If you’re a parent of a British six-year-old Jewish student who is called a “baby killer” by her classmates, shouldn’t that be enough evidence that your child has no future in that school or, for that matter, in a country where such outrageous bigotry is clearly expressed in the home?
Or what about a Jewish New York City resident who must confront the deeply troubling statistic that 55% of confirmed hate crimes in their city are antisemitic?
Perhaps, you’re a Jewish Canadian business owner. What happens when your Toronto restaurant is shot up for the second time? Would that be enough to make you realize that it’s too dangerous to continue your livelihood there?
Then there’s Europe, where thousands of antisemitic incidents have been recorded, sometimes several times a day, in cities such as Berlin, London, Manchester, Amsterdam, and Antwerp – necessitating the need for armed soldiers to be deployed, just to guarantee the safety of their Jewish communities.
Does the thought of living with vandalism, arson, bomb threats, and the general anti-Jewish atmosphere serve as a loud and clear message that Jews are no longer wanted in these continents?
Of course, it wasn’t that long ago that Sydney became Ground Zero for a mass attack against 1,000 Jews, trying to observe a Hanukkah lighting ceremony at Bondi Beach. In the end, two Islamic State-inspired gunmen successfully killed 15 people – 11 men, 3 women, and a 10-year-old girl. Would that be the final nail in the coffin for you to conclude that Down Under is not a safe place for a Jew?
Is it time for Jews to leave?
All of these disturbing and deadly incidents, which have been systematically perpetrated on the Jewish community after the most horrific of all attacks since the Holocaust, should alert every Jew living outside of Israel that a threshold has been reached, causing them to realize that their departure should be imminent.
Sadly, the tipoff came pretty quickly. Because the moment that the response to a gruesome and barbaric attack was to blame Jews for having instigated what took place, that was the time to figure out that moral clarity was no longer at work.
Whether temporarily or permanently, it had taken a leave of absence from individuals who should have normally felt compassion, disbelief, horror, disgust, and all of the other human emotions that distinguish demons from those whose hearts were created in the image of God.
But, instead, as the cruel and unimaginable details were revealed, none of them made any difference to a public that either needed very little to be convinced that Jews are the villains, or who always felt that way, but now had their opportune moment to freely express those hidden, shocking sentiments.
Although there was continued hope that the eyes of people would be opened, to see how they were being cleverly manipulated by a well-coordinated media that was doing the bidding for bloodthirsty terrorists, with every fresh attack or angry shout, those hopes were instantly dashed.
NONETHELESS, JEWS throughout the world persisted in believing that this was a passing phase that would disappear as mysteriously as it had emerged. All they needed was to wait it out, and everything would return to the way things were. Not only didn’t that happen, but the intensity has actually escalated, providing all the proof that is needed to understand that the world has gone mad, yet again.
Perhaps the last great hope was to believe that honest and sincere leaders would rise to the forefront to challenge their followers as to how widespread the depravity has become, invading every crevice of society.
And while there are those few voices, such as Douglas Murray, Mosab Hassan Yousef, Yoseph Hadad, John Fetterman, Patricia Heaton, Dr. Phil, and several other prominent individuals, there are not enough of them to hold back the floodgates of Jewish hatred that are trying to overtake the planet.
For anyone who thinks that an Israel at war with Iran and Hezbollah is even riskier than remaining in their dangerous cities, they should know that fighting a distant enemy is not the same as battling a pervasive, toxic atmosphere that surrounds them day and night.
It is not the same as having your neighbors and societal institutions turn bitterly against you, wondering whether or not your family or business will remain safe, simply because of your ethnic identity.
Israel is the one place where a Jew can freely express their culture, holidays, and peoplehood, without fear of persecution or backlash. It is the home meant to absorb us as we are. And as sad as it is to think that the nations are no longer the safe havens that were always taken for granted, it did serve the purpose of providing prosperity and upward mobility in many cases.
The superior education, multiple advantages of every kind, and endless opportunities, which came with living in developed Western societies, are the pluses that Jews are able to take with them when they finally return to their ancestral land of origin.
While they may lack the language and other important assets, they will be looked upon as those who can enhance Israeli society by their know-how and invaluable skills.
Native-born Israelis will warmly welcome them as they help to build the type of free and pluralistic country that we need to be. This will prove to the world that even though Jews are vastly different from one another, they are still able to come together as one, knowing that we are stronger when we pool our resources against the forces of evil who seek to annihilate us.
In time, they will realize that making the move was not the scary and fearsome experience they thought it would be. Just knowing that they are surrounded by like-minded people who see the world similarly will help to put them at ease, as they transition to a better way of life.
Jews need not wait until things are so bad that they have exhausted all of their options. Better to come while there’s still time to bring your assets than be forced to flee in the night, as many had to do.
It’s time to come home to your people who are waiting to warmly welcome you!
The writer is a former Jerusalem elementary and middle school principal. She is also the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, available on Amazon, based on the time-tested wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs.