In the Days of Awe of the new Jewish year, 5768, the Iranians announce they are one year away from creating an atomic bomb. We all know what this means. They plan to wipe Israel off the map.
In the Gaza strip, Chamas reigns supreme. They and/or their allies steadily bombard nearby Israeli settlements with rockets. The other day, 69 Israeli soldiers were wounded during a rocket attack on a military base. Chamas radio called it “...a victory from God.” The attack was followed by a barrage of rockets launched by the Islamic Jihad and the Resistance Committees. In the north, Chezbollah now is said to possess long-range missiles able to go as far as Tel Aviv.
Recent news is that Chamas has been on the payroll of the Palestinian Authority, which is controlled by the new Palestinian prime minister, whose first name, Salaam, means “peace’ in Arabic.
The Israelis, meanwhile, are considering a policy of shutting down Gaza’s electricity as punishment for shelling, and on Sept. 5 and 6 flew over northern Syria for reasons unexplained. Some commentators speculate that Israel was trying to test an aerial route to Iran for a possible pre-emptive strike at that country’s nuclear facilities.
The new year began last Wednesday, Sept. 12. That day is called Rosh Hashana in Hebrew, which means the head or start of the year. Friday eve on Sept. 21 marks the start of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, during which Jews the world over examine their actions during the previous year and ask for individual and collective forgiveness from their God. These are called the Days of Awe because Jews believe that their future will be decided during those few days. Will they be written in the Book of Life or not?
On the ground, where Israel’s enemies plot to destroy it, these are the Days of Awe indeed. Will the Jewish state survive or not?
