Choose or Lose

A Chabad emissary is dead. Rabbi Zvi Kogan was serving in the United Arab Emirates when he was kidnapped and murdered in an alleged terrorist action. This news is tragic. But, unfortunately, this senseless murder is just another example in the long string of antisemitic violence that has been and continues to be perpetrated around the world.

At this point, the list seems endless: from the Tree of Life synagogue shooting, to the murder of Sarah Halimi in France, to the Amsterdam pogrom, among so many others. These attacks on our people seem to be increasing in frequency. But there are aspects of this reality that scare me as much as the violence itself.

These incidents are not occuring in radicalized Muslim countries. It’s not as if the victims were visiting locations known to be hostile to our people, and then tragedy strikes. These attacks are being carried out in what should be “friendly” territory. It’s happening throughout Europe, Canada, and even the United States. The places where it’s safe to be a Jew continue to narrow in real time.

But what scares me more is the response to these attacks.

How can it be that so many good people watch as Jews are being murdered in the streets? Many in the last year have asked “where are our allies?” And yet, it’s not just that people stand idly by. Many, including some of our own, cheer our downfall, especially the downfall of Israel.

Those who side with known terrorists — “Jews for suicide,” as Douglas Murray calls them — are not my concern. I’m most distressed with those who still don’t get it, those who continue to think that this isn’t an existential threat. “Sure there are bad apples all over the world, but this isn’t Nazi Germany,” they say. I found myself repeating similar notions over the past year. “If the US government turned on us, then we’d have what to worry about.” I hate to say it, but we were wrong.

The dilemma at hand is much worse than Nazi Germany. When the world had to confront Hitler and his allies, we knew exactly who our enemies were and we knew how to eradicate the problem. But the present reality is far more insidious. Even though Western governments aren’t likely to officially turn on the Jewish people, they are not equipped to protect us either. Our enemies have infiltrated the free world. They can carry out random acts of violence, such as the brutal murder of a Chabad emissary, and the host country can do little to prevent it.

This leaves diaspora Jewry with two options.

The first is to get the hell out of Dodge. Israel is truly the last safe place for Jews. To those who would argue that Israel is in the midst of a seven-front war, surrounded by hostile nations on every side, I would reply that we Jews are still safer here. This is because every governmental institution in Israel is working to safeguard its citizens — all of its citizens. The same cannot be said of many other countries, even in the West. If you don’t believe me, do a few minutes of research into the Amsterdam Pogrom. The security forces in the area were not only happy to see Jews bludgeoned, some even joined in themselves. And in addition, the government subsequently denied Jews were being targeted.

However, if those in the diaspora still wish to remain in place, then the time has come to face a harsh reality: the only true protection you have is your own. You need to fight back. Your social media posts of Jewish pride have failed you. Unless you acknowledge this reality and work to change it, you have no future where you are. Jewish citizens need to be armed and there need to be community watch organizations. And, most importantly, you must be louder and more numerous than those who seek our destruction.

The challenge you face is not an easy one. No one wants this to be a reality. But until the free world returns to some semblance of sanity and defends those who are innocent, we are on our own. The survival of diaspora Jewry is in your hands.