Now is the time to put aside our differences - opinion

We are all familiar with the poignant and emotionally laden immortal words from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

“To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. A time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.”

Today, I felt the urgent need to scream out loud to our prime minister, defense minister, to all our leaders, to the media and to all of Am Yisrael, here and abroad.

We have already forgotten the lessons of COVID and how humanity came together to help one another, how our world shrank and showed us that we have more in common than that which separates us. We have forgotten what we understood then, that we all need to share the responsibility to fix a fractured and diseased world. 

And then October 7 happened. Within hours, the country united; most Israelis and many communities throughout the world stood up to help in any way they could; from volunteering on all fronts, sponsoring wherever there was a need and showing support for a country mourning and fighting terror beyond its most brutal nightmares.

Now is not the time for lessons and finger-pointing

But, again, now, overnight, there has been another shift. To the background of missiles and Iron Dome implosions, I sense a palpable change. We have not yet brought home all our hostages or buried our loved ones, and the signs and sounds of accusation, even guilt or shaming, can be felt. Our hearts, egos, and screens are surely large enough to accommodate and accept a new reality going forward.

The time will surely come to question and clarify mistakes made, but just like a parent who admonishes a child caught in the forbidden act, we can certainly see that the time for lessons and finger-pointing is not now. 

We need to be united and stand together to fight our external enemies.

Hamas will win this war if we, the government and the people, the religious and the secular, those who live in cities or settlements in the center, or on the borders, return to the divisive, volatile, and destructive behavior we all witnessed throughout our country and the world before October 7.

There will be a time to keep silent, a time to love, and a time for peace. But until then, each and every one of us needs to take a long hard look into our own hearts and consider the most agonizing and meaningful questions about life and death, and putting all egos aside, determine how we, as individuals, as families, communities, countries and as part of humanity can contribute towards a better tomorrow.

 When faced with the enemy, we joined hands and hearts to unite and conquer – and now we all need to continue to be ambassadors of kindness and unity and focus on healing, caring, and communication. This world has so many frightening battles to face on so many global issues and radical extremism is just one of them.

These are not some shmaltzy, wishy-washy, airy-fairy sentiments, but a real heartfelt, passionate plea to please understand and prioritize actions, decisions, and aid, according to where our needs are, irrespective of politics, religion, or race. Our public media needs urgent help. Our public leaders need to put aside their differences and just get to work.

This is a time to really hear what is being said; a time to mean what we say and say what we mean. How many times do we need to be forced to face such horrors to really be able to say “Never again,” and mean it?

The writer lives on Kibbutz Ein Tzurim.