The Jewish state cannot stand idly by while danger looms in another country to non-Jews
A writer named Tomer Dror is making a valid point why it's ill-advised for Israel to refuse to aid foreign countries because of past hostilities:
Israelis on the right who're reluctant to aid Europe at time like this would do well to reevaluate their positions as it could be very dangerous to turn their backs on Europe when it's facing the dangers of Islamofascism as much as Russia's neo-communist assaults. After all, such complacency is exactly what enabled WW2 to erupt and Germany to take over when they did. If favors aren't returned for Europeans who helped out in their time, it could look bad for Israelis in the long run. Let's also remember that Ukraine now has a Jewish-background president, and they built a monument for Jewish victims of WW2 in Babyn Yar. That should make clear why it's important to be vigilant when it comes to what bad things happen in Europe.
Wars and states of emergency are tests. A test of our humanity, our resilience, our values. Many Israelis talk, justifiably, about the failure of the West in general and the US in particular in this test. But are the Israelis who are criticizing western leaders looking at us, as well?Yes, there is validity to this argument. Since many French helped Jews during WW2, that's why we should give France backing for starters in any war with Islamofascism that's bound to begin sooner or later. And depending how well they improved as time went by, that's why even countries like Ukraine could use our backing too. The same can go for countries like Austria and Finland, if the common citizens know to refrain at this point from overt antisemitism. Better still, they could be invited to convert to the Judaist religion, and it's important on the part of Orthodox Judiast advocates to ensure new converts wouldn't have to adhere to the customs of the ultra-Orthodox. That's how to make conversion to Judaism more attractive to newcomers, and give them a chance to explore what could be a fabulous gift, and find it something to embrace.
Israel appears to be one of the 20 strongest nations in the world. We are a wealthy country, with a strong military, exceptionally smart citizens, and advanced capabilities in every sector. Does that not also mean we have a responsibility?
Many oppose Israel actively intervening in Ukraine based on their stance about the Holocaust, arguing that first of all, the Ukrainians were brutal toward Jews during the Holocaust and responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of our people, and also that the Holocaust has taught us that our first priority must be to take care of ourselves.
Another element of the opposition is anchored in the present, and argues that if we intervene in the Ukraine crisis, it will endanger Israel's existence because it will eliminate coordination with Putin in Syria and lay the groundwork for the Iranians to attack Israel.
The problem with the argument about the Ukrainians' past brutality is that if we base our foreign policy on the first half of the last century, we would forego relations with the vast majority of European countries.
The second argument is much more significant. In his exciting book "The Zionist Revolution and those who Rise Against Us At Home," Professor Menachem Fish goes back to the ideological roots of Zionism and Judaism, and shows us that nearly all the moral commandments in the Torah mandate that we remember the Exodus – Shabbat, the shmita year, how we treat converts, and more. The Exodus is anchored in an ideological constitution for a Jewish state that would rise in the Land of Israel, and that ideological-moral constitution is entirely based on the experience of exile in Egypt and the Egyptians' attempts to annihilate the Jewish people.
The purpose of Jewish independence, therefore, is not merely to establish a strong state and military to defend the Jews, but also to serve as an example for the rest of the nations of the world, to "be a light unto nations." A state like that will be the first to provide equal standing to all the people who live there, eradicate slavery, provide a free day every week, and live up to additional moral commandments.
Israelis on the right who're reluctant to aid Europe at time like this would do well to reevaluate their positions as it could be very dangerous to turn their backs on Europe when it's facing the dangers of Islamofascism as much as Russia's neo-communist assaults. After all, such complacency is exactly what enabled WW2 to erupt and Germany to take over when they did. If favors aren't returned for Europeans who helped out in their time, it could look bad for Israelis in the long run. Let's also remember that Ukraine now has a Jewish-background president, and they built a monument for Jewish victims of WW2 in Babyn Yar. That should make clear why it's important to be vigilant when it comes to what bad things happen in Europe.
Labels: anti-semitism, communications, Egypt, Europe, France, germany, islam, Israel, jihad, Judaism, racism, Russia, terrorism, United States
