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What Sodom and Gomorrah Teach Us About Hamas and Hezbollah
A Torah scroll. Photo: RabbiSacks.org.
There are times when mercy and compassion are essential, the very qualities that can help resolve difficult situations. But sometimes, kindness backfires — becoming not just unhelpful, but downright dangerous and counterproductive. The trick is knowing when compassion is misplaced.
One person who understood this very well was Sir Winston Churchill. Faced with the overwhelming belligerence of Nazi Germany’s advance in 1940, he stood before the House of Commons in his first speech as Prime Minister and declared, “You cannot reason with a tiger when your head is in its mouth.”
His strategy was clear: there had to be total, unrelenting resistance if Hitler and his thuggish violence were to be overcome. What Churchill recognized was that compassion for Germans and Germany in the fight against Hitler would be a dreadful mistake, and that the future of the free world hung in the balance.
General William Tecumseh Sherman shared this same insight, as his infamous “scorched earth” march through the South during the American Civil War vividly demonstrated. A pragmatic but devoted unionist, Sherman knew that anything less than decisive, overwhelming action — targeting both military and civilian resources — would likely fail to break the Confederacy’s resolve, prolonging the horrific conflict and deepening the Nation’s rift.
So, he took the hard road, leading a campaign so relentless it crushed the Confederate spirit and ultimately paved the way for the country to reunify.
While Sherman’s methods might seem extreme to modern sensibilities, his choices were grounded in a harsh reality: had he left room for the Confederacy to regroup, rearm, and resist, that would have meant decades of war and suffering that would have been far worse.
As brutal as it was, Sherman’s march was calculated to bring the suffering to a quicker end, because rebuilding could only happen after those intent on destroying peace were decisively defeated.
Similarly, Churchill understood that any attempt to negotiate with Nazi Germany would only prolong the threat, which was why he insisted that peace could only be secured by confronting the enemy head-on, often with military tactics that left devastation in its wake.
The Allied forces targeted strategic cities like Dresden, Rotterdam, and Berlin in overwhelming bombing campaigns that were aimed at breaking Germany’s ability to continue the war. As Churchill put it, there had to be “Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be — for without victory, there is no survival.”
In Europe, victory required the calculated use of brutal force to dismantle the infrastructure that supported tyranny, paving the way for a postwar rebuilding grounded in true peace.
Now, let’s fast-forward to the present. The tragic events of last October 7th in Israel showed the world the cruelty that groups like Hamas are willing to inflict on innocent civilians without provocation or any attempt to try peaceful resolution first.
But even as Israel began its justified — and unquestionably harsh — military response, most international leaders could only bring themselves to offer cautious, watered-down support, and very quickly began to call for a ceasefire. The “support” offered was accompanied by the kinds of conditions that would inevitably blunt the effectiveness of what Israel was trying to do — namely, root out Hamas once and for all. Israel’s right to defend itself was affirmed with one breath and curbed with the next.
How can pure evil be defeated if misdirected compassion is continually used to tie the hands of those fighting it? By insisting on half-measures and quick returns to “stability,” the international community has only prolonged the suffering, allowing groups like Hamas to regroup and continue their cycle of terror. True peace demands the courage to confront and dismantle the forces of destruction—not giving them breathing room under the guise of compassion.
One can’t help but wonder how things might look today if, years ago, Israel had acted with Churchillian resolve in the face of Hamas, or had they, like Sherman, decided that the only path to peace was one that left no room for enemies to regroup. Instead, we’ve seen decades of half-measures, ceasefires, and so-called negotiations that have served only to buy time for Hamas to rearm and double down.
And it’s not just Israel. And it’s not just Hamas. For years, the Western world has danced around Iran, tolerating its proxy terrorism through Hezbollah in Lebanon, militias in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen, and its entrenched role in supporting Hamas — and that’s before you consider their attempts to become a nuclear military power.
