ב“ה
From various sides, since almost 2000 years, we are blamed for boasting being the „Chosen People”. Chosen? By whom? To do what? To keep what?
A blessing, every Jew says when called to the Thora, on Shabbat and on Holidays, answers this question, to my way of thinking, comprehensively:
„Blessed are You, Lord our God, king of universe,
Who chose us from among all nations and who gave us your Torah.
Blessed are You, Lord, who gives the Torah.“
These curt words explain it all: we have been selected by God, to receive his Thora and to comply in future with its content: laws and commands.
Its very pragmatic, easy to understand, but so difficult. 613 explicit commands (though many are today, in practice, irrelevant, because they are aimed at the past service in the Temple, which does not exist anymore and is unlikely to be constructed again). But for many of us many commands remain as stumbling blocks throughout our daily life. For some this responsibility is easy, for others its suppressive and agonizing a lifetime.
The entire myth of the „chosen People“ nothing but a duty, an obligation? Yes, that’s what its all about, and passed on from generation to generation. Folkloristic as in Anatevka, feministic as in Yentel, educational as by Moses Mendelsohn, fierce as by Jeschajahu Leibowitz, agnostic as by Sigmund Freud, Heinrich Heine and some others.
We cannot peel it off, its a part of our Jewishness.
Anti-Semites of various colors like to use the stereotypes that we Jews are convinced to be „something better than others“ and virtually dispose of a passe-partout for all the evils in this world. They drivel about world domination, racism and apartheid are among the harmless we are accused of. Today, after 1967, “occupiers” and “terrorists” are the most used insults for our IDF.
As long as its quiet this is endurable. We learnt to live with these allegations and insults and not to refute every single one. But then reality, which is very different, takes over.
Again and again, when terror is encasing our country, as now, we are asking ourselves the question: are we the chosen?
Yes, they exist, the Jewish terrorists. Unfortunately they too show their evil and aggressive faces with an unexpected brutality. July 2015 Jewish terrorists attacked a Palestinian Arab family in Duma. The 18 months old son of the family Dawabshe, Ali, died immediately. Only his brother Ahmed (5), survived and in meantime his grand parents care for him. The parents, Saad (31) and Reham (27) lost the fight against large area burns.
Minister of Justice, Ayelet Shaked summarized: “It’s not about the Right, or ‘settlers’,” she stressed. “It’s the right of the Israel Security Agency to deal with terrorism, even if it is Jewish terrorism. Jewish terror against the State is even more harmful to security than Arab terrorism,” she continued.
The words of our young Minister of Justice, in a supposedly „rightist“ government!
The Christian-messianic online news media „Israel Heute“ is disseminating conspiracy theories: they insist that because of reason of state the offenders identity have not been disclosed. Such false statement are counterproductive and help the enemies of Israel.
The Palestinian Arabs booked one successful terror attack after another. Sometimes it was unclear if published attacks were previous or new ones. It is unbelievable, one attack after an other!
Our foreign office published a summary of the terror attacks since begin of the riots. Is this already the 3rd intifada? On the eve of the Jewish New Year. Thwarted attacks or when „only“ rocks and Molotov cocktails have been used are not listed, except if there were severe injuries.
October 1
Near Nablus in Samaria: Rabbi Eitam Henkin (31) and wife Naama (30) murdered in a drive-by shooting while traveling with their four young children (aged 9, 7, 4, and 9 months). Security forces arrested members of Hamas cell responsible.
October 3
Jerusalem: Two killed in stabbing attack near Lion’s Gate. Aharon Banita-Bennet (22) was stabbed to death on the way to the Western Wall in the Old City on Saturday evening with his wife and two young children. His wife and two-year-old son were wounded. Rabbi Nehemia Lavi (father of seven), who came to the aid of the Banita-Bennett family, was attacked and stabbed to death. Police shot and killed the attacker.
October 4
Jerusalem: Moshe Malka (15) was stabbed and wounded on his way to prayers at the Western Wall. Terrorist was shot dead by security forces.
October 7
Petach Tikva: Knife attack at shopping mall wounded one man. The knife broke, preventing further victims. Bystanders apprehended the terrorist.
Jerusalem: A Palestinian woman (18) stabbed a 36-year-old Jewish man at Lion’s Gate of the Old City. The victim, moderately wounded, shot and wounded the terrorist.
Kiryat Gat (southeast of Tel Aviv): A terrorist stabbed an IDF soldier and snatched his gun, then ran into a nearby apartment, where a woman was just returning home. She fought with him and managed to flee. The terrorist was killed by police.
October 8
Tel Aviv: Female soldier and three others stabbed. Terrorist was shot and killed.
Jerusalem: A yeshiva student (25) was seriously injured and another man lightly injured in stabbing attack near the light rail. Terrorist (age 19) arrested.
Kiryat Arba (Jewish town near Hebron, south of Jerusalem): Man seriously wounded in stabbing attack. Victim evacuated to Jerusalem hospital. Terrorist escaped.
