Do Jews believe in coincidences?

When, in 1492, Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon sent over a hundred thousand of our ancestors into exile, it would have been logical to think that, with the departure of all the Jews, there would be no more anti-Semitism in Spain, Europe’s first Judenrein state.

Well, all you have to do is read Pierre Assouline’s wonderfully sensitive book “Retour à Séfarad” to understand that this was not the case. Over the centuries, caricatures of the Jew, insulting myths and awful stories, anti-Semitic legends perpetuated and even amplified up to the present day by supposedly innocent carnival figures, all contributed to keeping alive a disembodied but virulent anti-Semitism.

Then came Franco, the Civil War, Nazism. Right after the Second World War, and again after Moroccan independence, the Algerian war, Israeli independence, the Six Day and Yom Kippur wars, a tiny Jewish community tried to re-settle itself in Spain. However, it was not until 1986 that Spain established diplomatic relations with Israel.

Today, there are around 12,000 Jews in Spain, scattered in a dozen small communities, and facing, as everywhere else in the Western world, an outspoken anti-Semitism that is increasingly virulent and dangerous: Far-Left-Islamism in action. It must be said that the Spanish authorities are eagerly contributing to this downward spiral, with anti-Zionist positions, decrees and decisions (never forget: anti-Zionism is just another word for anti-Semitism) that have followed one another in rapid succession over the last few years. Going backwards in time from today, we can mention:

– 10/31/2024: Spain excludes Israel from the International Conference on Defence and Security.

– 24/10: Spain cancels weaponry and ammunition contracts previously signed with Israeli companies.

– 20/10: Spain officially asks the European Union to suspend all trade contracts with Israel.

– 15/10: Spain joins the call for a total embargo on arms sales to Israel, initiated by France, Canada and Great Britain.

– May 28, 2024 – Spain officially recognizes Palestine as an independent state, within the pre-1967 borders without any modifications, a decision taken jointly with Ireland and Norway.

– May 2024: Spain accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza and joins the ICJ’s suits against Israeli leaders.

– Early 2024: Spain joins the prosecution, accusing Israel of genocide before the ICC.

– In the many years preceding: Spain has systematically voted against Israel at the United Nations and in all its “independent, humanitarian and cultural” agencies, whatever the subject of the vote in question or almost.

As you can see, Spain shows us how there’s no need to have Jews in your realm to perpetuate and even amplify a vicious, atavistic, hereditary anti-Semitism.

About ‘Hamas, the barbaric terrorist entity that declared war on Israel on October 7, 2023, Spain seems to have been benevolent and understanding for many years. It’s a far cry from connecting this ‘Hamas, supposedly the benefactor of the Palestinian people (but is there such a people?) to the monstrosities perpetrated by the barbaric hordes of this same ‘Hamas against the men, women, children and babies of the Jewish communities bordering Gaza on that day.

Do we believe in coincidences?

In the Torah portion we just read last week (the portion entitled “Noach”), the word ‘Hamas (“חמס”) is mentioned twice in similar contexts. In essence, G-d informs Noach that He is planning to destroy all (or almost all) life on earth by bringing about a flood, because the earth is filled with ‘Hamas, i.e. corruption, iniquity, theft. ‘Hamas, as Moses defines it in the Pentateuch, is a state of extreme immorality: when institutionalized theft and widespread corruption are supported by a total absence of justice, no human society can be built, no civilization can develop.

What an appropriate name for the terrorist movement ‘Hamas. It has set up theft and corruption as supreme values, with thieves as its leaders, embezzlers of huge subsidies, multi-billionaires living the life of the rich and famous in Qatar and elsewhere. Hasn’t this ‘Hamas adopted iniquity as its fundamental law, using Gazan civilians as human shields, to be abused mercilessly, not hesitating to kill them on the slightest pretext, and moreover subjecting the women, men and children taken hostage to an inhuman fate?

This ‘Hamas that haunts Gaza is the personification of corruption, iniquity and theft, but also – as the whole world saw on October 7, 2023 – the incarnation of absolute evil, of the most inhuman depravity. And it’s this same ‘Hamas that Spain cajoles, excuses, supports and respects to the point of thanking it for everything it has done, including its “perfectly justified actions on October 7”, by giving it a state, or more exactly by giving it territories legitimately acquired by Israel in unprovoked defensive wars.

There are no coincidences.

Now let’s talk about Spain. A few days ago, we were reading in our Synagogues the Torah portion “Noach”, which, as we mentioned above, speaks of extreme corruption (‘Hamas) and the flood that was to put the human community back on the right path by eliminating almost all life on earth, more precisely, by eliminating all those who had been contaminated by the deadly ideology of ‘Hamas. Well, at exactly the same time, Spain was hit by what can only be described as a “Deluge”: torrential rains the like of which no one has ever seen in living memory, torrents of water and mud sweeping away everything in their path, landslides, entire villages completely destroyed, roads cut off, trains derailed – in short, a succession of cataclysmic events, each more serious than the last. And the victims! Today, five days after the deluge, the death toll stands at over two hundred and fifty, and the final tally will no doubt be much higher.

No, really, there are no coincidences.

After a year of weeping and sacrifice, Israel finally is winning the war against ‘Hamas and it discovers the extent of its immorality. At the same time, the Torah confirms the true nature of this movement, which we must eliminate. In this same reading, the Torah tells us about the Flood, and its deep-rooted justification in relation to ‘Hamas. And once again, at this very moment, a catastrophic deluge falls on Spain, a friend of ‘Hamas and an anti-Semitic state par excellence. And everything starts to make sense.

One final point if I may, I can’t resist.

In the Spanish province of Valencia, where, just a few days ago, the deluge was at its worst, the village that was hit hardest, with 50cm of rain in 8 hours, causing immense damage and many victims, is called “Chiva”. I don’t need to elaborate, we all understand. The Chiva (“שבעה”) is the ritual that marks the beginning of the observance of mourning. Spain will never understand this. Yet this country, blinded by centuries of darkness, must try to grasp the meaning of what is happening to it, to make the connection between ‘Hamas, deluge, anti-Semitism and mourning. Some day, maybe.

One of our sacred texts (משלי 24 17) teaches us that we must not rejoice when tragedy strikes our enemies. Without rejoicing, therefore, at the imminent fall of ‘Hamas (בע’ה), and without expressing too much joy at the immense punishment affecting Spain, may I be permitted to smile with much respect and admiration at the relevance of our history, the wisdom of our Traditions and the depth of our Holy Books.