We should not be surprised that Israel-hating anti-semites have raised their voices in our island community, yet we are. These small-town neighbors may never consider themselves racists yet by aligning with those who chant “Death to Israel” and “Death to Jews” that is exactly what they become. The letter written by a group of islanders calling for a cease-fire in the current Israel-Hamas conflict was an exercise in Hamas cheerleading using all of the propaganda buzzwords (occupation, oppression, etc.) and misinformation typically employed to vilify the Jewish people and blame Israel.
Jews have lived in the land of Israel for nearly 5,000 years, millennia before the words Palestine or Islam were parts of any language. Without fully understanding the regional history, ignorant and dangerous chants of “cease fire” and “from the river to the sea” are simply code for the extermination of the Jewish people.
Expressing a weak condemnation of the demonic savagery inflicted upon innocent Israelis in the attack on Oct. 7 does not absolve one of any Jew-hater labels.
In the history of civilization, the battle against profound evil, as this conflict is, has often proven essential for survival. No one called for a “humanitarian cease-fire” after Pearl Harbor nor when Nazi Germany was torturing and executing Jews in death camps. This call is either naïve or a desire to see Israel defeated and the land purged of the Jewish people. The days of submissive and passive Jews ended with the slaughter of six million by those with this same hatred. This led to the re-establishment of Israel in the Jewish biblical homeland and pledging to the world “Never Again”.
The enemy of Palestinian people desiring peace to raise their families is likewise Hamas, which is using them as human shields. If those spewing malice against Israel could only recognize the common enemy and fight for the elimination of barbaric terrorist threats, Israel would be the best neighbor the Palestinians could ever hope to have.
What can we do to speak out against evil and darkness? Small actions make a big difference; we must start by speaking the truth. Through such actions, we can push away much of the darkness while our collective actions, prayers, and voices of tolerance can eradicate it.
Capt. Daniel S. Schwartz, USMM Ret.
Kathy Schwartz
Kim Moskowitz
Martin Moskowitz
Lauren Cohen
Derek Steere
Mary Ann Berryman
Bill Karges
Bill & Katia Robinson