Iran’s regime is the most outstanding contemporary example of what happens when the world treats an existential threat with kid gloves. Imagine if decisive action had been taken against Iran when its terror network was still in its infancy. Imagine if the West had backed Israel, not with words, but solid, uncompromising support. Wouldn’t the Middle East be a very different place?
Which brings me to Parshat Vayeira, where we find Abraham pleading with God to spare the city of Sodom, bargaining with Him in the hope that even a small cluster of righteous people might justify saving the entire city. I have always struggled with this story. What is the point of the bible remembering Abraham’s abject failure to negotiate a reprieve for this doomed city?
But perhaps his failure is precisely the point. While Abraham’s compassion is admirable, and his willingness to challenge God heroic, ultimately, God is telling him that Sodom’s sins are so extreme, so corrosive, and so reprehensible that redemption is no longer an option.
God’s response is swift, and the angels sent to dispatch Sodom do what has to be done: they rescue Lot and his family and destroy the city until no trace of it is left.
That is the essential lesson here. Compassion has limits. God’s response to Abraham wasn’t dismissive or cruel. Instead, it was a recognition that certain evils cannot be redeemed, and therefore, no attempt should be made to try and redeem them.
Of course, God allowed Abraham to advocate, to hope, and to express compassion — we are always expected to explore compassion as an option. But in the end, Sodom’s fate was sealed. The destruction of Sodom didn’t mean Abraham had failed; even kindly Abraham had to learn that mercy, too, has boundaries.
As we look at the situation in Israel and the Middle East today, the parallels to Sodom and Gomorrah are impossible to ignore. Groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and, in particular, their Iranian puppet masters, don’t just oppose Israel; they undermine regional and international stability and twist their own people into tools for a vile nihilistic agenda.
They have proven themselves beyond redemption, operating with methods that prioritize terror over any semblance of peace. And, just as Abraham learned, we too must realize that there are times when standing firm against such forces is not only necessary — it’s moral.
The incoming US administration’s cabinet and diplomatic appointments this week show that this message has finally made it to the highest levels, and the self-destructive mercy of those who advocate for a ceasefire might finally be overruled by those who have the greater good and a strategic vision at the center of their focus.
In Parshat Vayeira, we see that not every plea for mercy is good, nor every act of destruction bad. There is a place for compassion, and there is a place for resolve. And in a world where Sodom still thrives, knowing when to draw the line may be the key to safeguarding what we truly value.
The author is a rabbi in Beverly Hills, California.
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Wife of Former Maccabi Tel Aviv Manager Says Her Family Isn’t Safe Living in Ireland Because of His Ties to Israel
Robbie Keane during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Leeds United at the London Stadium, London, England on 21 May 2023. Photo: IMAGO/Pro Sports Images via Reuters Connect
Claudine Keane, wife of former Irish soccer player and previous Maccabi Tel Aviv manager Robbie Keane, opened up on Wednesday in a series of posts on X about feeling unsafe living in Ireland with her family and the harassment her husband has received for formerly leading an Israeli soccer team.
Robbie, Ireland’s record goalscorer Robbie Kean, resigned as manager of Maccabi Tel Aviv in June after leading the club for only a year. He helped the team win the Israeli club title as well as the qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. “The club agreed to Robbie Keane’s request not to activate the extension of his contract,” Maccabi Tel Aviv said at the time.
Robbie was criticized by anti-Israel supporters in Ireland for staying on with the Israeli team following the start of Israel’s war with Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip – a war that was launched in response to the Hamas-led deadly terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Robbie recently faced intense backlash again for his ties to Israel when he was invited earlier this week to present caps to soccer players at an international training camp for Ireland’s national team. Critics in Ireland claimed Robbie is “a disgrace to the country and happy to support an apartheid state,” accused him of taking “blood money to work for genociders” in Israel and was described as a “Zionist rat.”
