The problem is that there is too much hand ringing among the intelligentsia and the "oh no woe is me" among the Israeli Left. It really is time for Israel and the Jews to tell these haters to go eff themselves.There is alot more to the world than western Europe and the British Commonwealth countries. Look at Miele who wants to create the Issac Accords with Israel for South America. Africa is opening up embassies, and the Abraham accords have held even through the war.
Not sure why Israel is so obsessed with those handful of west European countries. Those nations are dieing anyway. In a generation they wont even exist as we knew them. Which is a shame for their children but their own demise is on them. Jews don't have to allow them to take us with them.
(PS China may not have open antisemitism, but their algorithm on TikTok is a leading reason for mass antisemitism when it comes to Gaza. China is not Israel's friend. But Israel is a side effect for China. Its goal is to break the western alliance and the way they are doing it, is making Israel a wedge issue the way the Soviets did. People are just too stupid to see it.)
I completely understand, I think all Jews who are paying attention and being honest with ourselves understand this. But take comfort in Joshua‘s words. This is a beautiful piece that’s speaks power to my fears. I’ve been increasingly anxious about western nations around the world, what will happen when the college indoctrinated generations become the leaders and decision-makers over the next 20 years. What will happen if they all turn against Israel, especially the United States. But this article is so uplifting. I actually feel a little relief remembering how close we’ve come to annihilation and genocide so many times throughout our history and how those moments became the conduit for our people to rise up and not only survive but to thrive in so many different ways. Why would it be any different now? This is the way we grow.
Right on. I would love to see Israel take a different attitude toward all the accusations directed against her every day. Forget about putting on a long face and being so very terribly sorry for every accidental death. Just acknowledge it and move on. "We are at war. We try to kill only terrorists, but sometimes civilians are accidentally killed. We actually try to avoid killing innocent civilians, and we're better at that than any other nation ever has been. Anytime. Anywhere. Next question? "
In a nutshell, Israel gets no credit for its good deeds all around the world, and it gets jumped on by every snarling, posturing reporter trying to establish a reputation for their "toughness" on Israel. Stop apologizing, stop explaining, stop justifying. They really don't care about the truth. They only care about demonizing the Jews and scoring points. Going on the defensive and trying to prove that we are the most moral, etc. simply plays into their hands.
It's time to stop acting like sheep when we are confronted by wolves. Let them know that we were assaulted and we are aggrieved. Not to solicit their non-existent sympathy, but to alert them that this how we respond when our enemies cross our red lines. "I am Israel. Hear me roar!" Let them know they are dealing angry lions, and they will slink away with their rancid tails between their legs.
Thanks for the kind words, Robin. Truth be told, I'd rather be writing essays and poems, but we're at war. I'm definitely not a roaring lion, but on good days I can be a half-decent sheep-dog.
Another inspiring message. Thank you Joshua. It sickens me when my liberal family and friends express disapproval with Israeli tactics to defeat their enemies. They worry about how " the world" will judge the jews. I only wish they could see how weak they look. Maybe seeking approval from those who hate you and seek your destruction is a Jewish thing, IDK. I certainly don't think hamas was worried about world opinion following 10/7 and it seems to be working out pretty well for them on the PR front. Not that we should emulate such barbarians, but maybe jews should take a page from their book on propaganda and use it to our advantage. F world opinion, at least for now.
"In a hard-hitting Jewish News interview, Yuval Noah Harari went as far as to suggest Judaism was experiencing its biggest “spiritual crisis for generations ” as a consequence of the Netanyahu government’s abandonment of the ideas of “democratic equality for all.”
That would be heartbreaking: a split in the worldwide Jewish community.
Most readers of these pages feel prof. Hariri, the NYT and all those protesting Jewish liberal students are dead wrong, I know. But isolationism may be satisfactory in the short run, but eventually it's a dead end.
To be sure, those 'renegate' Jews are mostly the people behind Israel's technological success.
Don't alienate half of the Jewish community : they might be right to uphold Israel to a higher standard than for instance, China or Saudi Arabia or indeed, Hamas.
Israel’s first responsibility is to protect Israelis and the Jewish People even if and especially with so called bad optics if that means turning Gaza into a completely inihabitsblr desert ala Dresden and Hiroshima so be it
And let us not forget that Israel saved the whole world from a nuclear Iran (and will go back in in the somewhat near future if need be to make sure Iran stays non-nuclear). As for China not being antisemitic? That has changed. Read this: https://www.jstribune.com/gering-chinas-turn-toward-antisemitism/
AMEN. And when the diaspora Jews find out that being a "good Jew" ( ie: hating Israel) doesn't save them...they may wake up out of their somnambulist state of virtuous ignorance and actually seek out facts. ( or maybe, amazingly, take a trip to Israel to see what "the fuss" is all about.
