It's one thing for Jews like me to support the Zionist cause and show unconditional love for the State of Israel. But for someone like Mossab Hassan Youseff, one could say he's a modern day Noah.
In the story of Noah's Ark, the Torah says that Noah is "righteous in his generation." This may seem like a slight; Noah wasn't purely righteous, just righteous compared to the wicked society around him. However, our tradition clarifies that it is easy to be righteous when everyone around you is doing the right thing. It is much harder to swim upstream and be the only voice of goodness.
Mossab is the son of one of the founders of Hamas. He was raised to believe Israel was an evil, occupying force. But Mossab had an awakening and became an asset of the Mossad, providing intellegence that helped prevent countless terror attacks. After serving several years as an undercover agent embedded with Hamas, he now resides in the United States.
In recent years, Mossab has used his unique position to draw attention to the true nature of Hamas and the struggle Israel faces. This past week, he appeared on Dr. Phil, where he gave a truly powerful rebuttal to two women who refused to condemn Hamas. Please take a moment to watch below.
You'll also find the video of the day he confronted the corrupt United Nations. God bless this man and his sacred work.
Amplify This News
Over the duration of the month of Ramadan hundreds of thousands of Muslims prayed at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem with complete freedom and without incident. That alone is an example of the peaceful coexistence that Israel offers.
It's not news, really--at least not to the standards of most media outlets. But that doesn't mean it's not worth sharing.
Furthermore, the picture you see here (left) is truly a blessing. These are Jews passing out dates as a snack for Muslims ascending the Temple Mount. It is an act of beauty, kindness, and exactly what I expect from the people of Israel.
One More Thought on the World Central Kitchen Tragedy
The death of the World Central Kitchen aid workers is truly tragic. Any death of an innocent person is tragic. And to quote my fellow author Lara Crigger, war sucks.
In the days following, the Israel Defense Forces condemned the mistaken strike, investigated how it occurred, and then held those responsible for it to account. This type of reflection and action is rare, especially if we consider other global conflict zones in recent history. How many times has the US or our allies mistakenly bombed civilians? How many times have our enemies INTENTIONALLY bombed civilians? But only Israel is condemned. Only for Israel is there this double standard.
I'm glad that Israel takes responsibility for her mistakes. And I increasingly angry that Israel is expected to be perfect, when fighting an urban war that they neither started nor wanted.
You'll hear more about this next week from a new contributor to TWiZ. Until then, Am Yisrael Chai!
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