It has been quite a while since I blogged on this site. Mostly I
have posted small items of interest on Facebook, but recent events in Israel,
especially those in Jerusalem, demand more than snippets of information. If you
do not read the entire piece, please read the final section entitled, “RAY OF
HOPE”.
Having just returned from the Holy Land in the last 24 hours
adds additional poignancy to this article. These are the “happy holidays” of
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). Sukkot is a time of great happiness for
Jews everywhere, but especially when celebrated in Jerusalem. I was in
Jerusalem as part of our Israel Allies Foundation's “Chairman’s Conference”
held yearly during Feast of Tabernacles. In partnership with the International
Christian Embassy Jerusalem and the World Jewish Congress, we bring
parliamentarian representatives from around the world for three days of
education, dialogue and deliberation. This year, as always, a declaration was
developed and signed by our attending parliamentarians, presented to Israeli
Government leaders and taken back to the represented parliaments for action.
This year's resolution was a powerful statement against BDS (Boycott,
Divestment & Sanction-BDS is a global campaign attempting to increase
economic and political pressure on Israel to comply with the stated goals
of the anti-Israel movement).
As I stated earlier, this is the “Happy Holiday” for adherents
of Judaism and those who join with them. But instead of happy hearts,
singing and dancing in the streets and the smells of holiday meals, there is
painful concern. Just this weekend, two terror attacks put the spotlight on
growing violence against innocent holiday celebrants.
The first came this past Thursday night. From yesterday’s report
in ALJAZEERA: “Eitam and Naama Henkin, both in their 30s, were shot dead
while driving on Thursday night between the settlements of Itamar and Elon
More, in the north of the Palestinian territory. Their four children, aged
between four months and nine years, were found unharmed in the back of the car.”
The family attacked in this horrific incident lived in Neria,
north of Ramallah. They leave behind six orphaned children, four of whom
– aged 4 months, 4, 7 and 9 years-old, were in the vehicle at the time of the
attack. Afterwards, the news of Israelis killed was cause for celebrations in
Palestinian neighborhoods across the region, even in Jerusalem. Though I am
sure many Palestinians silently sorrowed at the violence, crowds of adults and
children alike shot off fireworks and sang in the streets.
In Sukkahs both in Israel and around the world there were quiet
prayers, perplexed angst and deep sorrow for this loss of life; the normal happiness
of the holiday was tainted with anguish. But there is more.
Yesterday, just as Shabbat was ending, two more Israelis were
stabbed to death. The first incident occurred close to the Lion’s Gate in the
Old City section of Jerusalem. Aharon Bennett a 21 year-old father visiting
Jerusalem with his wife, two-year-old son and baby daughter, was stabbed to
death. They were headed to the Western wall for prayer when they were attacked
by a 19 year-old Palestinian. The second victim was Rabbi Nechamia Lavi, 41, a
rabbi at the Ateret Cohanim Yeshiva in the Old City and a father of seven. He
too, was killed trying to defend Mr. Bennett’s family. Mr. Bennett's wife was
seriously wounded, while their son suffered minor injuries and their baby was
unharmed.
The JEWISH TELEGRAPH AGENCY reports: The Islamic Jihad
terrorist organization claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that the
attacker — identified as Muhannad Shafeq Halabi, a law student at Al-Quds
University — was a member of its movement. Halabi posted a message on his
Facebook page on Friday saying that the third intifada has begun. Hamas
applauded what it called the “heroic operation” in a statement, saying: “We
support and welcome any resistance activity that harms Israeli soldiers and
settlers. Our people in the West Bank are ready to die, to sacrifice themselves
to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
Just a few hours later, another stabbing took place near where
the first attack occurred. In this attack, a 15 year-old Israeli teenager was stabbed
by another assailant who is also believed to be a Palestinian terrorist. The
teenager was sent to the hospital with wounds to the chest and back. He is
expected to recover.
These attacks underscore the rising hatred and violence we see
against Jewish people in Israel and around the world. But let me be clear, it
is a rising tide of hatred of “People of the Book”, the phrase used by Islamic
Fundamentalists to describe Jews and Christians alike. When added to the rising
tide of hatred of all things religious, as demonstrated this week in Oregon, it
is a clarion call for us to pray as never before. The same hatred connects
these two incidents that occurred hemispheres apart. Hatred, whether
anti-Semitic or anti-religious, has no bounds. Now is the time for people of
faith to stand together.
RAY OF HOPE
You likely remember the three Israeli teenagers kidnapped and
killed in June of 2014. This event made worldwide headlines as the Israeli government
furiously searched for them for 18 days, only to discover they had been killed
the very same day they disappeared. One of the teenage boys was 16 year-old
Gilad Shaer (also spelled Gil-ad Shaar).
Last week, I sat in the shade of a private sukkah in the
Judean/Samarian region listening to Gilad’s mother and father speak about their
tragic journey. Two young girls, two of their five remaining children, stood to
the side as they spoke of their murdered son, their pain and their hopes for
the future. They told of us Gilad’s love for Torah, music and adventure. They
talked bout how his loss has impacted so many, especially his younger siblings.
They talked about the overwhelming support and love expressed to them from
around the world. They talked about their desire to live in the Land in peace.
It was very poignant, inspirational and heartrending. However, what struck me
most is what they did NOT talk about. They did not talk about Gilad’s
murderers. They did not talk about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. They did
not talk about hatred for anyone. They talked about life. They talked about
humble courage and hope for the future.
This is not a time for people of faith to cower and fear. As
with the Shaer family, it is not a time for our own version of circumstantially
justified hatred or violence. It is instead, a time for us to give a voice to
the martyrs and call upon spiritual, secular and governmental leaders
everywhere to stand against this rising tide of hatred and violence.
Jerusalem is a moral test for the world. How we deal with it
will either invite the blessing of God upon our lives, nations and world or
bring the consequences of His judgment. Please pray for the Shaer family, the families who have just
this week suffered so great a loss and for all families who have lost loved
ones to religious hatred, whether in Israel, Oregon or anywhere else. And, as
always, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
