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Friday, March 29, 2024

Court is Now in Session

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As Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment, approaches, we at the Jewish Voice find ourselves ready to celebrate, and yet full of trepidation. Geopolitical events over the last year serve to reinforce the latter.

All over the Arab world, despotic regimes have been overthrown in the name of freedom, to be replaced with… even more despotic regimes, but this time with the added spice of religious fanaticism. You know the expression “if worse comes to worst”? That is literally what is taking place in much of North Africa and the Levant region. Syria’s civil war has sent more than a quarter of a million people fleeing for their lives. With all the sane people gone, we’re not really holding out for a transition to stable democratic governance once Assad is (rightly) deposed. In Egypt, thousands of people stormed the U.S. Embassy in Cairo this week to voice their displeasure over an anti-Muslim movie produced by Christian Egyptian expats (and one American Christian crackpot), or to celebrate the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Probably a little of both.

As Iran grows ever closer to achieving nuclear capabilities, our own defense officials reassure us that that there is still plenty of time to stop them. At the same time world leaders allow the Iranian nuclear weapons program to continue, they warn our brothers and sisters in Israel not to take action.

In Israel itself, Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria continue to be forcefully evacuated and dismantled, while illegal Palestinian construction continues more or less unchecked. How quickly the lessons of Gush Katif have been forgotten. The Israeli government continues to make unilateral concessions in the hopes of reviving peace talks that never lead anywhere, because the underlying goal of the Palestinian national movement, namely, a Palestine that is Judenrein (cleansed of Jews), remains unchanged.

The enemy is at the gates, dear reader. So, what can we do?

Baruch Hashem, the New Year is nearly upon us. And each Rosh Hashanah, our judgment is inscribed for the following year: Who will live, and who will die. Who will be impoverished, and who will prosper. Who will suffer defeat, and who will emerge victorious. So let us take advantage of this opportunity the Creator has given us. Let us pray for each other’s welfare, and for the ultimate victory of Truth over falsehood (a war in which we, the Jewish Voice, serve on the front lines). Heartfelt tefilah, along with teshuvah (a return to true Torah observance) and tzedakah (may we suggest Carmei Ha’ir, the charity featured in this week’s lead story?), these are the tools at our disposal, and they are more powerful than any weapon. So let’s use them!

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