Rabbi Weill's Blog

Dear Friends,

I have been in regular contact with friends in Israel. One told me his young adult daughter has gone from funeral to funeral for the last three weeks. The family of another, on a kibbutz in the Upper Galilee, may have had to evacuate with their very infirmed father. The terrorist mass murder perpetrated against the Jewish state was – and is – a mark of sheer barbarity.

In 1951, Eric Hoffer, a longshoreman and self-taught philosopher, wrote in The True Believer that the fanatic is one “who claims all excellence for his nation, his religion, his race, or his holy cause.” Central to this mindset is the worship of a corrupt, perverted version of “perfection,” as well as a burning hatred for those who would stand in the way of achieving it.

Hamas comprises such fanaticism. It is such a totalitarian regime. And Israel and the Jews are the impediment to the achievement of Hamas’s corrupt, immoral ideology. This is why Hamas terrorists had no compunction in the perpetration of unspeakable evil.

It is important to understand the mindset of the regime at Israel’s border.

In a recent sermon, I stated that while Hamas is a death cult, Israel is a life cult. I steadfastly believe that. Still, I pray that Israel – as it pursues Hamas – will keep the protection of civilian life as a top priority. Images of Palestinian children – some alive, some dead – being pulled from the rubble in Gaza are horrifying. Some have said, “Well, they are already Jew-haters. They hate Israel. They are tomorrow’s terrorists.” Well, that just seems to me to be a desperate attempt to avoid the pain of what is simply true: They are just children. Yes, Hamas has put them in harm’s way. Israel must now strive to keep them out of it.

I don’t have an answer, really. I only have my prayers: May Israel eradicate the terrorist menace that has caused unspeakable pain within the Jewish homeland. And may all children – humanity’s hope for a brighter future – always be protected from harm.

L’Shalom,

Rabbi Jeffrey Weill

October 26, 2023