The Keane family is now living in Dublin since Robbie left Maccabi Tel Aviv. In a number of lengthy posts on X, Claudine said that since her family has moved to Ireland, “I feel extremely uncomfortable and sometimes intimidated by some messages again from a small group that are hurtful, threatening and dangerous.”
“They not only put genuinely our safety and wellbeing as a family at risk they are using a sportsperson as a political pawn and in doing so inciting hated by making absolutely outrageous accusations,” she added. “I always felt safe in Ireland until now. I always wanted to move home being my kids up here and enjoy the Ireland that both me and my husband love. They are taking every bit of enjoyment and safety away from me and my family.”
The abuse targeting Robbie comes after Maccabi Tel Aviv fans faced violent antisemitic attacks in Amsterdam last week, in what appeared to be a coordinated attack following a match between the Israeli team and their Dutch rivals Ajax. Israeli fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv who were visiting Amsterdam to watch the game were run over by cars, beaten, chased with knives and sticks and tormented by anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups of men, some of whom forced their victims to say “Free Palestine” in order to be spared from abuse.
Also last week, the Irish Parliament passed a non-binding motion that accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Robbie faced intense condemnation from pro-Palestinian activists for not resigning as manager of Maccabi Tel Aviv when the war broke out. However, Claudine insisted on X: “We love our country, we are not politician’s we have never done any wrong.” She also revealed that Robbie resigned as manager of Maccabi Tel Aviv for the safety of his family.
She said her husband “resigned from a job he loved and did well to protect us his family in Ireland & Because none of us signed up to this situation that happened months into his role, it was a nightmare!” She also called for the hatred to end against her husband said, “Please stop this absolute witch hunt … We all want peace!!”
“It seems to be trendy in media in Ireland to absolutely try to assassinate my husbands character very maliciously,” she added, saying that the “absolute bias, malice and defamation over the years it’s nothing short of a disgrace.”
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Neo-Nazi Found Guilty of Vandalizing Oregon Synagogue
An American flag waves outside the US Department of Justice Building in Washington, DC. Photo: Al Drago via Reuters Connect
Federal law enforcement officials conbicted a white supremacist who repeatedly vandalized a synagogue in Eugene, Oregon during spree of hate in 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Tuesday.
Motivated by antisemitism, Adam Edward Braun, 34, graffitied the Temple Beth Israel synagogue twice in Sept. 23, spraying “1377” for its resemblance to “1488,” a reference to Adolf Hitler and a white nationalist slogan. He came back several months later, that time to vandalize the glazing of the synagogue’s entrance. However, he abandoned that activity after spotting a surveillance camera and opted to graffiti “white power” elsewhere on the grounds.
A search of Braun’s home in Jan. yielded copious evidence of his guilt. Authorities also found “several items and writings” that were antisemitic, further implicating him in the crimes.
“Braun…pleaded guilty to two counts of intentionally defacing a synagogue and one count of attempting to intentionally damage the synagogue because the synagogue was a place of religious worship for Jewish people,” the Justice Department said in a press release issued on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon added that Braun has agreed to “pay restitution in full to the victim.” In addition to prison, Braun also faces a maximum $100,000 fine, the total amount of which will be determined when he is sentenced in Feb. by US District Court Judge Michael J. McShane, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama (D) in 2013.
In October federal prosecutors helped convict a gunman who shot two Jewish men as they exited a synagogue in Los Angeles.
Jaime Tran, 30 — an affiliate of the “Goyim Defense League” hate group — had went on an antisemitic shooting spree in Feb. 2023, attempting to murder two Jewish men in the Pico-Robertson section of Los Angeles. Prior to the crimes, Tran called Jews “primitive” and told a former classmate, “Someone is going to kill you, Jew” and “I want you dead, Jew.” According to the Justice Department, he even described himself as a “ticking time bomb,” broadcasting his murderous ideations to all who knew him.
After declining to fight the federal government’s case against him, Tran pled guilty in June to four charges the DOJ described as “hate crimes with intent to kill” and “using, carrying, and discharging a firearm” in the commission of an act of violence. His sentencing of 35 years ensures that he will not again be free until the year 2059.
