Monday, May 03, 2004

So here is my musing at the moment:

I think one of Israel's problems is that we are too good at "getting on with life" after a terror attack.

When a Palestinian is killed, the Arabs call for blood. When an Israeli is killed, we say "we will not let this derail the peace process/disengagement plan/our resolve."

Deep down everyone feels pain. But very shortly we just keep going on with our daily lives. People say that this is Israel's strength. I'm starting to see it not as a symptom of strength, but rather a symptom of deep despair and shell-shock. We Jews learned to do this after 2,000 years of persecution, culminating with the Holocaust: Don't express anger. Don't make waves. Just keep going and start rebuilding. Rebuild, and when those who hate us destroy what we have built, we will rebuild again. That is the Jewish way. That is the way that has kept us alive for over 3,500 years.

But . . . why should the world care when an Israeli is killed, if Israelis themselves say "well, we have to go on"? If we are not angry as hell, why should the rest of the world be?

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