The Beauty of Jewish Unity

The following is my latest column in The Jewish Link of Bergen County, in which I extol the virtues of Jewish unity and discuss how it is on full display in the aftermath of the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers:

 

THE BEAUTY OF JEWISH UNITY

 

By: N. Aaron Troodler, Esq.

 

It could have been our child. When 19-year-old Eyal Yifrach, 16-year-old Gilad Shaar and 16-year-old Naftali Frenkel were abducted as they waited for a ride to take them home to their families for Shabbat after spending a week studying at their yeshivot, we were all shaken. Every one of us felt that a piece of our heart and soul had been taken away by the terrorists who snatched the three innocent teenage students. As we watched the parents of the boys speak out publicly about their sons’ kidnapping, we all thought the same thing – that could have been us.

 

Historically, in times of crisis, Jews have generally come together. Irrespective of where any particular person is on the religious spectrum, we as a people band together when faced with a challenging and trying situation. Religious and political ideologies are often laid aside when confronted with an emergency situation, such as the one that we are grappling with now.

 

We remember all too well the torment we endured when Gilad Shalit was taken captive. After he was abducted by Hamas and then spent five years in captivity, we came together as a people. We prayed for his return and we suffered together with his parents until he was finally reunited with his family.

 

The situation we find ourselves in now is equally as trying, and perhaps even more so. The boys who were abducted are not soldiers; they are students. They could have been our students.

 

Nothing is more precious to us than our children. We raise them, we nurture them, we educate them, and we love them. We would do anything to protect them. By grabbing Eyal, Gilad and Naftali, Hamas demonstrated the despicable depths to which they will sink to terrorize the State of Israel and the Jewish nation. The heartless and heinous kidnapping that was perpetrated by Hamas is a sobering reminder that the terrorists will do anything in their power to strike at the very essence of the Jewish people.

 

And yet, despite the odious nature of this terrorist act, we refuse to let it break our spirit. We as Jews respond to a crisis the only way we know how – together.

 

Jews throughout the world took to the various social media platforms to raise awareness of the boys’ plight and the horrific act that turned our worlds upside down. #BringBackOurBoys and #EyalGiladNaftali were trending on Twitter. There was an outpouring of support from people around the world for the boys and widespread sympathy for the anguish that their families feel. We all talked about the need to bring back not the boys, but our boys.

 

As Jews, we also did what we should always do when confronted with an urgent situation such as this – we prayed. People across the globe gathered for prayer vigils and to recite Psalms in communal gatherings. We joined together to cry out and appeal for the swift and safe return of our boys.

 

Eyal, Gilad and Naftali may not be our biological children, but they are our boys. They are young, innocent students who merit our full support and deserve our unconditional love and concern.

 

As the parent of a daughter, who, like Gilad and Naftali is 16-years-old, and who spent this year studying at a high school in Israel, this episode hit especially close to home. When she returns to Israel in the fall to begin another school year there, the abduction of the three boys will be foremost in my mind.

 

I will be thinking about it not because I am in any way worried about my daughter, but because I understand that the fact that she wants to be in Israel and go to school there is proof that the terrorists cannot and will not win. There will always be young men and women, families, and seniors who want to travel to Israel, to be a part of Israel, and to live in Israel. That unquenchable desire to be in Israel is a testament to the resiliency that we have as a people and the undying love that we have for the Jewish State.

 

The Jewish unity that has been on full display during this terrible ordeal is a thing of sheer beauty. The torment that Eyal, Gilad and Naftali and their families are going through is unimaginable. Yet, despite Hamas’ evil intentions and monstrous actions, they have unintentionally caused Jews from all walks of life to come together to do everything in our power to bring our boys home.

 

We are one nation and one family. The safety and well-being of Eyal, Gilad and Naftali is of paramount concern to each and every one of us. We will not rest until our boys are home.

 

N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and principal of Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. Visit him on the Web at TroodlersTake.blogspot.com, www.PaulReverePR.com, or www.JewishWorldPR.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @troodler

 

Giving The Palestinians Yet Another Pass

The following is my latest column in The Jewish Link of Bergen County, in which I question the United States’ perplexing decision to work with the new unity government that was formed by the Palestinian Authority and the terrorist organization Hamas:

 

Giving The Palestinians Yet Another Pass

 

By: N. Aaron Troodler, Esq.