Afula (town in Galilee): A soldier was wounded in stabbing attack. The terrorist was apprehended soon after.
October 9
Jerusalem (Shmuel HaNavi St.): Jewish boy (16) was beaten and stabbed and lightly injured. Attacker (18, from Hebron in West Bank) was later apprehended by police.
Kiryat Arba: Terrorist stabbed a police officer (47) and tried to grab his gun. Other officers shot him.
Afula: Female terrorist tried to stab a security guard at the Central Bus Station. She was shot and wounded.
October 10
Jerusalem (Sabbath morning): Arab (16) stabbed two Jewish men in their 60s near Damascus Gate, leaving them moderately and lightly wounded, respectively. The terrorist then attacked Border Police officers, who shot and killed him.
Jerusalem (near Damascus Gate): Palestinian (19, from Shuafat) stabbed two police officers. Nearby police shot and killed him, and accidently wounded a third officer. Officers in serious-to-moderate condition.
October 11
Maaleh Adumim-Jerusalem highway: Police officer lightly injured when he pulled over a driver acting suspiciously, and the (female) driver set off an explosive device. Gas canister s were later found in the vehicle. The terrorist was seriously wounded.
Tzomet Alon (northern Israel, between Hadera and Afula): Four injured at bus station in a combined ramming/stabbing attack. Female soldier (19) in serious condition (as of 12 Oct still critical); girl (turned 15 that day) in moderate condition; two men (45, 20) in light condition. Terrorist first rammed his car into two of the victims, then got out and started stabbing. The terrorist (20, from Umm el Fahm in northern Israel) was apprehended with the help of bystanders.
October 12
Jerusalem: Stabbing attack foiled at Lion’s Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City. Terrorist (18, from eastern Jerusalem) was shot and killed.
Jerusalem (Ammunition Hill, northern Jerusalem): Border policeman was stabbed and lightly injured by a female terrorist (16). The officer managed to shoot and stop her, and she was evacuated to hospital.
Jerusalem (Pisgat Zeev in northern Jerusalem): Two terrorists (both teenagers) stabbed and seriously wounded a man (25) and a boy (13) riding his bicycle. Police shot and killed one terrorist and apprehended the second. The boy is in critical condition.
Jerusalem (8:30 pm near entrance to city): Terrorist on bus stabbed a soldier (19) and tried to grab his gun. After a struggle, the terrorist was shot and killed by a police officer.
October 13
Ra’anana (northeast of Tel Aviv): Two stabbing attacks in the morning, an hour apart: The first at a bus stop on a main street, in which a man (32) suffered light wounds; the attacker (from eastern Jerusalem) was subdued by passers-by and held until the police arrived. The second attack resulted in one seriously wounded and three lightly wounded; the terrorist was arrested.
Jerusalem: Two terrorists, both residents of the adjacent Jabel Mukaber neighborhood, boarded an Egged bus in East Talpiot in southern Jerusalem, one armed with a gun and the other with a knife. Two passengers (aged 78 and 45) were killed, 15 wounded, several seriously. One terrorist killed by police, second apprehended. One of the victims has been identified as Chaim Haviv, 78, of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem: Car ramming and stabbing attack at a bus stop on Malkhei Yisrael Street in Makor Baruch, a religious neighborhood. Rabbi Yeshayahu Krishevsky, 59, of Jerusalem was killed and five wounded. The terrorist, who was apprehended, is a resident of the Jabel Mukaber neighborhood who holds Israeli citizenship, was an employee of Israeli phone company Bezeq, and was using a company car to commit the attack.
If this is already a 3rd intifada or not, is difficult to judge. However, it is not the sudden eruption of rage of until now harmless people, mostly youngsters.
We are almost helplessly confronted with well planned and orchestrated terror actions. Incited by politicians and imams who not only with their tacit approval for terror but are demanding in their Mosques explicitly Jewish blood, with butcher knives in their hands when calling to murder Jews.
Revert to these three Videos of Memri:
http://www.memri.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5098.htm
http://www.memri.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5101.htm
http://www.memri.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5099.htm
Unfortunately, again and again, its about the Temple Mount and its myths, mendacious propaganda and Arab historical misrepresentation which are triggering riots and terror.
1929 was the massacre of Hebron, when rumors have been spread, that “Zionists” took over control of the Temple Mount and attacked praying Muslims.
2000 it was the visit of Ariel Sharons on the Temple Mount which triggered the 2nd intifada.
2015 again a battle of the Temple Mount. An unjustified fear spread among the Muslims, that the Temple Mount will be „taken away“ from them. Those fears have been fueled specifically by the PA and other Palestinian politicians and partly by Arab members of the Knesset. On the Temple Mount the first Palestinian aggressions began. Stones have been stored for preparing attacks against the hated Jews. In meantime the conflict became independent and lead into murderous attacks.
We are helpless and in concrete cases only can we try to defend ourselves.
Chosen?
© esther scheiner, israel
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