Context
When I applied to the University of Pennsylvania in 1987, I was turned down. My second choice at the time, Carnegie Mellon, accepted me and I graduated in three years. It turns out they did me a favor.
The 30th President of Harvard Claudine Gay and the ninth President of the University of Pennsylvania Elizabeth Magill when asked by Representative Stefanik if calling for the “genocide of Jewish people” violates university policy declared it “depended on the context.” Both ladies thought better of it the next day and issued statements about how they had been misunderstood. Ms. Magill was slightly more contrite in her YouTube video, but I can’t help but feel the damage has been done. You had your shot in front of Congress and the world, and you blew it. 500 views on YouTube will not make up for this error. When I interviewed with Penn, I got a total of eleven minutes. I was not given a second chance. I did get a form letter telling me to politely “get lost” but no trophy or door prize. In a society where every child gets a prize, these ladies might think they deserve a second chance. They do not. They should be treated like all of those individuals that get turned down from their elitist institutions and thrown out. If you or I were to call for the genocide of any group, what would the reaction be? However, when the leader of an Ivy League campus does it, it is a revelation protected by the constitution! I call Poppycock.
According to Dr. Gay’s Day After Statement, “Those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account.” https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/12/7/congress-harvard-more-backlash/ That simply hasn’t happened, and it makes me wonder why these legal eagles (Magill clerked for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg) can’t draw a distinction between free speech and incitement to violence which is NOT protected by the first amendment.
Meanwhile, the stories from the hostages continue to roll in. The children being held captive were forced to watch videos of the attack on October 7th and if they cried, they were told they would be shot. Hostages were given sedatives before they were released in order to have them come home to Israel in a relaxed manner. Sure, pop a couple Alprazolam before you leave and all will be well with the world. We call them Xanax where I come from. Then there’s the UN. It only took them two months to finally issue a statement on the rape of women at the Nova Festival on October 7th. And what is it with these Day After Statements? Representative Jayapal from Washington wanted to clarify her comments to Dana Bash the next day as well. https://thehill.com/policy/international/4340811-cnn-bash-jayapal-hamas-violence-rape-women-israel/. I think these so called “leaders” must go home at night, pour themselves a drink and perhaps – just perhaps – when they are watching reruns of their statements they say, “Please tell me I did not say that.” Well, be careful what you wish for. The damage those in leadership roles do every time they refuse to stand up to hate simply exacerbates the issue. No Claudine, no Liz, no Pramila – I do not forgive you. Not that you asked.
Many families tell us they will not return to cities such as Sderot and Netivot as well as communities on the Gaza or the Lebanese border. While I understand this, all of Israel borders neighbors that are difficult. I do not want to see these communities fall apart. Israel is already so small. How much smaller can it become? These villages and towns are beautiful places where families and friends have built their dreams together. Almost all of these towns in the south employed Gazans who took copious notes and over the weeks, months and years patiently compiled information on every home on the Kibbutz or in the Moshav. These “civilians” from Gaza then shared this information with Hamas which led to the terrorist attack on October 7th.
I’d invite you to have a look at this short video from Eli Katzoff about Kibbutz Nir Oz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rePHpimUAyk&t=5s. It will provide you a glimpse into what many of these small villages on the Gaza border are like, but it will also provide you as first-hand look at what transpired on October 7th.
Today we will greet some of these families. It is the first day of Chanukah. People for Israel will go to parks and street corners. We will give out donuts (sufganyot – a Chanukah treat), challahs and teddy bears. We call it “Sufganyot for Sderot.” If you read my journal in the first few days after the terrorist attack, we visited Sderot where we saw bullet holes in the building, blood stains on the concrete and shrapnel on the roads. Although the Israel Defense Force is now inside Gaza, Hamas is still firing missiles at Sderot and other communities so we will go with vests. Many parts of the community remain closed, but we will greet those wanting to come back to their homes with Chanukah blessings. We will offer hugs, we will offer prayers, and we will offer love. We know many cannot be there with us, but for those that call Sderot home – it is our plan to bring them some joy.
Chanukah marks the festival of lights, the rededication of the Second Temple, the recovery of Jerusalem, the revolt of the Maccabees, and the tremendous miracles of that time. My prayer this Chanukah is for us to see such miracles in our own lifetime. The miracle of nations celebrating what brings us together not what sets us apart. The miracle of life because there is no miracle in death. The miracle of love because as Henry Miller said, “The one thing we can never get enough of is love. And the one thing we never give enough is love.” May such miracles bless your holiday tables this season and may they be yours. Yes, I got turned down at Penn, but I live in the Holy Land and even at this time……that is a blessing.
Today’s Pictures:
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At People for Israel, we are helping people across the Holy Land. By providing transportation to those in need, helping to enhance security in our most vulnerable communities, providing food and supplies to those in need – we are trying to do our part. When a donation is received, we utilize these funds generally within 24 – 48 hours and respond to requests we have received from across the country. Please consider giving a donation here: https://secure.cardknox.com/peopleforisrael, or asking us to speak to your church, synagogue or civic group allows us to share what is really going on here. Signing up for our journal at www.peopleforisrael.com or liking our new Facebook page is greatly appreciated: https://www.facebook.com/peopleforisraelorganization/show_switched_toast=0&show_invite_to_follow=0&show_switched_tooltip=0&show_podcast_settings=0&show_community_review_changes=0&show_community_rollback=0&show_follower_visibility_disclosure=0
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David
David at People for Israel
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Israel: +972.52.705.6300
david@peopleforisrael.com
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Since October 7, 2023
