Two Reactions to the Terror

Musings #75, two short articles
October 8, 2004
The 23th of Tishrei

Don’t Blame the Victims!

Again, terror, again murder, again Arab terrorists and again Arab murderers. And what did I just hear on the radio? Those Israelis shouldn’t have gone to Egypt, and that wasn’t from people in my neighborhood, or the owners of the hotel in Ariel, or the Jewish residents of Chevron who hosted tens of thousands safely during Succot. It was from the Israeli media interviewing Israeli politicians.

“Since for the past few months there were warnings of possible terror attacks in the Sinai or Taba, the victims are the guilty ones. They should have listened, they should have made those vacation plans. They purposely put themselves in danger.” Yes, that’s right. That’s what those brilliant minds are saying on the radio.

Others are saying that those in the bombed hotel didn’t keep the mitzvot, and if they had been Torah observant Jews, they wouldn’t have been attacked. That implies that G-d killed, maimed and traumatized them, and that isn’t true either.

G-d does not kill, maim and traumatze people in this world. Human beings murder, maim and terrorize; yes, terrrorists are human beings, but they are not humane. There are cruel, sadistic people in this world. The Arab terrorists who planned and carried out the terror attacks are cruel, sadistic people.

The victims are all innocent victims. Their choice of vacation site is not the cause of their death or injuries. We will not stop terrorism until we go after the terrorists with all our strength and might. Our priority must be our own security, not anything else. Don’t let a false, perverse morality dominate. Don’t listen for approval from any other nation.

Only once we focus on our own needs and security we will be truly safe.

My sincere condolences to all of those wounded and mourning.

Raped by the Israeli Media

Terrorism is barbaric. Yes, I think that we all know that, but the cover picture in Yidiot Achronot today was just as bad, an obcenity abusing an injured victim by printing a picture, that can best be described as pornography, of the sado-masochistic variety. The sort of picture that decent people don’t have in their homes, and desperate people get paid to pose for.

Why and how were photographers allowed to wander freely among the injured taking such intimate photos? And if the answer is the shock and chaos, then there still is no excuse in the world for an editor to choose such a picture, such an invasive, peeping, exploitive picture. Whether it was a man, woman or child, the person deserves privacy. Someone will recognize, even if it’s just the one photogrpahed. Salt on the wound is pleasant in comparisan.

Before printing a picture the editor must be able to answer a clear, no doubt, yes to the following two questions:

1- If that was your daughter or son, would you want the picture to be seen?
2- If that was you, would you want your mother, grandmother and children to see the picture.
Considering that Israel has lost “propaganda points” time and time again, because it refused to detail the physical torture of our citizens by Arabs, in order to “spare” the families, it seems much worse to show such pictures.

It reminds me of what happened at a the scene of a terror attack nearby. Our local doctor, was trying to save the life of a young woman, who had been shot. A photographer kept pushing her away, ramming his camera lense to photograph what the dying woman would never had displayed. Another neighbor finally had to use force to keep him away. For defending the murdered woman’s dignity, my neighbor was arrested.

Now, I’d like the photographer and newspaper to be sued by the person pictured on the cover of Yidiot Achronot and like all rape victims, the identity must be kept secret.

Batya Medad, Shiloh
Shilohmuse@yahoo.com
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/
http://www.shilo.org.il