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Celeste Aronoff
A pragmatic yogi listening always for Gd's voice.

Is Israel Still the Last Refuge for All Jews?

The Reckoning: Cain facing Gd after murdering Abel.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas declared war on Israel. Hamas leadership understood the exact consequences of their attack, and willingly offered up of the residents of Gaza as collateral damage. And even more, they happily let the injuries, deprivation, and death of Gazans be the PR story through which they would justify their actions to the world.

This is the clear and simple reality of what began that awful day, and points directly to the solution for the ongoing war. Hamas can bring the war to a quick end by simply surrendering and returning the rest of the Israeli hostages. No negotiations would be needed, no concessions, no political wrangling. If Hamas simply surrenders unconditionally, no more Gazans will die because of this war. The world calls for Israel to stop the war, but the solution is so much simpler.

I live in the US, and almost never engage in discussions about ‘the war in the Middle East’ with anyone. The pain shared by those who understand this simple truth is deep and raw, and no words help. And the frustration of talking with those who don’t understand is also too painful but in a different direction.

The unrealized promise of Gaza in 2005 when Sharon disastrously handed it over to the Palestinians, and by extension, Hamas, has haunted Israel ever since.

The history of Hamas is short and brutal and is always built on their willingness to sacrifice the residents of Gaza. I understand the ideology that underlies their explosive terrorism toward Israel and all Jews, but their complete indifference and cruelty to Gazans is even more telling of their true nature. We know they have no value for Jewish life, but also no value even for the Palestinians in whose name they pretend to be acting.

When I first went to Israel in 2010, I was told again and again that the Jewish homeland of Medinat Israel, the State of Israel, is the last refuge for all Jews, the one safe place we can go should the rest of the world turn their back on us. When I moved to Jerusalem in 2014, I marveled at being able to walk the streets alone at midnight and feel entirely safe. But the reality on the ground was that my safety was made possible by Israel’s police and military, not some magical spell protecting me. It was real men and women risking their lives by guarding us.

Indeed, contrary to the romantic notion of Israel as our last refuge, our one safe place, it seems Israel is the most dangerous place in the world to be Jewish. And while the shadow of the horrors of pogroms, persecutions, and the Holocaust hangs darkly over us wherever we are, Israel is scary too.

I’m grateful for the strength and courage of the men and women serving and sacrificing for Israel, but so tired of the tragically high cost they pay. I’m so tired of the stories of heroism and glory and would prefer that the big news out of Israel be high housing costs, the terrible  post service, and the best new fish restaurant in Haifa.

My solution? I’ve been asked that question about every issue Israel faces including how Jews and Judaism will survive all the challenges. But seeing the challenges isn’t the same as knowing the solutions. The best I can do is seek true understanding. I don’t know what will work to establish peace, for whom, and at what cost. If I knew, I wouldn’t keep it a secret.

I look to the Bible for context, not as a religious Jew, but as someone interested in this ancient document of my people. In Genesis 4:1-16 Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, give birth to two sons, Cain and Abel. And very shortly thereafter, Cain kills Abel and is punished by Gd, the second human punishment after Adam and Eve being evicted from the paradise of Eden. In the Bible, the story of humanity begins with tragedy and regret, of irreparable actions and irredeemable violence. I think of this often when I think about human nature, the ancient and unchanging violence and how even the closest brothers struggle to coexist.

It breaks my heart that the cost of being Jewish in Israel remains so high, that the outside world insists on misunderstanding both history and reality. It breaks my heart to learn of a father of five who will never see his children again. It breaks my heart to hear about a young woman who will never hug her parents again and whose potential will never be realized. It breaks my heart that thousands of Palestinians have so willingly been offered up for sacrifice in the name of pure ideological hatred by their own government. It breaks my heart that hatred for Jews continues unabated.

Perhaps being Jewish ultimately means living with broken heartedness for the way the world is while holding the hope of the promise of what it can become.

About the Author
Celeste Aronoff was born in Brooklyn, grew up in the tranquil suburbs of Kansas, found G*d in the meditative practices of Raja Yoga in India, and found her Judaism in Israel. She is unrelentingly interested in uncovering Truth wherever it lurks. And she is eternally grateful to the teachers at the Pardes Institue of Jewish Studies for giving her the skills access Jewish texts, thinking, and language.
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