Even if most people would not invoke the commandment to destroy Amalek today, there are certainly those, like Rabbi Riemer, who have ventured to do so. And there has been no dearth of similar, violent invocations in reference to the Palestinians, as well. For example, Benzi Lieberman, the chairman of the Council of Settlements said in no uncertain terms: “The Palestinians are Amalek! We will destroy them. We won’t kill them all. But we will destroy their ability to think as a nation. We will destroy Palestinian nationalism.”
The general consensus among today’s Jewish community seems to be that our energies can and must be used to stop the perpetuation of genocidal activity occurring throughout the world, to become agents for peace, and to dismiss any contemporary comparisons to the biblical paradigm. But clearly there are difficult texts and teaching that remain in our tradition that must be remembered and reckoned with.
Right, so if this is the consensus (although there is reason to believe it is), then this occupation of Gaza should have been condemned and stopped months ago by Jewish organizations everywhere, hand in hand with peace groups, humanitarian organizations like MSF, Palestinian groups. The level of suppression of media and protest happening from Israeli and Jewish organizations show a level of complicity in the elected right-wing level governments actions, and only a handful of brave Jewish groups and rabbis have publicly spoken out against it.
Have to condemn Riemer & Lieberman here…
How’d you interpret the last two paragraphs?
Right, so if this is the consensus (although there is reason to believe it is), then this occupation of Gaza should have been condemned and stopped months ago by Jewish organizations everywhere, hand in hand with peace groups, humanitarian organizations like MSF, Palestinian groups. The level of suppression of media and protest happening from Israeli and Jewish organizations show a level of complicity in the elected right-wing level governments actions, and only a handful of brave Jewish groups and rabbis have publicly spoken out against it.