When the World Goes Mad: Israel’s Fight Against Antisemitism at the UN

“Am I dreaming? Has the world gone mad – or have I?” Science fiction writer H.G. Wells penned this timeless phrase over 100 years ago, but this quote feels more relevant now than ever.

This week, the UN General Assembly voted on a resolution that left countless people wondering “has the world gone mad?” In a vote of 157 to 8, the global community of nations attempted to force Israel to evacuate the so-called “occupied territories” of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Golan Heights, an area which over 700,000 Israelis call home and makes up the core of the Jewish people’s ancestral homeland.

When the UN claims that Jews are not native to Israel, they willfully ignore 3000 years of continuous Jewish presence in the land, and most importantly the covenant that G-d made with Abraham in which he bestowed the land of Israel to his descendants as an everlasting inheritance.

The Jewish people’s success in Israel over the past 76 years after the destruction of the holocaust is a testament to this divine blessing. Israel’s transformation from a desert to a leader in technological and medical innovation; a country which contributes disproportionately to the world’s modern telecommunications, healthcare and humanitarian infrastructure is nothing short of a miracle. Every human being alive today’s life is significantly enhanced by Israel.

Throughout history, antisemites have invented reasons out of thin air to target Jews even when they lacked all factuality. From the age-old accusations of “deicide”, to the medieval blood libels, to today’s charges of “genocide”, our detractors will cling to any false and distorted justification to hate us. “Esau hates Jacob,” said Rashi – the prolific 12th century Biblical commentator, meaning that there will always be people who hate Jews for no other reason than they are Jewish. The globe’s irrational hatred of Israel is by far the clearest contemporary manifestation of this ancient prejudice.

This vote is the latest in the UN’s unfair and biased condemnation of the world’s only Jewish state and is based on the false and defamatory premise that Israel is an occupier which abuses human rights.

The truth is that Israel is by far the greatest defender of human rights with the most moral army in the Middle East, if not the entire world. Women and religious minorities have more freedom in Israel than anywhere in the Middle East and it’s documented that Israel takes more measures to protect civilians in war than any other country in similar circumstances.

The UN’s attempt to demonize and sanction Israel, when it refuses to do the same for noted human rights violators like Syria, Russia, Iran and China just brings to light the overt hypocrisy and injustice at play here.

When the global community gangs up on Israel, the question arises of how we should react. How should Israel deal with the UN, which refuses to acknowledge anything positive about it and instead vilifies it every chance they get?

As always, we turn to our sacred Torah for guidance. This week’s Torah portion, “Vayetzei,” tells of Jacob’s stay with his father-in-law, Lavan. Jacob worked for Lavan for seven years to earn the right to marry his daughter Rachel. Jacob brought many blessings to Lavan’s house, increasing his possessions and wealth. Yet, when the time came for Jacob to marry Rachel, Lavan deceived him by marrying off Leah instead and coerced Jacob into working another seven years.

Jacob could have thrown up his hands in defeat, but he didn’t. The situation was unfair and he had every right to be resentful. Lavan refused to recognize the blessings Jacob brought and instead pulled a dirty trick on him.

Jacob’s reaction, however, set the precedent for how Jews have handled adversity and injustice ever since: he chose to proactively grow through his challenges and remained resolute to his beliefs and sense of purpose. Jacob continued to serve Lavan, raised a family, and started the Jewish nation. Rashi describes how Jacob remained devoted to G-d and the fulfillment of the 613 commandments throughout this challenging time.

The lesson is clear: Jews respond to hardship by choosing to grow through their challenges. When faced with evil and falsehoods, we persist in our beliefs and the pursuit of increased goodness and light. Like Jacob, we cannot fall into the victimhood mindset. Instead, we must increase our positive actions, and do whatever we can to remain steadfast in our faith and purpose.

As Jews, our secret to success comes from our trust in G-d. Like Jacob, when confronted with lies, we anchor ourselves in the truth. When immersed in darkness, we increase in light. When our Jewish faith is challenged, we increase our Jewish practice and strengthen our Jewish pride. We stay committed to Torah values, and choose to be beacons of light and goodness for the entire world. Our job is to elevate and uplift the world around us. As the book of Isaiah states, G-d appointed us to be “a light unto the nations” (42:6) and it is our job to fill the world with holiness by doing one Mitzvah at a time.