Time to Come Home

It started way before October 7th …. isolated, or seemingly isolated incidents of antisemitism worldwide that escalated and received “legitimacy “as Anti-Zionistic protests after the massacre of that Black Shabbat.

Jews comforted themselves and said that it was not antisemitism; “just “ antizionism, anti-Israeli sentiments; based on politics not discrimination….small comfort.

The worldwide increase in antisemitism is amazing. Horrifying. Terrifying. In the United States in the period following October 7th the Anti-Defamation League reported over 10,000 acts of antisemitism. In Canada, there has been an increase of 670% in reported acts of antisemitism! In Germany there were 2249 antisemitic crimes reported between October and December of 2023 alone! France listed 436 acts of Jew hatred in 2022, and that number increased by 284% to a whopping 1676 incidents in 2023.

Now, today, the first night of Hanukkah, Jews were targeted, hunted and shot down in a terrorist attack in Sydney Australia. This is nothing if not pure Jew hatred, total antisemitism.
Over 1000 Jews attended a Hanukkah party. This party has been going on for many years. It is considered an annual event of the Jewish community of Bondi Beach. 28 of the people who attended will not be able to light Hanukkah candles tomorrow night as they are injured and hospitalized.

15 of them will not be able to ever light Hanukkah candles again, in fact, from now on their families will be lighting yahrzeit candles on this date .

Diaspora Jewish organizations such as the Conference of Major Jewish Organizations, The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry issue frequent, strong condemnations of specific attacks, violence and general antisemitic rhetoric.
They constantly call on governments, and law enforcement agencies to take immediate and concrete steps to increase security around Jewish institutions, enforce hate crime laws and combat incitement to violence on college campuses and in the media.

Yet very few voices have been heard calling for ALIYA, for return to our homeland, as an answer to these hate crimes. Diaspora leadership seems to be directing its efforts to protecting the safety and continuity of Jewish life in the diaspora, ensuring the rights of Jews to live safely in their respective countries.

History has a habit of repeating itself. Throughout Jewish history there has never been a country that provided long term protection for its Jewish citizens. I hear calls to present ourselves as “proud Jews “in Canada, to show “heightened vigilance” in London, to “see something, say something”…and to report everything” wherever anti-Jewish acts take place.

Leaders urge their congregations to maintain Jewish pride and to be open about their identities. Bravery means wearing your Magen David necklace on a subway in New York. People feel less comfortable about wearing their kippot. I have heard community leaders recommending that we engage in open and honest dialogue, engaging friends and neighbors and “people of other faiths” in conversations about Judaism and the reality of antisemitism.

I, Helaine Ring, urge you to rethink the viability of continued Jewish life in the Diaspora. I, Helaine Ring, urge you to consider Israel as your homeland and to take to heart the repeated calls that it is time to come home. For over 2000 years we have been unable to uproot and defeat the cries of antisemitism. The Maccabees fought for our freedom. In our lifetime, for 77 years, we have a free, independent, democratic Jewish State. Isn’t it time for you to join us?