They came one by one, sometimes in pairs.
Quietly they entered the auditorium. Unassuming people, you might not notice if
you passed in the street. No external factors could alert you to the fact that
these are elite warriors of the mind.
The Hasby Awards, under the auspices of
famous blogger Elder of Ziyon, honor and recognize some of Israel’s greatest
activists who work tirelessly to defend Israel. Israel has IDF warriors and
secret service, security forces taking care of the physical battle. The
warriors of the mind are those who have stepped forward to take on the battle
of thoughts and emotions which has, in many ways, become more significant than
the physical fight.
No member of this group had to take on
the task of Israel defense. Sometimes the battle is so difficult, I’m sure many
would, at times, like to quit, but we cannot. It is a compulsion.
It is necessary to defend the Land of
Israel in order to preserve the Nation of Israel and if we do not do it, who
will?
The propaganda machines geared to
delegitimizing and ultimately destroying the only Jewish State on earth are
enormous. The army of eager Israel haters seems like the number of stars in
heaven or the grains of sand on the beach. The ‘useful idiots’ happily going along
for the hate-ride, enhanced by the apathetic masses who enable the hatred to
grow by not doing anything to stop it, combine to create a formidable force.
On the other hand, stand a small number
of people, fighting a ferocious battle. Individuals, driven only by their
willpower, talents and … truth.
Will it be enough?
All logic, all reason says – no.
Statistics say no. The few against the many, no resources against plentiful,
seemingly never-ending resources? It’s impossible.
But this is Israel. WE are Israel and, in
this land, in our story, ‘impossible’ is to be read as ‘I’m possible’.
It’s what we do best. And we have
thousands of years of proof to back that up.
In one room were gathered people who,
each in his or her own way, reflects the light that is Israel. There were those
that make the haters quake in their boots, like the grotesque guru himself, Hen Mazzig and the [Unofficial] Mossad Chief. There were people like Richard Landes, the historian who coined the term “Pallywood,” who bring with
them the weight of research and academia. There were writers like Varda
Epstein, Arnold Roth and Brian of London who combine facts and a love of this
land and her people to illuminate the dark corners where hatred lurks with the
light of truth. There were those of the younger generation, like Rachel Lester, already making strides in presenting Israel as she really is. (No
disrespect meant to the other talented people I have not mentioned!)
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| Israel Forever booth outside Hasby Awards |
The Hasby Awards are awards like any
other, for a group of people that are unlike any other. It is not the awards so
much that matter, it is the people.
This meeting of the minds, seeing the
people behind the talents is a breath of fresh air that enables us to draw
strength from each other, go out and continue the battle.