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From the Rabbi's Desk.. On
My Mind
I am somewhat reluctant to write about the recent demonstration
protesting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to the United Nations.
Unfortunately, I found the rally to be an exercise in futility. The call
for people of conscience to rally at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza obviously was
not widely heard or heeded. Were it not for the students of Jewish High
Schools in the Metropolitan area, the plaza would have been empty. The
students were having a blast. They had a few hours off from school and
were enjoying a big social scene. Listening to the speakers was the last
thing on their mind. The adult population was hardly to be seen. On the
other hand, some twenty-five black garbed anti-Zionist Hassidim standing
silently and holding anti-Israel signs attracted almost as much attention
as did the impressive list of political and organizational speakers. Had
these Hassidim not been protected by a cordon of police officers, there
surely would have been a violent confrontation. I left the rally utterly
disappointed wondering what, if anything, had been accomplished. Later
that evening and the next morning I scoured the media looking for some
coverage but saw nothing.
Making my way back to the subway after the rally, I passed a bank
on 42nd Street where a large TV was showing Israel’s Prime
Minister Netanyahu speaking at the United Nations. His spoken words were
appearing on the screen so that I was able to read what he was saying. He
delivered what I thought was a masterful address. Poignantly he asked the
delegates to the General Assembly “Have you no shame?” “Have you no
decency?” He skillfully dissected the one sided, biased Goldstone report
by reviewing the long history of indiscriminate rocket firings into
Israeli towns and villages. At one point, he directed his attention to the
Holocaust deniers while displaying the architectural plans of Auschwitz
which had been given to him recently by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Of course the Holocaust deniers and those who would de-legitimize Israel
were boycotting his speech having
left the hall. They are not interested in history, in facts, or in truth.
Chaim Weitzman’s words came to mind.
He once said that Israel could count on three friends: the Jewish
people, the Jewish people, and the Jewish people.
Rabbi
Albert Thaler
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