by Israeli Cabinet Minister Orit Strook, translated by Hillel Fendel.
Are we truly independent? Can
we free ourselves of the threat of "embargo?" Will the U.S. take the
ethical path, as it did not always do during the Holocaust?
We find ourselves at an auspicious time
- between the date marking the time of our utter helplessness (Holocaust Day),
and that commemorating the so-many sacrifices that we have had to make to
secure our national existence in our Promised Land (Memorial Day). And yet davka
(specifically) now, we have once again reached a disconcerting, frustrating and
stressful crossroads, at which the country that is supposed to be our greatest
friend in the world declares quite purposefully that it will not support us
against those who rise up to destroy us.
The very trying words of the U.S.
president have presented three tests: two of them are for us, and the third is for
our friends overseas.
The first is whether we truly are
an independent country. It appears that we have, so far, passed this test – at
least in words. For immediately upon hearing the presidential ultimatum
demanding that we surrender and lead the IDF to defeat instead of victory,
Prime Minister Netanyahu, and others of our leaders, essentially said: "It
won't happen. We will not give up on our security and safety. We will act in
Rafah to achieve our critical objectives in this war that has been forced upon
us, even at the price of a head-on clash with the United States."
Declarations are important, but
they are certainly not enough. We will have to follow closely to see whether
these words are backed up by actions. For our part, we [the Knesset Members of
the Religious Zionist party] have made it clear that if the government turns
its back on the objectives for which we sent hundreds of thousands of soldiers
to the battlefield, we will not be able – both ethically and security-wise – to
continue to be members of this government.
The second test we now face is
whether we realize that we must not allow ourselves to be dependent upon anyone
other than ourselves, and G-d, for our security needs. We must also act
accordingly. There must be a nationwide enlistment to ensure that we need not
have to rely upon even our friends to ensure our national safety. We have
failed terribly in this area over the past years, and everyone now understands
that the situation cannot be allowed to continue.
We must reach the point where the
word "embargo" can no longer threaten us, and where no American
president can bear-hug us with arms shipments and dictate to us what military
operations to carry out and which not. Of course, this cannot happen without precise
economic and strategic planning that correctly foresees the future, with an
allocation of resources that truly matches our needs.
The third test is the course of
action that the United States will take. Many Americans were greatly distressed
at the words of their president, and many public figures made it clear that
they see Biden's words as an ethical stain upon the entire country. They are
determined to stand on the correct side of history. Throughout history, in
fact, the nations of the world have faced similar decisions, and they have not
always passed these tests. As we commemorate Holocaust Day, we also remember
the calamitous decisions made by the Western world during the years of the Nazi
regime, beginning with the abandonment of Czechoslovakia, and up to the failure
to bomb Auschwitz or even the train tracks leading to it.
We read in this week's Torah
portion: "Do not stand by your neighbor's blood; I am the
Lord." Rashi explains that this means that if, for instance, you
see someone drowning and do not do what you can to save him, "I am
the Lord – trusted to give reward [when appropriate], and trusted to
punish [when necessary]."
This is a chilling message, because
it assigns serious guilt, and serious punishment, to those who simply "stand
by" without offering whatever help they can to save those in danger. It is
this rationale that echoed in the words of Senator Graham when he vehemently demanded
that the U.S. not stand by while Israel fights for its life, and it resonates
in the hearts of very many Americans.
These Americans understand that
they stand before a historic and multi-faceted test: They are required not to
"stand by" not only regarding arms shipments to Israel, but also
regarding the rising anti-Semitism in universities, and also regarding the
American reaction to those who rise up against us in international institutions
such as the Hague Tribunal and the United Nations. [The US did, in fact, oppose a
U.N. resolution last week declaring support for Palestinian statehood, which
would have rewarded the PA and Hamas for their horrific acts of terrorism in
the Simchat Torah massacre.]
This week marks the 65th
anniversary of the death of my grandmother, Malka Nesher (Mária Kecskeméti),
who was a very well-known Hungarian poetess. Her songs have not received great
attention in Israel, and I try to publicize every year another of her poems.
This year it was quite obvious that I would choose one entitled "Exodus
1947," which describes the British Empire's cruelty towards the famous
refugee immigrants' ship Exodus. It also calls out the "standing by"
of most of the free world to the mistreatment of the Holocaust survivors who wanted
to reach the Land of Israel. My grandmother ended her ode as follows:
"There
is none like England in matters of nobility:
The last
remnant of the escapees she effectively diluted...
The
world is silent, there is no protest, there is no one to raise a voice there.
Conscience,
like the ostrich, buries its head in the sand!
... Your
face, o Britain, bury it in the dirt,
For there
is no greater disgrace than your "glorious" victory..."
While the third test is that of the
nations of the world, it is incumbent upon us to pass the first two tests
above: We must be truly independent, and we must find the ways to strengthen
ourselves on our own. As we celebrate Independence Day this week, we are
confident that, with G-d's help, we will pass these two critical tests.