Are You With US

Live From the War in Israel Day 33

As the war against Hamas becomes more intense and the media is returning to its normal, biased, anti-Israel stance, I would like to make an observation about Germany.

Yes, Germany.

Growing up, it was made very clear that we were never to buy anything German. Cars, appliances, gum, you name it. When I was starting my business, I actually asked my father if I could do business with a German company. They were offering us very favorable terms, and I always suspected it was partially because my partner and I are both children of survivors. My father said yes. He had no problem making money with German help. Luxury goods were another thing.

All over the world, Jews of all political persuasions are seeing who their real allies are. For years, I have been arguing with my friends that the real threat to Jews in the diaspora is not from the right but from the left. We know what a Nazi looks like. We know they are evil, but progressives dress themselves in self-righteousness. They pretend to be for social justice and human rights. How bizarre is it to see women's groups justifying the rape of Israeli women because they are colonialists and that is what decolonization looks like.

When the war started, I mentioned what we all knew, that we would have the support of most of the free world, but once we retaliated, that support would erode. I have been hoping that the world will give us enough time to eradicate Hamas once and for all, but it seems it may not. For now, there are a few countries that are not backing down. We see how the USA is solidly against a ceasefire, as is Britain. This is despite the enormous domestic pressure they are facing. We also have very solid support from the Eastern European countries, but some of the strongest support has been coming from Germany.

Yes, Germany.

Since the beginning of the war, the following things have happened: Germany has outlawed rallies in support of Hamas. 100 of the top German companies recently placed an ad in support of Israel, saying "Never again is now." The surge in antisemitic incidents has woken many people up to the fact that Germany has a problem with antisemitic Islamists, and they are now discussing immigration curbs (this is happening all over Europe). Yesterday, the commander of the German Air Force and his staff came to Israel to donate blood and show their support.

As astonishing as all of this is, nothing compares to the speech given by German Vice Chairman, Robert Habeck of the Green Party.

Yes, the Green Party.

Of Germany.

It is the most unapologetic pro-Israel speech I have seen. I was going to give a synopsis, but I really think that it must be seen to be believed. It can be found here: Robert Habeck Speech

After all the posturing going on from world leaders, it is refreshing to see someone not afraid to tell the truth.

 I believed, up until recently, that the trauma of the Holocaust has played too much of a role in Israeli life. I felt it was holding us back in many respects. It is why we don't trust the Arabs; it is why certain segments of society keep themselves separated. I thought it was time to move on. We don't need the Holocaust to define who we are. We have our own army and country. It was a new world. When my children asked if they could visit Berlin, I said yes. It was not something I had a desire to do, but I thought it was time to move on. Unfortunately, today, we have a new defining trauma. An Israeli as well as Jewish trauma. One that will be with us for generations. We will always remember who stood by us and who didn’t.