From Shushan to Hadera

By Michael Frazin
University of Illinois ‘03

In Megillat Esther, before Esther was to see King Ahasuerus in her mission to spare the Jewish people from Haman's plot, she asked the Jewish community to pray and fast for three days to give her spiritual support in her effort to save the Jewish people. This year it is the people of Israel who are in a tenuous situation and need spiritual support for all that has happened in the last sixteen months.

The attack on January 17 in Hadera, in which a terrorist opened fire on those attending a Bat Mitzvah celebration, showed the depths of evil to which Arab terrorists are willing to descend. The only crime of those attending the simha (celebration) was the fact that they were Jews celebrating the coming of age of a young girl. Using chairs and beer bottles as crude defensive weapons, the Bat Mitzvah guests overpowered the attacker, but only after six guests were killed and dozens more were wounded.

Watching these events on television, I was shocked by this display of barbarism, yet at that point, I was not surprised by it.

Arab children growing up in the West Bank and Gaza are taught to hate Jews from an early age and the media in many Arab countries continues to publish virulent anti-Semitism. At www.memri.org, one can read in translation many such articles from the Arab press including many new ones blaming either the Zionists, the Jews in general, or the Mossad for the attacks on September 11 in New York. The hatred needed to commit such acts of terror is taught to many young pupils in the Middle East, as the "western world" turns the other cheek to the passionate hatred with which many Arab youths are being corrupted.

Now Israel, led by Ariel Sharon, must go beyond the Oslo "peace" process and find security for all citizens. The patience of both the Israeli and American governments have been severely tested. National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice was recently quoted by the Jerusalem Post as saying, "What Chairman Arafat needs to do is to deal with the terrorists in his midst. He knows what he needs to do. He knows that there are Hamas and Hizbullah elements around him."

While Arafat and the Palestinian Authority might be able to buy some more time with a few more charades, it is not likely he will ever truly attempt to seek out terrorists within the territory that he controls. We cannot forget our brothers and sisters in Israel, especially as the continuing struggle will not go away soon.

The recent violence has affected Jews from all religious and political backgrounds. Since September 11, we have realized that the terror is not confined to the Middle East. We must educate ourselves, first and foremost, by going to Israel. There is no way to replace the experience of learning about Judaism, the history of Jewish people, Zionism and Israel that one gains by actually being there. While of course concern has been expressed about traveling at this tumultuous time, all trip organizers have modified their itineraries to take additional security precautions, and there has never been a better time to go.

As Jews we cannot allow our lives to be run by terrorists. Purim is here and we have reason to celebrate. There are obstacles in front of us and they will not be easy to overcome, but just as we defeated Haman we will defeat the likes of Yasser Arafat, Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. In the words of President George W. Bush, "We wage a war to save civilization, itself. We did not seek it, but we must fight it -- and we will prevail."

[Posted 2/20/02]