Reflections on 9/11, 10/7, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
By Mark Meirowitz
As we enter the period of contemplation and remembrance during the Jewish high holiday period, it might be worthwhile to give some thought to the difficult situation the Jewish community in America and throughout the world finds itself in.
A prominent individual in the media said that “America deserved 9/11”! Really? - these monsters piloted planes into the World Trade Center and murdered over 2900 innocents - destroyed lives and families - and beautiful futures were wiped out!
As for October 7th, we now hear from our detractors that no one was actually killed, raped or tortured. Sounds a lot like Holocaust revisionism. We do know what really happened - so horrific - innocents dancing at a festival and others massacred - by another group of murderers!
We have a proposed honoree, a Mr John Galliano, for the Met Gala award who said that he loved Hitler - according go the incomparable New York Times, Anna Wintour, the doyenne of the gala, thought that the honoree should meet with some Jewish leaders and all would be forgotten. But - according to the twisted coverage of the New York Times, it was actually the Jewish City Council Speaker and Jewish patrons of the Met who pressured the Met not to honor this guy ! At the end of this sorry saga - Galliano withdrew from the award - but a microscopic examination of his letter of withdrawal does not appear to have a word of contrition for his hateful anti-Semitic statements - including when he was sitting at a cafe and a woman was speaking in Hebrew - he started to yell ‘Merry Christmas’ and stated to the lady that he did have a problem with her speaking Hebrew- this is a person they felt was deserving of an award - and they only withdraw the honor when pressured by Jews. How deeply sad this is! Oh by the way - if you spew anti-Semitic hate all you have to do is to speak to some Jewish leaders and they will give you absolution - Not a chance !
We have a Michigan Senatorial campaign in which the Democratic candidate is obsessed with AIPAC and Israel and won’t say whether he agrees with Israel’s right to exist. Same with our Mayor in Gotham.
Bernie’s DSA is a font of Anti-Israel activism. They say theirs is legitimate criticism of a State and is not anti-Semitism - Really ? We know better for sure !
Central Synagogue, a man barreled in and attacked the guard and congregants. On the Upper West Side, a Jewish man was stabbed. And on and on. There are countless such stories. Anti-Semitism is raging everywhere.
Unbelievably, it is now presumed in the circles of the literati and the punditocracy that Israel is committing Genocide, is engaged in ethnic cleansing and is an apartheid State. No other State in the world get such special treatment. How lucky we are!
This is a time for deep prayer and reflection. We must remember the tremendous tragedies of 9/11 and 10/7 - those of us who lived through this can’t ever forget what happened - atrocities perpetrated in essence by the same forces that attack Jews and America and want to destroy American Civilization and the State of Israel - America and Israel — charmingly named the Big Satan and the Little Satan by those lovely folks in Iran. The Iranians want a nuclear weapon so they can destroy the State of Israel - they made it clear they want to wipe Israel off the map! There are fears that Iran wants to perpetrate another October 7th! Hamas already said they would plan October 7th again and again and again! Hezbollah probably is on board as well - and maybe the Houthis - the whole rotten bunch!
When Anti-Semitism and hatred of America and Israel seem to be engulfing the world in a Tsunami, urgent reflection is needed as well as prayer. We have the chance to do so on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. These holidays although focused on individual penitence also express the Jewish Community’s prayer for peace for the Jewish and world communities.
Please join me in a fervent prayer for world peace at this time of crisis and uncertainty.