A Letter To Hamas

Dear Hamas and Hamas sympathizers,

As you continue to try to destroy me, I want to tell you a little about myself.

I am Jacob (17th century BCE), and my brother Esau tried to kill me. One night, upon being attacked by Esau’s henchman, I wrestled with him and defeated him.

I am a slave in Egypt (14th century BCE), and was tortured and threatened with genocide. Ultimately, after 10 miraculous plagues by G-d, I triumphantly marched out of Egypt as a free person.

I am a Jew in the Sinai desert (13th century BCE), who was attacked by the Amalekites. Through Divine intervention and a courageous battle, I defeated Amalek.

I am a Jew in the Sinai desert, when the Moabite King Balak hired the prophet Balaam to curse me. In the end, G-d wouldn’t allow Balaam to curse me, so instead he offered me the sweetest blessings.

I am a Jew in the Sinai desert, who was defiled by the Midianites. Under the command of strong generals and with a mighty army, I defeated them.

I am a Jew who witnessed the fulfillment of G-d’s promise to Abraham that Israel will be the Jewish Homeland (13th century BCE). When Jericho refused to concede, I watched as G-d performed a miracle and her city walls crumbled.

I am a Jew, who though small and inexperienced in warfare, confronted Goliath, a giant and seemingly invincible Philistine enemy, who wouldnt stop taunting me (10th century BCE). With a simple slingshot, and G-d’s assistance, I killed him.

I am a Jew living in the city of Jerusalem (7th century BCE), when the huge army of mighty Sennacherib, king of Assyria, laid siege around the city and planned to destroy me. During the night, the angel of death killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, and the mighty king returned home crushed and humiliated.

I am a Jew living in Persia (5th century BCE), when the evil Haman convinced King Ahasuerus to commit genocide against me. Through clever diplomacy and genuine faith in G-d, Haman was hanged and I was saved.

I am a Jew living in Israel (2nd century BCE), when the Syrian Hellenistic King Antiochus and his army tried to overtake my land and eradicate my religion. Though smaller and weaker, I succeeded in defending my land and restoring its glory.

I am a Jew who was sold as a slave by the Roman Empire after they destroyed my Temple and demolished my sovereignty in my Homeland (1st century). Nonetheless, I succeeded in making sure that my Tradition continued to thrive.

I am a Jew living in the Rhineland (12th century), who was attacked by the crusaders in their quest to annihilate me and capture my Holy Land. Though their attacks were brutal, I managed to outlive them.

I am a Jew living in Europe (14th century), when a Black Death plague wiped out millions of people. Due to scientific ignorance and sheer antisemitism, I was blamed and burned at the stake.

I am a Jew living in Spain in 1492. The Catholic Monarchs felt so threatened by me that their ultimatum to me was to either convert, be expelled or be killed. It was a painful period for me, but I still held my ground.

I am a Jew living in Poland (17th century), when the Cossacks destroyed my communities during the Khmelnytsky Pogroms. Despite being terribly beaten, I never gave up.

I am a Jew living in Europe in 1939. Nazi Germany decided that my presence was not appreciated in this world, and went all out to exterminate me. They caused a lot of destruction, but I still survived.

I am a Jew living in 1948, who finally received recognition for a portion of my Homeland. All my large Arab neighbors attacked me, but I won, and succeeded to reclaim an even larger portion of my Homeland.

I am a Jew living in Israel (1948-2023), who has been attacked by my Arab neighbors every decade since the founding of my modern State. Yet I continue to be a source of wisdom and innovation for the world.

I am a Jew living in Israel, in the USA, in Australia, in France, in the UK, in South America, in Canada, in 2023. People of all stripes are expressing their hatred towards me. They want to cleanse the world and get rid of me.

Hamas, can you see the pattern here?

People and nations have always blamed their problems on me. Throughout history they have promulgated the lie that I am the problem. They have spared no efforts to destroy me.

And yet, where are all those nations of history, and where am I? They appear in history books, and I live proudly.

3336 years ago G-d gave me the Torah, an instruction manual for life, and charged me to teach it to the rest of the world. During most of world history, when nations lived by immoral codes of might and greed, I always lived by the moral codes of justice and peace. Could that be why you hated me?

I am still here. I will always be here. Because I haven’t finished my job yet. When I see you, I realize how much more work I still have to do.

So you decide, where would you like to be? In the history books with all the others, or part of a moral and thriving community that is advancing humanity towards its destiny?

In the meantime, until you decide, I’ll keep doing what I do best. I’ll defend myself at all costs, and remain focused on my mission.

For your sake, I hope you make the right decision. But hurry, before it’s too late.

Rabbi Eliezer Wolf
Proud Jew