I want to read you a short list of the names of Israeli war operations over the past several decades. In particular, I’d like to highlight some of the more recent ones.
Operation Guardian of the Walls
Operation Protective Edge
Operation Brother’s Keeper
Operation Pillar of Defense
Operation Defensive Shield
Unfortunately, there have been many more, but allow me to dive in right here. The next step for Israel is not going to be such an operation. I think we can all be fairly certain of that. It has already been officially named:
Operation Swords of Iron
Has a different kind of ring to it, don’t you think?
What has happened this weekend in Israel is hard to compare to similar surprise attacks. Of course, Pearl Harbor and 9/11 immediately come to mind. These are fair comparisons. Thousands of people were murdered for no reason. If you recall, the retaliations for those attacks were not minimalistic. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not gentle missions. Hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed. The Global War on Terror that followed 9/11 lasted for 20 years, and claimed 4.5 million lives. I shutter to think of the countless victims that will perish needlessly and undeservedly, as a of result of this latest attack, and yet I try to understand.
Exactly 50 years after the Yom Kippur War, here we have another horrific, calculated and cowardly attack on Israel, the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people.
Once again, men, women and children have been kidnapped, wounded and killed.
Seeing the president of the United States come over the air promptly to declare our unwavering, rock-solid support for Israel helps me understand why all of those trips that I took to Washington for AIPAC conferences over the past 20 were so important. It wasn’t always this way. When I first started my affiliation with AIPAC, we were reminded time and again that Israel must show restraint. Israel must not strike back. Israel must not retaliate lest they be characterized as responding “disproportionately.”
Times have changed, my friends. It seems that we have made great progress with our political leaders, and they have come to understand the harsh reality of Iran’s proxy support for terrorism around the globe. It won’t be easy, but somehow, it must end. Today, the United States stands with Israel, and American leaders are declaring that not only does Israel have the right to defend itself but has a responsibility to do so.
I thank AIPAC and the many organizations that have stood up to the tyranny, that have championed the imperative to lobby for Israel through it all. To all of the churches, civic organizations and special individuals who have stood by Israel, let me thank you.
I have heard the famous line from the book of Numbers many times, but never spoken or written about it: “Those who bless Israel will be blessed.” Today I wish nothing more than to simply cite the verse.
It is only 80 years ago that the Jewish people were as sheep led to their slaughter when the gas chambers were churning and the chimneys of hatred exhibited for all the world to see how low humanity can fall.
At this time, and with every fiber in our bodies and every means at our disposal, we must support our brothers and sisters in Israel.
Rabbi David Sirull is the rabbi at Adas Yeshurun Synagogue in Augusta.
