The World Votes

By Tuvia Brodie

The Jewish nation was gathered together and formed by G-d. It is a nation founded on holiness, justice and service. It is a ‘nation of priests’—except that today, Israel is neither holy nor just. Today, Israel is an international pariah, labelled unjust and evil by a people—and their friends—who seek to steal by unholy diplomacy pieces of the very land G-d gave to another, land that has been given to Jews by G-d and defended with Jewish blood. Consider the brazenness of it: Israel holds less than one per cent of regional real estate and the Arabs hold more than ninety-nine per cent of regional real estate; but for the Arab, that ninety-nine per cent is not enough—and it is the Jews’ fault!

This week, as the UN begins deliberating a legal annexation of land away from Israel, evil anticipates a triumph. Remember, in addition to G-d’s gifting Israel to the Jews, international legal contracts have also been completed, to grant legal deed of this same land to the Jewish people. Between 1917 and 1947, more legal paperwork was signed granting this land to the Jewish people than you’ll find for almost any other territory in the world—and the UN has stated explicitly in its Charter that it is required to honor all international legal agreements that pre-date the founding of the UN. But the nations of the world appear to have chosen to betray those legal agreements and the UN Charter—and to scorn G-d. The nations stand ready to choose evil over Good, treachery over contractual commitment. Evil is ready to dance in the street, to celebrate what they will surely and predictably call the beginning of the end for the hated and putrid Jew; and as these deliberations unfold, G-d watches.

G-d watches. He watches everyone, including our Jewish leadership. He listens. He waits. As a shepherd counting his sheep, he counts: who is for, who is against; who will speak up for G-d’s land, who will not.

At some point this week or next, the world will choose who is for Israel, who is against. This week or next, Jews all over the world will choose, who will stand for Israel, who against. The same will be true for non-Jews; all will choose. Jewish leadership will also choose: will they stand with David the King for G-d, or will they stand with the worldly diplomats who scorn both the UN Charter and the G-d of Israel?

For how many decades has our leadership of the nation of Israel ignored our G-d? For how long has the national leadership embraced the power of man? The Arab does not ignore his deity. Neither does the Christian his. Each is eager to walk the holy streets of Israel. The Arab has even announced that all of Israel is holy—and his (see Arutz Sheva during the week of August 20 -27). The Arab understands the holiness of this land—and look at the power he can now exercise over us. The current Israeli leadership, meanwhile, ignores the holiness of this land—and look how weak and troubled Israel appears.

During the next ten-fifteen days, the nations of the world will most likely vote. This vote will probably not be binding; rather, it will simply give those nations an opportunity to choose, yea or nay regarding Israel’s Jewish land. As they cast their votes, heaven and earth will stand as witnesses to their deliberate treachery . Everywhere in the world, individuals will stand up and, through polls, surveys, posters and marches they, too, will ‘vote’. Heaven and earth will bear witness to their choice.

History unfolds. Men and women choose. The world will vote. G-d watches-- and His witnesses stand ready to serve their Creator. As more and more of us realize how connected we and our land are to G-d, must we continue to look silently at an Israeli leadership that cannot speak His name? As the nations of the world show Israel what happens to Jews who—uniquely—refuse their own G-d, when do we as citizens of this Jewish State demand that our national leadership must fullfil a G-dly responsibility along with its political duties? Indeed, as we watch the UN this week and next, when will we in Israel realize that leadership without G-d is really not Jewish leadership at all? When will true JEWISH leadership step to the forefront?

Perhaps we do not understand that the nations of the world might be far more spiritually sensitive than we think. Perhaps their actions at the UN teach us something: if our own leadership would stop showing contempt for our own G-d, perhaps the nations of the world will be less eager to show its contempt for us.