Of Tsunamis and 9/11

Some events are so enormous that every detail is seared into our collective memory. You never forget where you were when JFK was shot. When men landed on the moon. When the Berlin wall came down.

The tragedy of 9/11 was such an event. We saw the gaping hole emitting smoke and flames then watched in horror as the second plane hit. We saw the towers fall and cried for those who lost their lives. But for Jews, something miraculous happened. People suddenly understood Israel. They understood what it was like to go about your daily business then suddenly find yourself the victim of a terrorist attack. For once, Israel was the country that had to deal with Arab terror on a daily basis instead of being the horrible country that oppresses Palestinian "freedom fighters."

As we sifted through the debris, the hope of finding survivors gradually fading, we marveled at how Israel can face their own 9/11 day after day after day and still manage to go on.

Unfortunately, our collective consciousness has a blind spot when it comes to Israel. A blind spot when it comes to Jews. After a few days, Israel once again became the bad guy in the Middle East. Once again was chastised for trying to defend itself. Yet again, the Jews were the bad guys.

Now we've experienced another great tragedy. An earthquake in the Indian Ocean caused a Tsunami that, as of this writing, has killed more than 123,000 and the death toll is still rising. Whole villages have been wiped out. Large families have become much smaller. A Sri Lankan family, now living in the United States, was interviewed on TV. They lost 70 members of their family. They have only two relatives left. One can't helped but be reminded of the devastation Jewish familes faced during the Holocaust.

When the war ended, people returned to their villages and towns, hoping to find that some members of their family had survived. In far too many cases, finding two relatives would have been a miracle.

We don't know when the end of days is coming. We do know it's approaching. We do know that when the Messiah comes we will, at last, have peace. The world will finally know G-d. The world will finally understand the Truth that Jews have been proclaiming for thousands of years.

There is a lot we don't know, but it appears G-d is hinting to the world what it's like to be a Jew. Trying to make the world understand so they can prepare. 9/11 hinted at Israel. The Tsunami hinted at the Holocaust. What will be next? Will we have a taste of the Inquisition or will it be the Egyptian slavery?

Or will the world learn and spare us further tragedy?

Let us all look forward to the day when we can ask, "Do you remember where you were when we finally achieved peace?"