Jewish Lives Matter by David Wilder

This morning a 20 year old religious Jewish Israeli soldier was murdered by an Arab terrorist outside the Ofra community which is just north of Jerusalem. Elchai Toharlev, which translates into English as ‘LivingG-d PureHeart, together with a fellow soldier, was providing security at a bus stop-hitching station, protecting civilians from terrorists. An Arab terrorist, driving past and seeing them, turned his car around and rammed into them. Elchai was killed on the spot. His friend was injured.

Their crime: Protecting other Jews, a maximum expression of Jewish Lives Matter.

Perhaps you viewed the video of a pathetic J Street representative, when debating Hebron spokesman Yishai Fleisher, basically accuse him, and all of us living in Yesha, of being thieves, having ‘stolen’ land  ‘belonging to the palestinians.’

 These words are music to Arab ears. They are heard, especially as being spoken by a supposedly Israel-loving Jew, as a death chant, meaning in the simplest of words, Jewish Lives Don’t Matter. In other words, incitement, a green light to slaughter Jews. Because they are committing a war crime against humanity, similar to the chemical warfare being waged against civilians in Syria.

There are those who will sneer at these words. But I’ll ask you to look back, a year from now, at all the UN resolutions passed against Assad, and those against Israel, in the General Assembly and the Human rights council. If the past can bear witness for the future, the results are assured. Syrian lives don’t matter, and neither those of Jews. Only ‘palestinians’ keeping in mind that there is no such being as a palestinian terrorist, for they are only freedom fighters, seeking freedom from their oppressors.

A few weeks ago I caught a cab in Jerusalem. The driver had a long black beard and his head was covered. His name was Halil, which is the Arab name for Hebron. I told him that I live in Hebron.

We discussed the conflict, with him badgering me with questions. I finally asked him ‘so what’s your solution?’ to which he responded, ‘it’s all your fault! Why did you bring them here? You brought Arafat and Abu Mazen, and created the Palestinian authority. Until then all was well, we had a good life, and now… Why did you bring them here?’

Continued incitement, most particularly by Jews, from Israel and abroad, is the best recipe for more spilled Jewish blood. They care not one iota about Jewish Lives.

But others do care. And we’ll do anything and everything necessary, not only to proclaim in words, but also to express in actions, that Jewish Lives Do Matter.

This is why we will continue to live in Ofra and Shiloh, Beit El and Beit Hagai, Hebron and Jerusalem.  For were we to flee as a result of the incitement and terror, we would be admitting that in all actuality our lives mean nothing, that we have no values, no ideals and no faith or inner strength. 

The fact that we stay is really the best expression of Jewish Lives Matter.