Outraged by the silence
By Samantha Vinokor
Here’s the indisputable fact:
Ezra Schwartz z”l was murdered in a terror attack in Israel on November 19, 2015 at the heartbreakingly young age of eighteen.
He was a boy who just graduated high school, spending the year in Israel before starting college. He had his whole life ahead of him. He should have spent this year eating falafel, making friends, taking selfies on the beach in Tel Aviv, wandering the alleys of the shuk, and making a difference through his volunteer work. He should have gone to college, gotten a first job, gotten married, had a family. He should have had a chance to make a million mistakes, and to touch the lives of thousands of people through his smile and his deeds.
Instead, that smile is breaking the hearts of people around the world.
Ezra Schwartz was murdered in cold blood. And there’s no justification for it.
The world finds ways to explain away too many Jewish deaths with “He was a soldier,” or, “He was a settler.” Now, I personally can’t see any logic in these statements indicating that someone deserved death, but too many people are satisfied with them. In this case though, that won’t help. Ezra wasn’t a soldier or a settler. He was a boy trying to do good in the world, and instead a maniac killed him simply for being Jewish. He didn’t live in a disputed area, or put on a uniform, or carry a gun. He was just there.
I didn’t know Ezra, but I could have, and so could you.
And even though this eighteen year old boy wasn’t my brother, or cousin, or friend, he was my family. He was a member of the Jewish people, and his “crime” is the same as mine. He was a Jew, living in Israel.
For too many people, that’s reason enough for this heinous act, and it has to stop. Every Jew, every human being, should be screaming for the end of this madness today.
More from Samantha:
AM YISRAEL: FOSTERING JEWISH UNITY AND PRIDE
How are you making a difference for Jewish Unity?
Originally published at israelforever.org.