The artist intensely scrutinized the monarch’s face. I recall the story of the king who commissioned a portrait painter. So, Israel’s record of sending aid in disaster situations? What would you call that - “compassion-washing”? Those who celebrate Israeli cuisine are accused of “dishwashing.” (Really). In a similar vein, discussion about Israelis who work on protecting the environment is ridiculed as “greenwashing.” The list goes on. A delegation of 70 men and women of the IDF came to help in relief efforts.Īnd, yes, of course - Haiti, and now, Surfside.īut for Israel’s perennial critics - for those who engage in the moral aerobics of finding every flaw in the Jewish state - these stories elicit snickers and/or yawns.Ĭonsider the words of Ethan Felson in his essay, “When Progressives Meet Israel,” in Menachem Creditor’s new collection of essays, “ Fault Lines: Exploring the complicated place of Progressive American Zionism.” The book is simply amazing (full disclosure: the volume contains my essay on Jewish “wokeness”).Ī perennial critique of those who show a softer side of Israelis is that we are “_-washing.” The trend started with the infamous lie about “pinkwashing”: the myth that friends of Israel promote its inclusive policies for LGBTQ people only to distract people from their oppression of the Palestinians. An IDF Home Front Command delegation arrived to help with the relief effort, and they were able to rescue 78 people from the debris. Israel sent a team of 80 search and rescue personnel to assist with the rescue efforts. They were able to rescue three survivors.Īugust, 2005, New Orleans, Louisiana. An Israel Defense Forces task force of 170 people, including search and rescue teams and medical experts, came to the scene. Israelis were on the scene almost immediately.Īugust, 1998: Nairobi, Kenya. Hezbollah orchestrated the terror attack on the AMIA Building, the headquarters of the Jewish community, claiming 85 lives. The IDF sent a delegation of medical and search and rescue teams, consisting of 350 reservists. Four earthquakes took more than 10,000 lives. They helped the survivors and gave them necessary medical treatment. Israeli Navy ships were participating in an exercise in the area. An earthquake claimed more than 1,000 lives. We must mention, as well, the extraordinary efforts of Mexico and its own Jewish community in helping to find survivors.Ĭonsider a short history of Israel’s presence in the world.Īugust, 1953: Ionian Islands, Greece. United Hatzalah in cooperation with El Al will also be sending a team from its Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit to assist victims of the condo collapse. Over the past few days, I have replayed that scene over and over in my mind.Īlmost immediately after the horrific collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, members of the Homefront Command of the Israel Defense Forces were on their way to the site to help with search and rescue efforts. “Thank you for what your people have done.” “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he said to me in a whisper. By the time he was done, I was ready to invite him to address a Federation event. He regaled me with anecdotes about the Israeli medical personnel and first responders who had come to Haiti to help. With this, he launched into a monologue of praise - for Israel. He proudly showed me photographs of his team at work.Ī few minutes later, he asked me: “So, what do you do?” We got to talking, and he told me he had just gotten back from Haiti, where he had been part of an American medical team that had been delivering aid to the then-earthquake stricken island nation. (RNS) - A little more than 10 years ago, I was traveling on an airplane, sitting next to a man who was wearing a uniform.
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