So, the descriptive headlines of the morning newspaper, the day after we marked the one-year massacre, which read, “Raw trauma and boundless grief at October 7 memorials,” came as no surprise nor was it hyperbolic in any way.
Renowned singers and media personalities came together, in Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park, to weep and grieve together over the insanity which took hold of those who allowed a demonic hatred to steal all humanity from them as they committed atrocities which cannot be grasped by any sane individual.
As the cameras panned the limited audience of 1,000, due to the fear of possible rocket attack, the anguish could be seen on each face, still grappling with the magnitude of a barbaric onslaught, the likes of which was unprecedented in the history of modern Israel.
The memories of life before October 7th are long gone. The days where conflict seemed to be contained to internal political fights or when conversations swirled around the opening of Tel Aviv’s latest trendy restaurant, represent a time which can never be resurrected or replicated, even if we tried, because Israelis are no longer the same.
We are a broken, hurting people who have been forced to confront the ugly truth, which had been neatly hidden for so many years, almost forgetting the guarantee of its re-emergence would, one day, come back to haunt us, because it always does. Jew hatred is a historical constant, just like the predictable periods of war and peace. You can prolong the tranquility, but the inevitable conflict will ensure the return of tragic bloody wars which mar the hope of a better and gentler society. No such luck when it comes to the contempt for God’s chosen.
Yet, the Jewish people, both in Israel and abroad had a long run, one which lasted more than 75 years. Sure, there were wars, skirmishes and even the periodic rocket attack, but once ended, it was tucked away behind us, as yet another unfortunate episode, but one from which we were usually able to bounce back.
Not this time! Something broke, and the many fragile pieces can no longer be put back together to reconstruct the innocence of a nation which sought to shed its victimhood history and emerge as a force with which to be reckoned – always moving upward, to achieve the heights that are possible for those who treasure life and all it offers.
Instead, we are left with images of supporters of terror who march on city streets, throughout the globe, carrying flags that represent hatred, animosity and murderous regimes who would stop at nothing to exterminate the millions they see as the vermin of society.
Incorporating the fashion of strife and contention, covering their faces and heads with the checkered kaffiyehs which serve to identify contempt for Jews, they embrace the poisonous and deadly ideology of foreigners while rejecting the freedom, dignity and liberty of their native countries which afforded them the right to import these toxins to their fellow citizens
Unfortunately, by welcoming this vile venom, they have helped open a Pandora’s Box of lethal pollution which can only spread and usher destruction in its wake, because the intimidation which accompanies such aversion is meant to silence moderate voices, causing them to fear the consequences of going against a growing tidal wave of antisemitism as Jews are painted to be the true enemies of mankind. Few are willing to stand up against that kind of exaggerated portrayal?
So, in addition to the festering wound of October 7th, the Jewish people, no matter where they live, must now confront the new reality of public perception, towards them, which has dramatically changed in a very short time. It means that new calculations must be made that were once never required. Where you go, how you dress or identify is no longer a choice with no thought required.
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