 

Diplomacy is a complex exercise. Decisions made in the context of a diplomatic situation are often fraught with challenges and the implications of a determination that eventually proves to be erroneous could be dire.

 

One such diplomatic decision that very well may have lasting repercussions is the United States’ perplexing pronouncement that it is willing to work with the new unity government that has been formed by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.

 

Hamas and its terrorist tendencies are well known to the United States and to the world. As a terrorist organization that openly calls for the obliteration of the State of Israel and relishes the opportunity to perpetrate deadly acts of terror against innocent civilians, Hamas’ involvement in a unity government with Fatah is particularly troubling. With its violent background and detestable views towards the Israel and the Jewish nation, any government that includes Hamas as a partner should be shunned by the international community. Yet, the United States somehow concluded that it makes diplomatic sense to give Hamas a chance. As Israel’s leaders rushed to decry the new unity government, the United States rushed to embrace it.

 

What makes the United States’ decision so much more disconcerting is that it reportedly informed Israel that it would take a “wait and see” approach with the unity government, and then did an abrupt about-face, thereby paving the way for the European Union and the United Nations to also indicate a willingness to accept the unity government.

 

How is it that the United States was fooled so easily? Although Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and the Fatah leadership are quick to note that none of the initial members of the new government are part of Hamas, we all know who is pulling the strings in this puppet show. Moreover, when there are elections for the new unity government, who is to say that Hamas won’t step in and assert its power in order to secure the governmental seats that it covets?

 

Just as the world would certainly not recognize nor collaborate with a government that was established and openly supported by a terrorist group such as Al Qaeda, so too the international community should not accept a government in which Hamas plays a vital role.

 

It is important to recognize that a terrorist in a business suit is still a terrorist. Members of Hamas will continue to harbor extreme animosity towards Israel, regardless of whether they are part of a governing body or building bombs in an explosives factory. These are the same people that celebrated the recent abduction of three Israeli students in a tasteless and appalling display of callous indifference as the boys’ families and an entire nation were forced to endure indescribable pain and anguish.

 

And what about Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority? Why is it that they continually get a pass from the United States after repeatedly taking steps that run counter to Israel’s best interests?

 

The decision by Abbas to embrace Hamas is an affront not just to Israel, but to the entire diplomatic community, and I believe that there must be consequences for having made that choice. Once again, Mahmoud Abbas has thumbed his nose at the United States and at the peace process, but the ramifications do not appear to be forthcoming.

 

It is time for Abbas to face the music for his actions. Even after Abbas defied the United States’ wishes and unilaterally went to the United Nations in an effort to achieve statehood, there was no diminution in U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority. Following Abbas’ decision to walk away from the peace process, there were no consequences. Although Abbas has funneled money received from the United States and intended for foreign aid to the families of terrorists who murdered Israelis, there have been no penalties imposed on him.

 

Now that Abbas has embraced Hamas and empowered them, it is incomprehensible that the United States would once again proceed without duly castigating him. It is time for the United States to stand up to Mahmoud Abbas and penalize him accordingly. For example, if Congress was to immediately defund the Palestinian Authority, it would send a clear message that embracing Hamas and endorsing their terrorist ways has grave ramifications. In fact, the language in the United States’ annual appropriations bills, which restricts the delivery of financial aid to the Palestinian Authority in the event that there is a power-sharing government between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, seems to inherently preclude the United States from continuing to fund them with hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

 

And let us not forget for a moment where some of the American dollars flowing into the Palestinian Authority ultimately end up. It is inconceivable that the United States would keep sending hundreds of millions of dollars each year to the Palestinian Authority so that it can continue perpetuating incitement through its hate-based educational curriculum and providing a safe haven for terrorists who it celebrates as heroes.

 

The United States should reconsider its decision to take a “wait and see” approach with the unity government, and instead issue a swift condemnation of this deadly union with a dangerous terrorist organization. With its track record of murder and mayhem, Hamas is not worthy of the United States’ trust, nor does any government with which Hamas is associated deserve the United States’ backing.

 

I hope that the United States will see through the façade that has been created by Hamas and take the necessary steps to protect the people of Israel, and not the people who want to destroy Israel.

 

N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and principal of Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. Visit him on the Web at TroodlersTake.blogspot.com, www.PaulReverePR.com, or www.JewishWorldPR.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @troodler