"The first photo shows my grandchildren hiding from Russian terrorists' missiles in Kyiv region in the first days of the terrible invasion of Ukraine.

Later, together with thousands of people, we evacuated them to Israel and Europe.

In the second photo, the same people are hiding from Hamas terrorists' missiles.

Two different parts of the world, but such a common pain and struggle... My heart breaks to see these faces, but I believe that the light of truth and faith will help us to go through these challenges

I pray to the Almighty to bring down his anger and fury on all those involved in the terror of civilians!"

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[–] [email protected] 86 points 1 year ago (5 children)

While yes this is sad, you had to have known and expected that Israel was a potentially dangerous place. This just happens to be the largest attack in recent times

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I heard he went to North Korea next

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Then to Taiwan

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yemen

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Afghanistan

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'm full of compassion for him and his family. But as an important religious figure, publicly saying that you pray for the fury and anger of your God to go down on your enemies is awful. I understand the sentiment. I understand the anger, I do. But praying for something negative to happen - especially when you are supposed to lead other people - cannot be the right way to go.

Pray for the war to end. Pray for peace. Pray for Hamas to understand their wrongdoings. Pray for the terrorists to realize what they are doing. Pray for them to stop and beg forgiveness. If you want, pray for God to judge them. But praying for violence isn't what prayer should be used for.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (4 children)

But as an important religious figure, publicly saying that you pray for the fury and anger of your God to go down on your enemies is awful

Have you read the old testament?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Some Jews are now openly talking about forcing a destitute and oppressed people to wander into exile. At least initially, through the Egyptian Desert.

And don't see the irony at all.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I know what you mean. But that should be the distinction between religious extremists and "mainstream" religious leaders, shouldn't it? Extremists tend/can promote the negative, brutal, violent parts of their scripture. The modern-moderate mainstream approach is usually to focus on the unifying, loving, connecting, forgiving aspect. And this is why his statement pisses me off so much. Being the representative of the Jewish community in Ukraine, speaking for/to this community, advocating the violent aspects of your religion's scripture is an awful move.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Shh we don't do that one or talk about it anymore! /S

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

You mean the book where Israel frequently gets attacked by outside forces as a means of punishment from God? The book where God exiles the Israelites to a foreign land because of their extreme sin?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Jewish fundamentalists are radical extremists. This sort of rhetoric isn't rare coming out from this community, nor is it ever frowned upon. They get away with it for obvious reasons.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 year ago (4 children)

So they escaped russian occupation of Ukraine to Israel-occupied Palestine. Some irony.

[+] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (4 children)

[deleted]

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It’s my understanding the British put these two peoples in

It was more the Americans - factions within Britain warned that this would be an untenable situation.

an impossible situation

And there's the rub. There are no considerations where land appropriated by the west from a (non-Russian, non-German) current population for a long-since displaced population as some sort of reparation for Russian and German aggression will somehow come to a stable peace.

All that said, the actions of Israel in isolating Palestinians into a ghetto where control is by fiat and without any consideration for self-determination and independence is not just ironic but also a source of constant and mounting friction and discontent within the repressed population. There may not be a way to resolve the condition, but the current attitude by Israel is actively aggravating it.

Note: I'm a second generation descendent of Russian Jews. I still see the entire Israeli/Palestinian condition as untenable.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

one side has power and the other side does not. it's a bit disingenuous to blame both sides. Israel could have just divested all interest in the Palestinian lands. left them to it. It would have not been any different except the people of Gaza would be able to blame Hamas for their issues rather than Israel.

One suspects that Israel benefits from keeping the wounds open. unfortunately it is a reason to continue to take land.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Power but not choice. Where would they go?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Israel does.not necessarily need to go anywhere.

they do need to stop messing in Gaza.

remove their illegal settlements.

would be nice if they could stop committing ethnic cleansing

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Two States is the only real solution, and Israel has increasingly been making that solution impossible by continuing to support and expand settlements in West Bank and elsewhere.

Frankly, settlements in the West Bank have to be entirely destroyed. Hamas has to be destroyed, too.

But Israel isn't sincere about peace, and its continual encroachment on Palestinian lands proves it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Parts?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

It’s my understanding the British put these two peoples in an impossible situation when they drew imaginary borders.

Kind of, they did put borders in though. Israel has repeatedly invaded further land, so it's definitely their fault at this point.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago

Terrible and tragic. No one should have to endure such terror and trauma, especially children. I wish humans could stop being sadistic, petty, violent animals and work together to solve disagreements and compromise in nonviolent ways. I know it's a naive ideal, but surely it's a better goal to work towards than... well, this.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

Better move to Yemen next.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Bad Luck Brian

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sounds like that guy that was able to get away from Hiroshima, and fled to ... Nagasaki

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Should've just staid put. It's not like they're going to nuke the same city!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (4 children)

If I prayed, I'd do so for them. May they be able to tell this story to their grandchildren

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[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I remember pleading to my friend not to move to Israel due to the danger of living there. This was 14 years ago. This man has no excuse, he has decades of precedent to go off.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I know Jews who've moved to Canada years ago and are booking flights back to Israel to help out however they can.

Some anonymous guy at JFK paid for the flights of 250 Jews who got called to return to the IDF.

The excuse is that it's their home. They will give their lives to ensure it survives. It's the homeland to every Jewish person on this planet and as you note, there's decades (Millenia in fact) of history written in blood showing just how important that strip of desert is to the survival of the Jewish people.

I don't know what called your friend over there, I assume he's a Jew as well and if so that might actually be all there is to it.

I hope your friend is doing alright. Hope you are too.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (7 children)

there's decades (Millenia in fact) of history written in blood showing just how important that strip of desert is to the survival of the Jewish people

There's history showing how much they want that strip of desert but I'm not sure there's any history showing that strip of desert is important to their survival. Unless you have something more to share?

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[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago

That's not the point of my comment. People are well within their right to move to Israel and join the armed forces and sacrifice their life for their cause. However this man moved his children away from one war zone to another war zone, and posts pictures trying to elicit sympathy. I brought up my friend to illustrate the point that Israel has always been known to be a dangerous area. My only guess is that the logistics of moving to Israel was simpler for him than the other options.