this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2023

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"The first photo shows my grandchildren hiding from Russian terrorists' missiles... we evacuated them to Israel... In the second photo, the same people are hiding from Hamas terrorists' missiles." (files.catbox.moe)

submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Source: https://t.me/pravdaGerashchenko_en/28485

Chief rabbi of Ukraine @RabbiUkraine writes on his Facebook page:

"The first photo shows my grandchildren hiding from Russian terrorists' missiles in Kyiv region in the first days of the terrible invasion of Ukraine.

Later, together with thousands of people, we evacuated them to Israel and Europe.

In the second photo, the same people are hiding from Hamas terrorists' missiles.

Two different parts of the world, but such a common pain and struggle... My heart breaks to see these faces, but I believe that the light of truth and faith will help us to go through these challenges

I pray to the Almighty to bring down his anger and fury on all those involved in the terror of civilians!"

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[–] [email protected] 86 points 10 months ago (5 children)

While yes this is sad, you had to have known and expected that Israel was a potentially dangerous place. This just happens to be the largest attack in recent times

[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I heard he went to North Korea next

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Then to Taiwan

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yemen

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Afghanistan

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I'm full of compassion for him and his family. But as an important religious figure, publicly saying that you pray for the fury and anger of your God to go down on your enemies is awful. I understand the sentiment. I understand the anger, I do. But praying for something negative to happen - especially when you are supposed to lead other people - cannot be the right way to go.

Pray for the war to end. Pray for peace. Pray for Hamas to understand their wrongdoings. Pray for the terrorists to realize what they are doing. Pray for them to stop and beg forgiveness. If you want, pray for God to judge them. But praying for violence isn't what prayer should be used for.

[–] Tar_alcaran 6 points 10 months ago (4 children)

But as an important religious figure, publicly saying that you pray for the fury and anger of your God to go down on your enemies is awful

Have you read the old testament?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

Some Jews are now openly talking about forcing a destitute and oppressed people to wander into exile. At least initially, through the Egyptian Desert.

And don't see the irony at all.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

I know what you mean. But that should be the distinction between religious extremists and "mainstream" religious leaders, shouldn't it? Extremists tend/can promote the negative, brutal, violent parts of their scripture. The modern-moderate mainstream approach is usually to focus on the unifying, loving, connecting, forgiving aspect. And this is why his statement pisses me off so much. Being the representative of the Jewish community in Ukraine, speaking for/to this community, advocating the violent aspects of your religion's scripture is an awful move.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Shh we don't do that one or talk about it anymore! /S

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

You mean the book where Israel frequently gets attacked by outside forces as a means of punishment from God? The book where God exiles the Israelites to a foreign land because of their extreme sin?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Jewish fundamentalists are radical extremists. This sort of rhetoric isn't rare coming out from this community, nor is it ever frowned upon. They get away with it for obvious reasons.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 10 months ago (4 children)

So they escaped russian occupation of Ukraine to Israel-occupied Palestine. Some irony.

[+] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (3 children)

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 10 months ago (2 children)

It’s my understanding the British put these two peoples in

It was more the Americans - factions within Britain warned that this would be an untenable situation.

an impossible situation

And there's the rub. There are no considerations where land appropriated by the west from a (non-Russian, non-German) current population for a long-since displaced population as some sort of reparation for Russian and German aggression will somehow come to a stable peace.

All that said, the actions of Israel in isolating Palestinians into a ghetto where control is by fiat and without any consideration for self-determination and independence is not just ironic but also a source of constant and mounting friction and discontent within the repressed population. There may not be a way to resolve the condition, but the current attitude by Israel is actively aggravating it.

Note: I'm a second generation descendent of Russian Jews. I still see the entire Israeli/Palestinian condition as untenable.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

one side has power and the other side does not. it's a bit disingenuous to blame both sides. Israel could have just divested all interest in the Palestinian lands. left them to it. It would have not been any different except the people of Gaza would be able to blame Hamas for their issues rather than Israel.

