Iran's Latest Attack

It is old news. Ahmadinejad condemns Israel, calling it a “cancer” that must be destroyed. We have grown so used to anti-Israel rants coming from Iran that maybe we don’t pay attention any more- another day, another call to wipe Israel off the map. Maybe we have even grown weary of hearing about Iran’s “possible” nuclear program or maybe we have just convinced ourselves that Israel and/or America will take action before it is too late. We have come to depend on the fact that computer viruses and secret bunker-bombs will somehow avert an all out attack on Israel. We have even come to dismiss Iran’s threats to attack “the west.” I understand that we grow weary being in a state of constant alert but in situations like this it is required. I bring to your attention the latest version of Iran’s attack on Israel because it should concern us in an entirely different way. At a conference on drug use in Iran (yes, a big problem) Mohammed Reza Rahimi, Iran’s first vice-president offered a reason for worldwide drug use- the Talmud is to blame. He explained that the Talmud teaches that Jews can do anything to make money and so it is obvious that they are behind the international drug trade. As ridiculous as this sounds representatives of other countries attending the conference sat there and listened to it. Worse than that, the UN often praises Iran for their “war on drugs.” No, it does not surprise me that an Iranian official would make such a claim, nor does it surprise me that other people would sit there and listen as if this charge could be serious. What does get my attention is this- blaming the Talmud for drug use is not just an implicit attack on Israel. It is an explicit attack on Judaism as a religion. It moves the question from politics to culture and religion. It means that there can be no doubt that when Iranians call for the destruction of Israel they have another vision in mind as well- the destruction of all Jews. While Ahmadinejad may talk of destroying Israel, he is really thinking that Iran will succeed in wiping out Judaism. That should make us think twice. If Iran did have the means would it attack Israel? We have to believe it would. (Luckily Germany has provided Israel with some submarines that are a serious deterrent. With these German subs Israel can strike back no matter what happens on land.) As Jews this makes us nervous for Israel but we should also be nervous and alert for ourselves. In the Iranian worldview Jews are to be killed wherever they are because they are Jews. We have to understand that Iran seeks to fulfill Hitler’s vision- a world without Jews. That may be offensive to some but it is the simplest statement of the truth. Don’t ignore the situation. Urge our officials to support Israel. Urge our officials to combat Iran on every front possible. As Jews we have learned that ignoring our enemies does not make them go away. If we are not for ourselves who will be?