The Chain of Events That Killed Khamenei
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When evil stares you in the face, will you recognize it?
A just-released survey shows that 83% of Jewish Israelis support Israel’s strike against Iran. (As opposed to 86% of Arab Israelis who are against it.) The chronically contentious Jews of Israel, after a year of fractious infighting and protests against the government of Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, are suddenly solidly united behind the attack he ordered and is leading. Why?
For years Netanyahu has proclaimed: “When someone says he wants to destroy you, believe him.” Netanyahu is the son of a historian, and 20th century history proved that Hitler’s threats against the Jews, clearly stated in his book Mein Kampf, should have been heeded when he assumed power in Germany in 1933. Iran, like Nazi Germany, is an existential threat.
However, Israel’s current unified perspective is coming from a much deeper place.
The insistence that evil regimes can be tamed into doing what is good for their own people, let alone the world, comes from a denial of the reality of evil.
An American pollster once told me that it takes just one question to determine how people being polled will answer all other political questions. Respondents are asked to identify which of two statements they consider more accurate:
1. With the right education and dialogue, everyone can get along.
Or
2. There are bad people in the world who need to be stopped.
The Jews of Israel have been almost evenly divided between these two worldviews, with the Oslo Accords propelled by the first view and the current government elected by those who espouse the second view.
Because Jews believe that human beings are created in the image of God, Jews are hardwired to believe in innate human goodness. The barbaric massacre of October 7 was like the direct hit of a ballistic missile whose force thrust the Jews of Israel into a new cognitive territory: the forced recognition of the existence of evil.
Judaism teaches that both good and evil exist. Both come from the one God, who allows evil to exist because without it human free will to choose between right and wrong, good and evil, would be meaningless. Free will is a core Jewish tenet.
Yet, as the Book of Exodus attests in its description of Pharaoh, a human being can choose evil so consistently that their free will shrivels into addictive behavior. They cannot stop even when their position is clearly leading to their own downfall. Even as his nation was being decimated by the ten plagues, the Pharaoh persisted in continuing to enslave the Israelites.
The most glaring modern example of this mindset is Nazi Germany in the last year of World War II. Germany was losing the war, but it diverted vital resources from its military campaign into its frenzy to murder the Jews of Hungary. Consistent evil choices create evil people.
A chilling story in Elie Wiesel’s autobiography reveals how good people find it hard to admit the existence of evil even when it is staring them in the face.
In April, 1944, the Germans were tightening their stranglehold on the 900,000 Jews of Hungary. Some 90% of Poland’s Jews were already dead. Some escapees from the death camps had made their way to Hungary and tried to warn the Jews there of the horrifying, systematic murder taking place just over the border. The Jews of young Elie Wiesel’s town did not want to hear about it.
As he wrote: “What about the rumors of atrocities, of the savagery of Nazism? Exaggerations. Propaganda. ‘It’s just like World War I,’ the older people said. ‘We’ve been fed lies. The people of Goethe and Schiller cannot sink to barbarism.’”
In May, Hungarian Jews started to be loaded onto cattle cars for what the Germans promised were labor camps in the interior of the country “where families would be kept together.” The Wiesels’ Catholic maid Maria offered to hide their family in a remote cabin she had prepared for them in the mountains. They had a family meeting around the kitchen table. Despite Maria’s tearful appeal to follow her, they decided to reject her offer. They simply could not believe the fate that awaited them.
Psychologists explain that people gage the behavior of others based on what they themselves are capable of in the same circumstances. The Jews throughout history had it rough when confronting pure evil.
The tyranny and barbarity of the Islamic Republic of Iran is incontestable. The 2022 arrest by Iran’s “morality police” of Mahsa Amini for not sufficiently covering her hair and her subsequent murder in custody led to protests in which dozens of protestors were killed by the police. According to a 2008 British WikiLeaks document, Iran’s regime has executed between 4,000-6,000 gays and lesbians since the country’s 1979 Islamic revolution.
