November 22, 2024

Remember that old E.F. Hutton ad campaign? “When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen.” It was so memorable and recognizable that it was copied and spoofed in TV shows, comic strips, and the Eddie Murphy movie Trading Places. There was even a joke, “When our Rabbi talks, no one listens. Everyone’s sleeping.”

Well, in contrast to that joke, and similar to the E.F. Hutton ad, when the Pope talks, people definitely listen.  This week, Pope Francis talked. And unfortunately, people listened. It was, as the saying goes, Bad For The Jews.  Here’s what he said in his book, released this week: “What is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide.” He has called for an investigation now to see if it is a genocide. It’s bad enough that the pro-Palestinian protesters accuse us of genocide, but the Pope?! A respected religious leader?!

Overall, Pope Francis has had a very good relationship with the Jewish people. The fact is, the Pope needs to learn the definition of Genocide before he says something like that. Genocide is the deliberate and systematic killing or persecution of a large number of people from a particular national or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group. As much as people want to accuse Israel and the IDF of doing that, let’s get real. Israel is trying to get the hostages home. Israel is trying to find the terrorist leaders and rid the world of Hamas and Hezbollah. (You’re welcome.) Israel would like to end the war and live in peace with the Palestinians. Just look at those kibbutzim that were attacked on Oct 7. They were settled and developed by peaceniks, people who wanted peace, believed in peace, employed Palestinians on their kibbutzim, met Palestinians at the Gaza border weekly, daily, to take them for medical help in the Israeli hospitals. (By the way, these are the same Palestinians who personally participated in the massacre and gave Hamas info about the setup of the kibbutzim.)

Now that the world hears the Pope talk about Israel’s actions as genocide, it will be all the more difficult for us to defend what Israel is doing. But it is upon us to speak out. Below are the points to share when our enemies, our ignorant friends, and even the Pope use that inaccurate word in terms of Israel.
 

 
1. This is an unprovoked war that Hamas started. There had been a ceasefire. Hamas ended it with the October 7 Massacre.

2. Hamas took billions of dollars in aid that should have been used to make a beautiful country for the Palestinian citizens. Instead, they used it to build tunnels to hide themselves, to store rockets and ammunition against Israel, and for the past 406 days, to hold innocent hostages captive.

3. The IDF drops leaflets, calls everyone before they come in to say, “We’re coming in. Here’s where we’ll be to take out the terrorist tunnels. Get away.” (What military in the world does that?! They actually tell the enemy where and when.) 

4. Israel is required to supply food, water, electricity to the enemy. Again, who else does that?!  

5. Remarkably, the rate of civilian-to-combatant casualties is the lowest of any war in history.

6. On the other hand, the Hamas charter says – in black and white for all to see – that they want to wipe Israel off the map. Literally. Israel appears on the map “from the river to the sea”.  Hamas and its supporters want us gone, finished, dead. They say this. They SAY this! Every single one of us. Just like the Nazis. THAT is a genocide.

Your Holiness, without launching an investigation, I can tell you that you’ll be needing to take back your words. When you talk, the world listens, and right now we need for the world to hear the truth.

Am Yisrael Chai!