OP-ED: Us against them, three years later
By ALAN SMASON
Sunday we removed the majority of our synagogue’s Torah scrolls from the aron hakodesh (ark) and danced with vigor, purpose and unabashed joy for the holiday of Simchat Torah.
Jewish men carry Torah scrolls as they dance during Simchat Torah celebrations in Kfar Chabad on Sept. 28, 2021. (Photo by Yossi Zeliger/Flash90)
Our next-door Reform neighbors had done the same thing the day before in their combined celebration of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.
It didn’t really matter what day the celebration happened to fall upon, because the central idea of the holiday was to celebrate the gift of Torah and the weekly cycle of readings or parshat (portions) that separates us in our faith and practice from other major religions of the world.
When I was a much younger man, the idea of joyously dancing with an inanimate object seemed patently absurd. But now that my remaining days are concerned less about what others think and more aligned with my own sense of self, I am a lot less critical of my actions; the concept of dancing to celebrate joy of Torah no longer carries with it the same stigma of my questioning youth.
But in a rare moment resting during the seven circuits or hafakot that are particular to Succot and Simchat Torah, I thought back to the dark day three years ago on the Jewish calendar when I was first informed of the coordinated terrorist attacks from Hamas and others that turned out to be the single largest slaughter of Jews anywhere in the world since the Holocaust.
Israeli authorities now attest that 344 festival goers and 34 security personnel were killed out of the more than 1200 victims killed on October 7, 2023, most of them young adults at the Supernova Festival. On this day of butchery and inhumanity this site was the largest killing field.
The unspeakable actions of the bloodthirsty monsters who invaded sovereign Israeli territory will never dim in the memories and collective conscience of Israelis and most members of the Jewish community around the globe. Instead of being called terrorists, several media and apologists for the invasion frequently refer to them today as “militants” and “resistance fighters.” Meanwhile, Israelis are now frequently called colonialists, particularly in European countries like the United Kingdom and France, who were the very definition of colonial nations.
Unable to defend their own independent nation without criticism from the world at large, Israelis are frequently and unfairly labeled as practitioners of “apartheid” and perpetrators of “genocide.” The definitions of words used to describe inhumane treatment and determined campaigns of death have been corrupted so that Israel’s self-defense and response to acts of war are seen through an impossible lens imposed by its enemies.
The IDF’s actions have been recorded and played back on several occasions, where they have gone out of their way to prevent loss of life when they can. Such morality runs quite the opposite way with Hamas, who use Palestinians as human shields and build tunnels within civilian structures like schools, mosques and private residences. Shockingly, terrorists are now using children to transport their weapons, knowing Israelis will not target the very young for death.
But such depraved acts are seen as fair by Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The more Palestinians and Lebanese who die, the better for their public relations, Hamas leaders have rationalized.
For such a small nation of 10 million to have lost 1200 souls three years ago is an almost unfathomable loss. It would be equivalent to 40,000 dead Americans, enough to fill up a large stadium. The trauma of such a death toll has yet to be experienced in this nation. Percentage wise, it would be equivalent to the United States going through 12 times the number of dead in the September 11th attacks of 2001. Because it is so much smaller than the U.S., the relative effect of 251 living and dead hostages – many of them dual American and other world citizens – would be felt in Israel by a factor of 751.
Thinking about all of this made me reflect on the sadness associated with the death and destruction experienced over the Simchat Torah and Shemini Azteret holidays three years ago. And that’s the irony. Simchat means joy or festivity. The holiday cannot ever be given over to sadness or the terrorists and our avowed enemies will win.
Last week’s attempted hijacking and aborted crash of the flydubai flight gave the Jewish world an opportunity to cheer the upstart nation, whose brave and courageous passengers rushed the cockpit and turned the co-pilot’s attempt to murder them into a victory. The Indian pilot who was seriously injured summoned all of his might to open the hardened cockpit door to allow the miracle to happen and for his attacker to be subdued by a band of determined men who took control of the plane’s controls and permitted the craft to be manned by a reserve crew that first made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Transferred to another flydubai flight for their eventual landing at Ben Gurion Airport, the passengers who had individually said the Shema prayer at the height of danger when they were not certain they would survive, collectively and enthusiastically joined in the singing of “Am Yisrael Chai” (“All of Israel Lives”) as they landed.
It is that enthusiasm – that sheer joy – that defines us at Simchat Torah. It marks all of Israel and the world Jewish community for praise every day that we breathe and live another day to praise Hashem and the wonders of this sometimes cruel world.
As we approach the anniversary of a date on the secular calendar that gives us pause, we are strengthened by the knowledge that we will prevail against those forces that threaten us daily if we cling to our faith and each other.
Am Yisrael Chai.
