Beware the Bite of Mad Dogs

Even prior to President Trump’s anticipated message regarding the status of Jerusalem, the dogs of the world are howling. Some are frothing at the mouth in an intention to bite us.

One mad dog, in particular, is the “Sultan-Caliph” of Turkey who threatens to end diplomatic ties with Israel if Jerusalem is declared its capital. Why isn’t his threat aimed at the United States of America which is the intended sponsor of the proposal?

People of Israel… it is time that our government stood up in unity to confront an enemy and to correct a terrible historic wrong.

We have a moral obligation to the Armenian Christian citizens of our country to finally condemn the Ottoman Turkish massacre of more than one million innocent Armenian Christians between 1915-1917. It was genocide and we can no longer hide from declaring it as such.

As a Jewish nation which suffered the massacre of six million of our Jewish population in Europe from 1939-1945 we must no longer remain silent. Our government has a moral obligation and duty to condemn the Turkish genocide.

Good people of Israel… instruct our government to do so. Make your demands loud. Correct a dreadful wrong. It is our moral Jewish duty to do.

We have failed to do so over the many years out of a fear that it would sever ties with a liberal Muslim nation.  Shame on us !  We must never place  diplomatic relations above morality and ethics.

We have condemned the crimes of Nazi Germany and the German government had the courage to acknowledge the guilt of the preceding regime. And Germany has become one of our strongest allies.

The Turkish leader, Erdogan, is barking threats at us once again.  Is Turkey so important to us? Are our relations with Turkey so strong that we fear to alienate them?

What the American president intends to say, we cannot know at this moment. We hope it will be something positive for us. But if it means severing diplomatic and trade relations with certain countries as a result, so let it be.

Jerusalem is more sacred to us than the sympathies of foreign governments. And the 10 Commandments of Moses are far higher in esteem than the 7 laws of Noah.

The recognition of Jerusalem as our eternal capital was made three thousand years ago when King David conquered the city from the Jebusites.

Alien and enemy nations and peoples… Assyrians, Babylonians, Philistines, Greeks, Persians and Romans all recognized the Jewish peoples’ capital and holy city of Jerusalem. Many made war against us. Babylon and Rome burned our city and destroyed our Holy Temple in Jerusalem and exiled our inhabitants.

But we did not forget nor forsake Jerusalem. During the two thousand years of our exile we remembered her in our daily prayers. And we returned to her and we rebuilt her, at the same time rebuilding ourselves.

In 1948, the Jordanian Legion overpowered us and took Jerusalem from us. For 19 years the Jordanians ruled in our Jerusalem but never recognized it as a Palestinian capital.

And during all those 19 years not a single Arab or Muslim leader of any country ever came to worship at Muslim holy places in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is Islam’s third holy city after Mecca and Medina. But for the Jews of the world, Jerusalem is the holiest of all places.

We have the right to demand recognition of Zion and Jerusalem as our eternal national capital. No Arabs or Muslims will agree and not even some of our closest friends. But nothing they can say or do will prevent us from recognizing Jerusalem as our  capital city.

Our government is centered in Jerusalem. Our parliament (Knesset) is there, our Supreme Court is there,  all government Ministries are there, the official residences of our President and Prime Minister are there.  All foreign Consulates are located in Jerusalem.

While Tel-Aviv remains our commercial center, Jerusalem remains our spiritual and national center.

Let the howling mad dogs bark. They dare not bite us. They know our strengths and they will not challenge us in a battle. They fear losing once again.

The Turks and the other mad dogs may have rabies.  But we Jews have rabbis.

We have nothing to fear !