’d tell my students.

I was raised to be a good American, and democracy was a major ingredient. It’s hard to say when I fell out of love with democracy, but now I no longer think it as an infallible necessity. There are subjects that are not for democratic vote, and one of them is religion, and another is certain social issues. A group of people shouldn’t be able to justify their bullying of another group by claiming “democracy.” Yes, bullying. That is what’s going on here. The residents of Gush Katif are being bullied by the wealthier more influential and powerful Israelis, all in the name of democracy.

The Jews being threatened, persecuted, are countering that they feel like they are going to be destroyed like Jewish communities were by the Nazis during the Holocaust. For the past sixty years, ever since it became common knowledge what happened in Nazi Germany and most of Europe, Jews have sworn “never again.” Jews will never bow to pressure to give up their homes, property and businesses. Jews will never go “like lambs.”

And now, what is happening, and here in Israel? Jews are being ordered to give up their homes, businesses, property—and this travesty is taking place in our Holy Land! In the name of democracy? Hitler was also put in power via democracy. In Gush Katif there are Holocaust survivors who thought they finally found their haven, their heaven on earth. Some of them, wearing their orange stars, visited the Knesset and were attacked for their feelings and opinions. See; http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=74011

In Hebrew the term “civil war” is “war of brothers.” Those of us who say that we will oppose the expulsion of Jews from our homes are being told that we are causing a “civil war.” We are supposed to go “like lambs to the slaughter.” We have no rights. The government even proposed a law that would incarcerate us for three to five years for opposing expulsion of Jews from their homes, but thank G-d it was eliminated from the bill. In simple words, the government is starting a war against Jews, but we have no right to self-defense. Can a Jew be an anti-Semite? In frustration this term is also being used. Who would have thought that Jews would be calling each other “Nazi” and “anti-Semite?” They’re must be better words to use. For sure “Nazi” should never be used; it was for a specific country and time. And instead of “anti-Semite” another word must be used. The wrong words and symbols damage the cause.

I don’t agree with President Katzav’s reason for opposing the wearing of an orange star. He said: “There is no justification to enlist, in the public struggle against theevacuation, the star which constitutes a memory of the most horrific andawful period in the history of the Jewish people.… They must focus their struggle in the realm of the permitted, the legal and the legitimate.”

In all honesty, I think that in a very crucial way, today’s situation is no less “horrific and awful.” And that’s because today Jews are planning on evacuating other Jews from their homes; Jews are destroying Jewish schools and businesses. Jews are planning “camps,” “compounds” and jails to detain Jewish refugees. Jews are planning on confiscating weapons from Jews, leaving them defenseless, while at the same time armed police and soldiers will be sent to throw them out of their homes.

President Katzav suggests that we “must focus” our struggle on “legal and …legitimate” methods. But according to the proposed law, it will be illegal to protest! If the orange star bothers people and makes them think of the Nazis, then it’s doing its job. That’s the whole point.

When I began writing this, I wasn’t sure what I’d do, but especially after reading President Katzav’s statement, the star looks more and more legitimate. Will I wear an orange star? I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just take out “my ripped flag.” http://www.israelnn.com/article.php3?id=4385

Batya Medad, Shiloh
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Just a note:
This is the ninetieth numbered musing I’ve written. It’s hard to believe that the few thoughts, feelings and phrases that I jotted down and sent to a small number of people, when grieving at the murder of Shmuel and Gila, have evolved into a column that many people read all over the world. When I wrote that first “musing” I never thought that it would be more than one quick note, to express my feelings.

Here is the opening:
Musings #1

June 23, 2002
The 13th of Tammuz

Not Amusing Musings

Social Calendar
Just last Sunday, with the announcement of five engagements in Shiloh in addition to a number of up-coming weddings, the talk was on how to prevent two weddings on one night, or “too many” within a couple of days. Such problems, such pressure…

Late Wednesday night, after midnight, I sat in the home of the grandparents of a classmate of one of the brides. Her grandmother and aunt were anxious to prevent a scheduling conflict, not of a wedding date, but of a probable funeral. Gila’s grandfather, mother and uncles were in Abu Kabir (Israeli forensic center) along with the father of Shmuel from next door. An Arab terrorist blew them up just a few hours before.

Gila, once considered an Israeli Olympic hope in gymnastics leapt onto the front page, not as a medal winner, but as a victim of a perverse, sadistic terrorist. Shmuel, the second child of gentle, modest educators, who just three weeks before impressed one and all as he eulogized his best friend, Avi Siton, (haya”d), was permanently silenced by that same Arab bomber.

Batya

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