Op-Ed: Bullet Proof Laments

By: Ginette Weiner

We begin the year 5786 with yet another synagogue car ramming, stabbing and killing Jews in the U.K. Murdering Jews has become the new norm. Obsessive, myopic mainstream media’s decades of Big Lies against only Israel, painting Israelis as subhuman, and the Jews who support Israel as less than, serves as the “justification” for attacks, intimidation and ostracization.  We have failed to educate the public about the truth and beauty of Israel. And now they no longer care.

These Jew killings are immediately followed by Western political leaders spewing empty regrets, the same ones who trip over themselves to echo Hamas’  Big Lies.  The false accusations of genocide, of starving Gazans are easily verifiable Lies which go unchallenged.  These smug Western leaders’ sins of omission, failing to mention Hamas forcing civilians to be human shields, along with their selective amnesia, never mentioning the multiple peace offers rejected by these “Palestinian” Arabs, (with never any counter offer for peace), and Abbas stating “we will never accept the evil Zionist entity with any boundaries”, are glaring indictments of their amoral hypocrisy.

These Western leaders offer accolades only for dead Jews. France issued apologies for Alfred Dreyfus. Canada’s Trudeau apologized for his country’s role in turning away a ship carrying over 900 Jewish refugees fleeing persecution from the Nazis during WWII. These cheap, easy, without consequence attempts at moralizing succeed in making me wonder if these Western leaders are fond of only dead or weak Jew, Jews scattered to the ends of the earth.

An increasing percentage of younger Democrats and younger Jewish voters are not aligning with Israel. We are witnessing more and more Jews embracing their new religion of “Progressivism” over Israel and Jewish Civil Rights.  “According to a new poll by Zenith Research and Public Progress Solutions, 43% of Jewish voters in New York said they would vote for Mamdani, including 67% of Jewish voters aged 18 to 44.”

Calls for Israel’s demise as a Jewish State will become part of the rallying cry for this over and under-educated mob, (including many Jews), positioning themselves as  “humanitarians” and “progressives.”  For them, Israel can do no right while these Arabs can do no wrong.  How a candidate for NYC’s mayor, Mamdani, who calls for the end to Israel as a Jewish State, could even be running for any office, let alone be in the lead, in New York where 1.3 million Jews live, tells us what our future as Jews will look like.

Paradigm Shift

We need a permanent paradigm shift. I refuse to join with yet more laments. Instead, I will risk your ire for seeming to blame the victims. The next time I wake up and read about the latest attack on Jews, and there will be more in our future, my question(s) will be:  “Why weren’t you armed with legal items for self defense?  Why isn’t every single Jew, young to old, wearing a stab proof, bullet proof vest when they leave home? Why aren’t all Jews carrying legal items for self defense, trained to use at all times, going to school, work, or to pray?

Why isn’t your entire Jewish community enrolled in hard core, professional self defense to learn how to take down an attacker without hesitation, using every form of legal self defense? Why isn’t your synagogue visibly surrounded by guards, 24/7,  and/or Jewish men and women, in uniforms, patrolling with all the visible, legal gear they are allowed? Why aren’t all places where Jews gather surrounded by solid heavy gates, topped off with barbed wire? With bullet proof glass; electronic surveillance, alarms, and other deterrence? Why are we not fierce and feared? Why are we becoming used to being victims?

Jews can never, ever depend solely upon others to protect and defend us. We need to make our safety and survival a priority over anything else.  I am as sick to death as you are when I hear about yet another Jew being stabbed, punched, killed. Take your righteous rage and put it where it belongs, into action and survival. Into telling the world we are done being victims. The next time you are even thinking about attacking Jews, think again because this time, we will take you down, and ask questions later.

About the Author:  Ginette Weiner, is a published commentator in Jewish and mainstream newspapers.  She holds an MSW & a Certification in “Defending Israel from Media Bias”, 23rd Mission to Israel, Honest Reporting: June, 2015.