Jew Against Jew

I'm not quite sure why the world was shocked when Hamas won the Palestinian elections last week. Anyone keeping up on the news, anyone who has ever lived in Israel, anyone who knows anything about the Arab feelings towards Israel and Jews, should have known it was coming. The Palestinians are honest to a fault: they say what they mean and they do what they say. They unabashedly make their claims, regardless of world opinion and whether or not it is politically correct, and they follow through.

No, the fact that Hamas won the elections is not surprising in the least. For years, it has been evident that the Palestinian public and government supported the endless suicide bombings and other attacks that have been taking place against innocent men, women, children and infants.

But at least we knew who our enemy was.

What is happening in Israel today is shocking, but not because of what's going on amongst the Arabs. We have a problem much bigger and greater than anything they could ever do to us. We have turned against ourselves.

For some reason this new reality hasn't made the headlines. It doesn't seem to be plastered in every newspaper or magazine. As history shows, the world is not terribly concerned when "militants" and "freedom fighters" murder Jews. So why would they be concerned when Jews attack other Jews?

Karl Marx said, "History repeats itself; the first time something happens it is a tragedy, the second time, it is a farce." While it pains me to attribute this phrase to what's going on in Israel today, it unfortunately fits all too well. The forced evacuation of Jews from their homes in Gaza was a tragedy. The brutality that is happening today in Israel, through subsequent evacuations, is a farce at best, and at worst, one of the lowest exhibitions of the behavior of Jews toward their fellow Jews in recent memory.

When the orders went into effect to evacuate Gaza, it was a historical event. Historical for the rest of the world in that it was assumed that this is "a huge step towards peace." But historical for us as Jews, as this was the beginning of an era in which the Jewish suffering would be Jewish caused.

When Amona was evacuated and destroyed last week, the world didn't seem to notice much or care. It didn't garner the media attention that the Gaza evacuation had, and even within Israel it seemed to be old news. Perhaps it is better that there wasn't so much focus, for what took place was a true embarrassment to the Jewish soul forever.

What happened last week in Amona was that Israeli soldiers mercilessly and without provocation attacked their fellow Jews. Some of these Jews were in peaceful protest, staging sit-ins or standing together outside of their homes, homes which they were being taken from and slated for destruction. There were also the protestors who hurled eggs and stones and fought violently, in the belief that the peaceful attempts in Gaza didn't help, so their only hope was to stand their ground this time around.

But truthfully, it didn't matter how they protested. What happened to them was not a reaction to their protest; it was a reaction to who they are, what they represent and what they believe.

It pains me to write this. I'm not even sure that I should be writing this -- maybe I'm only contributing to the problem, to the divisiveness that is plaguing us. And because of that, I have tried to ignore it. I have tried to write about other, more positive things. But it is something that simply can't be ignored.

Because the Israeli government ministers and police officials are not the only ones whose hearts have been hardened toward their fellow Jews. So have the hearts of the rest of the Jewish world. We sit by as this violence is taking place, as our brothers are being attacked, and we don't do anything. How can we fight against Hamas, when we are not even able to be unified as a people? And our enemies know that we are weakest when we are divided.

Our fellow Jews are in crisis, and we must all recognize that crisis and do what we can do to help. We already know that the world will have no problem standing by. But this hatred between Jews cannot continue. We have an obligation to stop it. Once we have taken care of that, we can then deal with the fact that we are now in negotiation with an avowed terrorist organization. But that is step two.

Israel cannot continue as it is. It cannot continue to defend itself against the bands of terrorists bent on its destruction while Jewish soldiers are being sent in to crush their brothers and sisters. Somehow, these soldiers have been convinced by their commanders, by their country's leaders, that what they are doing is correct, that what they are doing is necessary. But never, under any circumstance, is it necessary to brutally attack your own family, even when you disagree. You can only do that when you have been convinced that the person opposite you is an enemy, a separate entity rather than an extension of yourself. And that is very dangerous.

As Voltaire commented, "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

We cannot ignore it when our brothers are fighting. We must step in between them and help them be reconciled. But first, we must help them understand that they are brothers and not enemies.