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David-Seth Kirshner
Author of Streams of Shattered Consciousness

Streams of Anxious Consciousness II

The numbers on our side are more than we can bear. Each person represents a family, grieving parents, siblings, community, friends, significant others and coworkers and neighborhood pals. The ruthlessness of their death adds to our collective trauma.

My heart physically hurts. Like it was punched. Hard.

I can’t stop thinking that this is indeed an attack on Israel and an attack on Jews. Of course. But, it is also an attack on western civilians and civilizations.

Mexican, British, German, French, and American citizens are among the dead and those being held captive. It is an assault on all of us.

Hamas didn’t check who was a Jew. They killed Bedouins. They have killed Catholics. They are non discriminatory.

For the past 24 hours I have been contemplating and strongly believe that this moment calls for a full-on physical and aerial war-based assault on Tehran, its infrastructure and its leadership. From the Supreme Leader to every member of the IRGC.

This evil is a cancer. We must remove the source of the cancer. The funding of the cancer. The condoning of the cancer. The weapons suppliers of the cancer. And let it be known to the world that if they support, harbor or fund terrorism, we people that love peace and support our ability to live in freedom, will radiate you.

For years we dreaded a nuclear capable Iran. But Iran nourished and supported these evil doers who have wreaked a carnage that is as brutal as a nuclear threat. I worry that as Israel radiates Hamas, Iran will find and fund the next batch of assailants. It will not cease. We have to rid the world of the evil doers of Iran.

I do not write this lightly or suggest this from the comfy position of my arm chair. I’m fully aware of what a coordinated Western attack spearheaded by Israel and the USA will look like and cost. But we cannot afford to be blind to this sponsor and supporter of terror one day longer.

It is time to bring the chemotherapy to the mullahs and the supreme leaders and Khomeini and his disciples. It is time to rid this world of this malignancy for good and to warn future cells what will happen to them should they follow with funding and support.

More streams of anxiety and passions and worry.

Stay strong. Hug those you love that you can. Am Yisrael Chai.

About the Author
David-Seth Kirshner is the senior rabbi of Temple Emanu-El, a Conservative synagogue in Closter, New Jersey. He is the past President of the NY Board of Rabbis and the NJ Board of Rabbis and is a Senior Rabbinic Fellow at the Hartman Institute and serves on the Executive Committee of the JFNA. Rabbi Kirshner was appointed to the New Jersey/Israel Commission by Governors Christie and Murphy. Rabbi Kirshner is a National Council member of AIPAC and an adjunct faculty member at the Academy for Jewish Religion, (AJR). He is the author of Streams of Shattered Consciousness, featured in The NY Times Book Review (Feb '24) and has over 11,000 copies in circulation in its first three months since publication. He has spoken on his book and topics connected to Judaism and Zionism across the world.