Those who bless you will be blessed, those who curse you will be cursed - opinion

• Published date: 21 April 2024
• Author: DUVI HONIG
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The Jewish people are God's chosen nation, and as such, are divinely protected. No amount of missiles or artillery can overcome the will of God, and any nation that seeks to harm the Jewish people will inevitably face divine retribution

The recent attack by Iran on Israel and the miraculous protection of the Jewish people serve as a stark reminder of the long history of animosity towards the Jews and the divine protection that has accompanied them through the ages. The attempted destruction of the Jewish people by the ancient Persians, as recounted in the story of Purim, and the recent threats by Iran (Persia again) and their allies in the region, are just a few examples of the challenges that the Jewish people have faced and overcome – time and time again – and with the Divine Presence, will once again overcome.

The recent message from the Islamic Republic's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in which he wrote of defeating Israel in his Hebrew-language post on X stating that with God's help, Iran will destroy the Jews (which evidently God has not agreed to), showcases his ignorance and displays the same disturbing hate and envy of the Jewish nation that always blinds its enemies.

Throughout centuries, the Jewish people have faced countless enemies who have tried to destroy them, yet they have survived and thrived against all odds, while all the enemies of the Jews have perished, lost power, and disappeared.

As my close friend Mike Huckabee (former governor of Arkansas and Republican presidential nominee) quotes again and again from the Bible (Numbers 24:9 and Genesis 12:3) stating that those who bless the Jews will be blessed and those who curse the Jews will be cursed.

Resilience amidst persecution

As a member of the Jewish community, I am the grandchild of four Holocaust survivors. Hearing their stories of entire families brutally murdered by the Nazis including my grandparents' original spouses and children. Despite the unimaginable horrors they endured, my grandparents remained steadfast in their faith in a higher power. They instilled in me and in the next generation an unwavering pride in belonging to God's chosen people and subject to His divine mercy at all times.

The Jewish people have a long history of surviving persecution and atrocities, dating back to ancient times. From the Babylonian exile to the Spanish Inquisition and most recently the Holocaust, they have faced countless challenges, always emerging stronger and more resilient. The idea that Iran...