There is a bitter constant in Jewish history: the world has often found it easier to deal with dead Jews than with Jews who defend themselves. Candles are lit for murdered Jews, wreaths are laid, and moving speeches are made. “Never again,” people say. But when Jews themselves take action to ensure there is no next mass grave, the tone changes. Compassion turns to criticism, solidarity becomes demands for restraint, and the right to self-defense quickly devolves into a debate about how far that right may extend. Therein lies one of the deepest tensions in modern Jewish history.
Israel was not founded so that the world could better mourn Jewish victims. Israel was founded so that there would be fewer Jewish victims to mourn. From Masada to the Warsaw Ghetto to the founding of the state, a single idea runs through Jewish memory: we cannot count on others to save us in time. Golda Meir distilled this experience into a formulation that has lost none of its edge to this day: better to be alive and criticized than dead and...
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