Baron Jonathan Sacks of blessed memory, the chief rabbi of England, once said that the great fight of the 21st century will be between “the will to power” and “the will to life,” and that we must work for the “defeat of probability by the power of possibility.” This is the war that is actually being fought right now in Israel: a war between the evil of Hamas and its allies that worship death, and Israel, which worships life.
But this war is not only being fought overseas, it is being fought here in America. It is being fought on our college campuses and in our streets, in our suburbs and our cities. The war is not coming; it is here. And we need to be aware and be prepared.
This is not a hyperbole. Take a look at the last few days. An elderly man in Minnesota was cornered and almost killed when he went through a pro-Palestinian rally. A “Solidarity with Israel” rally was stopped by violent pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Skokie, Ill. Hundreds of cities across our nation were filled with violent protesters over the last week with signs not only saying “Free Palestine” and “Ceasefire” but “Kill the Jews” and “By any means necessary.”
We have a White House that worries about Islamophobia, even when asked specific questions about anti-Semitism. Jewish students on campuses across the country are skipping classes because they don’t feel safe. Universities around the country are unsafe; a graduate student at UC Berkeley named Victoria Huynh is even giving credit to students in her class for skipping other classes to attend pro-Gaza events (which is arguably a violation of Title VI and could jeopardize all UC Berkeley federal funding as well as be criminal). Yet Berkeley did nothing to discipline her when parents confronted the school administration. Ironically, Ms. Huyhn’s class is apparently in Asian Studies, not even the Middle East, but that doesn’t stop her from supporting her agenda of hate.
There is a war on freedom going on in our country. It may have started with Israel and it may be directed at American Jews right now, but this is a war that has been declared on Western culture in general and the United States specifically. It is a war of chaos versus culture, of liberty versus enslavement. It is a war between those who worship life and those who worship death.
While this may sound all “doom and gloom,” it doesn’t have to be. We still have an opportunity awaiting each of us. It is the opportunity to educate, communicate, and have the courage to stop the hate-filled bullies.
We must learn the realities of the history of Israel and the region, including that there is no such thing as “Palestine” or “Palestinians.” It is a fabrication of the late 20th century by Arab terrorists who sought to create a “victim” for the world to see. Similarly, there is no desire on the part of Gazans or Hamas to create a two-state solution. Hamas has repeatedly rejected the idea and openly demands a Palestine that stretches “from the river to the sea.” And while Israel uses the IDF to defend civilians, Hamas uses civilians to defend themselves. We must communicate these types of facts to everyone we can, especially those who only believe the lies of Hamas because they have never had anyone speak the truth to them.
And we must have the courage to stand up to bullies. We must organize and be vigilant and persistent against all corporations that support this war, for to affect the finances of these corporations is to effect change. While Coca-Cola was a huge financial supporter of Black Lives Matter, look how quickly they abandoned the hate-filled group when it came out that BLM supported Hamas. To win this war domestically, we must remove all positive publicity and financial backing from those who seek to destroy Israel, the United States, and Western culture.
We must also all be prepared. Had there been a Second Amendment in pre-Nazi Germany, history might have been different. We need to always be situationally aware and intimately involved in a supportive community that sees the world the way it really is. Only by recognizing what is actually going on can we begin to create a world that we want to see: a world of respect, freedom, and peace.
Related: Why It Is Our Spiritual Obligation to Completely Destroy Hamas
Sebastian Gorka published a letter that he wrote to his children that is a guide we all can use to be aware, prepared, and not have fear. Although entirely different people with radically different careers and personal histories, Rabbi Sacks and Sebastian Gorka each recognize what we all must now recognize: there is a war on life by those who worship death, and we must all choose our side or it will be chosen for us.
May we all choose to worship life, stop the evils of Hamas and its allies, and ensure that the values of freedom and culture that have made Israel and the United States so great continue into future generations in both countries.
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