It is the Jewish new year, Rosh HaShanah, the "Head of the Year." This year, many Arabs in the Middle East (and around the world) are also celebrating the season... ecstatically. They are cheering because last week Israel assassinated the widely hated chief of Hezbollah, the number one terrorist in the world, Hassan Nasrallah.
Syrians are still passing out baklava in the streets to celebrate the demise of the man, who, through his terrorist organization, carried out Syrian "President" Assad's slaughter of 500,000 Palestinians and Syrians. Of course, you are to be forgiven for not even knowing that Assad recently killed a half-million people, because "If it's not Jews, it's not news."
In Lebanon it would be fatal to overtly celebrate Nasrallah's elimination as Hezbollah, although vastly reduced in power, is still active there. But also in Lebanon there is a lot of relief. Poor Lebanon. Once a vibrant, Christian country, successive waves of Arab terrorism, most recently Hezbollah's Iranian colonialism, have ruined that "Jewel of the Eastern Mediterranean." Under Hezbollah's violent rule, the people of Lebanon, for decades a bankrupt, failed state, now cannot even withdraw money from the bank.
After making cell phones (with their geolocation) too dangerous for ranking members of Hezbollah to use, and then killing or maiming almost everyone in that terrorist organization important enough to have a pager, and then destroying over half of their missiles (and counting), last week, Bibi Netanyahu feigned interest in a ceasefire and went to the UN to give a speech.
The cream of what was left of Hezbollah's command and control organization gathered in Nasrallah's bunker in Beirut to watch Bibi's speech on television. In an episode reminiscent of the baptism scene from the Godfather, while Bibi spoke, the Israeli air force dropped 20 2000-pound bombs on Nasrallah's get-together. In exquisite irony, the last thing in this world those terrorists saw, even as the bombs were going off overhead, was Netanyahu, the man who authorized the bombing.
With the balance of power greatly changed in his country, the premier of Lebanon is now in favor of enforcing the demilitarized zone in the south of his country, along the border with Israel, mandated 20 years ago by the UN, and immediately violated by Hezbollah. Everything Iran's mullahs touch turns to shit: Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, Gaza... Removing those mullahs, with more targeted assassinations, is the next important step to bringing peace and prosperity to the whole Middle East.
I'm not writing this article to change minds. I don't think this brief synopsis of the conflict is going to convince any leftists that Hamas and Hezbollah are not their friends. If the popular songs being sung now in Lebanon paying homage to Netanyahu don't do it, then nothing will. I am writing because I must apologize to my readers.
Antisemitism, the "soft" antisemitism of the left, is defined by holding the Jews to a different standard than other people. If Iranian-linked militias deliberately murder hundreds of thousands of Arabs in Syria, but you are only concerned with Israel's collateral kills, then you are an antisemite. If you said nothing when the US killed nine civilians for every enemy combatant in Mosul, but must speak up when Israel kills one for one in Gaza, then you are an antisemite. If you are unaware that Iranian terrorist proxies have killed, raped, enslaved and displaced millions in Africa (particularly Sudan), but are upset by the way the Jewish state wages its defensive wars, then you are an antisemite. If you supported the #metoo movement, but have nothing to say about hundreds of Jewish women raped and sexually tortured on October 7, then you are an antisemite. I could go on all day, but you get the point.
Nasrallah's former bunker *
I left two events off of Lokkal's calendar this week. One is a play that, right in its title, mocks the Jewish god. I admit, I'm not comfortable mocking God: Jewish, Christian, Moslem, Mayan or any other variety. Quantum physics has made it clear that something "miraculous" is going on behind material reality. If you want to unfairly ridicule our ancestors' attempts to come to terms with that "spiritual" world, I don't have to publicize your mockery.
The second is a series of events, Viva Palestina. I admit that there are shades of gray in other regards of the issue, but teaching children to hate and kill, as is done in Palestinian, UNRWA schools, is wrong, black and white wrong. Not demanding more from the Palestinians (and the UN) concerning what they teach their kids is antisemitic.
I left the Viva Palestina event off Lokkal's calendar, but my assistant included it. At midnight last night, while we were working (together but remotely) on the newsletter (what do you do with your Thursday nights?), she told me that she had, independently, added it. I already knew that as part of that event's program, she will be reading a poem. I don't blame her, or other participants in the event. With the media so overwhelmingly anti-Israel, so many people are so poorly informed. Huge numbers of well-meaning groups and individuals have no idea that they are being antisemitic.
I made no objection when she told me that she had included Viva Palestina on Lokkal's calendar of events. It was late and, believing in free speech and that Lokkal should be inclusive, I was already feeling guilty about leaving the event off. After all, Jewish lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union (which now defends censorship) once defended the Nazis' right to march through Skokie, a Jewish community outside of Chicago.
I made no objection. The event stays posted. But I had to say something now.
Depending upon your point of view, I'm either apologizing for leaving the events off or for including them.
And if you want to see the Jewish god ridiculed, that play is at El Sindicato on the 8th.
Happy New Year.
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Dr. David Fialkoff presents Lokkal, our local social network, the community online and off, Atención robustly reborn for the digital age. If you can, please do contribute content, or your hard-earned cash, to support Lokkal, SMA's Voice. Use the orange, Paypal donate button below. Thank you.
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