EIPA Colleagues Meet with Moshe Davidovich, Leader of Mate Asher Regional Council and Northern Confrontation Line Forum, Along with Kibbutz Members

BUDAPEST – Algunos judíos se quedan en Ucrania porque no quieren dejar atrás a sus familiares fallecidos, sin saber lo que les depara el futuro, dijo el martes Aliza, una refugiada de la ciudad de Mariupol, en la conferencia anual de la Asociación Judía Europea (EJA) en Budapest.

Casi 5 millones de ucranianos han sido desplazados desde el comienzo de la invasión rusa de Ucrania el 24 de febrero, según las últimas estimaciones de las Naciones Unidas. Actualmente, según las estadísticas de la Agencia Judía, unos 200.000 judíos siguen allí.

Under the auspices of Belgian MP Michael Freilich, leaders of the 3 major religions came together today in a moment of unity to promote peace and tolerance. (Photos: Michael Freilich/ BELGA)

Jewish MP Michael Freilich: “Given the tensions in our streets, the attack in Brussels, the attack on Jewish targets in Europe and the terrible suffering of war in the Middle East, I decided to take this step and invite Chief Rabbi Pinchas Padwa, Imam Nordine Taouil and priest Rik Hoet to the heart of our democracy, the Parliament in Brussels.”

The press was present in large numbers to attend the reading of a joint statement.

Rabbi Padwa: “We extend a warm call to all people of goodwill in our communities and beyond: Let us join hands, join positive forces and show unity for building a warm society – across our different ideas and beliefs. As this meeting today makes clear, this is absolutely possible.”

Imam Taouil: “There is so much more that unites us than what divides us. Let us not import conflicts from elsewhere and let our lives be guided by extreme ideas and views.
In this country, we are all fellow citizens, neighbours, friends and/or trading partners. Our fragile social fabric, especially in these anxious times, deserves to be nurtured and strengthened. The recent Abraham Accords are an encouraging step in the right direction.

Priest Hoet: “Bringing together different cultures and faiths, sharing joyful moments and building a common future are positive steps that we warmly welcome and encourage.”
Freilich concluded, “Let us strive for peace, warm citizenship and closeness, pause to remember every innocent victim, and resolutely reject and condemn terrorism.”

Rabbi Padwa asked for a moment of prayer, each in their own distinct way, to promote peace.

Although the Menorah has been cleaned and polished and has re-taken its place in our silver cabinet, I still can’t get those pure flames out of my head…to banish the darkness.

But, in order to banish that darkness, the government urged me not to make any political statements in my speeches that I would make when lighting the public Menorahs. I listened obediently but in retrospect I wonder whether I was right to do so.

De-escalation and ‘poldering’ (that is building protective walls around community sensitivities) are two words that the Dutch excel at.

Did they prevent the Syrian slaughterhouses? Did keeping silent about the horrible cruelties in Africa make the indescribable suffering less? Underground prisons in Iran? Hundreds of thousands of Uighurs, Kazakhs and other Islamic minorities are locked up in ‘re-education camps’!

Does turning a blind eye help? During my Chanukah Tour, I deliberately spoke only about darkness in countless places. I don’t think I even mentioned Israel once and I had safely stored away my slogan anti-Semitism = anti-Zionism, so as not to engage in politics.

And what did my silence and looking the other way lead to? During one of my meetings I was accused of celebrating Chanukah while in Gaza… shame on me for not mentioning that! True, but besides Gaza there are hundreds of other hotbeds, why don’t they raise questions? When will an international arrest warrant be issued against Assad?  He deserves a cum laude in the field of physical and mental torture and murder. If he had been a Jew, he would have been put to the slaughterhouse without any form of protest and with a number of UN resolutions.

Too bad, I think, that he is not a Jew. I would have liked to see him dangling from the gallows, if necessary as a fake Jew. I have not made any political statements, ignored the pure flame within myself…

But, I have proclaimed that the Maccabees fought for freedom of religion and however apolitically intended, I have hurt many whose faith does not allow room for dissenters, because in their ‘holy’ view every person must convert to their faith and if that cannot be done by fair means, then by force.

Am I fantasizing? I don’t think so, because if we look around us, we see many countries where the population is forced into a way of life that has nothing to do with freedom of religion or freedom of thought.

In fact, everything is political, because ‘no politics’ is blatantly political here!