If God be for us, who can be against us?

by Esther Korson

There are some events that have happened in Jerusalem in the recent past that I’d like to talk about in some detail. It’s important to include you as much as possible in real life events here since what is presented by the news media in general is so sadly biased against Israel. As I’m sure you already know, on the 23rd of October there was a terrorist attack in Jerusalem. A member of Hamas, someone who served time previously in prison on terror-related charges, purposefully veered his car off the road, across the railroad tracks and drove through a crowd of people at a light rail station. An eyewitness at the scene told reporters that the car hit a mother and baby carriage and then continued plowing through the crowd, injuring seven. “The stroller was shattered and the mother was screaming,” he said. When the car hit the stroller, it sent the baby flying 30 feet into the air and caused massive and fatal cranial injuries when she hit the ground. And a short time later, all efforts to save her failed and little three month old Chaya Zeisel Braun died.

That very day Chaya’s parents had taken her for the first time to the Kotel (the Western Wall) to celebrate her life. For many years the parents were childless and were overjoyed when they finally gave birth to a daughter. The night that she was killed, her grandfather, visiting from the United States, told reporters, “Her parents waited many years for a child. Today they were coming back from the Kotel and a terrorist came and ran over their baby.” In the Israeli newspapers the next day was a heartbreaking picture of precious little Chaya at the Western Wall just hours before her life was senselessly snuffed out. At the funeral the next day, the father, Shmuel Elimelech, led a tearful eulogy of his infant daughter, saying, “You were pure. I want you to look down at me and smile. Tomorrow is your three month birthday. It’s all now in God’s hands. We will always remember you,” he cried. (Arutz Sheva)

In a blog that I wrote some weeks ago but which has not as yet been posted, I explained that when I was growing up, every Jewish mother wanted her son to be a doctor. There were jokes like one son became the President of the United States and the other son became a doctor, and the son that the mother bragged about was—the doctor. It just highlighted the reverence for human life that is very much a part of the Jewish culture. And in the same blog I told that in the local Muslim world, mothers want their children to become martyrs, to kill as many Jewish people as possible. It was heartbreaking to see that in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, in Gaza and throughout the Arab world, Muslims celebrated the murder of this innocent and much loved little girl.

Of the seven additional people who had been wounded in the terror attack, one later died of her wounds. Her name was Karen Yemima Muscara, aged 22, who had come to Israel from Ecuador. She had recently discovered that she was descended from Conversos, Spanish Jews who were forcibly converted to Catholicism after 1492. She had come to Israel to convert to Judaism to really become a part of the Jewish people. The day after she had been seriously injured in the attack, the Israeli Foreign Ministry flew in her parents from Ecuador. Her mother said that her daughter’s dream had been to come to Israel and to build her life here. Sadly, Karen died from her wounds on the 26th of October and was buried on the 27th. Hundreds attended her funeral, including the Jerusalem mayor, Nir Barkat, and the Ecuadorian ambassador to Israel. Barkat in his eulogy at the funeral said, “She was a delicate soul and guardian of peace who fought to be a Jew. Like many before her, she also fell in love with Jerusalem.

Seven months ago she joined us and tonight, with unbelievable pain, she is parted from us. As mayor of Jerusalem, I say that the situation won’t continue. It’s unacceptable that those who live their whole life for peace fall victim to those who glorify death.” He vowed to restore calm to Jerusalem.

The terrorist tried to flee after he drove his car through the people, but he was shot and killed. The terrorist’s mother said, “Praise Allah. He’s a martyr. He brought honor to our family by murdering a baby and a 22 year old.” The attacker was likewise praised by Hamas, calling him a heroic martyr. Posters were printed honoring him as a martyr. And there was violence in the streets because of Arab anger at the death of the murderer of Chaya and Karen.

Last month PA leader Abbas called for terrorism on the Temple Mount by demanding that Muslims block Jews from defiling the Mount with their presence by any means necessary. Sadly, last week Rabbi Yehuda Glick was shot in cold blood in front of the Menachem Begin Heritage Centre where Rabbi Glick had spoken that night in defense of Jewish people being able to pray on the Temple Mount, our holiest site. The terrorist shot him at point blank range and then drove off on his motorcycle. (There was a prayer vigil for Rabbi Glick held at Safra Square in downtown Jerusalem, and the news was just released by the hospital that after a number of days in critical condition— thankfully he will survive his wounds).

The next morning the soldiers found the terrorist and surrounded his home, calling on him to surrender. Instead, he started shooting at the soldiers from the roof and was killed. (It happened two streets down from where I live and I heard the gunshots!)

PA leader Abbas called for a day of rage to protest the killing of the terrorist who attacked Rabbi Glick. Abbas, our so-called partner for peace, then wrote a letter of condolence to the Arab Israeli family. In that letter, Abbas told that family that their son rose to the heavens as a martyr for defending the rights of the Palestinian nation and the holy places. And Abbas called the soldiers who killed him a terrorist group.

Netanyahu accused Abbas of fomenting incitement for writing a letter to the Arab Israeli family of the man who tried to kill Rabbi Glick and strongly condemned Abbas for having sent it. Netanyahu said that the time has come for the international community to condemn Abbas for such actions.

An emergency session of the United Nations Security Council was held on October 30th to discuss the situation in Jerusalem. You would think, wouldn’t you, that they would convene to decry the terrorist attacks killing and injuring innocent Jewish citizens of Israel including a tiny baby? Or perhaps it was called to decry the viciously anti-Israel sentiments being voiced by the leader of the Palestinian Authority because he called for a day of rage against Israelis. But of course, since the UN Security Council, like the main body of the UN, convenes often with anti-Israel agenda on their plates, this time was no exception. They convened to protest the Jewish building of houses in Jerusalem, the eternal, undivided capital of the nation of Israel.

At this particular Israeli-bashing session, a UN official slammed continued Israeli housing construction over the pre-1967 line in Jerusalem. I loved what Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor had to say as he defended the construction plans. He calmly and bravely said, “I’m here to convey one simple truth. The people of Israel are not occupiers and we’re not settlers. Israel is our home and Jerusalem is the eternal capital of our sovereign state. There are many threats in the Middle East but the presence of Jewish homes in the Jewish homeland has never been one of them and yet this is the issue that we have convened to discuss today. It says a great deal that the international community is enraged when Jews build homes in Jerusalem but doesn’t say a word when Jews are murdered in Jerusalem. The hypocrisy is appalling…”

Continue to pray for this little land, dear ones. And when you do, remember that God calls Himself the God of Israel. And if God be for us, who can be against us? Hallelujah…

Share this page with your friends

Follow News from Jerusalem