Intent

Today is a day of tragedy and mourning for Israel and the global Jewish community.  A boy of four years young was lost.  No words can bring him back.  No words can explain the Jewish community’s grief.

An infographic published three hours ago by the Israel Defense Forces communicates that over 400 rockets have been fired from Gaza since Hamas broke the latest ceasefire.  The infographic description on Facebook says, “On average, a rocket is fired from Gaza every ten minutes. Thousands of Israelis who live in the south have only 15 seconds to save their life. Share it.”

I am sharing it.

The intentions of each and every one of those 400-plus rockets is to kill, maim, and destroy.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  Each and every rocket fired is to kill, maim, and destroy.  They are targeting civilians.  The intent of the terrorists is to terrorize and to kill, maim, and destroy.

Those that read this blog on the Times of Israel understand it, but I fear those who do not and those who cannot hear the sirens cannot conceptualize it.  These rockets are not abstractions.  They are lethal.  They are crimes against humanity.  They are targeting civilians – four year old civilians who are in the line of fire between terrorist regimes that operate a kleptocracy over the Gaza government and the free and democratic Jewish nation-state of Israel.  This is the intent of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, etc who call for the death of all Israelis and all Jews around the world.  This is the intent of the terrorists who claim the murder of three Israeli teenage boys and send rockets into homes, synagogues, and communities where men, women, and children are threatened from mortars from the sky.  Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze Israelis equally threatened by the rockets from the sky whose intent is to kill, maim, and destroy.

I am a Jewish American and a strong supporter of the free and democratic Jewish nation-state of Israel.  It pains me when I see other Jewish Americans say things and do things that support the terror.  I do not understand groups like Jewish Voices for Peace that explicitly or implicitly (depending on how you look at them) support terror.  I do not know their intent.  I’ve read their materials on their website.  I’ve watched their videos on YouTube.  I watched the videos that Ali Abunimah, America’s leading proponent for a one-state Palestinian solution to the conflict, posted to YouTube today on JVP’s protest at a Chicago Jewish community event this week.  I do not understand the intent of a “Jewish” organization promoting a protest where protesters chant “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”  I do not understand the intent of a “Jewish” organization that does not support their being a Jewish state…

When I saw the breaking news on Facebook about the death of Daniel, I paused in place.  The Iron Dome is an incredible innovation and shield.  The Iron Dome has saved hundreds of Daniels.  I thank my government for helping to fund the project and for the U.S. Congress to vote to provide additional funding to make the Iron Domes’ shield stronger.  The intent of the Iron Dome is to be a defensive shield to protect innocent Israeli men, women, and children from being killed or maimed from these rockets.  The intent of the Iron Dome is to protect Israeli property from being destroyed.  It is a part of Israel’s broader counter-terrorism strategy.  That is its intent.

I’ve been watching CNN since I saw the breaking news on Facebook about Daniel.  Hours of reporting have been dedicated towards the tragedy in Ferguson, the tragedy of the American journalist beheaded by ISIS, and now I am watching a report on the Little League World Series.

What I have not seen by CNN in my hours of watching today is one mention of Daniel or one mention of the hundreds of rockets that have been fired at Israel.  I wrote a letter and posted it to the CNN Facebook wall asking for them to cover the ongoing story in Israel.  I tweeted to CNN, Wolf Blitzer, and Don Lemon.  Silence.

I cannot conceptualize how CNN sees the Little League World Series to be more important news than over 100 rockets that have been fired at Israel today and over 400 rockets that have been fired at Israel since the ceasefire was broken by Hamas.  I cannot conceptualize how one of those rockets led to the death of Daniel and how CNN is not reporting on it.

CNN was not shy to share every single tragic image of Gaza as Operation Protective Edge began.  But they have more airtime available for the Little League World Series than for Daniel.  I do not understand their intent to not report on this news.  I cannot conceptualize this motivation.

Are they simply bad at their jobs?  Or are they willfully ignoring this news?  What is their intention of not informing the American public of Hamas’ rockets being fired into Israel?  What is their intention of not reporting on the death of Daniel Tragerman but spending hours on the death of Michael Brown.

The circumstances surrounding the death of Michael Brown are tragic.  The American people need to be made aware of these circumstances.  The circumstances surrounding the death of Daniel Tragerman are tragic.  The American people need to be made aware of these circumstances.

The circumstances surrounding CNN’s non-reporting of Daniel are alarming.  Outside of even the lack of television reporting, I just did a search on CNN.com for “Daniel Tragerman” and was told that my search “did not match any documents.”

I have a lot to reflect upon during this Shabbat…

CNN.com Results of Daniel Tragerman