“After two years of spewing antisemitic vitriol, the defendant planned and carried out a two-day attack attempting to murder Jews leaving synagogue in Los Angeles,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said at the time. “Vile acts of antisemitic hatred endanger the safety of individuals and entire communities, and allowing such crimes to go unchecked endangers the foundation of our democracy itself.”
In August, DOJ arrested and charged a Jordanian national who allegedly attacked an energy facility and threatened to bomb businesses that he deemed supportive of Israel. According to federal prosecutors, the alleged crimes of Hashem Younis Hashem Hnaihen, 43, began in early summer, with his vandalizing small businesses in Orange County, Florida, and leaving “Warning Letters” addressed to the US government in which he vowed to “destroy or explode everything here in America. Especially the companies and factories that support the racist state of Israel.”
In late June, DOJ said , Hnaihen breached an energy facility in Wedgefield, Florida, where he “smashed” scores of solar panels and damaged other “electronic equipment.” The spree of infrastructure sabotage lasted “for hours,” the department added, destroying $700,000 worth of technology. In his last alleged act, in early July, Hnaihen left a final warning letter at an industrial propane gas distribution depot located in the city of Orlando. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department arrested him on July 11.
Hnaihen faces five charges, four related to his threatening letters and one for wreaking havoc on the energy facility, crimes for which he may, if convicted, spend the rest of his natural life in prison. His “Warning Letters” alone, each of which carries 10-year maximum sentences, would keep him behind bars for 40 years, at which time he will be an octogenarian. His fifth charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
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Controversial Israel-France Soccer Match in Paris Attracts Extremely Low Turnout of Fans
Fans display a Palestinian flag and an Israel flag during the France v Israel soccer match at Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France on Nov. 14, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
A tense match that took place in Paris on Thursday between Israel and France’s national soccer teams drew weak attendance against the backdrop of heightened security surrounding the stadium, recent violent attacks against Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam, and an anti-Israel protest in Paris.
Stade de France was barely a fifth full and only 16,611 fans were in the stands, which is nowhere near the stadium’s 80,000-person capacity, according to Reuters. In the stands were some 100 Israel soccer fans, who watched their home country and France end the UEFA Nations League match with a 0-0 draw in the French team’s first game at the Stade de France in 17 month. The Israeli soccer fans ignored a warning from the Israeli government against attending international sporting events, specifically Thursday’s game.
“We had to play this game in a context that we would like not to have. It’s obviously weird to play in front of such a [small] crowd,” France manager Didier Deschamps said after the match, as reported by ESPN.
Thursday’s match took place despite pressure from pro-Palestinian activists last week to cancel the game and following a pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel rally that took place in Paris on Thursday night near the soccer stadium. Several hundred people at the protest condemned France for hosting the soccer game and criticized French leaders, such as President Emmanuel Macron for attending the match, according to EuroNews.
Thursday’s match was also attended by former Presidents of France Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, former president of the regional council of Hauts-de-France Xavier Bertrand and former Minister Manuel Valls. “We will not give in to antisemitism, anywhere. And violence, including in the French Republic, will never prevail, nor will intimidation,” Macron told BFM TV channel before the game.
Hoping to prevent a repeat of the violent antisemitic attacks that took place in Amsterdam last week targeting Israeli soccer fans who attended a Europa League game involving Maccabi Tel Aviv, 4,000 French security personnel were deployed inside and outside Stade de France and on public transport on Thursday. Despite the increased security, there was a brief scuffle between a small number of fans shortly after kickoff. The clashes, in which some punches were thrown, involved some fans who had oversized Israeli flags draped over their backs and though it was not clear what caused the altercation, security intervened and quickly restored calm in the stands, according to ESPN. Some anti-Israel fans in the stands also booed and whistled when Israel’s national anthem “Hatikvah” played before the start of the game.
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