I recently visited the site of the Supernova Music Festival Memorial with members of an Aish Destiny Mission. It is a dynamic mission composed of people who have come to spend time in Israel and connect with Israelis, each other, and the Almighty. I was asked to speak during the visit to the holy field where so many young Jews were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023.
Before we gathered, the mission leaders gave us time to walk around the memorial. Each casualty has their own memorial with their picture, and in the center of the site there is a group picture made of all of these holy Jews.
It is an understatement to say this may be the most painful place I have ever visited. To see the young Jewish faces who had their whole lives in front of them but were brutally murdered in a barbaric rampage, tears one’s soul in half. Their only crime was being Jewish and daring to live in the only Jewish state in the world.
As we gathered together, I decided to make two points that I think are important and convey some Torah thoughts to add context to our current situation. As Jews, we have wandered the world from country to country. We would embrace every new destination and work to enhance the lives of those around us.
There is a reason so many Jews have won Nobel prizes. We have always worked on behalf of our fellow man. Inevitably, we would be persecuted, murdered, and tossed out of our adopted countries. Whenever we entered a country we automatically started to think about where we would go next if forced to flee.
Israel is different. We are not leaving Israel. It is our home. No matter what the world tries to do to us on a physical or political level, we will never leave the land of our fathers again. Our enemies can lie and demonize us all day at the United Nations, but we will never relinquish our homeland.
The particular pain of October 7
The world has not come to terms with the fact that after 2,000 years the script has changed. We no longer keep a packed bag in the closet ready to flee at a moment’s notice. We are home. We will defend ourselves and our families. We will stand behind the IDF because we know what will happen to us if we lay down our guns for a moment. The Jewish nation is strong and it is finally back home where it belongs.
This is why the Supernova music festival site is especially painful. I have been to Poland dozens of times and visited the extermination camps there. It is always heart-wrenching. Yet, the Supernova site somehow was even more painful for me. I believe that this is because we never thought something of this magnitude was possible in Israel. In retrospect, the country was so caught up in political infighting that we didn’t see the real danger in front of us. Jews united are the strongest entity that exists. Divided, we always suffer.
I then tried to explain where we see a precedent in the Torah for our current situation. Abraham was the most peace-loving person in the world. He taught the world to love the one true God. Yet, when he heard that his nephew Lot, who had separated himself from his uncle, had been taken captive, Abraham picked up arms at a moment’s notice and went to war. When family is threatened and kidnapped, we drop everything to rescue them.
Commenting on the Torah portion of Chukat, which we read recently, a friend of mine, Elie Lowey, pointed out that when Moses confronted Edom and they refused to let the Jews cross their land into Israel, we chose not to engage and instead, journeyed around their land. Yet when we confronted the Canaanite king of Arad (Number 21:1), we prayed to the Almighty for victory and went to battle. What was the difference between these two nations?
The Bible says that this king took Jews hostage. Moses understood the principle from Abraham, which underscores our entire existence. Jews never leave Jews captive. Anywhere. Anytime. The power of our small yet special people is that as a family we stand together no matter what pressure the world thrusts upon us.
It was this guiding principle that sent young Jewish men halfway around the world to Uganda to rescue Jewish hostages at the Entebbe airport 48 years ago. We will never forget the hostages in Gaza. They are our brothers and sisters. We will never rest until they are free.
The Supernova music festival site serves as a reminder of our responsibility to each other. Jews must look after each other. The world must know that as long as there are hostages, we will not stop. We will continue to work until every one of them is home.
This attitude does not make us warmongers or insensitive. Quite the opposite. Jews desire nothing more than to live in peace. We want to live in a society dedicated to the Almighty and strengthen the world around us. It’s what we’ve done for thousands of years. Yet, when called upon, we will defend our family to the end. When challenged by the Almighty in Genesis, Cain said famously: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Jews have been screaming out for centuries: “I am my brother’s keeper.” Let us pray that the Almighty swiftly returns the captives held in Gaza and grants us peace in our lifetime.
The writer, Aish’s CEO, also serves on the board of governors of the Jewish Agency, and as an executive board member of the Rabbinical Council of America. Prior to his position at Aish, he was eastern director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center where he oversaw the Museum of Tolerance in New York City and contributed to the center’s fight against antisemitism.