Auschwitz and Suicide Bombers

He who ascribes things to mere accident is like a bird that sees a net and deems it of no special purpose (Bahya b. Asher, Kad HaKemah, 14C)

The suicide bombing killed twenty people and hurt over 75. The leader of Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for this heinous action. As the blood-tainted peace process continues, more radical moves by suicidal bombers are expected.

Why Israel is desperately trying to make peace with Syria is beyond my wildest understanding. While the leader of these murderers lives safely in Damascus, Syria, he receives notoriety as being a man of action.

The Syrian government has no intention of stopping him from leading his people in a war against innocent civilians in the state of Israel. Why trust the Syrian government when they openly harbor a terrorist movement?

This past month terrorists also killed a twenty-year-old woman, the daughter of Rabbi Menachem Felix, the founder of Gush Emunim, the official movement of the West Bank settlers. The drive-by shooting also injured some children and shook up all the settlers in the West Bank. The Israeli survivors of that shooting are now in a terrible traumatic state, not knowing where to turn for help. 

Who knows what will happen next? Will the terrorists bomb a hospital or a school? As Israel moves towards peace, Israeli's are paid with mad bombers. One wonders, when will this stop?

The Auschwitz survivors have gathered in the Jewish state reminding the world of the past atrocities to Jews during World War II. The meeting marked the 50th anniversary of freeing the death camp, Auschwitz. I don't believe they had a rewarding experience, especially when they realized that their place of meeting, the Binyanei Ha-Ooma Convention Center, had just been the site of a recent suicide bombing that killed twelve and injured many.

I ask, "What good is an Auschwitz survivor gathering when new survivors are being created? How can you talk to survivors of the past when new Jewish victims are being created?" There is no greater suffering than this. By meeting in Israel the survivors had hoped to find inspiration but, unfortunately, their wishes were dashed by the terrible news.

After World War II the survivors found themselves with no land, family, nor a place to go. But, like a cat with nine lives, they beat death and came alive"

There is a parable in Jewish lore that comes to mind.

In the market-place a cat came along and carried off a cheese. A dog saw the cat and tried to take the cheese away. The cat stood up to the dog. So they pitched into each other. The dog barked and snapped; the cat spat and scratched, but they could bring the battle to no decision. 

"Let's go to the fox and have him referee the matter," the cat finally suggested.

"Agreed," said the dog.

So they went to the fox.

The fox listened to their arguments with a judicious air.

"Foolish animals," he chided them, "why carry on like that? If both of you are willing, I'll divide the cheese in two and you'll both be satisfied."

"Agreed," said the cat and the dog.

So the fox took out his knife and cut the cheese in two, but, instead of cutting it lengthwise, he cut it in the width.

"My half is smaller!" protested the dog.

The fox looked judiciously through his spectacles at the dog's share.

So he went and bit off a piece of the cat's share.

"That will make it even!" he said.

When the cat saw what the fox did she began to yowl:

"Just look! My part's smaller now!"

The fox again put on his spectacles and looked judiciously at the cat's share.

"Right you are!" said the fox. "Just a moment, and I"ll make it right."

And he went and bit off a piece from the dog's cheese.

This went on so long, with the fox nibbling first at the dog's and then at the cat's share, that he finally ate up the whole cheese before their eyes.

This is what is happening to the state of Israel. The cat symbolizes the state of Israel; the dog is the PLO and their Islamic Jihad friends. Each wants to keep a piece.

To make any concessions, regardless, they chose the fox which is the apathetic western leaders. In the name of dividing parts of Israel they claim there will be peace. Now we see that it is otherwise. The Jews and Arabs do not get along like cat and dog. The fox, in the name of peace, shrewdly destroyed the equilibrium that existed until now. By demanding that Israel give up parts of its land and control its borders they have bit off one piece of Israel after another, leaving neither the Jew nor Arab happy.

Benjamin Nitanyahu, the opposing leader, may be right when he calls  peace talks which will give concessions to Palestinians, - like placing Israel back to the Auschwitz borders, the narrow borders that had existed before the Israeli victory in 1967.

Indeed, the incident of the bombing and the Aushwitz survivors' meeting on the same day was no accident. It was a warning for Israel to immediately stop the peace talks. This must be done now before we create a new group of survivors.