Joshua, i agree with the content of your article. But its too long, too many facts and there is an underlining sentiment of why doesnt the world see it my way.
Theres a war currently happening which is being won by Israel, and the other one, the PR war Israel has comprehensively lost.. when its over, as it will be some day, there will be an opportunity for Israel to set up a PR organisation that will be able to combat the opposition and at least even the playing field. How i dont know, but there are many people in Israel much much smarter than me who will do something.
I blame the mass antisemitic media for printing the propaganda in the first place. On October 8, I compared the several newspapers I was reading and cancelled them all because it was obvious. We still subscribe to the Wall Street Journal because it is a bit more conservative. But, even today there are photos of starving Gazans and about the hospital in Gaza that was attacked. Never photos of Israeli children or people who lost their homes for example. I always read Future of Jewish first in the mornings to get a clear idea of what is happening in Israel. I like to start my days and afternoons too through learning the truth. Thank you for this post today Joshua. It is a great reminder. Am Yisrael Chai ❤️🇮🇱🇺🇸
I agree with everything you've said except for China which is no ally to Israel. It's aligned with Israel's enemies and through its tiktok app spreads hamas and antisemitic propaganda.
Yes, Canada threatens Israel that we will or have stopped sending you arms, but what are we sending, seat cushions for your Merkavas? (the tanks) . Maybe Canada can replace sending these cushions by sending press vests that are really easy to get on dead fighters, or perhaps Lego to put in the hands of 14-year-olds after they are killed firing on the IDF, and they begin their post-mortem transition to innocent children. Can you write a piece on the settler issue in the West Bank? I am a Goy and have deferred judgement because I don't trust the media on Israel, but I doubt it is fully what is said. Of course, Israel is not perfect.
It genuinely pains me to say this as a proud American but Israel must plan for a future that doesn't include American support, either military or diplomatic.
Very respectfully, there is a huge spectrum of people who are not biased against Israel, who do not know the history, and can only judge you based on what they see and what you say.
There was a significant shift in global public opinion when food was withheld for months to a war zone in which obviously previously let in aid was not equally distributed among the population, and then thousands of people went days without food. The sheer incompetence with which the GHF was setup where you use live ammunition to direct crowds instead of clearly marked paths and drones yelling in arabic where to go was highly damaging also.
Sure, you are held to a high standard. That is not an argument for ignoring the costs of falling far below, rather than slightly below, that unrealistic standard.
It is very much not obvious to a reasonable 3rd party observer that the strategy in gaza is not, absent some mechanism of pressuring hamas whose entire war strategy is to make you look bad, to do things that make you look very bad while making gaza broadly uninhabitable.
There are no good options in gaza, but it very much looks like the least bad options are not being pursued due to political considerations, and meanwhile settler violence in the west bank is being minimally addressed.
A different strategy like 'we are designating 20% of gaza to receive unlimited food and aid, but no concrete or other resources for rebuilding. we are occupying the rest of 80% of gaza as a buffer zone. we will evacuate it if at any point in the future our hostages are returned and hamas agrees to disarm' would be significantly better. Getting hostages back through military pressure works up to a point, but not for the last 20-50 when hamas reasonably expects they cannot be destroyed and that giving up the hostages gives up all future leverage without any credible lasting gains.
Yes mate. Agree. And your 20/20 backward vision is good. Most would agree that your ideas are/were workable.
So, what should we do now, moving forward. I myself have no ideas. Lets hope that the world wide propal demos do not influence the Israeli military too much. And do not influence the peacenniks in Israel either. Sorry i am being presumptuous since i am far from the action sitting on a lounge drinking coffee made by the wife. But i have faith in the military and hope they have another success moment ( like the pager episode) soon that ends the war.
The problem is that there is too much hand ringing among the intelligentsia and the "oh no woe is me" among the Israeli Left. It really is time for Israel and the Jews to tell these haters to go eff themselves.There is alot more to the world than western Europe and the British Commonwealth countries. Look at Miele who wants to create the Issac Accords with Israel for South America. Africa is opening up embassies, and the Abraham accords have held even through the war.
