At Least We Don’t Need Forgiveness For Inaction

And we stood our ground in our pursuit of justice for Israel.

We were resolute.

Against academics who were twisting the reality of the situation; against diplomats who were calling for a Jew-free Caribbean; against keyboard warriors who gleefully unleashed their latent hatred on social media; against journalists who purposefully manipulated the public; against governments who sat smugly in their ivory towers overlooking the Caribbean Sea and weighing in on a conflict none of them had any idea about.

Today, on the eve of Yom Kippur 5787, we can look back and know that we have done well.

Yom Kippur is a moment of individual reflection and atonement. But it in this reflection, as a collective of ragtag Israel supporters, we can take solace that – at least between the Divine and us – we do not have to ask forgiveness for the horrific sin of inaction. We have not been bystanders. We have answered His call and stood with Israel and stood against the waves of anti-Jewish hatred infecting the Caribbean. We are the solitary light and we can be grateful that we do not need to ask for forgiveness for complacency, for turning a blind eye and for not doing enough, for ignorance.

We may have a host of other sins and shortcomings to atone for – continuously and on Yom Kippur, specifically – but at least we do not have to ask forgiveness for the unforgivable sin of inaction. Because the evilest thing anyone can do is have the faculty to recognize injustice and do nothing about it. “It started because good people turn a blind eye” is the one of the most poignant lessons from the Holocaust. And, I fear, it is a lesson only a few have internalized today, as so many have turned and continue to turn a blind eye to the unraveling of madness happening right before us, just as it did in the 1930’s in Nazi Germany which led to the eradication of one third of the world’s Jewish population.

What’s more, there are many who think that their empty gestures have any resonance in stemming the tide of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish hatred. The Divine has extolled us to “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof,” – or in English, “Justice, justice you shall pursue” – and this command does not entail patting ourselves on our backs because we have raised an Israel flag and said a prayer, rather, it is compelling us to pursue meaningful action: justice for Israel, which may sometimes be beyond our zones of comfort.

It has meant speaking out for Israel and educating ourselves and those in our spheres of influence about Israel. It has meant holding space for every Israeli who was attacked on 10/7, every Jew who has been attacked since then anywhere around the world, and every pro-Israel supporter who has been maligned. It has meant calling on our governments to understand the horrors of 10/7, and using our platforms to explain and actionize those around us. It has meant fighting for those who can no longer pursue justice because they were massacred. It has meant understanding the holy convocation given to us as pro-Israel advocates to march, to educate, to preach, to assemble, to pursue justice for Israel from the lowest level to the highest on earth.

Yes, our consciences are clear and for those of us who are religious, we can stand before the Holy One, Blessed be He, and say, “Here I am, and here I have been since that fateful day.”

To the Understanding Israel Foundation members, affiliates and partners, to the global pro-Israel community, and to everyone who observes Yom Kippur, we wish gmar chatima tovah and tzom kal. May we all be sealed in the Book of Life and may your fast be an easy and meaningful one.