I am a Jew.
Those have been the words of the Jewish people for three millennia.
Those were the words of the men, women and children of Masada.
Those were the words of the followers of Bar Kochba.
Those were the words of Jews in Granada in 1066 and the Rhineland in 1096 and Khmelnytsky from 1648-1657 and Kishinev in 1903, in Hebron in 1929.
Those were the words of Jews in Auschwitz and Treblinka.
Those were the words of Daniel Pearl.
Those are my words, too.
They are the words of my parents, my wife, my children.
Over the weekend, my people were attacked. Murdered. Mutilated. Our women raped. Our children were kidnapped.
This has happened millions of times before, to millions of Jews. Jew-hatred exists because evil exists. Because there are people who have, for all of human history, hated the Jews and sought to strike at them while they are weak. Who have blamed the Jews for their own problems, who have crafted complex conspiracy theories about the supposed power of the Jews, who have sought to destroy the Jews.
From Pharoah to Haman. From Hitler to Hamas.
The words of the Nazis are indistinguishable from the words of the Hamas charter. The chain is unbroken. And for two millennia, since the destruction of the last Jewish dynasty in the holy land of Israel, those Jew-haters were ascendant.
No longer. That is the promise of the State of Israel.
Never again.
The Jews will not stand by and be murdered. They will not leave their Biblical homeland. They will not surrender. They will be strong and courageous, as Joshua said three thousand years ago.
Israel is indispensable. Its presence is a miracle, its strength a gift.
Thank God for the State of Israel.
There are those who say that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism. Tell that to the dead women and children in Sderot. Tell that to Hamas, who proclaim in their charter: “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.”
There are those who say that the Israeli-Arab conflict is a “cycle of violence.” Only the morally blind and obtuse could ever say such a thing.
Look at the videos. Look at the pictures.
That is what evil looks like.
LOOK.
Look, because this is what moral equivalence brings. Rape of women. Kidnapping of children. Murder of hundreds of innocents, including full families.
For decades, we’ve been told that to look evil in its face was somehow unsophisticated. That to pretend evil away was an act of intellectual virtue. That to cater to evil, to concede to evil, was the pathway toward a better world. It was all a damned lie.
LOOK.
There are those who proclaim the complexity of it all. Those people are fools. What’s worse, they are enablers of evil, fellow travelers, justifiers of the worst human rights violations on the planet, from targeting civilians to hiding behind them.
Do not turn away.
LOOK.
This was the worst week for Jews since the Holocaust.
Do not turn away.
LOOK.
Look it in the face. I know that you will. I know you will because I am a Jew, and because I am an American.
Americans love justice. Americans love good. Americans resonate to the book of Psalms, that says, “Hate evil, those who love the Lord.”
Hate evil. And fight it. Americans always have, and they always will.
I know we will.
Ben Shapiro, 39, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+. He is a three-time New York Times bestselling author; his latest book is “The Authoritarian Moment: How The Left Weaponized America’s Institutions Against Dissent.”
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Great article Mr.Shapiro, Well Done ! The spirit of respect for human dignity, the spirit of respect for the will of God, and the idea that people need to take a stand to defend all that is right and good — at all times . You made these matters clear in this profound writing . This article should be appreciated by Jewish ,and non- Jewish people , it is at the foundation of so much that gives a sense of purpose to life , and for developing a code of conduct to accompany that sense of purpose. In the spirit of God Bless America , land of the free and the home of the brave , Let Liberty be the watchword. What you wrote at the end of the article is a great bit of guidance — remembering the Psalm — ” Hate evil, those who love the Lord .” To love justice and love what is good. ” I Am A Jew ” is something that provides a large part of what the mission for freedom loving people everywhere should value , should love and honor.
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May Almighty God go before Israel and be their defender, their guide and their God. To God be the glory.
“5… 6… 7… 8. Israel’s a terror state” I’m watching this now on Fox. This is the lame chant by these s-heads in an American college, schooled in hate. Yeah let’s make sure their student loans are paid off. The more I keep hearing from the left, and that includes some Democrats, the more I despise them. And they call parents at school board meetings “Nazis”? Here I thought anti-Israeli (and Jewish) backlash would at least wait until videos of dead Gaza residents. Guess they refuse to wait to show their hate. But then look at the source. They’re so busy calling everyone racist, misogynist, or anti-semitic they forget to look within themselves at who THEY ARE!
The Jews ARE God’s Chosen People! That’s what I believe as a Christian!
At times like these, we are all Jews. If you think the jihadists wouldn’t destroy your family if they could, you’re not listening.
You, sir, are a good man. God Bless you.
I am with you The sad reality is that should Jew be given a piece of an uncultivated land he’d turn it into a garden while his palestinian neighbor would turn the garden into a desert
Ben Shapiro you are a world class journalist, calling out ignorance and Progressive lies.