Not sure why Israel is so obsessed with those handful of west European countries. Those nations are dieing anyway. In a generation they wont even exist as we knew them. Which is a shame for their children but their own demise is on them. Jews don't have to allow them to take us with them.
(PS China may not have open antisemitism, but their algorithm on TikTok is a leading reason for mass antisemitism when it comes to Gaza. China is not Israel's friend. But Israel is a side effect for China. Its goal is to break the western alliance and the way they are doing it, is making Israel a wedge issue the way the Soviets did. People are just too stupid to see it.)
BTW- Japan is not Israel's friend either.
I’m a South African Catholic with a Jewish great grandfather on Mum’s side.
I am so gutted that this is happening again.
What happened to “never again “?
Kindest regards
Respect
Carol Power
Johannesburg
South Africa
I completely understand, I think all Jews who are paying attention and being honest with ourselves understand this. But take comfort in Joshua‘s words. This is a beautiful piece that’s speaks power to my fears. I’ve been increasingly anxious about western nations around the world, what will happen when the college indoctrinated generations become the leaders and decision-makers over the next 20 years. What will happen if they all turn against Israel, especially the United States. But this article is so uplifting. I actually feel a little relief remembering how close we’ve come to annihilation and genocide so many times throughout our history and how those moments became the conduit for our people to rise up and not only survive but to thrive in so many different ways. Why would it be any different now? This is the way we grow.
Right on. I would love to see Israel take a different attitude toward all the accusations directed against her every day. Forget about putting on a long face and being so very terribly sorry for every accidental death. Just acknowledge it and move on. "We are at war. We try to kill only terrorists, but sometimes civilians are accidentally killed. We actually try to avoid killing innocent civilians, and we're better at that than any other nation ever has been. Anytime. Anywhere. Next question? "
In a nutshell, Israel gets no credit for its good deeds all around the world, and it gets jumped on by every snarling, posturing reporter trying to establish a reputation for their "toughness" on Israel. Stop apologizing, stop explaining, stop justifying. They really don't care about the truth. They only care about demonizing the Jews and scoring points. Going on the defensive and trying to prove that we are the most moral, etc. simply plays into their hands.
It's time to stop acting like sheep when we are confronted by wolves. Let them know that we were assaulted and we are aggrieved. Not to solicit their non-existent sympathy, but to alert them that this how we respond when our enemies cross our red lines. "I am Israel. Hear me roar!" Let them know they are dealing angry lions, and they will slink away with their rancid tails between their legs.
Beautifully said Sam! Thank you!
Thanks for the kind words, Robin. Truth be told, I'd rather be writing essays and poems, but we're at war. I'm definitely not a roaring lion, but on good days I can be a half-decent sheep-dog.
Another inspiring message. Thank you Joshua. It sickens me when my liberal family and friends express disapproval with Israeli tactics to defeat their enemies. They worry about how " the world" will judge the jews. I only wish they could see how weak they look. Maybe seeking approval from those who hate you and seek your destruction is a Jewish thing, IDK. I certainly don't think hamas was worried about world opinion following 10/7 and it seems to be working out pretty well for them on the PR front. Not that we should emulate such barbarians, but maybe jews should take a page from their book on propaganda and use it to our advantage. F world opinion, at least for now.
"In a hard-hitting Jewish News interview, Yuval Noah Harari went as far as to suggest Judaism was experiencing its biggest “spiritual crisis for generations ” as a consequence of the Netanyahu government’s abandonment of the ideas of “democratic equality for all.”
That would be heartbreaking: a split in the worldwide Jewish community.
Most readers of these pages feel prof. Hariri, the NYT and all those protesting Jewish liberal students are dead wrong, I know. But isolationism may be satisfactory in the short run, but eventually it's a dead end.
To be sure, those 'renegate' Jews are mostly the people behind Israel's technological success.
Don't alienate half of the Jewish community : they might be right to uphold Israel to a higher standard than for instance, China or Saudi Arabia or indeed, Hamas.
Israel’s first responsibility is to protect Israelis and the Jewish People even if and especially with so called bad optics if that means turning Gaza into a completely inihabitsblr desert ala Dresden and Hiroshima so be it
Number of Universities in top 100 (Academic Ranking of World Universities)
Israel 3
Ireland 0
Say no more!
And let us not forget that Israel saved the whole world from a nuclear Iran (and will go back in in the somewhat near future if need be to make sure Iran stays non-nuclear). As for China not being antisemitic? That has changed. Read this: https://www.jstribune.com/gering-chinas-turn-toward-antisemitism/
AMEN. And when the diaspora Jews find out that being a "good Jew" ( ie: hating Israel) doesn't save them...they may wake up out of their somnambulist state of virtuous ignorance and actually seek out facts. ( or maybe, amazingly, take a trip to Israel to see what "the fuss" is all about.
