Peloni: The shattering effect of October 7 changed the world, in ways which were both great and terrible. The quiet resolve supporting the Jerusalem Day celebrations is certainly to be counted among these. A powerful and important result of the sense of unity and identity which was previously far less universal than it stands today.
The parade, a long cherished part of the day’s celebration, was regarded with fear and loathing by the Left right through 2023. Now they are seen as teaching self-respect.
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One way to gauge the change and difference the horrific October 7th massacre and the ensuing Swords of Iron war has made in contrast to the previous prevailing “conceptzia” is to consider the Jerusalem Day parade.
The parade, a long cherished part of the day’s celebration, was regarded with fear and loathing by the Left right through 2023.
After all, Hamas was threatening us with consequences for our having the effrontery to celebrate our own sovereignty in our own capital.
These threats were not only taken seriously, but those disregarding them were criticized, severely criticized, for their “extremist” insistence on persevering with a parade. Weren’t they endangering the rest of us with their ideological insistence on celebrating what was regarded as incitement?
Of course, the opposers predicted, the parade itself would be a hate fest where innocent Arabs would be targeted as the parade wended its way through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City.
The bad guys in all of this handwringing were the Religious Zionist youth, aka extremist settler youth. They were regarded as ideologically crazed, hateful and in dire need of restraint.
What a difference four months makes! These same Religious Zionist “thugs” and their older brothers went on to become the backbone of the amazing army that emasculated Hamas and neutered Hezbollah.
The reality is that these youth gave us a sneak preview of what it takes to survive and then to thrive in this neighborhood: awareness of why we are here, gratitude for our possessing our ancestral homeland, and an unambiguous desire to extol and to defend that awareness and love.
Have we forgotten the fearful environment, the threats and the yes let’s be honest, the contempt, that the parade and the marchers were viewed with? If we have, it is because we have had to confront far more threatening situations.
But I believe it is important to remember the way so many were.
I think it is important to appreciate that the previous fear and loathing was ultimately of ourselves, and that the stalwart youth of our nation, may they be blessed and increased, had to teach us an important lesson in national self-esteem.
We had to learn that our youth were not there to vilify the Palestinian Arabs, but to celebrate the Jews. Their message is one that needs to be repeated and imbibed: this is our Land, this is our Nation, this is our home. We love it, we celebrate it and we are prepared to defend it.
Those who seek to live with us in peace and harmony will be welcomed with peace and harmony. And those who seek to demonize, delegitimize and ultimately to deport us from our Land, will be dealt with severely and unequivocally.
That is the message of the post October 7th Jerusalem day parade, and a message that we all can and should proudly embrace.
Happy Yom Yerushalayim!
Douglas Altabef – is Chairman of the Board of Im Tirtzu and a Director of the Israel Independence Fund
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