(A7) Dr. Jordan Peterson, the Canadian psychologist, and owner of one of the most listened-to podcasts in the world said last night (Thursday), while he tearfully pleaded with those present in the International Convention Center in Jerusalem to protect the holy city.
Peterson said: “As Jews in Israel, are you telling the greatest story ever told? Well, you decide that by how you live. And what you do will affect the world – for one reason or another, it’s not so easy to understand, everyone looks here to see, well, how are you actually doing, under this tremendous assault of adversarial criticism, as this little, tiny people in the middle of no man’s land in some real sense, as a -what would you say – cardinal model of the nation-state and the city on the hill. You have a tremendous moral responsibility, like you have, perhaps, for your entire history, for reasons that are very difficult to understand, and I think it is true, in some real sense, that the fate of the world depends on the decisions of the people of Israel. Just as the fate of the world depends on the decision of every individual, so you make yourself a shining light on the hill, right? You attract people here because of what you’re capable of doing. You show the world what the holy city could look like. Because we need it. We need it, and it’s up to you to do it. Thank you very much.”
Ben Shapiro, the well-known American political commentator, and the owner of the media body The Daily Wire explained that in his eyes, Jerusalem, chosen especially by the two as the place where they will appear when they arrive together in Israel, is a global moral compass. “We have returned to an era in which divine rule does not come from above, not through laws, not through logic and not even through providing a sufficient explanation, but through force alone. When chaos ruled everything.”
The author of the best-sellers ‘Biryonim’ and ’11 rules for debating with leftists’ asked: “Can we claim that our situation as a society has improved, now that we have forgotten Jerusalem? Is it our society, the Western society, that claims that men can be women, that inequality in results means discrimination, that organizations that promote terrorism and moral armies are in “cycles of violence”, is this a better or more moral society? The answer is of course – no. We must return to Jerusalem. We must not forget Jerusalem. As long as it remains besieged in our hearts, so does the God in whose image we were created.”
The event was held as a launch for the annual subscription of the ‘Shibolet’ library, where the literary highlight this year is of course the book by former Prime Minister Netanyahu. Along with it, the book of the late Adam Zartal, a book about the Declaration of Independence and the Suez War, will also be published this year.
Amiad Cohen, CEO of Tikva Israel Fund, commented: “We couldn’t think of a better opening for the new year than with an event like this, with the participation of our three greatest minds, in a conversation about preserving the values of freedom that shape the destiny of Western civilization. I hope that this festive event will spark the beginning of a broader and more balanced discussion.”
Rotem Sela, director of the Sela Meir book publishing house, commented: “The speed with which 3,000 tickets were snapped up for this event proves that there is reason for optimism, that there is a tremendous thirst for an open and unapologetic discussion, in meaning and substance, and that we know how to appreciate and cherish those who dedicate their lives to fighting for the truth.”
