Darkness begets darkness, light begets light

More than ever, nearly 80 years from now, our past will determine our future prospects as we move forward into Rosh Hashanah in 2024 (Year 5785):

As we approach this yom tovWe do so with wounded hearts, deeply saddened and deeply burdened by the fact that our people endured unspeakable violence on October 7th; the recent murders of Eden Yerushalmi; Hersh Goldberg-Polin; Carmel Gat; Alexander Lobanov; Almog Sarusi; and Ori Danino, and keep thinking about the more than 100 hostages who, if they are still alive, remain in starving captivity in underground terror tunnels. It is a time like most of us have never experienced in our lives.

79 years ago our global Jewish family emerged, broken, torn, shattered and destroyed by the Holocaust. 63 percent of all Jews worldwide were murdered by the Third Reich and its zealous collaborators in Europe, while the world either largely stood by or deliberately limited our escape from the murder by stopping emigration and even escorting ships back into German waters to the gas chambers, Firing squads and certain death.

Nothing we have seen in the past year, since October 7th, is not what we as a people have seen and experienced before. And the grotesque global response to this profound tragedy is equally expected. It seems to be our lot. And yet here we are, in the year 5785, with all of our historical enemies no longer there.

This time it won't be any different.

On the peaceful Shabbat morning of October 7th, Simchat Torah, as we concluded the year of Torah reading and we entered a new cycle of reading, we actually entered a “new cycle.” Both reading and learning new and tragic things about our security in Israel and indeed the world. For us it was a day of unimaginable tragedy, the bloodiest in Israel's history.

For anti-Semites around the world, it was cause for celebration. Undeterred by gruesome rape, unspeakable murder and depravity not seen in decades, our now apparent enemies have overcome all this horror and have continually taken to the streets in support of these genocidal monsters. They still are. It's ongoing. On the streets of London, New York, Melbourne, Ivy League campuses, and everywhere else, one would expect sensible people to be filled with abject horror. And yet…

To be more precise: Jews make up 0.01% of the world's population. The murder of 1,200 Jews in one day in 2023 is proportionally equivalent to the murder of 3.7 million Christians, 2.8 million Muslims, 1.8 million Hindus or 720,000 Buddhists in a single day. And the world is surprised that we are horrified? And as a people who lost more than 60% of their world population just 80 years ago. And in one country – Israel – that is a fifth the size of KwaZulu-Natal province. A country smaller than the state of New Jersey. A tiny piece of land that makes up just 0.4% of the Middle East but is considered “colonized.”

In other words, 99.6% of all land in this region is not Jewish. And yet Israel has a standing item of condemnation at the United Nations, Item 7, which no other country in the world except the tiny Jewish state has as a standing agenda item. You could almost become paranoid.

What does all this mean for us as we begin the new year?

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish season of renewal. Of graduation and new beginnings. A time of hope. Exactly what defines us and has sustained us for more than 5,000 years.

It is a time of deep reflection in which we look within and decide how we can all live better, more meaningful, more purposeful and happier lives. This is exactly what we are called to do at this time of year. And to ask forgiveness for all sins committed consciously and unknowingly.

A time of despair during the celebration of Rosh Hashanah is nothing new to us. It is a permanent and endless chapter of our historical existence. Be it the time of the Pharaohs; the Spanish Inquisition; the pogroms of Europe; the Holocaust; the murder of our athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics – ironically, an American Jew, Mark Spitz, won the most gold medals at those games – or the carnage at the Nova Festival of Peace and Celebration on October 7, 2023; and slaughtering on Sabbath morning in the surrounding kibbutzim.

So this Rosh Hashanah, we can only draw on the words and wisdom of famed Jewish poet and musician Leonard Cohen, who sings, “In everything there is a crack.” That is how the light comes in.”

And that is our role. Our duty. This year and every year. To let the light in. Hope. Joy. Even gratitude. Because we are here. We bear witness. We honor those who have died. We carry their torches and try to give light to the world in their name. We endure. And we create. We embrace life and life. We embrace love.

We must never succumb to hate. That's not our style. As Nelson Mandela said, “Angryness is like drinking poison and then hoping it kills your enemies.”

He also said, “The brave man is not the one who is not afraid, but the one who overcomes that fear.” And that is a big part of what these times require. We live with hope and optimism, difficult as it may sometimes be, to build our families, our lives, our communities and our societies. By consciously laying the foundation for reflection, resilience and unity, we can find our way to optimism despite the currents.

Given that this is a Rosh Hashanah message, I would like to reflect on the teachings of Pirkei Avot 1:2 that the world stands on three things: First, the Torah – our religious and spiritual beliefs, who whatever we may be; second: service to society; and third, acts of loving kindness.

Darkness begets darkness, light begets light and love begets love. That's exactly why we're still here after 5,785 years.

Finally, consider the wise words of the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks: “To be a Jew is to be an agent of hope in a world constantly threatened by despair.”

Shana tova umetuka. I wish you a good and sweet year.

• Mike Abel is founding partner and CEO of M&C Saatchi Group South Africa.