This past week
in Israel, leaders from around the globe – from Pence to Putin to Prince
Charles – gathered dramatically in Jerusalem to commemorate the Shoah and to
spotlight both the victims and the villains of the Holocaust.
The Nazis were
masters of deception, ingeniously creating a pervasive false reality that
masked their crimes and their central cause – the murder of every Jew on the
planet. Concentration camps were “labor farms,” roundups of Jews and mass
murder were “Aktions,” and death camps were “resettlement centers.” Show camps
like Theresienstadt put a false face on the horror, while signs of “Arbeit
Macht Frei” on the outside gates masked the terror within. Much of the world
was fooled, with disastrous consequences for our loved ones.
And even
today, the Palestinians create a parallel universe made up of smoke and
mirrors, forging a phony history of their own while using every means to erase,
expunge and obliterate our truth: the truth of King David and King Solomon, of
the Temple in Jerusalem and the 3,000-year presence of Jews in our homeland.
Our holy texts affirm without a shred of doubt our legitimate claim to this
land, while they are the authors of the shortest book in history: Ancient Palestinian
Culture and Custom.
YET I wonder: Will the true events of Jewish history remain
fact in the years to come, or will they be turned into fiction? The question is
worth considering, for indeed our accomplishments in the last century boggle
the mind and invite disbelief.
Will
generations to come believe that we could survive the devastating Shoah and
emerge to revive and recreate our ancient land and language?
Could we have
really won a War of Independence against all odds and predictions, and then,
soon after, vanquish seven Arab armies in just six short days?
Could we have
actually taken in millions of immigrants – many of them elderly and
impoverished – and could we have increased our population by 1,000% in just two
generations?!
Could we
possibly have made our tiny nation the hi-tech capital of the world, dramatically
bestowing innovations of all types upon humanity, increasing its quality and
longevity of life?
Will all this
be acknowledged by future generations as fact, or will it be dismissed as
fanciful fairy tales concocted by creative Jewish minds?
There are two
conflicting narratives fiercely competing in the world today. One suggests that
the Jews are an oppressive, malevolent force, robbing the world of
its resources, stealing the property of others and espousing a doctrine of
supremacy and world domination.
The other
affirms that the Jewish people are benevolent, decent, industrious citizens who
hold the moral high ground and bring abundant blessing to every nation in which
they live.
It is our
sacred task, I suggest, to fight passionately for the truth we know to be real,
to dispel the clouds of doubt and defamation that too often swirl around us.
It is an
uphill battle, to be sure, because ignorance is a societal cancer that spreads
exponentially, perverting and polluting even the best and brightest of minds.
We have the obligation to devote
ourselves to separating the facts from the fables and declare, with unabashed
pride: Israel is real.
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