Yes, take a trip to Israel and see the amazing country built in only 77 years!
Perfect. Again.
Joshua, i agree with the content of your article. But its too long, too many facts and there is an underlining sentiment of why doesnt the world see it my way.
Theres a war currently happening which is being won by Israel, and the other one, the PR war Israel has comprehensively lost.. when its over, as it will be some day, there will be an opportunity for Israel to set up a PR organisation that will be able to combat the opposition and at least even the playing field. How i dont know, but there are many people in Israel much much smarter than me who will do something.
Thank you
“Do you endorse the genocidal chant, ‘From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free’?” If your answer is yes, access denied. No apologies.
I endorse no access to people who endorse the lie that Israel is a genocidal state while trying to use WAZE to get to their anti-Israel protest.
The duplicity makes me sick. Israel is an example of innovation, ingenuity, and resilience. I want to live there and I am not a Jew.
Absolutely fantastic article.
I blame the mass antisemitic media for printing the propaganda in the first place. On October 8, I compared the several newspapers I was reading and cancelled them all because it was obvious. We still subscribe to the Wall Street Journal because it is a bit more conservative. But, even today there are photos of starving Gazans and about the hospital in Gaza that was attacked. Never photos of Israeli children or people who lost their homes for example. I always read Future of Jewish first in the mornings to get a clear idea of what is happening in Israel. I like to start my days and afternoons too through learning the truth. Thank you for this post today Joshua. It is a great reminder. Am Yisrael Chai ❤️🇮🇱🇺🇸
I agree with everything you've said except for China which is no ally to Israel. It's aligned with Israel's enemies and through its tiktok app spreads hamas and antisemitic propaganda.
Yes, Canada threatens Israel that we will or have stopped sending you arms, but what are we sending, seat cushions for your Merkavas? (the tanks) . Maybe Canada can replace sending these cushions by sending press vests that are really easy to get on dead fighters, or perhaps Lego to put in the hands of 14-year-olds after they are killed firing on the IDF, and they begin their post-mortem transition to innocent children. Can you write a piece on the settler issue in the West Bank? I am a Goy and have deferred judgement because I don't trust the media on Israel, but I doubt it is fully what is said. Of course, Israel is not perfect.
It genuinely pains me to say this as a proud American but Israel must plan for a future that doesn't include American support, either military or diplomatic.
Very respectfully, there is a huge spectrum of people who are not biased against Israel, who do not know the history, and can only judge you based on what they see and what you say.
There was a significant shift in global public opinion when food was withheld for months to a war zone in which obviously previously let in aid was not equally distributed among the population, and then thousands of people went days without food. The sheer incompetence with which the GHF was setup where you use live ammunition to direct crowds instead of clearly marked paths and drones yelling in arabic where to go was highly damaging also.
Sure, you are held to a high standard. That is not an argument for ignoring the costs of falling far below, rather than slightly below, that unrealistic standard.
It is very much not obvious to a reasonable 3rd party observer that the strategy in gaza is not, absent some mechanism of pressuring hamas whose entire war strategy is to make you look bad, to do things that make you look very bad while making gaza broadly uninhabitable.
There are no good options in gaza, but it very much looks like the least bad options are not being pursued due to political considerations, and meanwhile settler violence in the west bank is being minimally addressed.
A different strategy like 'we are designating 20% of gaza to receive unlimited food and aid, but no concrete or other resources for rebuilding. we are occupying the rest of 80% of gaza as a buffer zone. we will evacuate it if at any point in the future our hostages are returned and hamas agrees to disarm' would be significantly better. Getting hostages back through military pressure works up to a point, but not for the last 20-50 when hamas reasonably expects they cannot be destroyed and that giving up the hostages gives up all future leverage without any credible lasting gains.
Yes mate. Agree. And your 20/20 backward vision is good. Most would agree that your ideas are/were workable.
So, what should we do now, moving forward. I myself have no ideas. Lets hope that the world wide propal demos do not influence the Israeli military too much. And do not influence the peacenniks in Israel either. Sorry i am being presumptuous since i am far from the action sitting on a lounge drinking coffee made by the wife. But i have faith in the military and hope they have another success moment ( like the pager episode) soon that ends the war.
Thank you for your comment