Last week, I wanted to write a post about how the Prime Minister of the Ukraine revealed his true character, but felt such fury & resentment, I decided to push it off.
(In general, I try not to blog when feeling livid or depressed because it's like emotionally vomiting on the readers. Occasionally, there's a place for blogging while steeped in negative emotion. But usually, it's not such a great idea.)
Also, I decided to add a compelling positive example at the end of this post.
So here it goes...
(In general, I try not to blog when feeling livid or depressed because it's like emotionally vomiting on the readers. Occasionally, there's a place for blogging while steeped in negative emotion. But usually, it's not such a great idea.)
Also, I decided to add a compelling positive example at the end of this post.
So here it goes...
Here are Some Facts
In & of itself, it completely lacks integrity to demand that little Israel join the Ukraine against the massive Russian bear.
Israel remains smaller than the American state of New Jersey while Russia is massive.
(The Ukraine is almost as big as the state of Texas. Why do they need our help?)
The number of soldiers and military equipment available within Israel is miniscule compared to Russia.
Furthermore, it is in Israel's best interests (politically, economically, practically, and FOR THE SAKE OF THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF JEWS STILL LIVING IN RUSSIA) to maintain cordial relations with Russia.
Imagine the impact on Jews across Russia if little Israel openly sided with the Ukraine AND supplied them with weapons to kill & maim Russian soldiers.
Imagine how Russian society and the Russian government would treat Russian Jews if Israel did such a thing.
Imagine how Russia-sympathizers within the Ukraine would treat Ukrainian Jews.
Yet that is exactly what the Ukrainian Prime Minister keeps demanding Israel do!
Also, in case this "Jewish" Prime Minister hasn't noticed, Israeli already sits surrounded by several enemy/cold peace countries, both large & small, plus suffers fifth-column terror from within.
But hey, sure, keep demanding that Israel offers financial, military, and political support it cannot afford. Right?
Wrong. Dead wrong.
To add flames to the fire, the Ukrainian Prime Minister insists on making Holocaust comparisons — inaccurate & manipulative comparisons.
If he weren't considered Jewish, he would have already been called out on this and criticized for trivializing the Holocaust.
And to emphasize how this conflict is not Evil Russia against Saintly Ukraine: This same Ukrainian Prime Minister recently shut down oppositional TV stations and imprisoned oppositional leaders. (This is somewhat dictatorial, is it not?)
Furthermore, the Ukrainians have problems with themselves.
For example, in 2014, Ukrainians killed each other in the Maidan Uprising to the tune of 130 dead.
And the Ukraine never stopped suffering from government corruption, corruption in the educational system & justice system, an unstable financial system, neo-Nazi resurgence, and so on.
Sort of like Russia and whole lot of other countries around the world.
In other words...what's the difference?
And not even all Ukrainians are united in this current war. A sizeable number of Russia-sympathizers exist.
Just to be clear: I'm NOT pro-Russian nor pro-Ukraine nor pro-war.
In fact, I think this war is a big tragedy.
Every human being is made in God's Image and must try to live up to that image...all the more so, not kill or hurt anyone in any way.
At the same time, I see no reason why anyone in the world should take sides in this Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Taking sides can even make things worse for everyone (including the people meant to be supported).
In fact, this is not the first time Russia & the Ukraine have battled. They did so in 2016 and the world didn't make a big deal about it. So why now?
If you'd like to read an objective summary of recent Ukrainian history that has not been turned into pro-Ukrainian anti-Russian propaganda (as all information suddenly has), please see here:
www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33460.html
Also, here's an intelligent article explaining different factions in the Ukraine:
https://hamodia.com/prime/did-anyone-ask-the-ukrainians/
Finally, I feel like the world has slipped into a parallel dimension every time I read about the Ukrainians as poor innocent victims.
For most of my life, I heard how the Ukrainians were worse than the Nazis.
