Yom HaZikaron, the memorial day for fallen Israeli soldiers, and Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israeli Independence Day, came out on April 22 and April 23 this year. The juxtaposition of these two major holidays is a microcosm of the highs and lows of the Jewish nation.
South Florida joined with Jewish communities around the world in planning and holding many events to honor the commemorations. There were memorials and services, festivals and parties.
It is always a source of pride to see the Jewish world acting together with commonality and achdus. However, a reality check is in order before we shep collective nachas from our attendance at these events.
It is comforting to sit surrounded by other like-minded individuals and light a candle or shed a tear at memorials or remembrances. It is always a joy to join in at Israel rallies and celebrations with our friends and families, singing Hatikvah and looking at the blue and white flag.
But what about taking actions that would make us uncomfortable? What about shedding the cloak of respectability and coming out for the good of our people? What about showing some Jewish activism?
We have recently witnessed how other minorities deal with even perceived danger aimed at their brothers and sisters. They respond in great numbers. They demonstrate their displeasure. They make headlines. They get attention for their cause.
Of course, the looting and lawlessness that has followed some of these incidents is totally verboten. The individuals involved, who took advantage of a situation for their own profit, should be prosecuted. There is, however, a difference between legitimate activism and opportunistic criminality.
Many of the Jews who were in America at the time of the Shoah said they really didn’t know what was happening in Europe. Prime Minister Netanyahu came to America and gave a chilling speech to Congress that told of the terrible threat a nuclear-armed Iran posed to Israel and the civilized world. No one can now say they weren’t informed.
Where were the protests to the Iranian deal President Obama was drawing up at the time? Where was Jewish leadership? Where was a call to our people to gather in Washington for peaceful protest or even the civil disobedience of a sit-down demonstration that would make headlines around the world and show that Jews were serious about the declaration of “never again?”
According to the latest survey of the Central Bureau of Statistics, there are almost 7 million Jews in America. Did the Jewish community manage to rally a million-man march, or a thousand-man march, or a hundred-man march, or even a 10-man march in Washington?
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved a bill that will enable a congressional vote on Obama’s Iranian deal. The unanimous vote, joining Democrats and Republicans, seems to be an open miracle. It certainly was not a response of the protests and actions of American Jews.
Our tradition forbids us to rely on miracles. We need to jump into the fray and act. We need to follow the Torah’s admonition to not stand idly by.