Yet many Westerners who cherish the values being trampled in Iran cannot bring themselves to label the regime as “evil.” The illusion persists that a negotiated, monitored settlement where Iran promises to destroy its nuclear sites and not resume its nuclear program will solve the problem. Even the Iranian parliament’s chant a couple days ago, “Death to America! Death to Israel” is being ignored for what it is: a clear statement of Iran’s idealogical commitment to destroy America and Israel by any means that work.
Those who today espouse dialogue and negotiations with the Iranian regime probably believe that the pollster’s first proposition is more accurate, that with the right education and dialogue, everyone can get along. However, the insistence that evil dictators and regimes can be tamed into doing what is good for their own people, let alone the world, comes from a denial of the reality of evil.
It is blatantly clear that the Iranian regime is evil, so clear that the vast majority of Israeli Jews, from right to left, stand behind Netanyahu.
It is blatantly clear that the Iranian regime is evil, so clear that the vast majority of Israeli Jews, from right to left, stand behind Netanyahu. Evil cannot be cajoled, convinced, or even threatened to forfeit its destructive designs. Its most vulnerable victims are those who, out of their own goodness, naiveite, or willful blindness, refuse to recognize the monster that seeks to devour them.
Another excellent, honest, truthful essay by
Rebbetzin Rigler.
The Jews have been a useful target throughout history, at the whim of rulers whenever a scapegoat was needed. Jews saw evil and were unable, the majority of instances, to thwart it on their own. It took almost 60 years after Israel's creation to face evil again head on. Now the term "evil" is considered too simplistic to the educated intellectuals who'd rather debate the subject ad nauseum rather than physically confront it. Isreal doesn't have this luxury if it wants to remain a country.
We are generally pre-programmed by our religious & civil leaders toward a certain paradigm of belief. In Judeo/Chr-stianity - we are taught to believe in - the inherent goodness of man - made in G-D's Image & Likeness - & to overlook - make allowances for - find the goodnes in man & forgive men - for mens indiscretions. Showing love - especially - in hard & evil times - will eventually overcome hate & evil. Often pollsters - for whatever their bias be;iefs - know & understand this. Therefore - they ask questions of any given population/social group - that will illicit responses/answers in a preconceived direction. Unfortuneately - historically - this pollyanna approach - hasn't always worked & people have been ortured & died because of it. More below:
In G-D's Written Torah - we were shown by G-D - how to deal with the evil of mankind - fight & destroy it. And we need to be aware that - the satan - does not want to stop the chaos. It wants to completely destroy what G-D Created.
A brilliant and vital piece!
In 1977 I was at a family Seder in Iran. When it came to "Next Year in Jerusalem," we had a discussion. My cousins felt Iran was so good to the Jews, they couldn't ever imagine a time they would leave. Less than 2 years later, they got out with their lives. As we watch Europe became another Islamic republic, it is amazing how quickly the world is giving up their freedom, but remain focused on their Jew hatred and their demonization of Israel. Some people cannot see evil when it is staring them in the face.
Excellent presentation of what should be obvious to the casual observer but clearly has not been. I think you covered the options nicely and could even change the minds people who think the only evil in the world is the existence of Jews. Stay safe.
There can be evil regimes, but that doesn’t make every individual living under such a regime evil. Oskar Schindler was a member of the Nazi party in the 1930’s. The Weisel family’s housekeeper was a good woman, so were Otto Frank’s business partner and secretary. When bombs start falling on evildoers, good people who live in the same vicinity are not necessarily spared.
In any event, Israel has demonstrated its military power. If Israel wishes to purchase weapons from the United States, we can sell them. That doesn’t mean we should be sending US troops into combat on the other side of the world. Just because the mullahs proclaim “Death to America” doesn’t mean that they have the capability of doing so.
Doesn't sound like you've learned the lessons of history.
