In the words of former Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks: Eyal, Gilad and Naftali were killed by people who believed in death. Too often in the past Jews were victims of people who practised hate in the name of the God of love, cruelty in the name of the God of compassion, and murder in the name of the God of life. It is shocking to the very depths of humanity that this still continues to this day. Never was there a more pointed contrast than, on the one hand, these young men who dedicated their lives to study and to peace, and on the other the revelation that other young men, even from Europe, have become radicalised into violence in the name of God and are now committing murder in His name. That is the difference between a culture of life and one of death, and this has become the battle of our time, not only in Israel but in Syria, in Iraq, in Nigeria and elsewhere. Whole societies are being torn to shreds by people practising violence in the name of God. Against this we must never forget the simple truth that those who begin by practising violence against their enemies end by committing it against their fellow believers. The verdict of history is that cultures that worship death, die, while those that sanctify life, live on. That is why Judaism survives while the great empires that sought its destruction were themselves destroyed. Our tears go out to the families of Eyal, Gilad and Naftali. We are with them in grief. Please share. youtu.be/g8doXn7uI_c (Kaddish recited by Benjamin Griffiths from Elegy by Benjamin Dick zl, a cherished congregant in Auckland)
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 02:35:14 +0000
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