Why we must follow Israel in helping Haiti

IT’S one of the world’s best-kept secrets. Like the concealed work of a great artist, hidden away under layers of paint on a canvas that has been reused, so too has Israel’s true nature been obscured from the public gaze in recent years by layer upon layer of vindictive political propaganda and ill-informed or even malicious media bias. But, every so often, a glimpse of reality shines through.

For those of us aware of the Jewish State’s unbounded capacity for compassion and humanity, the country’s swift and substantial response to the earthquake in Haiti has come as no surprise. A nation born out of tragedy, a people plagued by disaster, albeit manmade, Israel has long been equipped to deal with catastrophe and willing to share its experience and expertise.

Moreover, as Binyamin Netanyahu noted, that sense of global responsibility – tikkun olam – is a central tenet of Judaism. “Despite being a small country, we have responded with a big heart,” the Israeli Prime Minister said. “The fact is, I know, that this was an expression of our Jewish heritage and the Jewish ethic of helping one’s fellow.”

That heritage and ethic are now embodied in both person and name in the baby delivered by Israeli medics – just like child survivor Moshe Holzberg in Mumbai, newly born Israel is a rare ray of light shining through from unimaginable horrors.

The efforts of the Jewish State to alleviate the suffering in Haiti are, of course, made without thought of reward or recognition. The government, the Israel Defence Forces, as well as medical and aid agencies such as Magen David Adom and ZAKA, do not ask for praise.

But it is a gratifying side effect that for once the world’s media has chosen to focus its cameras on the force for good that Israel not only aspires to be but so often succeeds in being, rather than its preferred proclivity towards highlighting the seemingly negative aspects of the country’s ongoing war against terror.

That said, while most laud the scale of Israel’s response, some have sought to exploit the tragedy in Haiti to score political points. Commenting on the donations collected from Palestinians for the relief effort – which are in and of themselves commendable – one local Palestinian legislator was quoted as saying: “We are here today supporting the victims of Haiti – we feel for them the most because we were exposed to our own earthquake during Israel’s war on Gaza.”

The two situations are, of course, not comparable. And to deflect attention away from the crisis in Haiti is distasteful. Whatever the reality on the ground between Israel and the Palestinians, our thoughts must be with the people of Haiti and what we can do to help them.

In that regard, the call must go out to Jews, both here in Australia and abroad, to mirror the response from Israel. As individuals, we cannot help but be moved by the heart-wrenching images of devastation that leap from our newspapers and TV screens.

As a community, we have focused our resources on raising awareness and aid, whether in the form of sermons delivered from synagogue pulpits or campaigns launched by our communal charities in support of the international relief efforts.

But with tens of thousands killed by the quake, with thousands more injured, orphaned or homeless, and with attempts to alleviate the suffering destined to last long after the world’s news cameras have left the island, it is not just crucial but imperative that each one of us do all we can, and give all we can, to help save and rebuild shattered lives, just as Australian Jewry did after the tragedy of Black Saturday.

It is perhaps poignant that this disaster occurred just a few days before International Holocaust Memorial Day. Held on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the occasion serves to remind the world of the unimaginable fate endured by one people and to urge each one of us to take steps to ensure such horrors are never revisited.

The cause of these two tragic events may be different – one the result of mankind’s inhumanity, the other a natural disaster – but, whatever the circumstances, it is incumbent upon us not to be bystanders to suffering, wherever it may be.

Just as we hail the righteous who came to the assistance of Jews during their darkest hour, and as we remember the victims of that atrocity, so we have an opportunity to be righteous now – by preventing others becoming victims. Today, we have a chance to help those in dire need, a chance to offer hope to those who have lost all, a chance to provide shelter and aid to those in despair, a chance, ultimately, to save lives.

It is a chance we must seize. Please give generously to aid the people of Haiti.