Purim 2012

Purim is a festive holiday in Israel. For the kids and some adults, it means going to school or work dressed up in a costume. One drives down the road on Purim and sees kids wandering to school looking like policeman, super heroes, draculas, devils, etc. Its very entertaining and probably the closest thing we have to Halloween. We even give each other gifts and food .. but then all Jewish festivals involve food!

So that is what modern day Israel has made of Purim. But what's it really about? The religious festival that Purim is based on the book of Esther from the old testament. Yes, I had to look it up on 'Wikipedia'! It tells the story of a Jewish girl named Esther, who became queen of Persia and thwarted a plan to commit genocide against her people in about 486-465 BCE. So Purim basically commemorates the victory of the Jews over adversity, in that case Persia's evil strongman Haman, whose plan was to exterminate all the Jews .. the entire Nation of Israel.

So here we are again ... almost 2500 years later and we find ourselves in a similar situation. Israel finds itself surrounded by modern day "Hamans", otherwise known as Hamas, Hezbollah and today's evil Iranian regime with its ruthless dictator. All these 'Hamans' openly call for the destruction of Israel. Iran is even ignoring international pressure and continuing to push to gain nuclear arms capability.

I guess the question is - will history repeat itself? Will Israel have to defend itself against a threat? The world is applying sanctions and dithering about - having almost no apparent influence on the Iranian regime. I wonder if the USA would be so calm about the situation if Mexico was developing nuclear arms and threatening to destroy them. I guess a pre-emptive strike would be ok then?

I grew up in a place where everything was ordered and calm. I understand how many people in the West live everyday without any threat of chaos or destruction. There is no-one threatening you. No need to look over ones shoulder. That is how it should be. Unfortunately in Israel, we face a different reality. We have many crazy neighbours who cover up their own failed states by misdirecting their people's attention with hate and aggression. Personally, I don't believe the people themselves have a problem with us ... thorough propaganda has done its work. Most people just want to live and work in peace.

I know the world will not understand if Israel carries out a pre-emptive strike on Iran, but that is irrelevant. We exist in a different reality here. Israel is a modern state with its own share of internal problems. We do not want to attack Iran, but we appreciate the threat of a mad man with a nuclear weapon - it is very real. It is not some movie plot. Yes, the Arab world will hate us even more. So what's new? They failed to sort it out between themselves and we cannot afford to sit back and wait to see if he will pushes the button. Jews put saving life before all else. Happy Purim everyone!