And now I keep reading how they're heroic innocent victims in dire need of Jewish support.
And I'm like, Huh??? When did THAT happen?
And yes, I realize righteous gentiles exist in both Russia and the Ukraine.
And yes, I realize that Jews have thrived both as residents and tourists in the Ukraine in recent years. Sure, today's Ukrainians seem a lot nicer than those of our grandparents generation (although even then, righteous gentiles existed).
But this is not our fight. It's not our war.
And for the reasons described both in this post and previous posts, the supposedly "Jewish" Prime Minister of the Ukraine is now mud by me.
(Previous posts: www.myrtlerising.com/blog/keeping-our-heads-straight-by-getting-the-facts-straight & www.myrtlerising.com/blog/why-are-people-especially-jews-taking-sides)
His eagerness to endanger hundreds of thousands (even millions, if you count Jews living in Eretz Yisrael) of Jewish lives & well-being all for the sake of maintaining his position, power, and kavod?
That crosses every line of integrity.
He continues to display a disturbing lack of bushah, chessed, and compassion.
And we know what that means.
And I totally stand against any portrayal of him in any Jewish media as a really cool Jewish guy with really cool accomplishments of whom we can be proud.
He consistently acts according to the traits of a mumar and Erev Rav.
How on earth does that make him "accomplished" or admirable according to authentic Jewish standards?
(And frankly, I'm sick of reading about him proclaiming, "Glory to our defenders! Glory to the Ukraine! Glory to our heroes!" Actually, I only read that twice, but I got sick of it after the first time. What about "Glory to God"?)
Israel remains smaller than the American state of New Jersey while Russia is massive.
(The Ukraine is almost as big as the state of Texas. Why do they need our help?)
The number of soldiers and military equipment available within Israel is miniscule compared to Russia.
Furthermore, it is in Israel's best interests (politically, economically, practically, and FOR THE SAKE OF THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF JEWS STILL LIVING IN RUSSIA) to maintain cordial relations with Russia.
Imagine the impact on Jews across Russia if little Israel openly sided with the Ukraine AND supplied them with weapons to kill & maim Russian soldiers.
Imagine how Russian society and the Russian government would treat Russian Jews if Israel did such a thing.
Imagine how Russia-sympathizers within the Ukraine would treat Ukrainian Jews.
Yet that is exactly what the Ukrainian Prime Minister keeps demanding Israel do!
Also, in case this "Jewish" Prime Minister hasn't noticed, Israeli already sits surrounded by several enemy/cold peace countries, both large & small, plus suffers fifth-column terror from within.
But hey, sure, keep demanding that Israel offers financial, military, and political support it cannot afford. Right?
Wrong. Dead wrong.
To add flames to the fire, the Ukrainian Prime Minister insists on making Holocaust comparisons — inaccurate & manipulative comparisons.
If he weren't considered Jewish, he would have already been called out on this and criticized for trivializing the Holocaust.
And to emphasize how this conflict is not Evil Russia against Saintly Ukraine: This same Ukrainian Prime Minister recently shut down oppositional TV stations and imprisoned oppositional leaders. (This is somewhat dictatorial, is it not?)
Furthermore, the Ukrainians have problems with themselves.
For example, in 2014, Ukrainians killed each other in the Maidan Uprising to the tune of 130 dead.
And the Ukraine never stopped suffering from government corruption, corruption in the educational system & justice system, an unstable financial system, neo-Nazi resurgence, and so on.
Sort of like Russia and whole lot of other countries around the world.
In other words...what's the difference?
And not even all Ukrainians are united in this current war. A sizeable number of Russia-sympathizers exist.
Just to be clear: I'm NOT pro-Russian nor pro-Ukraine nor pro-war.
In fact, I think this war is a big tragedy.
Every human being is made in God's Image and must try to live up to that image...all the more so, not kill or hurt anyone in any way.
