Why Do They Hate Us? Antisemitism, Amalek, and the Path to Redemption

As is well known, the Jewish people do not seek war with anyone and desire only to live peacefully among the nations. If so, why do so many enemies yearn for our destruction with such extreme hatred? Hamas openly calls for our total annihilation without conditions — just as Nazi Germany once demanded our complete destruction without conditions.

The emblem of Hamas depicts the entirety of the Land of Israel, with two swords framing the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Their stated motto reads: “Jihad is our path, and death for the sake of Allah is the highest of our aspirations.”

In the name of antisemitism, Hamas knowingly leads its followers toward ruin and death. Golda Meir once said: “We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.” Similarly, Hamas leader Mohammed Deif (may his name be erased) declared: “We love death just as the Jews love life.”

Such irrational terror can only remind us of Amalek — a force willing to sacrifice itself entirely in order to destroy the seed of Israel at any cost.

History teaches us that even when Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II was imminent, the Nazis continued murdering Jews in the extermination camps — and did so with even greater urgency, so long as they could kill one more Jewish child. Stories of Amalek’s boundless hatred might have seemed legendary, were it not for the fact that we witness their fulfillment in every generation.

It is clear that God does not operate solely within the laws of nature, for human rationality is incapable of explaining such unhinged, limitless antisemitism.

The hatred of anti-Semites is not natural; therefore, it cannot be addressed through reason, nor can genuine peace be made with them. Neither can they be eradicated solely by force, for Amalek changes disguises in every generation and returns in different forms: once as Egypt, once as Persia, once as Babylonia, once as Greece, once as Rome, once as Germany, once as Hamas, once as Iran…

An Unnatural Phenomenon Cannot Be Solved by Natural Means

Our destiny lies in our own hands, because antisemitism is merely a symptom of a deeper illness. God has revealed to us the cure for the illness itself — the secret of our salvation, the secret of redemption.

The Torah calls out to us from 3,300 years ago, to the generation of the End of Days, and tells us exactly how we will merit victory and redemption: “When you are in distress and all these things befall you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice.”
(Devarim 4:30)

We all share one Father, and it is our Jewish identity that unites us. Only through brotherly love and drawing hearts closer to Judaism — to the path of Torah and mitzvot, will all wars and hatred be eradicated from the world. Only in this way will we achieve true peace and eternal redemption for the Jewish people, fulfilling the verse: “I will make you a light unto the nations, that My salvation may reach the ends of the earth.” (Yeshayahu 49:6)

In these difficult times, every mitzvah shines brighter than a diamond, and it is fitting for each and every one of us to strengthen ourselves in some way. Let us do so for the victory of Israel’s soldiers, for the healing of the wounded, for the release of the captives, and for the redemption of the Jewish people — speedily and in our days, amen.