Kansas, celebrations of bin Laden assassination
US celebrations, Times Square
Photo: Reuters
Hagai Segal
Photo: Zoom 77
Israel, learn from America
Op-ed: Bin Laden festivities in US a reminder that we should be proud to rejoice at enemy’s fall
The American joy in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s assassination
is a blessed national trait that we must import to Israel
as soon as possible.
Once upon a time, we too knew how to celebrate, but that was a long time ago. Since November 29, 1947, after the United Nations voted to establish Israel, there has been no spontaneous dancing on our streets, if we ignore for a moment the embarrassing festivities after Maccabi Tel Aviv won the European basketball championship.
War on Terror
Rafi Israeli
Op-ed: Killing terror leaders apparently a privilege reserved for superpowers like America
We have not forgotten the art of spontaneous dancing, but we started to be ashamed of it.
Ethics experts managed to convince us that public celebrations of battlefield victories are improper. Professional party poopers methodically extinguished our national sense of cheerfulness. At times one suspects that they prefer the sorrow of defeat over the joy of victory.
Give us reason to celebrate
The Book of Proverbs says, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,” yet the passage refers to domestic enemies. That is, when you win an election, don’t celebrate by jumping into the local water fountain. On the other hand, it’s a great mitzvah to rejoice if you manage to eliminate a cruel enemy that has been pursued for years.
Moses and the people of Israel embarked on a mass singing session a short while after the Egyptians drowned at sea, and that celebration was a model for generations to come.
Should our leaders provide us with military reasons to rejoice in the future, let’s not hesitate to grab a flag and dance the Hora on the streets until early morning hours. Just give us a reason to celebrate already.
- Follow Ynetnews on Facebook
