I have not written much in the past few weeks, but that is about to end. As of September 1 I will for the first time being writing professional (being paid) for regular reporting primarily economic news from Israel- more about that later in the week. At the same time I will be launching a new mini web site of news from Israel- more on that later as well. Tonight I wanted to write about something that has been bothering more and more lately- The daily killing that has been going on to the North of us in Syria. Of course it’s nothing new its been going on for 5 years, but somehow in the last few days some of the pictures posted in my Twitter feed of the kids being killed in Syria have stuck a new chord with me. Maybe its my son preparing for what is a right of passage in this country a trip to Poland that has once again made me reflect on the meaning of the trip and the meaning of the lessons of the holocaust.
The horrific killing in Syria go on year after year. The use of the illegal chemical weapons continue despite the so called agreement to remove them, and no one seems to care. Yes people want to stop ISIS and they are doing what they can do to attack it, but as to the deliberate killing of civilians- nothing. Two days ago the Syrians took an Israeli tactic and perversely stood it on its head. Israel is known of the doubt tap on the roof when it wants to attack a building. A small bomb that does no damage to warn people to get out and then the real bomb a few minutes later. The Syrians instead double tapped by attacking a hospital and then coming back and attacking the funeral of those being buried as a result of the first attack. The UN has just concluded that the Syrian government has continued to use Chlorine Gas as a weapon- Where is the outrage? The Russians bomb civilians and the world is silent. Where are the people out in the streets of Europe in front of the Russian embassy’s?Where are the crowds demanding that the Iranians stop supporting Assad. I do not see anyone demonstrating in front of the White House demanding the US ground the Syrian airforce. As a matter of fact I do not see anyone here doing the same. In Israel the Syrian story has almost disappeared from the newspapers. Unless an errant shell falls on the Golan Heights- no one cares?
During World war II the world could say they did not know- at least until it was too late they did not know- and once they knew there was little that they could have been done. But the whole world has been seeing what has been going on in Syria- WE all know and yet we are all complicit. President Obama, Chancellor Merkel, President Putin, Prime Minister Netanyahu and you and me are all complicit in the crimes that have taken place 80 miles Northeast of my apartment. We do not care- We will continue to memorialize the holocaust but as we do so we continue to dishwner the memory of those who died, because instead of Never Again we have been saying “Never Again to the Jews”.
The Silence is Deafening
August 28, 2016
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