God Bless you.
As a non-Jew, all I can say is I am so sorry that this has to happen yet again…As a non-Jew I pledge my alliance to you and your people to live free and without persecution …The animals that attacked last week are nothing more than crazed Satan owned demons and I pray they will never see the kingdom they believe is waiting for them…they will burn in Hell for eternity where “gnashing of teeth” will be their only remedy for the eternal agony they will experience…
Well done article. The Jewish people are indeed God’s chosen people and for that, they have a target on their backs from the evil one, the destroyer. It will continue to happen until Yeshua comes back as the Messiah King to slay the ungodly ones with a two-edged sword out of His mouth. May God bless His people, may His face shine on them and may He give them His peace. We gentiles will continue to pray for Israel, to stand for them, and to support them in any way we can. I cannot imagine such evil, but we are seeing it in real time, and I bind and rebuke the enemy who is trying to take them down. Our sovereign God is on their side and will continue to watch over them. God help them in their pain and anguish.
AMEN!
I am a Christian and I could not be so without the nation of Israel and The Jewish people. I pray to an all powerful and lovingGod for a swift end and that his mercy be extended to all involved in this war.
I would like to comment that I am Italian and I have the upmost respect for Jewish people. you are smart, hardworking, don’t take from anyone, stand together, are family oriented. after the holocost Jewish people picked themselves up and didn’t go around complaining or expecting anything free from anyone!. I have lived around Jewish people, worked with them and as I said respect them! all these ridiculous haters of your race should be ashamed of themselves.. they are jealous of you, they are insecure and just whine! you are in my prayers and many people have your back!
As with the other commenters, I support the Jews in their chosen land. I support their fight against the ruthless killers who stalk them, even after centuries. I can’t listen to Shapiro, he talks too fast for me to keep up, but his writing is superb.
WELL PUT! I FOUND THE FOLLOWING MOST APPROPRIATE: “For decades, we’ve been told that to look evil in its face was somehow unsophisticated. That to pretend evil away was an act of intellectual virtue. That to cater to evil, to concede to evil, was the pathway toward a better world. It was all a damned lie”
AMERICANS LOVE JUSTICE, WE WANT THE GOOD GUYS TO WIN. THIS IS ONE INSTANCE WHERE THE GOOD GUYS ARE APPARENT, BLACK vs. WHITE. ISRAEL IS TO BE SUPPORTED IN EVERY WAY!
Thank you Mr.Shapiro for your direct and honest writing concerning the sad yet not totally unexpected happenings in the Israel/Gaza conflict. May God be with each of us as we lend our aid to our fellow men, women, and children during this struggle. “I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” Ps.91:1
There never as a nation of Palestine. These so called refuges were sent out of their home countries such as Jordan, Egypt and other nations of Mid East despots because they were the poor and uneducated. They landed in an area called Palestine so are now “Palestinians.” ISRAEL GAVE GAZA TO THEM OVER 10 YEARS AGO. They had land and self-government even after turning down t least 6 peace offers. Did they work hard to make it flourish, to make their desert bloom? NO! Instead they elected first Arafat the Egyptian (who got very rich by taking the monies donated to help them) and then Hamas who also uses them as scapegoats, using them as human shields and keeping the monies to buy weapons. But of course, because the Jews brought their tiny strip of desert to life and made their nation prosper, the Palestinians now want it all. Doesn’t matter how they get it nor what they will do with it.
Salvation is from the Jews. My family and I stand with the Lord God of Israel and the apple of His eye forever! Love you Ben
To those who have turned a blind eye and to those anti-semetic members of congress who continue to lie and deceive others about the truth, ISRAEL WILL PREVAIL!!! The evil that has been witnessed cannot be denied…Slaughtering more than 1000 innocent men, women and children.. Cutting of heads of babies…Killing parents in front of their children and children in front of their parents is as bad as the nazis. These hamas barbarians deserve no mercy, will get no mercy and their deaths should be as slow and painful as possible. I hope they get their 20 virgins in hell. For those misguided Americans, especially students who are protesting, they deserve the scorn and any negative response from potential employers and will have to live with the consequences that will come their way. Hopefully, they will never have to suffer any similar barbaric slaughter of their friends and family. Thank You, Mr Shapiro. Your words are powerful and with eye opening examples of the past remind us of the hatred embedded in history.
I grieve for the Jewish people. For those of you not of the Jewish faith but of a faith other than Islam, keep watch. You’re next.
May God be with the Israeli nation. A gentile.
So……both “sides” should stop with the killing. I know the two sides have “been at it” for centuries and that conflict virtually defines both sides but if you are going to keep slaughtering yourselves can you please tell the US you no longer need my tax dollars to continue with your madness? Im sick of your sickness