10 LESSONS FOR A BETTER 2024 - OPINION

By MARTIN OLIVER JANUARY 2, 2024 04:40

A PROTEST takes place against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appearance at the UN General Assembly in New York City, in September. Israelis and Diaspora Jews fought too much internally, until our enemies reminded us that we have no choice but to remain united, says the writer. (photo credit: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

The year is finally over. We are entering the year 2024, which, although we hope things will be better for Israel and Jews, could still get worse if the wrong decisions are made.

In the Megilla tract of the Talmud, Abayei states that the reason we read about the curse of the Jews before Rosh Hashanah is because the curse will disappear in the coming year.

Departing from 2023, the worst calendar year for Israel and Jews since the Holocaust, shows the wisdom of the Talmudic sages.

That year saw many internal battles between Israelis and diaspora Jews, and our enemies reminded us, as they have throughout history, that we just need to unite.

Israeli and American Jewish leaders were shocked to discover a terrible danger bubbling beneath the surface that they had long ignored, with disastrous results, in that year.

In that year, Hamas and other antisemitic groups in the United States and around the world stopped hiding their genocidal plans and proudly and shamelessly revealed them.

Now that year is finally over and we are entering a year that, although we hope things will go better for Israel and the Jewish people, things can still get worse if the wrong decisions are made.

To have a better 2024, you should learn the following ten things:

1.      Our enemies are very serious about what they say:

 Hamas leaders tell sympathetic international media that they want to start more on October 7 until Israel is destroyed. Over the past few years, three Israeli prime ministers have believed that Hamas wants to work with Israel to help Gaza economically. As a result, they allowed billions of Qataris into Hamas and increased the number of Gaza workers entering Israel. From now on, we will act based on what our enemies do and say, not our own dreams.

2.      Destroying Hezbollah with steroids to prevent Hezbollah's firebombing on October  7:

Forced Hamas to act under pressure, preventing a massacre inside Israel and keeping the country at war for three months. Imagine what Hezbollah could do with 150,000 missiles and rockets, including guided missiles ready to strike Israel's most sensitive military and civilian targets, if they did not have precision-guided missiles targeting Israel. To end the existential threat to Israel, it is necessary to eliminate Hezbollah or destroy its missiles when they are already weak from war. Effective sanctions against Iran will help prevent Hezbollah and Hamas from attacking Israel again. Jewish organizations should put pressure on the world for economic sanctions against Iran, which is an adversary that funds Houthi and other attacks against the US. 

3.      Reconstruction conditions related to "reconstruction education":

Everyone in the world hopes that Gaza will be rebuilt in the coming year. However, Israel must not allow reconstruction to take place without parallel educational reconstruction. Israel must use its military might to ensure that the curriculum is taught to the people of Gaza with a culture of peace and tolerance, which is the basis of the Abrahamic Accords. UNRWA's previous failures, which taught Gaza's children to hate Jews and worship martyrs, cannot be allowed to repeat themselves when Gaza's children return to school after the war.

4.      Preparations to end anti-Semitism policies on campus:

There is finally momentum to end discriminatory policies that have harmed Jewish students for decades because of the shameful antisemitism shown by the presidents of three of America's leading universities. The time has come to abolish the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program on campus that has spiraled out of control and encouraged antisemitism. While other bigotry is not justified, antisemitism is. For the next year, leading Jewish organizations in the United States should use the restoration of meritocracy in higher education as their strategic cornerstone. Unfavorable events that occurred after October 7th have revealed their previous failures.

5.      Stopping Qatar from controlling policy and choosing professors in the US:

While the antisemitic phrase about Jews controlling universities with money is false, the accusation is actually true against Qatar, which annually gives Hamas hundreds of millions and allocates billions to leading universities in the United States. Where my grandson bravely fought for Israel, Cornell University secured $1.8 billion to establish a medical school in Qatar. Qatar uses its money to control the policies of high schools and teachers who teach students the story of the Middle East. The federal government must urgently change the system before it is too late by abolishing faculty tenure.

6.      Zero tolerance for hostage-taking of our cities:

Pro-Hamas demonstrations in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago have been greeted with kid gloves, as if antisemitism were a legitimate excuse to cripple the largest cities in the United States. They began after the tolerance for theft in downtown stores increased. The masked criminals who shut down highways near our airports must be caught and punished decisively before they become role models for uninformed college kids who attend pro-Hamas demonstrations on campus without knowing where the rivers and seas are. If decisive action is not taken immediately, anti-Semitic protests will spread throughout the United States.

7.      Do not accept Israel as a reason to hate Jews.

Although open hatred of Jews has always existed in America from both the periphery and beyond, traditional Judeo-Christian principles have always influenced America. Now, antisemitism is shamelessly becoming popular, with Israel being used as an excuse. Antisemitism is not an excuse for Israel; it is merely a symptom. It was held for 75 years after the Holocaust, but no longer. According to the IHRA, one definition of antisemitism is holding the typical Jew in America responsible for Israel's policies. This is no longer considered socially acceptable. We are at a crossroads that could end the Jewish faith in the United States unless immediate action is taken.

8.      Teach America about the dangers of antisemitism :

Antisemitism has existed since Abraham, the first Jew, was burned by Nimrod; in addition, Esau hated his brother Jacob. Google searches for the words "kill Jews" increased by 1,800%, "Hitler was right" increased by 120%, and "why Jews are bad" increased by 450%. American children should be educated about the threat of the oldest and most common type of discrimination in the country. Although antisemitism cannot be completely eliminated, it can be overcome in an effective and persistent way. This will allow us to practically draw lessons from the Holocaust. This can help prevent hatred of Jews before children start attending college.

9.      Make Israeli education the basis for bar-mitzvahs :

Jewish students arrive on campuses barely prepared to defend Israel and fight antisemitism. We must be aware of the dangers of college campuses, just as we avoid schooling our children in dangerous neighborhoods downtown. Prior to Israel's birthright, Israeli education was to be mandatory for bar and bat-mitzvah students in every religious stream in the United States, from Reform to Haredi, from Los Angeles to Lawrence to Lakewood. An inspiring Israeli education should be a prerequisite for a party in most reform and Conservative synagogues, where the influence on children to know who they are ends with their party at the age of thirteen.

10.  Improve Jewish education in Israel as well :

It is true that more Torah is studied in Israel than in the past, but more and more Jews are learning less than ever before.

The atrocities that occurred on October 7 must be what spurred the revival of the Jewish people because they did not discriminate between the most pious Jews in Israel and the secular Jews. Israelis who don't know much about Torah Judaism should find out why being Jewish is a reason to live, too. Secular education should offer a non-coercive and inspiring education, and secular communities throughout Israel should provide entertaining adult education programs.

If these lessons are learned and applied, 2024 will probably be noted as the year in which good begins and evil ends.

This author is a member of the Jewish Agency Committee, Chairman of the Religious Zionists of America, Chairman of the Center for Righteousness and Integrity, and President of the Culture for Peace Institute. Martinoliner@gmail.com was his personal email address after he was appointed a member of the US Holocaust Memorial Board by former US President Donald Trump. Media Sources:

News Sources : ( https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-780349 )