You seem to imply that Israel is waiting for US troops; in fact, Israel has never expected a foreign army's physical involvement. B"H, we have the Best assistance at our side!
Now that Israel has destroyed much of Iran's nuclear capabilities, it's easy to say that America should have a hands-off policy.
Israel is right not to rely on foreign troops. Foreign troops fight to go home. Israeli fight to stay.
Agreed.
The worst part is when good people are misled by evil leaders and an evil ideology/philosophy/religion to do evil things to other people. Most of the people most of the time who follow evil leaders think of themselves as the good people, and those whom they've been taught to hate as the evil ones.
Unfortunately, some problems cannot be solved by rational dialogue and discussion. Trying to do so is irrational; your life and the lives of those you love is dependent upon your willingness to use violence to protect them against those who have been brainwashed and conditioned to harm you.
A very accurate and interesting piece. I disagree with Ms. Rigler, however, when she says, "Consistent evil choices create evil people." I believe that evil people create consistent evil choices.
Author replies: But what, in your worldview, creates evil people before they make their evil choices?
Egoism.
My understanding is that real evil in the bible was defined as Amalek. It would thus make sense to cite them as part of the second question.
Yes Iran is evil and the US State department classifies them as the #1 terrorist state in the world. Citing this designation may help convince the many who are those opposed to Israel's attack.
Hamas is surely evil in its Covenant and its behavior, and is classified as a terrorist organization by the US, EU and much of the West. But Israel and American Jewry have been reluctant to blame Hamas for its evil war crimes in a public campaign, and we foolishly allow Hamas to successfully blame Israel for genocide and the Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza.
So our job is to publicly blame Iran and Hamas for their evil deeds.
It is wonderful and so spot on. So many Jews are naive and think evil doesn’t exist like this, because they have not experienced it themselves! I know one gal that believes if we all love each other, everyone would get along. So sick and stupid! Thank you for writing and so clearly expressing what evil looks like and how it can’t be ignored!
Powerful! Thank you for sharing these profound insights to make sense of today’s situation in the world.
Well said. Thank you!
100% accurate!
The supreme irony here is that the ayatollahs & their henchmen consider themselves saintly because, as they profess, they want to rid the world of evil – while they themselves are the epitome of evil.
While some of their beliefs are based on precepts that other religions share (for example, that women's immodest attire and homosexuality are abominable to G-d), their arbitrary consideration of how to define and deal with such offences is inscrutable and horrendous.
They make no secret of the fact that they want to take dominion of the world and make fanatic Muslim ideology a universal religion, cv"s.
Yet the world is letting Israel face this evil Iranian regime's nuclear designs on their own. But b"H that we have Divine input, which is the only thing that really matters most!
Well stated. However, the real issue maybe the existence of radical Islam itself. Islam is not a religion in the sense of the relationship between a believer and a deity. Islam is a way of organizing society for perpetual warfare against kaffirs or unbelievers. One may ask why so many of Muhammed's immediate successors as califs were murdered or why did Kuwait kick out all its Palestinians after Yasser Arafat publicly sided with Saddam Hussien's invasion, destruction and ecological destruction of Kuwait (without any Imam's condemnation of this mass destruction of a country that had given Palestinian's a domicile in which they had done quite well).
Sabemos que todo es para bien, pero no todo es bueno. La torá es la referencia de lo que debemos hacer para vivir, es tan vigente como el principio de la creación .
Vemos dos clases de ejércitos uno espiritual y otro físico.
Los que no vamos al frente de guerra elevemos plegarias al Eterno para que en su infinita misericordia nos traiga la redención.
Two thoughts:
1. Evidently evil dictators and their followers didn’t have the correct education
2. The same people have no difficulty finding Jews and Israel to be totally evil - from whence the exception?
Excellent point, your #2!
I don't know any Jews who call for the total destruction of Iran and all its people. That later message of a new holocaust is daily transmitted by many radical Islamic imams.