One suspects that Israel benefits from keeping the wounds open. unfortunately it is a reason to continue to take land.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Power but not choice. Where would they go?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Israel does.not necessarily need to go anywhere.

they do need to stop messing in Gaza.

remove their illegal settlements.

would be nice if they could stop committing ethnic cleansing

[–] mark3748 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Parts?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Two States is the only real solution, and Israel has increasingly been making that solution impossible by continuing to support and expand settlements in West Bank and elsewhere.

Frankly, settlements in the West Bank have to be entirely destroyed. Hamas has to be destroyed, too.

But Israel isn't sincere about peace, and its continual encroachment on Palestinian lands proves it.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 10 months ago

Terrible and tragic. No one should have to endure such terror and trauma, especially children. I wish humans could stop being sadistic, petty, violent animals and work together to solve disagreements and compromise in nonviolent ways. I know it's a naive ideal, but surely it's a better goal to work towards than... well, this.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago

Better move to Yemen next.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Bad Luck Brian

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Sounds like that guy that was able to get away from Hiroshima, and fled to ... Nagasaki

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

Should've just staid put. It's not like they're going to nuke the same city!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (4 children)

If I prayed, I'd do so for them. May they be able to tell this story to their grandchildren

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[–] [email protected] -1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I remember pleading to my friend not to move to Israel due to the danger of living there. This was 14 years ago. This man has no excuse, he has decades of precedent to go off.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I know Jews who've moved to Canada years ago and are booking flights back to Israel to help out however they can.

Some anonymous guy at JFK paid for the flights of 250 Jews who got called to return to the IDF.

The excuse is that it's their home. They will give their lives to ensure it survives. It's the homeland to every Jewish person on this planet and as you note, there's decades (Millenia in fact) of history written in blood showing just how important that strip of desert is to the survival of the Jewish people.

I don't know what called your friend over there, I assume he's a Jew as well and if so that might actually be all there is to it.

I hope your friend is doing alright. Hope you are too.

[+] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

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[–] [email protected] -4 points 10 months ago (2 children)

The evidence is quite clearly found in the Jewish population of the surrounding countries....oh wait, they've been ethnically cleansed.

Which is exactly what Hamas is saying they intend on doing.

Considering the history of the region, the numerous recorded events attempting to remove Jews from the region, it's very obvious to all but the most bigoted why that country is critical to their survival.

It's also why they'll demolish the threats to their survival. They've lived thru not having a homeland and they will not let that happen again, regardless of the social media zeitgeist or the cheers of terrorism supporters.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Israel's policy of expanding settlements in West Bank and elsewhere was the primary cause of this.

By making peaceful solutions impossible- by denying the Palestinians any space for life- Israel has left only terrorism and desperation

Hamas and the Israeli right share responsibility for every death.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Fascinating how you're claiming Israel has made it impossible when Hamas is the one who not only refuses to negotiate, but openly calls for the murder of an entire group of people.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago

The specific reason is because successive right-wing Israeli governments have empowered Hamas, while expanding settlements in the West Bank.

By those policies, Israel has accomplished two things. A) increasing radicalization, and B), dis-empowering non militant. It's not as if a rival group to Hamas even could operate in Gaza, and Israel has allowed that situation to come about through its material policies.

It's "fascinating" to you because you clearly don't understand that context. Which is, I'll note, broadly acknowledged by Israeli sources including a former PM (Ehud)

[–] [email protected] -1 points 10 months ago

That's not the point of my comment. People are well within their right to move to Israel and join the armed forces and sacrifice their life for their cause. However this man moved his children away from one war zone to another war zone, and posts pictures trying to elicit sympathy. I brought up my friend to illustrate the point that Israel has always been known to be a dangerous area. My only guess is that the logistics of moving to Israel was simpler for him than the other options.