Are you a Jew?
With Israel hit by yet another wave of jihad and the war in Ukraine dragging on, it’s getting harder and harder to ignore the Jewish question du jour: Why, as Jews, can’t we feel for both Israel and Ukraine? Is it so cruel not to understand why people can show love and concern for both?
Undeniably, the horror perpetrated on the Ukrainian people is revolting and hard to ignore. The Jewish community in the USA, like many others, has been swept up in the noble camaraderie of this conflict. I have never seen such unity, enthusiasm, and selfless sacrifice on the part of our people. If you ask the average Jewish Ukrainian sympathizer how much money, love, and time they have spent on Ukraine in the last 60 days, you will probably hear “a lot.”
Now, what if you asked the same question, but about Israel? The answer would likely be, “but Ukraine…”. Translation: close to zero. Meanwhile, Israel had its most turbulent month in years. 30 civilians have been killed. Arabs financed by the EU and aided by the weak Israeli government are making advances into the heart of our homeland every day. There is a silent war happening for our frontier in Judea and Samaria. Israel is facing its greatest existential threat in years, and most American Jews haven’t the slightest idea that anything is even going on.
terror attack in the central city of Elad on Thursday.
Abstractly, we should have the capacity to care about all suffering. But love is action, especially when it comes to humanitarian crises. In practice, we choose to act on only one issue at a time. Be honest with yourself and look at YOUR actions. If you claim to love and care for both nations, ask yourself: What have YOU done for Israel in the last 60 days?
Have you donated, as you did for Ukraine? Have you organized a fundraiser for any Israeli cause? Have you volunteered your labor? Have you provided housing for a Jewish family willing to fight for Judea? YOU, not other people. For Israel, not Ukraine.
Are you defending your G-d-given land from those that seek to destroy it and your people, or are you too busy romanticizing your old Odessa courtyard and the country you fled as a refugee? Are you a Jew at all? The true measure of your allegiance to your nation is not whether you fast on Yom Kippur, but whether you live out your commitment to the Jewish nation every day, fighting for it as you fight for Ukraine.
Just a couple of weeks ago, we celebrated Passover, which marks our people’s escape from Egyptian slavery for freedom. Have you left YOUR Egypt, or are you still a slave to a faraway Slavic nation and its perennial conflict?
Today we celebrate Israeli Independence Day, but the War of Independence is not over. The survival of our nation – your nation – depends on each of us. If you consider yourself a Jew, it’s time to start acting like one.
Maria Rutenburg
