There is a plethora of images being projected these days over the internet. The world is no longer separated by long distances. I was lying in bed in New York City on Wednesday when my brother in Dallas called me to ask if everyone in the family living in Jerusalem was alright. I hadn’t heard the news nor seen the images of the individuals who had been on bus 74 when a bomb exploded at the bus stop . It didn’t take long, however, to google the incident, read the news, and make a phone call to my son who reassured me that all in his family were fine, even though he sounded very subdued. The truth of the matter is that his wife’s cousin was on bus 75 that also had the windows shattered and that his daughter always takes bus 74 to school but not at that time of the day.
If you read websites like Honest Reporting, you will notice that Reuters wrote about this week’s event by saying, “Police said it was a terrorist attack- Israel’s term for a Palestinian strike.” It was the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg who responded to Reuter’s wording by writing, “Those Israelis and their crazy terms! I mean referring to a fatal bombing of civilians as a terrorist attack! Who are they kidding? Everyone knows that a fatal bombing of Israeli civilians should be referred to as a “teachable moment” or “as a venting of certain frustrations,” or as an “understandable reaction to Jewish perfidy,” or perhaps a very “special episode of cheers” anything but a terrorist attack.”
Even the BBC went so far as to entitle their coverage of the bombing as “Deadly Bombing Targets Jerusalem Bus Stop.” It was not targeting the bus stop. It was targeting the civilians who go to that bus stop in an attempt to kill and maim as many as possible.
Forget about this week’s images, what about other images of Jews that are being portrayed on the internet? Today I watched a video on muslimvideo.com that declared that Judaism is a racist religion that indoctrinates it believers to adhere to the principle that all non-Jews are subhuman. Such racist beliefs the website declared, “ are embodied in the Talmud which gives Jews the permission to murder, hate, and subdue anyone who is not Jewish.” It told the viewers that Meir Kahane was the embodiment of Jewish beliefs.
These are scary times. The world wide web can disseminate information quickly and across great distances without a care about the ramifications of spreading lies and hatred. We need to be aware of the images being portrayed. We need to keep each other informed, create bonds of good will where bonds can be formed, but also be aware of the damaging effects which can result from improper media coverage.
When I heard that the Jerusalem marathon went on as scheduled today, I had only the greatest admiration for those Jerusalemites who refuse to succumb to fear. They continued their plans to stage the marathon which was being used as an opportunity to raise funds to fight cancer. That is the type of media coverage that unfortunately does not take place.
May we live to see a time when the insanity, hatred, and bloodshed will cease. May we work to promote peace but only with those who believe in peace. May we never forget Israel’s right to defend herself. May we demand accurate and honest reporting from a world that insists on downplaying the awful position of living in a neighborhood that would really prefer to eliminate Jewish existence than have to figure out a way to live alongside a Jewish state.
Shabbat Shalom.
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