When “Never Again” Rings Hollow
Jews in Australia, were shot down because they dared to openly celebrate the Jewish holiday of Chanukah, reminding us, yet again, that those who sought to annihilate the Jewish people in ancient times are still at large in modern times. The Jewish people have miraculously survived through millennia despite our tiny population and odds stacked against us. Nevertheless, lurking in the shadows are those bearing the same ill intent today as in the past. Every generation brings a new crop of evil doers – Jew haters who continue to plot for our annihilation.
This latest assault comes at a time when Jews the world over commemorate the story of a tiny, but determined and brave people, who, led by the Maccabees, emerged victorious against the powerful Greek empire bent on their destruction.
The campaign to destroy our people by instituting laws and edicts aimed at the heart of our being, failed. The campaign to target our physical destruction by targeting our spiritual survival, failed. The campaign to destroy our people by instituting laws and edicts aimed at the heart of our being – observance of commandments passed down through the generations from the time the Nation of Israel accepted the Torah at Mount Sinai, failed.
The Greek tyrant Antiochus, underestimated the strength and determination of his Jewish subjects. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Jewish people, led by the Maccabees, decided to fight for their rights to live freely as Jews. In 164 BCE they miraculously recaptured Jerusalem and purified the Holy Temple. A single vial of oil was found, miraculously allowing the Temple Menorah to be lit for eight days, turning darkness into light.
Though we live in different times today, our civilization has not advanced to the point where the nations of the world recognize and shun evil. That enlightened and civilized societies have never been able to truly stamp out the ancient scourge of antisemitism is a stain on those societies. Antisemitism reinvents itself in many forms even though societies that have allowed it to flourish have failed or disappeared. Great civilizations of the past which colonized and subjugated the Jews are now gone. Yet, the Jewish people remain as a testimonial of G-d’s covenant and promise to Abraham that He will not abandoned His people.
We have survived a Holocaust that resulted in the extermination of 6 million Jews. We have witnessed a one day barbaric Holocaust against the Jewish people in Israel, exposing the cruelty, and vile hatred of Jews that still exist among certain segments of society, and exposing the inability of far too many to acknowledge and recognize that barbarism, which will remain for all time a stain and blemish on humanity itself.
Immediately after each such catastrophic event the words “Never Again” resound loudly, clearly, and assuredly. Yet shortly after each tragic event, those same words echo with less resolve and less clarity. When will moral people of courage speak up and take a stand not only for sake of the Jewish people but for the sake of themselves and of humanity? “Never Again” will become a reality instead of an idealistic illusion when people have the wisdom, courage, and resolve to recognize, confront, and shun evil – unflinchingly, with moral clarity and conviction.
Had those Maccabees not persevered, the world would have been a different place. As the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Without the Maccabees there would be no Huckabees.” There would be no Judaeo Christian values upon which America was founded. It behooves the great leaders of the world to reflect on those wise words. If there ever was a right time to take a stand on the side of morality, it is now.