At the same time, I see no reason why anyone in the world should take sides in this Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Taking sides can even make things worse for everyone (including the people meant to be supported).
In fact, this is not the first time Russia & the Ukraine have battled. They did so in 2016 and the world didn't make a big deal about it. So why now?
If you'd like to read an objective summary of recent Ukrainian history that has not been turned into pro-Ukrainian anti-Russian propaganda (as all information suddenly has), please see here:
www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33460.html
Also, here's an intelligent article explaining different factions in the Ukraine:
https://hamodia.com/prime/did-anyone-ask-the-ukrainians/
Finally, I feel like the world has slipped into a parallel dimension every time I read about the Ukrainians as poor innocent victims.
For most of my life, I heard how the Ukrainians were worse than the Nazis.
And now I keep reading how they're heroic innocent victims in dire need of Jewish support.
And I'm like, Huh??? When did THAT happen?
And yes, I realize righteous gentiles exist in both Russia and the Ukraine.
And yes, I realize that Jews have thrived both as residents and tourists in the Ukraine in recent years. Sure, today's Ukrainians seem a lot nicer than those of our grandparents generation (although even then, righteous gentiles existed).
But this is not our fight. It's not our war.
And for the reasons described both in this post and previous posts, the supposedly "Jewish" Prime Minister of the Ukraine is now mud by me.
(Previous posts: www.myrtlerising.com/blog/keeping-our-heads-straight-by-getting-the-facts-straight & www.myrtlerising.com/blog/why-are-people-especially-jews-taking-sides)
His eagerness to endanger hundreds of thousands (even millions, if you count Jews living in Eretz Yisrael) of Jewish lives & well-being all for the sake of maintaining his position, power, and kavod?
That crosses every line of integrity.
He continues to display a disturbing lack of bushah, chessed, and compassion.
And we know what that means.
And I totally stand against any portrayal of him in any Jewish media as a really cool Jewish guy with really cool accomplishments of whom we can be proud.
He consistently acts according to the traits of a mumar and Erev Rav.
How on earth does that make him "accomplished" or admirable according to authentic Jewish standards?
(And frankly, I'm sick of reading about him proclaiming, "Glory to our defenders! Glory to the Ukraine! Glory to our heroes!" Actually, I only read that twice, but I got sick of it after the first time. What about "Glory to God"?)
A True Jewish Hero
But I promised to end with a positive example...
Miriam Cohen's Behind the Walls, Appendix A, page 331 describes a fortress in southern Belgium, which officially served as a government shelter for the children of parents serving on the battlefront of World War II.
It was like temporary foster care in a group home.
Surreptitiously, this facility also hid 87 Jewish children from the Nazis.
And even more secretly, this facility also hid "enemy" soldiers from the Nazis—mostly non-Jewish.
Yet one Jewish soldier (it doesn't say from what army) fled from a camp (presumably a POW camp) to hide in that fortress too.
Someone informed on the hiding soldiers to the Nazis, which sparked the arrival of German stormtroopers to search the fortress.
They found the Jewish soldier.
Assuming this was all they needed to do, the Nazis prepared to leave with the Jewish soldier.
But before they left, the housemother Sister Marie, managed to make a secret request of the Jewish soldier:
"Please do not try to run away from them again," she said, "for they will always come here to search for you, and then the lives of the Jewish children will be in danger."
This request demanded superhuman self-sacrifice from the Jewish soldier.
Foreign Jewish soldiers in Nazi POW camps were treated cruelly. And this request came during a continent-wide genocide of Jews.
It does not say whether this soldier was religious at all.
Yet one of those 87 hidden children met this same Jewish soldier after the war.
And this Jewish soldier described how he traveled under the guard of an elderly German soldier, from whom the Jewish soldier could have easily escaped.
Yet the Jewish soldier kept hearing the warning of Sister Marie in his head. Even though he knew the torment to which he was returning, he refused to endanger the 87 Jewish children hiding in the fortress.
