Arab Jew-hate has no limit

On Saturday night, October 3, 2015, an Arab terrorist killed two Jews in Jerusalem’s Old City. The terrorist wounded two others and shot a Jewish infant. One of those murdered was Rabbi Nechemia Lavi, a Talmudic leader at a local Yeshiva.

There is no escaping this truth: the entire Arab enterprise in the Palestinian Authority (PA) marinates in Jew-hate. That Jew-hate knows no limit.

It begins with the PA logo. That logo doesn’t show an Arab ‘Palestine’ next to Israel. It shows an Arab ‘Palestine’ in place of Israel.

The dream is not statehood. It’s to obliterate Israel.

To help achieve that goal, PA leaders incite to kill Jews. Indeed, when Jews are murdered, these leaders proudly claim responsibility.

The cycle is simple: Arab leaders incite against Jews. Arab followers murder Jews. Arabs celebrate.

It’s how Arabs treat Jews in Israel.

 On October 1, 2015, another Rabbi and his wife were gunned down in cold blood right in front of their four children. How did PA officials respond? They jumped to take credit (Itamar Marcus and Nan Zilbersik, “Fatah claims responsibility for murder of young Israeli couple in front of their children”, Palestinian Media Watch, October 2, 2015).

Fatah is the political Party that rules the PA. Mahmoud Abbas is the leader of that Party.

Rabbi Lavi (above) was murdered because he had left his apartment in the Old City to help another Jew, who had himself been attacked. This incident has nothing to do with political freedom. It has everything to do with Jew-hate.

When Arab leaders hear of these attacks, they celebrate. They gloat. They honor the killers as ‘heroes’.

These are not nice people. They are filled with Jew-hate.

Here’s a Jewish reaction to the murder of Rabbi Lavi. This response is from a dear, close friend to Rabbi Lavi. It’s by Rav Shlomo Aviner. It’s on Rav Aviner’s  blog. The essay is, “In our Name and In the Name of Ha-Rav Nechemia Lavi: This Time We Will Also Overcome”, Torat HaRav Aviner, October 3, 2015).

I’ve edited the essay to fit my format:

“During the joy of the holiday of Sukkot, tragedy has struck: Thursday night [October 1, 2015], young parents, Ha-Rav Eitam and Na'ama Henkin, were murdered before their [four] children's eyes.  And on Motzaei Shabbat [October 3^rd], good people were again murdered as they walked innocently in the Old City.  One of them is Ha-Rav Nechemia Lavi, [a leader of] our Yeshiva, Ateret Yerushalayim.  He was a man with a gentle soul, a sweet and good man, who never wronged another person – whether Jew or Arab.

Rav Nechemia was an exalted person, girded with Midot Tovot (sterling character traits). He was completely kind. He was a person who never spoke ill of others.  He was a person who delved into the depths of Torah, who learned Torah day and night, out of a love of Hashem and a love of toiling in Torah learning.

To our great distress, we must acknowledge that these difficult events, these tragedies, are not surprising.  Since the appearance of Islam, Muslims have persecuted us, hated us, forced us to convert to Islam, expelled us and murdered us.  Although they have done so less than Christians, this is of no comfort.  We all remember how the Mufti of Yerushalayim, Haj Amin al-Husseini worked hand-in-hand with Hitler and cooperated with him, on condition that in the Arab countries, Arabs could freely murder Jews.

Nothing has changed, except for one thing: With the kindness of Hashem, we now have an army, a courageous army, a capable army, a devoted army.  This army is an agent of Hashem.  It’s not a conquering army. As its name indicates, it’s the Israel Defense Force (emphasis mine).

It’s true that since the beginning of the return to Zion and the establishment of the State of Israel, we have endured many tragedies.  But we must view things in proportion: The light is inestimably greater than the darkness.  Obviously, the pain of every Jew who is murdered rends the heart, and all the more so if that person is your close friend, someone who has been close to your soul for so many years.  

At the same time, this does not erase our joy for all of the goodness we have received.  After all, terror does not have any actual power.  It cannot determine political events. It is purely psychological warfare whose goal is to break the spirit, and weaken the citizens' trust in the State, its leaders and its army.

We declare here in our name and in the name of Ha-Rav Nechemia Lavi, who has arisen on high, that we go hand-in-hand with our Nation, with our State and with our army.  We have experienced much greater hardships and we have overcome them, and with the help of Hashem, this time we will also overcome”.

A Jewish Rabbi, an admired Torah-scholar, has been murdered simply because he was a Jew. On the Temple Mount, Arabs scream their hate of the Jew. Off the Mount, they engorge themselves with that hate--and attack Jews.

After Rabbi Lavi’s murder, an Arab Facebook page appeared. It honoured the killer (Ari Soffer, “Thousands 'Like' Facebook Page Honoring Jerusalem Terrorist”, Arutz Sheva, October 4, 2015).

In order to prevent or limit further attacks against Jews, Israeli officials have temporarily banned PA Arabs from entering Jerusalem’s Old City, which has been the scene of multiple attacks against Jews over the last three weeks. The PA reacted with anger.

Apparently, the PA doesn’t approve of Jewish efforts to defend itself. It has condemned this passive, defensive banning of PA Arabs as ‘an escalation’ (“Palestinian Authority Condemns Jerusalem Closure as 'Escalation'”, Arutz Sheva, October 4, 2015).

That’s how Arab leaders think. Jews who defend themselves must be condemned. Jews must be defenceless.

Arab Jew-hate has no limit.