Although this time of year I would typically be talking about gratitude and thankfulness, my thoughts and feelings have been consumed by what happened in Israel on October 7, 2023.
In response to the December 7, 1941, bombing of Pearl Harbor, FDR stated that “the day will be one that will live in infamy.” So, too, October 7, 2023 in Israel.
The horrific, barbaric, unjustified killing and kidnapping of innocent Israeli civilians by Hamas terrorists was beyond repugnant and terroristic, it was abominable, unforgivable, and cannot be rationalized or justified.
However easy it is to add our two cents about the terrible situation for the Israeli victims and Israel’s vulnerability as a country, our place is to support, not dictate what Israel must do politically or militarily. Israel has to negotiate their own terms for peace and hostage release. Just a thought, but for outsiders to criticize next steps regarding the quagmire about the governance of Gaza is premature in the midst of a war.
What does eternity have to do with it?
There have been well intentioned overtures by international groups and governments to advise and warn Israel. But in the end, what Israel does is something they will have to justify. Whatever they decide, Israel will have eternity to determine the correctness of their choices.
Speaking of eternity, Craig Ferguson, a Scottish comedian, actor, writer and sometimes TV host, was profound when he said “the universe is very, very big. It also loves a paradox and has some extremely strict rules. Rule number one: nothing lasts forever. Rule number two: everything (you do) lasts forever.”
Ideology is something I have personal experience in seeing as a forensic psychologist when evaluating the behavior of criminal defendants who face lifetime prison terms for their beliefs, no matter how justified they felt at the time of their offense.
I was also a witness to political ideology as a war veteran. While serving in Vietnam after a pre-dawn Tet offensive (Tet is the Vietnam New Year), I was commanded by the platoon Sargent in charge after the morning meal in the mess hall to view the dead Viet Cong who unsuccessfully tried to kill American soldiers in an unexpected attack on the Air Force base.
Without regard for the decedent’s dignity, four of the dead soldiers were laid out in an empty storage area. Their bloodied bodies, in what remained of their black áo bà ba outfits (black pajamas which are the Vietnamese farmer’s work clothes), were unceremoniously awaiting burial.
I’m always distressed to experience someone who has passed, no matter the circumstances. At 20 years of age, it was beyond distressing, it was shocking, and viewing the deceased Viet Cong is something I have not gotten over in sixty years.
Seeing the dismembered bodies wasn’t the only reason for my shock. Rather, it was because I recognized three of the decedents; they were the barbers for the area where we were stationed! As I left the viewing, I recall being in a state of disbelief, confusion and angst.
I wondered aloud, and emotionally struggled to understand how they could befriend us while they harbored such discontent about our existence. We would exchange jokes about our mutual cultural misunderstandings while they cut our hair during the day, and at night they would sneak across our lines of defense, in a determined effort to cut our throats while we slept. Wow. What a wakeup call, literally and physically, for me about war, the human psyche and the power of ideological differences. They had a mission, to kill Americans.
After that episode, I was on a mission myself. It led me into a life of forensics and my pursuit over the last 40 plus years to figure out why humans want to kill others because of their misunderstandings, loyalty, prejudice, ideological differences and misguided beliefs.
What happens in war is a rationale for killing another person, and is intellectually understandable. But what happened in Israel was an undeclared war and not justifiable no matter how a politician may attempt to explain the issues. Civilians were not collateral damage; they were the target.
Antisemitism
Internationally, even before the October 7 killings and kidnappings, prejudice against Jews has been increasing.
Steven Spielberg, no innocent when it comes to understanding antisemitism, apparent by his direction of Schindler’s List, said “As a Jew I am aware of how important the existence of Israel is for the survival of us all. And because I am proud of being Jewish, I am worried by the growing anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in the world.”
I am not a politician nor an expert as to why we as Jews have been the subject of horrible attacks throughout the centuries; perhaps there will be an answer in the future…perhaps not.
From the perspective of a 21st century psychologist, it appears to be more than tribal, more than cultural, more than religious, more than envy, and more than anger and contempt.
Antisemitism is a concerted effort to discriminate, harm, undermine and destroy anyone or anything Jewish. The prejudice is conspiratorial, unwelcome, disgusting and intolerable. Although I am not hopeless about making inroads against the opinionated predilection to harbor anti-Jewish beliefs and attitudes, I do feel helpless at times.
Out of an attempt to deal with my angst and anger, I have taken to publicly identifying microaggressions (offhanded insensitive comments that show prejudice but not necessarily understanding). I believe in the calling out of bigoted comments as well as taking personal precautions. I have been sensitized about my vulnerability through the news and the Jewish organizations to which I belong. My suggestion is to be sensitive about your surroundings and take precautions.
This column is being written at a moment in time when 50 hostages are about to be released with a negotiated suspension of bombings in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners. My two cents, I struggle with Israel giving into Hamas for kidnapping Israelites (and the hostages from other countries), as I see it as nothing less than extortion! An exchange of Palestinian prisoners for the release of kidnapped Israelites is a transparent payment by a nation for the freedom of hostages when their freedom is rightfully theirs. The hostages were not militants, they were civilians. Although the exchange of the innocent kidnapped victims for the prisoners held by the Israelites doesn’t sit well with me, it is a necessary evil.
Israel has continually struggled with their survival. As an independent country founded as an oasis for Jews, it is a vulnerable island in a world that has repeatedly shown the destruction of their homeland as their enemy’s ultimate goal.
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Questions? Suggestions? Send me an email at psychology@americanisraelite.com. Be well. See you here next month.