Greetings and Happy Chanukah to all our Jewish readers throughout the world.
As I write and tinker with the last few bits of this column, the five candles on our Menorah for the fourth night are just starting to burn out. I've been to a few Chanukah parties, made latkes and had some meals with my family. But lurking in the back of my mind, of course, is the darkness of the Muslim terrorists in Australia that tried to extinguish the light of as many Jews as possible. What we Jews see as a mass holiday celebration they see as an opportunity for slaughter. And the fact that they do these acts of savage, bloodthirsty barbarism so often specifically on Jewish holidays says something about the religious nature of the war against us. There are not two sides to this repeating story. Or as Mark's friend, the great Yasmine Mohammad puts it: "One side is celebrating a Festival of Lights and the other is murdering them. I don't know how there could ever possibly be any moral ambiguity."
I've received a number of extremely thoughtful notes from readers and members of The Mark Steyn Club about this latest atrocity, and I appreciate every single kind word and every single prayer. I don't really want to talk about the grizzly details of this attack, or even the heartbreaking stories of those who were murdered.
At this stage, I cannot properly, and sufficiently respectfully process all of the heartbreaking details and still remain true to the spirit of Chanukah. I'll get either too angry or too upset, so I need to compartmentalize it a bit.
Instead, indulge me as I focus on two trains of thought.
First of all, there is a direct line between tolerating and indulging antisemitic, bloodthirsty masses in the West screaming either the Takbir, to gas or put Jews back into ovens, to clear Jews 'from the river to the sea' and to globalize the intifadah. And no, I'm not saying that their speech should be illegal - I have never made that argument. But once those people are welcomed into your country, sufficiently fattened up and coddled by the social welfare system as they increase in numbers faster than any native populace, and become ever more emboldened, defiant, criminal and infiltrate every level of civil society (much like the political left did starting in the 1960s), you have accepted that the murder of Jews and other select infidels and kufars is a price you are willing to pay to keep your head down (until they chop yours off, too). Saturday people first, then Sunday people. Basically, live for the Palestine, die by the Palestinians and their allies.
There is certainly a direct link between the nihilistic political left, their necrophilic obsession with turning life into death wherever they can in the civilized world, the blood covenant between the left and Islam, and the descent of our formerly civilized lives and countries into hell holes. But there is a direct line between the Jew-hating filth being spewed by prominent members of the podcasting right and what happened in Australia, possibly what happened in Brookline, what happened at Brown University, in New York and the list goes on.
None of this is good for America, or the West or for human souls in general.
The late, great, irreplaceable Kathy Shaidle and I used to talk about the danger of conjuring both from a Catholic and Jewish perspective. (Jews are also forbidden to dabble in these things.) I have to wonder if people in America and the West understand the dark forces that the podcasters, and the "influencers" are summoning. It's never, ever just about the Jews - it only ever starts with us. Chanukah is a very good time to shout out this warning to the world.
On that note, I'll share with you a spectacularly poignant and beautiful article written by Melissa Mackenzie, publisher of The American Spectator on her friendship with Rabbi Dov Fischer, on her grief, and on Chanukah (do read the article by Rabbi Fischer that she linked to). What is a life well lived? I think part of the recipe is doing whatever you do that makes you remembered in this way, where the essence of your soul still inspires people after you are gone, when people invoke your name and random strangers and friends alike can feel the goodness of your words and deeds and you understand exactly what they mean as they share their emotive reflections. What is friendship? True, deep friendship is the space that exists between humans without any transactional costs, without religious decree or bond, just for the sake of souls being there for each other. I've said before that I experienced this with Kathy, and I can feel it in what Ms. Mackenzie has written about Rabbi Fisher.
~
Mark has frequently said that there is no question that things on this planet are changing, we just don't know what is coming next, or after the current reconfiguration of powers and the demographic destruction of the West, i.e civilization. I don't know either, but I do know that when Jews are on the move, tectonic forces are at work behind the scene. We will survive, but as I said earlier, there will be much ruin in the wake. I cannot overstate the level of the spiritual danger we civilized nations are all facing. We are moments away from a grand reckoning. The writing is on the wall.
As such, and as we celebrate Chanukah and approach Christmas, it is a good time to consider once again the very limited time we have here on this planet. Nothing can restore time that has ticked away.
So, in the spirit of Chanukah, please consider adding more of your specific light into the universe as only you can. We can all choose to add light, and it does become stronger in numbers - just as the Chanukah candles are added to every night.
Take care, and I'll see you in the comments.
~
North America:
OK, I do like Times New Roman, but seriously, calling Calibri "woke'" is gay. And when I say gay, I mean retarded.
Remember how long I have been telling you that Canada is doomed? Well, here's the demographic proof. You're welcome.
It really was a thing. They told us that we were all going to die.
Wake up time was a long time ago. I agree with Mark that remigration is the West's only hope.
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Jews and Israel:
RIP, Norman Podhoretz - a giant of a Jew. May his memory be a blessing to his loved ones, and to the many people inspired by his work.
"I had been so enraged for so long over the explosion of Jew-hatred since October 7, 2023, that my anger eventually morphed into something else - probably out of an innate capacity for self-preservation. You can't survive forever in a perpetual state of fury, especially when you wake up every day to a new anti-Jewish outrage. Somewhere along the way, my anger turned into resolve."
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The Formerly Great Britain:
It's not racist to tell the truth about rape.
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The Great Walkbackening, Reckoning and Accounting:
"The world isn't ready for the truth, until it is."
We were right all along. We knew this was happening. Everyone knew and they denied it and killed children and adults alike. A true crime against humanity, and now, the pathetic "it is safe to tell the tale" articles and studies and research. Evil.
~
Human Grace:
Sometimes you read something that is so raw and painful, so full of beauty and such profound heartache and sadness, that you just don't know what to do. This is one such piece, about the Chanukah greetings Rachel Goldberg-Palin and her family received from their murdered son, murdered hostage Hersh Goldberg-Palin. May he rest in peace and may G-d avenge his blood.
From the great Instapundit: Hospital tips and more. Part one.
More hospital tips from an insider.
From Dr. Naomi Wolf: Chanukah on the Battlefield, or erasing the sacred. This is a magnificent essay. Just beautiful.
It's open thread time! Log into SteynOnline and let Laura know what you think of these stories or other happenings from the week that was. Commenting privileges are among the many perks of membership in The Mark Steyn Club. While going off topic is permitted on Laura's Links, do stick to the other rules as you engage: no URLs, no profanity, and no ad hominem attacks.