My regular readers have probably noticed that I’ve been unusually quiet for the last week. Events in Israel this past week have left me speechless. I wish I could say something useful about what’s been going on there, but between the storm of my own feelings and the swift winds of events, I’ve been silent.
I’ve been thinking a lot about Rabbi Yitz Greenberg‘s comment about Jewish theology after the Holocaust: “No statement, theological or otherwise, should be made that would not be credible in the presence of burning children.” In other words, words are not sufficient to express the disaster of the Shoah, much less to “make sense” of it. It was senseless, mindless evil.
So, too. was the murder of Mohammed Abu Khieder, another burning child. The Israeli police have arrested several Jews for this crime, and the full weight of the law will be brought to bear. But what has given me as much pain are the comments I have been reading and hearing in the wake of the crime.
- “The murderers do not represent us.”
- “They are not real Jews.”
- “They (the Palestinians) are still worse than we are.”
This, from people who scoff when someone says that pizza parlor bombings are not true expressions of Islam. This from people who would be incensed at the suggestion that the Holocaust was not the action of “real Germans.” This, from people who read the news stories about Jews marching in the streets of Jerusalem, of the Holy City, chanting “Death to the Arabs.”
We, who were so noisy about how Naftali, Gilad, and Eyal were “our children,” are now hastily disowning six other young men who chose to act out what other Jews were saying in the street.
It is easier to be connected with blameless victims; we can grieve, and people will feel sorry for us. We can be angry at the Other. But when the criminals are our own, it is much more difficult. It is hard to say, yes, that child is mine.
We can’t have it both ways. If we are going to hold all Palestinians responsible for the murders of Eyal, Gilad, and Naftali, then we must not be surprised if they hold us all responsible for the terrible death of young Mohammed. On both sides, we have innocents, on both, we have the guilty.
Until we are willing to claim both for both sides, and admit both for both sides, there can be no peace.
So true, because as the saying goes, when I point a finger at you, 3 more are pointing back at me. Rather we should be practicing reaching out our arms in fellowship. Thank you for your thoughts.
I was stunned, first by the murder of the 3 Jewish boys and then struck dumb by the death of Mohammed. It was hard enough to try to imagine shooting boys as they trembled with fear, but to imagine burning someone?! ANYONE? A child? All of us may not be guilty but all of us are responsible. We must challenge ourselves to be kind to one person we dislike. And then to one more. And then to one more.
Thank you for saying this.
And thank you for reading, Adam!