Permission Granted

Last night as the megillah of Esther was read, I was struck by the thought that the Jews in ancient had to be given permission to defend themselves. In many ways the scenario is being played out again in the world today. The Jewish nation of Israel is denounced on a regular basis for defending her people as any country would. The new rulers of Persia today, one in particular, Ahmadinejad, has consistently stated Israel will be wiped off the face of the earth. Iran is moving rapidly toward having nuclear weapons which are capable of destroying Israel. They now have rockets which can reach space so it not just Israel that is in danger.

The enemies of Israel are myriad. The United Nations seems to be merely an instrument for denouncing Israel at every turn. Foolish people hold signs in protest against Israel which state they are Hezbollah. Hezbollah may be helpful to some, but it can never be forgotten that it is a terrorist organization committed to the destruction of Israel. Hamas is the same. Hitler was able to improve the lives of many Germans. That little bit of good can never negate the evil which in he set in motion against the annihilation of the Jewish people.

I'm currently reading The Shoah in Ukraine History. In the chapter regarding Romania and Tranisitria, I was struck by something. The leader of Romania expelled all the Jews living in Besserabia and Moldavia to Transnistra. When he started implementing plans to transfer the Jews in Translyvania, he was stopped by a few things. First President Roosevelt sent a letter and the Greek and Roman churches intervened. The head rabbi sent a letter in protest. By this time, the Germans were losing along the Russian front. It is speculated that Romania's leader had an eye on the future and wanted to ensure Romania would have some brownie points. Romania didn't send any of it's Jews to the death camps. MOst of those who were sent to Transnistra did not die by bullets. Nor were they sent to gas chambers. They died slowly of starvation and of being forced to work as slave laborers. They were crammed into an area that could not support such a large population. Disease took a large toll.

As I was reading this particular segment in the book, I asked myself several questions. Did Roosevelt ever demand Hitler quit deporting Jews? Why wasn't there a greater world outcry when Hitler passed the Nuremberg laws and when Jewish synagogues, homes, and businesses were going up in flames? Why wasn't there a greater outcry when Jews were being murdered on German streets?

I ask myself these same questions today when I read of the attacks against Jewish schools and synagogues around the world. I ask myself these questions when Israel is the only condemned by the United Nations Human Rights Commission. I ask myself these questions when I see the vile protest held against Israel. I ask myself these questions when I see idiots compare Israel to Nazi Germany.

The thing is, for the first time in 2,000 years Jews no longer need to ask permission to defend themselves. Since Israel's creation, Jews have come home. Israel has brought home those Jews whose lives were imperiled in Arab countries. It defends itself against terrorists who are filled with bloodlust. The terrorists of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other groups do not shout death to Israel. They shout death to Yihud, in other words, Jews.