Shanah Tovah—’Days of Awe’ turned into days of grieving
First, I want to wish all the readers Shanah Tovah and hoping that you had a Good Fast. This has certainly been one of the more interesting High Holidays. The ten days starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur are commonly known as ‘The Days of Awe’ (Yamim Noraim), also called The Days of Repentance. During this time Jews are urged to engage in serious introspection, consider the mistakes or misdeeds they have made over the previous year, and repent before the end of Yom Kippur.
The 2024 High Holidays brought extra tsouris and grief with over one hundred Israeli hostages still held by Hamas (with grim estimates that many of these have already been killed), with the continuing War against Hamas in Gaza, and the recent extension of War against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Considering Netanyahu and his ultra-religious, right-wing cabinet’s extreme religious positions one wonders just how that squares with continuing a War that the enemy, Hamas, has absolutely no interest in ending and no real emotional investment in helping the Palestinians in Gaza. And now, Israel’s ultra-religious crew expands the War into Lebanon against Hezbollah during the same period. One wonders just how much introspection and serious repentance these people have done during the recent High Holidays.
Though it does seem somewhat fitting that the key mastermind of Israel’s October 7th Pogrom was killed on one of the first days of Sukkot, considered a happy and fortuitous Jewish holiday celebrating the harvest. When one looks at the Israeli drone video released by Israel and shown on almost all media, seeing the egotistic and self-serving Yaya Sinwar covered up with a disguise and hiding out in desolate, ruined premises that appear to be less than even a Hotel Six bottom room, does provide some satisfaction—especially when he is so disgusted that he throws some object at the drone. What caught my eye, was the expensive gold watch that I noticed him wearing in several photos and which was still on his wrist! Wonder how a man of the people paid for that.
I might be reproached for getting some pleasure out of Sinwar’s death; however, I believe this was more than justified given his extreme violence, misbegotten sense of entitlement, his misplaced loyalty to Iran and terrorism instead of to the Palestinian people. Even Hitler, despite hiding out in his bunker near the end of WWII, felt terrible about the bombings going on above him in Germany and the destruction taking place. In short, Sinwar was more an opportunist than a true freedom fighter for Palestinian justice. What the Palestinians really need is a peacemaker and community-builder instead of a violent megalomaniacal terrorist just interested in his own well-being.
Of course, what Israelis really need now is also a peacemaker and diplomat to bring all the population back together. Instead, there is another megalomaniac who is determined to hold onto his rule despite the danger to the nation-state he is supposedly dedicated to defend; and an equally desperate cabinet made up of ultra-orthodox, right-wing Jews who misunderstand the true meaning of Herzl’s Zionism and instead selfishly style and edit that vision to fit their own misbegotten idea of a Jewish homeland.
Despite Sinwar’s death, both Palestinians and Israel need new leaders that are dedicated to a two-state solution, put their populations first, and are pragmatic about the future. I am reminded of an interview with one of the key diplomats behind the Clinton-Arafat-Barak Meeting in Washington which came the closest to getting a solution to the Israel-Palestinian dilemma. The diplomat claimed that even though some progress was made, ultimately it was Arafat who refused more and Barak who gave more in the diplomatic talks. However, Arafat would not agree to the adjustment of the Palestinian ‘Right of Return’. After the disappointment of coming so close and yet having the deal fall apart, the diplomat astutely pointed out that the real problem may have been that Ehud Barak was a leader of a nation-state while Arafat was still most comfortable as a military leader/terrorist and could not rise up to be a diplomatic leader.
Perhaps this is the problem that exists now. Hamas cannot outgrow its violent terrorist roots or connections to Iran, and Israel’s government cannot move on past its small, limited vision of Israel that is the exact opposite of Herzl and the Zionist Congress’s idea of a Jewish homeland. After the War of Independence was won by Israel, supposedly Ben-Gurion urged Arab Palestinians to stay in Israel and participate in the government of the new country. Some heeded his message, but many more left Israel based upon false promises and urging of the Arab League and the Mufti of Jerusalem. There is also some controversy as to the many Palestinians thrown out of their villages or otherwise encouraged sometimes violently to get out of Israel. This is now known by the Palestinians as The Nakba (The Catastrophe). One can just imagine Netanyahu and his cabinet in Ben Gurion’s place. They would have urged the Palestinians to leave, if not actually throwing every one of them out. Which actions are more appropriate for a Jewish State?
Perhaps we also need to consider the recent news that Sinwar’s life was saved by an Israeli doctor/dentist while he was in prison. The doctor discovered a brain tumor and Sinwar got an operation that literally saved his life! One wonders how that doctor feels now. A relative of his was killed on October 7th. Did he do the right thing? There is no doubt in my mind. What about yours?
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Ms. Rosen-Solomon holds a BA in Theatre and Journalism from CUNY Lehman College, a second BA in American History and Literature from SUNY Purchase College, a MS in English Education from Fordham University, and a MA in Holocaust and Genocide Studies from Kean University. She is a ASNE Journalism Fellow from Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications, has worked with the Kean Holocaust Research Center and was a member of the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center of Westchester Educator Programming Committee for 15 years.