A Lesson from History: Unity in the Face of Adversity

I am always reminded of a story from a Holocaust survivor who explained that it didn’t matter what type of Jew he was; he was exterminated simply for being a Jew. This sentiment is a stark reminder that the Jewish nation is made up of people from all over the world with diverse backgrounds. We have Sephardic and Ashkenazi, religious and non-religious, atheists, Conservative and Reform, Republican and Democrat. We are all Jewish, and that is the common thread that binds us. I am a Jewish American, and I am proud of both. We must learn to find our common ground.

As we approach Tisha B’Av, we observe a very solemn day in Jewish history. Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av, is recognized as the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is a day of mourning for tragedies that have occurred throughout Jewish history, most notably the destruction and loss of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. The First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar in 421 BCE, resulting in the deaths of approximately 100,000 Jews and the exile of the remaining tribes. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans under Titus in 70 CE, leading to the deaths of over 2.5 million Jews from war, famine, and disease, with over 1 million more being exiled and over 100,000 sold into slavery.

The tragedies continued in 1095 with the First Crusade, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of Jews and the obliteration of many communities. In 1290, Jews were expelled from England, a move accompanied by pogroms and the confiscation of their property. The Inquisition in Spain and Portugal culminated in the expulsion of Jews from the Iberian Peninsula in 1492, leading to the separation of families, mass deaths, and a massive loss of property. In 1942, the deportations from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka concentration camp began, marking a dark turning point in the Holocaust.

A Lesson from History: Unity and Action

Let us learn from our history. We may disagree on many things, but with unity, we are stronger as a people and as a nation. Let our nation be a light unto all others.

But being a light doesn’t mean we sit idle. As individuals and as a nation, each and every one of us must learn how to defend ourselves and our families. This includes learning self-defense and how to handle a firearm responsibly.

While we are a people that prides itself on books and knowledge, we have also had many great warriors. We must join our synagogues and organizations like Chai Defense, which teaches Krav Maga self-defense in Brooklyn and Staten Island, and clubs like Guns Moses NJ, which teaches firearm safety and handling in New York and New Jersey.

As the old saying goes, “Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.” It is far better to have the knowledge of handguns and self-defense and not need to use it, than to need it and not have the training.