The Roar of the Lion

At the beginning of the century, just as at the beginning of the previous century, there was a global pandemic. In between, we completely forgot that there had even been a previous pandemic. The difference between the two is very significant: the one that broke out in 2019 was the product of human action, and the person responsible from the outset became a national hero and a celebrity, received a full presidential pardon, and now he is laughing at us all.

He is no different from other petty officials, who are never responsible for their actions or their failures, and are usually rewarded with promotion. We all pay the price.

Children who grew up during the Pandemic missed both their studies and interaction with their surroundings, and especially with their peers. On the surface, it does not seem that they are missing anything, but the day will come when this will become clear.  Remote or self-directed learning is not an adequate substitute for studying together, in a frontal classroom setting. The isolation imposed on all of us was unnecessary, certainly for children who naturally overcome illnesses (even those dangerous and unknown among them), or who simply “pass them on” without being affected by the virus itself that they carry.

Another thing that will become clear in the future is the effect of the vaccines that we were all forced to receive. Children whose immune systems had not yet developed completely respond differently from adults, and since this was a game outside the laws of nature, it is clear that we will pay a heavy price in the future. (Here is an example: stroke at a very young age, among completely healthy people, when the only common characteristic of that group is that they contracted COVID and received the vaccines.)

The pandemic passed and was gone, and immediately a new blow was inflicted, great, painful, enormous, and sad all at once. An invasion of the State of Israel, on the morning of Simchat Torah Saturday, three years ago, and life as we knew it refuses to return to normal. At first there were the videos of torture and death, and immediately afterward 255 captives in Gaza-below-ground. It was a horror without equal—slavery and torture-to-death in the 21st century—as we stood by, unable to do a thing. When this episode ended, the overt war with Iran began, initially with twelve days of missiles and missile fragments the size of a bus falling from the sky, the likes of which Israel had never known. Then there was also a second round. And now we are in a strange hudna, waiting for the explosion that will happen and for hell to break loose.

Three years, and just like the pandemic, here too the normal way of life was disrupted, and people entered a wartime routine. For example, Friday evenings, Saturdays, and holidays are our enemies’ favorite times to strike us, or at least to disturb our peace. They also especially like the small hours of the night, so the daily schedule becomes disrupted—night turns into day, so during the day one has to catch a few hours of sleep.

Almost out of helplessness and out of a desire to return to the life of once before the pandemic and before the war, people search for someone to blame. For the Poles among us, we cry over the difficulty, complain, and claim: “How hard it is for this generation; blow after blow it unfortunately receives.”

That is true, but it is no one’s fault. This is life, and life does not happen according to one’s wishes and expectations (as is known: I Never Promised You a Rose Garden). Indeed, it is more pleasant if life proceeded peacefully, between a flight for a vacation in Cyprus, a visit to Australia, a shopping trip to Costco in London and dining at a good restaurant in Paris. But what can you do? There was Dr. Fauci, who transferred funds for forbidden research in China, and a certain virus escaped from his laboratories and spread throughout the entire world.  What did we really expect? When a virus is given the opportunity, will it not take advantage of it, in the sense of “an opportunity calls to the thief?” After all, with a virus, this is its nature.

And the War? Hamas-ISIS has claimed since its “democratic” rise to power that its primary goal is the destruction of the Zionist entity — a total, absolute destruction. So did we expect them to conduct themselves differently from what their guiding principle requires of them? That they would not behave like monsters, behead people, disembowel pregnant women, rape anyone who walks and murder without any distinction? After all, did they not do exactly this a hundred years ago, with the only difference being the modern technology that enabled them to broadcast the horrors live to the entire world from the smartphones of their victims?

It turned out that enormous blows were inflicted upon the generation at the beginning of the century, one after another. To the dismay of all the simpletons: Netanyahu is not to blame for this. Nor is President Trump. And for the fools among us: there is no need to cry and complain about bad luck.  It was precisely in Israel that this generation rose and stood up—its boys and girls, young men and young women; like lion cubs, they were naturally endowed with strength, agility, a wonderful sense of direction and leadership qualities. Those cubs—whose childhood was lost, cut short prematurely—rose and proved that they are a generation a cut above, with no fear in their hearts (and when there is, they overcome it together and each one individually). Despite all the difficulties and challenges—these calamities only toughen them—they rose and roared like a lion, and all of nature held its breath.

[Initially, the title was: Blows of Fate]