The Circle of Lies

The vote at the UN to grant “Palestine” the status of an observer state is, at the end of the day, meaningless. It does not create a “state” that did not exist before- it is only a political gesture. If anything it is more a step toward the greatest irony that the world could see- the creation of a brand new terrorist state. “Palestine” does not meet any of the requirements of International law to even be considered a candidate for statehood. While that is the reality we can’t ignore the symbolic value of the UN move. The vote does bring the Palestinians one more rung up the ladder of politics (and world sympathy.)

The vital issue that seems to bother no one at the UN is the very request to be considered for statehood puts the Palestinians in breach of the Oslo accords. It was in Oslo that the question of statehood was discussed between Israel and the Palestinians and they signed an accord stating that future statehood questions would be negotiated. Once again we see the real truth about negotiating with the Palestinians. Once again it is a one sided affair- Israel gives and gets nothing in return. That would be reason enough to disdain the recent vote and the UN in general. I don’t know why we continue to spend millions of dollars to host an organization that does not really promote peace or justice. I for one would be glad to let the UN relocate.

In addition to these points I wish all the wise people of the UN would consider this question: while the UN can take all the votes it wants to, will there ever, could there ever, be a Palestinian state? Does that seem like a strange question? Consider the historical truth- there has never been a Palestinian people, there has never been an identifiable national body representing the majority of “citizens.” Even now many critics of the two-state solution are not against the idea of two states. They are simply realizing the fact that there is no comprehensive body that speaks for the Palestinians. The “Authority” represents only a minority of the population. Hamas should never be considered a legitimate body to deal with international issues and, in certain pockets, there are still local leaders who command their own private armies. If the UN wants to wave a magic wand to create a state who do they expect to pop out of the magician’s hat as the leadership? At this point the only thing statehood would grant the Palestinians would be the status to have their own civil war.

The circle of lies continues at the UN. The fact that this body of “international fellowship and justice” continues to entertain and actively support Palestinian statehood only proves that it has no real interest in a lasting and just peace. By putting Israel in a corner from which there is no escape the UN only shows that it agrees with the Palestinians- peace in the Middle East means a Middle East without Israel.

 

The Peace Dance

For the last two weeks our attention has focused on Israel. Images of explosions, young soldiers, and rockets flying through the air have formed the collage of news coming out of Israel. For those of us with friends and families in Israel these have been tense days of constant phone calls and e-mails as we keep asking the rhetorical question: “are you ok?” Maybe we have also paused to wonder the consequences for ourselves: “what will happen if a wider war starts?” If these are questions that we ask with a voice of fear and uncertainty, I would ask you to try to imagine the mood in Israel. Unable to send young children to school, worrying  if older children will be part of a ground campaign into Gaza, or maybe just waiting anxiously for the next siren blast. Between the siren and the sound of the missile hitting must be an unbearable few seconds that seem like a lifetime.

It goes without saying that the worst fear is giving in to fear. Can any of us imagine the bravery it takes to get up in the morning and try to pursue a “normal day” under such circumstances? How many of us could answer that challenge? I remind you, if it need be said at all, that the only thing that keeps Israelis going is their resolve to live in a Jewish homeland. A determination to a cause that is even more precious than life itself- the future of Medina Yisrael. I am afraid that our own commitments to the Jewish future looks very pale when compared to the bravery of an average Israeli who is just trying to get through another day with the hope that it will be one day closer to a ceasefire if not to a real, lasting peace.

When all is said and done what is it that we ask? Just a place to live in security. Just a small piece of land to which we have, as a people, been connected to for the past four thousand years. In the struggle of these past two weeks we can never forget that.  As I write this column Hillary Clinton is in Israel, there is a “secret” envoy from Israel who has gone to Egypt for talks, there have been “ceasefires” that did not last. There has also been a lot of second guessing about why the battle escalates. In the end all of this talk and the attending effort boil down to one question- who really wants peace and who really wants war. Israel wants peace. The Palestinians want Israel. It really is that simple. There is no room for self doubt or ambiguity. Hamas is a group of terrorists fighting to destroy Israel. There is no chance for peace as long as Arab children are taught to murder Jews. There is no peace unless two parties can agree. The Peace Dance is bound to fail under the present circumstances – it takes two to tango and every day the Palestinians make it clearer that they have no desire to be a partner.

A Time for Heroes

 

During these days of Hanukkah our thoughts turn to ancient heroes- the Maccabees. They fought to preserve Judaism and, against all odds, overcame an enemy with much greater numbers. They defied history and came out victorious. I can’t help but think of another set of heroes- survivors of the Holocaust who fought just to survive. I am humbled when I meet them. Their stories of individual survival and their stories of personal loss and tragedy should make each of us realize that every one of them is a hero. If Hanukkah is the time to speak of- re-dedication, I can think of no better time for each of us to pause and rededicate ourselves to honoring both the memory of the six million and the lives of those who survived.

In the past few months I have been fortunate enough to produce the pilot for a new series called Reliving the Holocaust Through Their Eyes. It has been an honor to get to meet so many survivors in the course of producing this first episode. It has also been an experience that confirms to me the importance of telling their stories. Working with Executive Producer Bob Pianka and Jewish Life Television (JLTV. I think that viewer response to the show has demonstrated that there are many stories of the Shoah that still have to be told, many heroes that still have to be recognized, and many aspects of survivors’ lives that still need to be made a part of the public record.

In South Florida we live with the third largest survivor community in the world. We need to tell their stories to the world. That is why I am so passionate about the work we do by producing Reliving the Holocaust Through Their Eyes. I ask you to please join me in hearing their stories. The pilot episode of Reliving the Holocaust Through Their Eyes will re-air during the next few days. Please tune in and show that these heroes will never be forgotten nor will their voices ever be silenced.

Many of you are already familiar with Jewish Life TV. It is the largest Jewish network in the world. JLTV is in over 40 million homes in America and Canada and over 80 million homes in Europe. JLTV can be seen throughout South Florida on Comcast channel 239 and DirecTV 366 and Atlantic Broadband 167. Dish and Xfinity will soon have JLTV as well.  I hope you will watch Reliving the Holocaust Through Their Eyes. Tune in JLTV on the following dates and times to see our pilot : December 17^th at 3:00pm, December 18^th and 8:00 and 11pm, December 19^th at 5:00pm, or December 20^th at 4:00pm.

I wish all my readers the very best for the remaining days of Hannukah and ask that you make these festive days of lights a time to celebrate the heroes of our people.