Just a couple of weeks out from the poorly attended antisemitism rally in DC and we have our latest raison d'etre - ice cream. The Jewish "bros" from Vermont have announced that they will no longer serve the population in Judea and Samaria, or as they termed, "the Occupied Palestinian Land" due to the fact that Israel is the occupier of that land.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Clearly, Ben and Jerry, whose names bear the biblical giants of Binyamin and Jeremiah, have no knowledge base to make such an absurd statement. They do not know of the San Remo Conference which solidified the Balfour Declaration, granting a Jewish Homeland to the Jews on both sides of the Jordan, long before the 1967 Six-Day War was fought, long before the 1948 War of Independence was fought, long before WWll. But let's leave the history lesson for another day.
The real problem is the Jewish community and the fact that we are in constant reactionary mode. We see antisemitism on the rise, we hold a rally. Our campuses are met with hate, we scramble to the aid of our students. A company pulls out of "the Occupied Palestinian Land" there's a call to arms. We have wonderful organizations with massive budgets, but we are not using them for the important work of education.
We hold fascinating webinars but those attending are already in the know. Where is the outreach? Where is the leadership calling for the use of proper terminology, Judea and Samaria? How many Jews know this? How many more couldn't care less? These are the questions which haunt me.
There are few organizations doing the right thing, but overall, the mainstream of the Jewish world is not proactive in this regard. It seems that our motus operundi has been to wait until something distasteful happens, and then start posting on social media. I, myself, have done so as well. We can do better.
Any student who has had me for a teacher will know that the area which they may hear on the news as "the West Bank" is indeed the Jewish heartland of Judea and Samaria. This is where Shiloh is, the site of the first tabernacle, and Hebron, from where King David reigned before he set up Jerusalem as our capital. In Hebron, The Cave of the Patriarchs sits, which Avraham purchased as a burial place for Sarah and himself, where Isaac and Rebecca lie, and Jacob and Leah. Rachel's Tomb is on the Jerusalem-Hebron road and many people go there for blessings. In short, Judea and Samaria is the epicenter where The Kingdom of the Jewish people resided. It is our connection to our ancestral place in the world.
Every Jew should know that. They do not. This is what we should be posting, educating and advocating for. It's simply the truth. San Remo, and the internationally legal binding documents which came of it, should be in every textbook on the Middle East, it should be in every Israel curriculum in Jewish Hebrew Schools. It is not. If I asked most people, I would bet they never heard of San Remo, but they are happy to base decisions and where they throw support on their love for Cherry Garcia ice cream.
The time has come to stop being reactionary and start putting our money and efforts into outreach and educating the 'EveryJew' before it is too late. And too late is just around the corner.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
