A world without Jews: the world’s old-new hypocrisy
Why is Hamas the only terror group with so many fans in the West, wonders Ami H. Orkaby, dean of the consular corps in Israel.
Brutal terrorists Hamas are probably the world’s only murder organisation with so many fans in the west.
The reason for this anomaly is clear: Hamas primarily murders Jews and Israelis. And killing Jews, including women and children, is apparently not such a terrible crime in many people’s eyes.
There are many good people who, after seeing the pictures of mass slaughter in communities near the Gaza Strip, expressed solidarity with Israel and their immediate revulsion over the Hamas murder machine.
We saw warm words from the US, Germany, Italy and other countries. We saw heads of states who came to support us. Their love comes from the heart. We won’t forget it, nor will we forget any of the countless other beautiful gestures of solidarity.
But there are many other people for whom Israel is still the guilty party, even after the horrific massacre. The BBC still refuses to refer to the people who beheaded babies, raped women and girls, and then burned them alive, as “terrorists.” Why? Ask the BBC. They know exactly why.
Likewise, what can excuse famous soccer players from the European leagues who posted items in support for terror? Or the expressions of hate in Ireland, Spain and other countries? Or heads of leading universities like Colombia, Harvard, Princeton and NYU who refuse to condemn expressions of support for terrorism by radical and Islamist student organisations?
It is right to express concern for the fate of innocent people in Gaza. Innocent people should not be punished anywhere in the world. But a normal person can only tear out their hair in despair when reading a letter signed by prominent Western artists who express “support for Palestine” while completely ignoring the massacre committed in the Jewish state two weeks ago. Not a single word about 220 human beings kidnapped and taken to Gaza, including a 3-year-old girl whose entire family was murdered before she was kidnapped to Gaza all alone. Or the 4-year-old twins who saw their mother killed before their own eyes.
Did any of these cultural figures publish a petition calling for the immediate release of the kidnapped girls, boys and their mothers? Hamas’ business is the murder of Jews, young and old alike. That is its aim. It’s a shame that publishing a petition calling for the release of Israeli women and children doesn’t suit the agenda of any of these artists.
A famous model who lives in the US published an inconceivably hypocritical post on October 10th, where, as usual, she expressed support for the liberation of Palestine, but also about feeling a responsibility to her “Jewish friends.”
But there was no word about what exactly her Jewish friends were going through, no word about the young women of her age who were raped and murdered with axes by those “liberators of Palestine” who she never fails to praise. Of course, no word about Israelis. She didn’t mention Israel with a single word. When she wrote “my Jewish friends,” she might have meant her agents in the US and the fashion critics who suck up to her. You might be beautiful on the outside, Gigi Hadid, but you are ugly inside.
Greta Thunberg, who may represent a generation of young, naive Europeans with vague factual knowledge, who care deeply about the environment, but far less, if at all, about massacred Jews, can’t be ignored.
In a prominent post Thunberg was photographed with a sign reading “I stand with Gaza.” On that terrible day, when 1,400 Israelis were massacred, when women young and old were raped and babies burnt, did you or any of your friends in the picture publish a post saying “I stand with Israel”? No, of course not. We can presume that they were not terribly troubled by all those Israeli families obliterated in a single day by 3,000 sadistic murderers who went from house to house with guns and axes and flamethrowers seeking more victims to kill.
Looks like nothing has changed, not the memory of the six million Jews of Europe that were murdered just because they were Jews, not the unprecedented contribution of Jewish Israelis to mankind, not the life changing innovation, not of the tens of Nobelists and what more. Racism seems to be deeply rooted.
In this racist, sanctimonious condescension, which has nothing in common with humanity or the love of justice, Israel’s hypocritical critics remind me more and more of the youth movements of the 1930s and 1940s in a certain part of Europe, who would travel in nature, on Nordic mountains and in wild forests, and fall in love with that beautiful world around them – a world without Jews.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.