He refused to escape.
And THIS is the authentic Jewish attitude toward our fellow Jews.
It's this behavior we should admire, emulate, and see as "accomplished" and really cool.
(And it's mind-boggling and awe-inspiring how he actually managed to restrain himself on their behalf. I do not know how much he suffered by returning to the camp.)
After all, all 87 Jewish children survived—and this Jewish soldier deserves credit for his part in their survival by endangering his own life so as not to endanger theirs.
How different is this lone unnamed Jewish soldier from the current man who attempts to endanger hundreds of thousands of Jews with his demands and the resultant acts of Jew-hatred that could be unleashed on the Jewish world (chas v'shalom) if Israel or the Jewish community would acquiesce to his callous demands.
The above shows why it's so important to live up to Torah standards and not the vacillating standards of media presentations.
Miriam Cohen's Behind the Walls, Appendix A, page 331 describes a fortress in southern Belgium, which officially served as a government shelter for the children of parents serving on the battlefront of World War II.
It was like temporary foster care in a group home.
Surreptitiously, this facility also hid 87 Jewish children from the Nazis.
And even more secretly, this facility also hid "enemy" soldiers from the Nazis—mostly non-Jewish.
Yet one Jewish soldier (it doesn't say from what army) fled from a camp (presumably a POW camp) to hide in that fortress too.
Someone informed on the hiding soldiers to the Nazis, which sparked the arrival of German stormtroopers to search the fortress.
They found the Jewish soldier.
Assuming this was all they needed to do, the Nazis prepared to leave with the Jewish soldier.
But before they left, the housemother Sister Marie, managed to make a secret request of the Jewish soldier:
"Please do not try to run away from them again," she said, "for they will always come here to search for you, and then the lives of the Jewish children will be in danger."
This request demanded superhuman self-sacrifice from the Jewish soldier.
Foreign Jewish soldiers in Nazi POW camps were treated cruelly. And this request came during a continent-wide genocide of Jews.
It does not say whether this soldier was religious at all.
Yet one of those 87 hidden children met this same Jewish soldier after the war.
And this Jewish soldier described how he traveled under the guard of an elderly German soldier, from whom the Jewish soldier could have easily escaped.
Yet the Jewish soldier kept hearing the warning of Sister Marie in his head. Even though he knew the torment to which he was returning, he refused to endanger the 87 Jewish children hiding in the fortress.
He refused to escape.
And THIS is the authentic Jewish attitude toward our fellow Jews.
It's this behavior we should admire, emulate, and see as "accomplished" and really cool.
(And it's mind-boggling and awe-inspiring how he actually managed to restrain himself on their behalf. I do not know how much he suffered by returning to the camp.)
After all, all 87 Jewish children survived—and this Jewish soldier deserves credit for his part in their survival by endangering his own life so as not to endanger theirs.
How different is this lone unnamed Jewish soldier from the current man who attempts to endanger hundreds of thousands of Jews with his demands and the resultant acts of Jew-hatred that could be unleashed on the Jewish world (chas v'shalom) if Israel or the Jewish community would acquiesce to his callous demands.
The above shows why it's so important to live up to Torah standards and not the vacillating standards of media presentations.
Please daven for our brothers & sisters, including those named in this post:
www.myrtlerising.com/blog/please-daven-for-these-jews-running-for-their-lives
Please donate to the well-being of our brothers & sisters in danger:
Ukraine Relief Fund - Agudath Israel of America
https://agudah.org/ukraine-relief-fund/
Evacuations using hundreds of buses have already have been & continue to be carried out.
www.myrtlerising.com/blog/please-daven-for-these-jews-running-for-their-lives
Please donate to the well-being of our brothers & sisters in danger:
Ukraine Relief Fund - Agudath Israel of America
https://agudah.org/ukraine-relief-fund/
Evacuations using hundreds of buses have already have been & continue to be carried out.
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