Australia / Israel Review

It’s hard to believe how time has passed and brought us up to and past the agonising anniversary of October 7. There are so many lessons we have learned and are still learning from that day and this awful war – here are six:

1. Never underestimate the evil that human beings are capable of. The cliché that we are all basically good is as dangerous as it is untruthful. Human beings are as capable of devastating demonic behaviour as they are of infinitely fine action. It’s not a new lesson but as old as humanity itself, found in the first chapters of the Bible when Cain viciously turns on his brother. It’s prevalent in history and literature – for instance, Aeschylus called on us to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. The barbaric actions of Hamas, Hezbollah and their fellow travellers embody this lesson.

2. We Jews are more vulnerable than others. The re-awakening and legitimisation of antisemitism across the world is a stark reminder that toxic human beings, while a threat to all of humanity, tend to specialise in the irrational hatred of Jews. The vituperative hatred of Israel as exemplified by the obsessive attention of the UN and its distorted and tireless focus on Israel also highlight this. The very presence or existence of the Jew can evoke horrible and outrageous actions – in the manner of Haman’s uncontrollable hostility towards Mordechai in the Book of Esther.

3. We are a stiff-necked and resilient people, seasoned by centuries of hostility and persecution, but also united by a common destiny regardless of our differences. Some of the prodigious acts of goodness, kindness, and ingenuity by Jews across the world supporting each other and affirming our common destiny, have been breathtaking. We, however, need to also be obstinate in our determination not to allow our own extremists – be they wild-eyed settlers or wide eyed anti-Israel ideologues – to undermine us from within.

4. Never underestimate the utter foolishness of humanity. Einstein put it best when he said, “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the former.” This is most evident in the denial and even defence of the violent evil and self-declared annihilatory intentions of Hamas (and Hezbollah and Iran). 

The impassioned protestors, progressive university leaders and teachers across the Western world display, at best, lack of moral clarity, at worst, indecent and indefensible ignorance. They also manifest an inability to appreciate the inevitable horrors, costs and complexity of all wars. The Psalmist got it right when he said, “They have eyes, but they can’t see, ears but they can’t hear.” 

5. Never let go of your compassion. I struggle with my outrage at Hamas and my anger at the refusal of the world to understand Israel’s suffering. I am full of rage at the blatant lies and antisemitism unleashed across the world and in our own Australia. But I will not surrender my compassion for the suffering of the countless innocents – of my people and of Gaza and Lebanon – who did not choose this war and do not support Hamas or Hezbollah. I have no pity for the Hamas fighters and followers, who have given up their humanity, but I weep for the children of Gaza they have so callously endangered and abandoned as they hide in their tunnels and stash their weapons in schools, hospitals and mosques. 

6. Don’t let go of your hope. This war may have unleashed a tsunami of hatred, but it has also unleashed a torrent of love and generosity. The Jewish people are singled out by God to be messengers of justice and righteousness, called on to join hands with all who believe in bettering our battered planet. So let’s hold on to our many friends and allies of different faiths, cultures and communities and affirm the Psalmist’s words, echoed in Israel’s national anthem: “Our hope won’t be lost!”