8 | SEPTEMBER 12 • 2024 

essay

If We Cannot Support Each Other, How
Can We Expect the World’s Support?

W

hy are we chanting “Bring 
them home now” instead 
of “Let our people go?” 
Shouldn’t we be addressing the enemy? 
We all love our hostages, and we 
all desperately want them to return 
home to their families, so why are we 
addressing our own people, instead of 
calling out the murderous terrorists 
who took them? 
We must take pause and question 
who is behind the “Bring Them 
Home” campaign. Clearly, they are 
trying to tear apart our people and 
dismantle the Israeli government 
with their violent protests. Yet we 
are simultaneously fighting a brutal, 
conniving enemy expert at controlling 
the narrative that reaches the general 

public. They are so expert, in fact, that 
during this time of war, when many of 
our teenagers are heroically dying on 
the battlefield, we find that back home 
we are creating a second war and 
fighting ourselves. 
We give our prime minister and the 
Israeli government too much credit. 
If it was in their power to actually 
negotiate with these murderous, 
sadistic terrorists and “bring them 
home now,” they would have done so 
a long time ago, and it would have 
earned them tremendous political 
accolades. 
When we attempt to overthrow our 
government and disrupt our society, 
regardless of how few of our enemies 
remain standing, we have ultimately 

lost the war. 
Jewish history has proven that our 
most effective weapon in war is our 
unity. In the times of King Chizkiyahu, 
our nation had great Torah scholars. 
However, when they went out to war, 
they were ultimately unsuccessful. 
In contrast, during the times of 
King Achav, our people sinned against 
G-d but were successful in battle. Our 
Torah sages explain this remarkable 
phenomenon and tell us that the 
merit for the success in war for the 
generation of King Achav was their 
unity. King Chizkiyahu’s generation 
was proficient in Torah but were not 
united as a nation. Even if we are 
unworthy on other accounts, G-d loves 
when the Jewish people get along, so 

unity ultimately wins.
When we are divided, we are 
vulnerable. We lose our natural and 
Divine protection. We pray in groups 
of 10, because our united merits are 
more conducive to blessing. Our 
combined strength is where our true 
power lies. 
Perhaps we should consider a new 
campaign. Let us join forces and call 
out to Hamas, chanting, “Let our 
people go!” and show the world that 
we ourselves know who our true 
enemy is. 

Rachel Jonas is a songwriter and author of 

Jewish children’s books who is passionate 

about Jewish life and community. She spends 

most of her time as the proud mom of her young 

children.

RACHEL JONAS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

PURELY COMMENTARY