How we spent Yom Kippur in Israel

It wasn’t the usual one day of the year when, in the absence of all traffic, kids take to the streets with their bikes, scooters and rollerblades, because the evening of Yom Kippur began with a non-ending barrage of rocket attacks, causing parents to exercise caution as many opted to keep their children inside.

To give you an idea of what took place, here is the timeline:

• 10:00 p.m. – Two suicide drones, one intercepted and one hitting an assisted-living facility in Herzliya.

• 11:30 p.m. – Suicide drone from Syria exploding in the northern Golan.

• 3:50 a.m. – Five rocket launches into the western Galilee

• 10:00 a.m. – Rocket launch from Lebanon intercepted in the middle of a major road intersection (Golani Junction)

• 10:50 a.m. – Five rocket launches to the area of Tzfat (Safed)

• 12:15 p.m. – 30 rocket launches into the Galilee

• 1:00 p.m. – Rocket launches intercepted in the Haifa area

• 2:15 p.m. – Suicide Drones launched from Lebanon but intercepted 

• 3:30 p.m. – 35 rocket launches to Acco (Acre) and the Krayot area

• 4:30 p.m. – 15 rocket launches to the Upper Galilee

• 5:10 p.m. – 2 rockets into an open space in Ashkelon

• 6:30 p.m. – 10 rockets launched into the Golan Heights  

And there you have it, over a million Israelis running to bomb shelters on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, desecrated and violated by the same terrorists who would scream bloody murder and take to social media posts if Israel were to attack during any one of their Muslim holy days, even those less important. 

But this is nothing new, nor does anyone expect that the social justice warriors, who passionately advocate for Palestinian rights, will object or protest the grievous offense of transgressing the solemnity of the highest holiday for Jews in their homeland – a day which should have gone uninterrupted by rocket attack or threat to ordinary citizens observing the Day of Atonement, a time when they earnestly ponder their spiritual condition.  

The stunning hypocrisy is not missed as every consideration is demanded by international courts and governing bodies for Israel to act with restraint, proportionality and surgical precision while attempting to defend themselves, but not a word of condemnation to those who show no respect, regard or caution for Jewish citizens. But why should they when they have no sentiment for their own? 

Ironically, many of the Yom Kippur rockets were launched into Israeli towns and villages with 100% Arab or Druze populations. Who can forget the Golan Heights community of Majdal Shams attack of July 27th which killed 12 Druze children while they were playing soccer?  

This is the sad reality of the convergence of political corruption, agenda-driven global agencies and the poisonous fruit of anti-Semitism all rolled up into one.  Israel is expected, to the point of threat, to play nice, do no harm and defend herself in a manner which is demanded of no other country. The rules are reserved solely for the nation whose existence is being called into question after 76 years, as detractors call for an end to her right of defense, demanding a ceasefire while being endlessly attacked and threatened with extinction.

But we are used to this type of lopsided judgment, knowing that the measure of true justice does not extend to the Jewish state, since everything we do is de-legitimized in a way to characterize us as being deserving of all that is being done to us.

The real pity is that the same entities which are all too anxious to condemn and accuse us of war crimes and genocide are indifferent to the fact that our attackers are brutal terrorists whose lives are solely dedicated to the murder of every Jew and the eradication of their state. Consequently, by siding with them against Israel, they are embracing the same intensified hatred, demonic obsession and barbaric behavior which promotes rape, cold-blooded murder, a true goal of Jewish genocide, torture and every other inhumane activity which is imaginable.

Ironically, these arbiters of justice hold themselves up as morally superior to the values and ethics which are the central virtues found within the Jewish scriptures, of which we strive to emulate. Conversely, there is no guiding book of principles or criteria for decency and honest dealing which is employed by the Jew haters who manage and oversee agencies such as the Hague, the UN, biased government leaders or any others whose blatant prejudice is so obvious that it’s an embarrassing stain on their name.

If there was truly an evenhanded approach, based upon fair judgment and equitable dealings, the terrorism of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and all other proxies, as well as the Iranian government, would be cited as cruel, savage and inhumane, but since no such condemnation is ever forthcoming, except to Israel, we are forced to adhere to a standard which placates and facilitates further terror attacks, even on the holiest day of the year.

For us, this is how we have lived since the existence of the state, but the intolerable and dishonest response of those witnessing these heinous acts must be called out for the entire world to see. When it comes to Israel, there is no impartiality and no righteous indignation from world leaders and their institutions which are supposed to determine true justice. And so, no one must pretend that there is.

These governments, people and agencies must be exposed for the frauds that they are, because if 150 rockets and suicide drones can penetrate the land of Israel on its holiest day of the year, without mention, denunciation or outcry, then the world is witnessing a bankruptcy of any moral standard along with its failure to apply honest critical judgment, especially at a time when it is so deserving.

Thank heavens we have the best Defender possible – the same one who watches over Israel night and day, keeping us safe and preserving us as the people whom He has chosen to be the light for others who live in darkness. 

We are committed to that special calling, and as we begin a new year, even in the midst of a raging war, we will continue to speak truth, walk with integrity and show the world’s occupants what righteous standards look like – even as they turn a blind eye to the greatest evil that seeks to extinguish the good!