Friday, August 9th, 2024

The Covid shutdown introduced me to Netflix, and I’ve been a Netflix junkie ever since. While catching up on old TV shows that I missed the first time around, I’m now watching Monk. In one episode that I saw recently, Natalie is shaken after seeing a dead body for the first time, and she asks the young homicide detective how he can take it. Here’s the exchange:

Natalie: Doesn’t it get to you?
Detective: It did for a while. But you get used to it.
Natalie: It must be awful, getting used to it.
Detective: Yeah, it was pretty awful, but I got used to it.
(Pause)
Detective: That’s the worst part, you know. Getting used to it. Something you never really get used to.

We have all gotten used to a lot. These days, we’ve gotten used to seeing the constant coverage of the Olympics, the hourly social media posts about anti-Semitism, and the daily emails from Israelis who write that the country is waiting for Iran to attack. We’ve gotten used to the back-and-forth heated exchanges with Palestinian supporters in Toronto, the frustration with our political leaders, the Trump-vs.-Harris-Who’s-Better-For-The-Jews debates. We’ve also gotten used to wearing our yellow ribbons and Hebrew “B’Yachad Nenatzeyach (Together We Will Be Victorious)” dog tags, as casually as we wear our sneakers, and we’ve gotten used to seeing “Bring Them Home” and “Kidnapped” posters here and there. 

That’s the thing. We’ve gotten used to it.

There is a danger in getting used to something. This week a Jewish Toronto teen at camp died from anaphylactic shock. We all wonder how something like this is possible. I don’t know the details but all I can imagine is that the teen (and those around him?) had gotten used to living with the allergy. It was not so alarming that there were notices and warnings around the food, not so new that Epi-pens were within reaching distance. I think the entire community is wondering how this unspeakable tragedy could have been avoided. I believe it comes down to NOT getting used to it.

There are still hostages in Gaza. We can not afford to get used to this idea. While we go about our lives, barbecuing at the cottage, swimming in the pool, biking, gardening, watching the Olympics and, yes, Netflix, we must remain shocked and outraged and disgusted and offended and simply unwilling to get used to it. The hostages need to be freed and brought home now, and they must remain foremost in our thoughts until that happens. “Getting used to it” makes it casual, and makes us complacent. Complacency is acceptance, and that, quite frankly, is a danger that we can not afford to get used to. Bring Them Home!

Am Yisrael Chai!