OPINION: The latest iteration of Hamas’ barbarism has produced, largely, the sound of silence
The minutiae of the lives of Hersh, Eden, Almog, Alexander, Carmel and Ori becomes lost amid the sheer number of lives snatched
The heartbreaking news about the brutal murder of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alex Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, Carmel Gat and Ori Danino, cast a pall across global Jewry. Every Whatsapp, call or slice of social media made reference to it. The despair. The horror. Even the weather in Tel Aviv made its own pathetic fallacy with grey skies and rain on the last day of August.
But this latest iteration of Hamas’ barbarism has produced, largely, the sound of silence. Ambivalence. The qualifications, the omertà surrounding Israel and its citizens’ plight.
And while the front cover of some UK national media outlets published the faces of Hersh, Eden, Almog, Alexander, Carmel and Ori, the minutiae of the individual, the sanctity of their own selves becomes lost amid the sheer number of lives snatched. They are de-personalised: they are known simply as “the hostages” and end up being tarred with a political brush in death that may well have been anathema in life.
And whether attending a music festival or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time as a citizen in your own country, somehow all individuality of mass victims of terror becomes airbrushed by the weight of the atrocity. They each had likes, hopes, worries, fears, dreams. Each had their own identity and each one of them had Israeli citizenship.
But what does it mean to be a citizen? Certain rights are presented to you and in particular. For Israel, its “Basic Law”, which constitutes some of the State’s quasi-constitutional character, there is a particular clause dubbed the “worthy” clause”. It reads as follows: “the state will strive to secure the welfare of members of the Jewish people and of its citizens who are in straits and in captivity due to their Jewishness or due to their citizenship.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu has been quoted as saying that maintaining an Israeli presence on the Philadelphi Corridor was a “strategic, existential issue for the State of Israel.” And he may well be right from a military, operational perspective. But what about the other existential perspective: the obligation of the State to secure the welfare of its citizens who are in captivity? Fulfilling the covenant of the State, the “worthy clause”? This is not to diminish the importance of Israel’s presence on a tiny, narrow strip of just 14km: Hamas understands its importance as has already used it to pernicious ends.
And while this all makes sense rationally, for Israel’s citizens, for the Jewish people, for its heart, there is something out of joint. Because all we want is for our parents, our children, our brothers, our sisters, our friends, to come home, because that is where they belong.
And the State’s moral, almost sacred duty to protect its citizens can, to some, appear to be in a corridor far narrower than a mere 14km.
It is surely no accident that Israel’s national anthem, Hatikva, means ‘the hope’. Prime Minister Netanyahu must ensure that while he continues to maintain the security of the State, ensure that its people retain hope,for the return of those held in captivity, but also,hope that the State honours its covenant to its people. Not because they are obliged to do so, but because they ought to.
Because that is what it means to be a citizen of Israel. Because that is what it means to be a Jew.
- Andrew Freedman is a corporate and financial communications adviser at a major public relations firm
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.
