Hanukkah is a joyous holiday celebrating a great Jewish military victory. Yet as Hanukkah enters its sixth night, there is sorrow among Jews worldwide. The Jewish people have been through so much, and the tiny nation of Israel has faced an existential threat to its very survival since its day of birth.
Now Israel is on fire.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/12/05/israel.forest.fires/index.html
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=197991
Fires that were initially thought to be merely tragic are now being called arson. A couple people have been arrested.
Over 50 Israeli firefighters have died. One of them was only 16 years old. He wanted to help fight the fires, and he gave his life to help others.
I have said many times that there are times when the entire world hates the Jews and Israel. It is hard to think otherwise when the world let 6 million Jews perish.
Yet this time the world is helping Israel.
Russia has sent aid. So has England and the United States. Even France has helped.
In an irony not lost on Jews, Greece has helped.
The very holiday of Hanukkah is a celebration of the Jews defeating the Greeks. Yet hostilities between the two peoples pretty much ended a couple millennnia ago, and the Greek people are showing such class and warmth toward us. The fact that they are broke and still trying to help us shows what wonderful human beings exist there.
Jordan and Egypt have offered help combating the fires. They understand that trade and commerce requires helping Israel. They are doing the right thing. Motives are irrelevant right now.
In a world with so much sorrow and pain, we saw the best of humanity a few weeks ago when one billion people cheered the rescue of 69 Chilean miners.
This will not end well. There have already been far too many deaths in a nation of so few people belonging to a religion comprising 1/5 of 1% of the world populace.
Yet whether it be Haiti or Israel, whatever the race or religion, people are hurting. Human beings are seeing their nation ravaged.
Yet in all the tragedy there is the tiniest silver lining.
Nations are helping Israel when it is needed most.
I pray that the world continues to do this.
My God bless the people of Israel, and may Hanukkah in 2011 be joy and not pain.
eric
It just goes to show – the vast majority of the world does not “hate” Israel. They disagree with the Israeli government sometimes, yes. But they don’t “hate” them. I hope you remember this the next time some government somewhere disagrees with the Israeli government.
JMJ
You just had to take your shot, didnt you ?
People can disagree without being genocidal maniacs.
Did Iran send any help ? Hamas ?
No class man… no class
You could of just blessed the better of human nature (radical islamists not withstanding) and called it that.
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Happy Hanukka Eric and may God bless
That wasn’t a “shot,” Micky. It was an honest observation. Many one the Right are way too trigger happy when it comes to labeling people anti-semitic or anti-Israel. I hope this show of friendship will put a damper on that nonsense. I doubt it, though.
JMJ
Jersey, the majority of the UN doesnt agree with you