Lee Diamond – Sarona and Orlando Revisited
Are we really forever to be condemned to be:
עם לבדו ישכון
“An Isolated Nation you shall be ; not to dwell amongst the nations!!”
Why are we to be isolated?
Why can’t we dwell amongst the nations of the world?
Is this our fate?
Is this a punishment for our wrongdoings? Our transgressions ?
Our experience has been varied.
Sometimes accepted; sometimes excluded;
Sometimes given open access and suddenly accused
Sometimes seeking full acceptance and denying that we are different
And then
A slip of the tongue
“He Jewed me down”
Or
“He’s a cheap Jew”
From the mouth of a non-Jewish relative
“Oh I didn’t mean you”!
“I’m not anti Semitic
It’s Israel’s behavior
Immoral, unjust
Occupier
Demanding ”
“I’m anti Israel, not anti Semitic”
“Sarona is Israel’s own fault
It’s their evil stubborn occupation””
No tears for Sarona!
the White House wasn’t lit up in blue and white
But we mourned for Orlando
We shed our tears for the 49 innocents
We know terror
We live it daily
We grieve your grief Orlando
And yours America
We belong to your world
For us Sarona and Orlando are the same.
Do you, grieve our Sarona, America?
Or is it a one way street
Are we alone as the prophet declared above : עם לבדו ישכון
“You’ll dwell alone ”
I remind you that your terrorists
Are our terrorists
Yours murderer is like ours too
Your enemy is our enemy
Your loss is as deep as ours
Your insecurity is ours as well
We are trying to avoid the curse
Of being unaccepted
Yet proud to be Jews
And demanding the best of ourselves
And proud to live in the same world with you
We know the secret of surviving
Despite the curse.
You too may have something to learn from us!
