Update From Sderot 5/2/11

Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, will be marked nationwide in Israel on Monday May 2nd. Yom HaShoah is a day of remembrance for the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust and the experience of those who survived its horror. As I ponder the hatred of yesterday, I am forced to examine the continued hatred I see today.

“Of all the extreme fanaticism which plays havoc in man’s nature, there is not one as irrational as anti-Semitism. … If the Jews are rich {the fanatics} are victims of theft. If they are poor, they are victims of ridicule. If they take sides in a war, it is because they wish to take advantage from the spilling of non-Jewish blood. If they espouse peace, it is because they are scared by their natures or traitors. If the Jew dwells in a foreign land he is persecuted and expelled. If he wishes to return to his own land, he is prevented from doing so.” - Lloyd George 1923

Israel, a tiny nation surrounded by those who refuse to acknowledge her right to exist, who boldly state their desire and intent to drive all of Israel into the sea. Their hate filled words are straight out of Psalms 83; ”They say, "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!" And what of the rest of the international community who increasingly blames Israel for the volatile situation in the Middle East.

Why does most of the world resent this tiny speck of land? Have the lessons of HaShoah been lost? Anti-Semitism is far too ancient, too persistent to have merely originated in the minds of men. Edmund Flannery calls it, “… the longest and deepest hatred of human history”.

At Sinai Jews were told that there is one God, Who makes moral demands on all of humanity. Consequently, at Sinai the Jewish nation became the target for the hatred of those whose strongest drive is to liberate mankind from the shackles of conscience and morality.

At Sinai the Jewish nation was appointed to be "a light unto the nations." There are those who embrace Jews and the Jewish faith because of that light; but there are also those who want the world to be a place of spiritual darkness. They object to morality. Those would-be harbingers of darkness attack the Jews as the lightning rod for their hatred. This "call to Sinai" - the message entrusted to and borne by the Jews - ultimately transforms the world. Yet, it is this very message that draws forth the wrath of those who would give their last ounce of strength to resist it.

On a certain conscious level, people recognize the Jews' message as truth. Those unwilling to embrace the truth have found that the only way to rid themselves of it is to destroy the messengers - for the message itself is too potent to be dismissed.

Simply the answer is; the nations hate Israel because they hate God. To accept Israel, to accept her history, her right to the land would mean one has to accept the God of Israel. Anti- Semitism is at its heart anti-God. It is difficult to think of Israel apart from the God of Israel, how can you accept the God of Israel, the Bible as His Word and deny Israel? Israel is an inconvenience to those who refuse the God of Israel. Plainly, Israel reminds the world that there is a God… and if there is a God, then one must ask oneself; why do I not obey Him? Why do I not live according to His rules

Update From Sderot 4/18/2011

Chag Sameach (Happy Holiday)

In the first week of April we saw the heaviest rocket/ mortar activity since “Operation Cast Lead.” Over a 72-hour period seven communities in the south were repeatedly targeted with over 120 rockets and mortars. On April 7^th a school bus was hit with an anti-tank missile, critically injuring a young teenage boy who has since died from his injuries.

During that week, residents were repeatedly instructed to remain indoors and near safe rooms. Some areas saw schools close and those that remained open kept children indoors. On the 8^th 450 school children were evacuated with a security force escort.

On the evening of the 10^th, the militant groups of Hamas announced a ceasefire which was broken less than a week later with two Grad rockets fired at Ashdod. And moments ago as I write this “Update” the “seva adom” is heard here in Sderot, once again interrupting lives. And so the cycle continues.

On Sunday the 10^th, we enjoyed a “Day of Instruction” with some of the other storefront volunteers at the Joshua Fund’s warehouse in Beit Shemesh. Instructors from the IDF and Home Front Command shared useful information in preparedness and first responder techniques.

The pass few weeks have been a marathon of activities and preparation as we move into this Passover season. I look forward to experiencing my first Passover Seder this evening. The Israelites waiting for deliverance and redemption in Egypt is a central element of the story that is to unfold. The hope in Ha’Shem who is the only One who can bring deliverance is also a crucial element.

There is not only a sense of celebration at what Ha’Shem has done in the past, there is also an eager anticipation of what Ha’Shem will continue to do to bring deliverance to a world that still groans under its slavery to sin, and awaits it final redemption. The traditional saying “next year in Jerusalem” is an expression not only of the faithfulness of Ha’Shem in the past, but of faith and hope in Ha’Shem’s future as He continues to work out His redemption in the world. Jerusalem is really a symbol of the restoration of all things for which both Jews and Christians eagerly awaits.

So, while the Seder is a celebration of deliverance already accomplished, there is a strand throughout the Seder that recognizes the yet to be fulfilled promises of Ha'Shem that all creation will be restored and all oppression, sin, and evil destroyed. This demension is not negative, but is wonderfully positive, the expression of a faith and hope in Ha'Shem's future based on who Ha'Shem is as revealed in His past actions. We can trust that promise of future deliverance because He has delivered! And so I say to all of you... Next year in Jerusalem!

Terror Attack in Jerusalem