Darkness begets darkness, light begets light

More than ever, in almost 80 years, our past will define our perspectives on the future as we go into Rosh Hashanah of 2024 (Year 5785):

As we approach this yom tov, we do so with damaged hearts, deeply sad and heavily burdened by our people enduring unspeakable violence on 7 October; the recent murders of Eden Yerushalmi; Hersh Goldberg-Polin; Carmel Gat; Alexander Lobanov; Almog Sarusi; and Ori Danino, and think incessantly of the more than 100 hostages who remain in starving captivity – if alive – in subterranean terror tunnels. It’s a period unlike most of us have ever experienced in our lifetimes.

Seventy-nine years ago, our global Jewish family was emerging, broken, torn, shattered, and destroyed by the Holocaust. Sixty-three percent of all Jews globally were murdered by the Third Reich and its eager collaborators in Europe, as the world either mostly stood by or deliberately limited our escape from murder by stopping emigration and even escorting ships back into German waters towards the gas chambers, firing squads, and certain death.

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

This time, it will be no different.

On the peaceful Shabbat morning of 7 October Simchat Torah, no less, when we concluded the year of reading the Torah, and as we entered a new cycle of reading, we did, indeed, enter a “new cycle”. Of both reading and learning new and tragic things about our security in Israel, and indeed, within the world. For us, it was a day of unimaginable tragedy, the bloodiest one in Israel’s history.

For antisemites around the globe, it was one of celebration. Unperturbed by savage rapes, indescribable murder, and a depravity unseen in decades, our now apparent enemies saw past all this horror to take to the street continually in support of these genocidal monsters. They still are. It’s ongoing. On the streets of London, New York, Melbourne, on Ivy League campuses, and everywhere else you’d expect sane humans to be filled with abject horror. And yet…

To put a finer point on this matter, Jews comprise 0.01% of the world population. The murder of 1 200 Jews in one day in 2023, is proportionally the equivalent murder of 3.7 million Christians, 2.8 million Muslims, 1.8 million Hindus, or 720 000 Buddhists in one single day. And the world is surprised that we are horrified? And as a people who lost more than 60% of their global population just 80 years ago. And in a country – Israel – that’s one-fifth the size of the province of KwaZulu-Natal. A country smaller than the state of New Jersey. A tiny speck of land that constitutes only 0.4% of the Middle East but is regarded as “colonised”.

Put differently, 99.6% of all land in that region isn’t Jewish. And yet, Israel has a standing item for condemnation at the United Nations, Item 7, which no other country in the entire world other than the miniscule Jewish state has as a permanent agenda item. One could almost become paranoid.

So, what does this all mean for us as we go into a New Year?

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish period of renewal. Of closure and new beginnings. A time of hope. The very thing that has defined us and sustained us for more than 5 000 years.

It’s a time of deep reflection, as we look inwards and determine how we can each live a better, more meaningful, purposeful, and happier life. That’s what we’re specifically instructed to do at this very time of year. And to ask forgiveness for any sins committed, knowingly and unknowingly.

A time of despair while celebrating Rosh Hashanah isn’t new to us. It’s an enduring and endless chapter in our historic 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 – at the very time, 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 7 October 2023; and the Sabbath morning slaughter at the surrounding kibbutzim.

So, this Rosh Hashanah, we can only lean towards the words and wisdom of the iconic Jewish poet and musician, Leonard Cohen, who sings, “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”

And that’s our role. Our duty. This year, and every year. To let the light in. Hope. Joy. Even gratitude. Because we’re here. We bear witness. We honour those who have passed. We carry their torches, and in their names, we try to give light unto the world. We endure. And we create. We embrace life and living. We embrace love.

We must never succumb to hate. It’s not our way. As Nelson Mandela said, “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”

He also said, “The brave man isn’t the one who doesn’t feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” And that’s a large part of what these times call for. Living, as we do, with hope and optimism, hard as that sometimes may be, to build our families, our lives, our communities, and our societies. By consciously laying the groundwork for reflection, resilience, and unity, we can swim our way towards optimism in spite of the currents.

Given this is a Rosh Hashanah message, I’d like to reflect on the teachings of Pirkei Avot 1:2 that the world stands on three things: First, Torah – our religious and spiritual beliefs, whoever 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 precisely why we’re still here after 5 785 years.

In closing, let’s consider the sage words of the late rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks, “To be a Jew is to be an agent of hope in a world serially threatened by despair.”

Shana tova umetuka. Have a good and sweet year.

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