‘Terrorism draws strength from world’s apathy’

The following is an article that I wrote, which appeared in the January 11, 2024, edition of the Washington Jewish Week:

“To be a Jew is to know that over and above history is the task of memory.” Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks wrote those words to stress the importance of remembering our past and conveying the lessons of yesterday to the next generation so that the “great chain of learning and wisdom” remains intact tomorrow.

Having been the Jewish newspaper of record in the nation’s capital since 1930, the Washington Jewish Week has reported on countless stories about our local and global Jewish community, and our pages have been filled with essential information about an array of thought-provoking topics. We are therefore pleased to launch a new monthly feature, “Remember When,” in which we look back at some of our coverage from previous years so that we can remember the past and learn from it as we look ahead to the future.

In January 1975, we published an opinion piece by Rabbi Israel Miller titled, “Terrorism draws strength from world’s apathy.”

“Arab terror breeds from the climate of support it receives in Arab capitals, just as it draws from the ambivalence, double-standards and apathy that the international community has displayed toward it for so long … Their energies are spent in distributing hate material preaching not only Israel’s sovereign destruction but outright antisemitism as Jewish organizations the world over have appealed and protested against their presence with few results … The terrorists may now and then succeed in their murderous enterprise, but they will never win.”

Miller’s words that were written 49 years ago are eerily reminiscent of the current situation. In the wake of the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks of Oct. 7 and as we witness a significant increase in global antisemitism, we once again are faced with a situation in which too many in the international community have chosen to vilify Israel and failed to take adequate steps to combat antisemitism. Yet, as Miller wrote, the terrorists may occasionally succeed, but in the long run, the state of Israel and the Jewish community will prevail.