The Forgotten Rachels
London from which as the Holocaust grew and raged in fury decisions were made to close Israel to the Jews, from which came the orders to disarm the Jews living in remote villages surrounded by arabs across Israel to prepare the way for their massacre. London which tore away as much of Israel as it could to give to the arabs, on whose throne a Nazi sympathizer briefly sat has a new play.
London, from which Jews were twice expelled. London where Jews were stoned and burned at the coronation of Richard the Lionheart. Shakespeare's London where the story of a Jew held hostage to give a pound of flesh became the story of an evil Jew demanding a pound of flesh. London where Dickens equally repugnant anti-semitic stereotype Fagin roamed the streets in search of gentile boys to corrupt, hosts another anti-semitic play now.
Much as the Passion Plays depicted the evil Jews torturing and tormenting Jesus, in the footsteps of the Merchant of Venice and Oliver Twist (which Dickens staged as a theatrical production playing the part of Fagin himself with vehemence and spite before perishing of a heart attack); a new play called 'My Name is Rachel Corrie' depicts the evil Jews torturing the saint of western terrorist sympathizers, Rachel Corrie depicted below burning the American and Israeli flags at a Hamas rally.
Like all anti-semitic stories, like all blood libels, the story will be simple. Rachel Corrie was an idealistic young student working for peace. Based on her diaries, the play will make no mention of her support and affection for terrorists that appears in her diary. The photos will show her westernized with blond hair and smiling gently into the camera, not with her face contorted with hate in a burqa. After all it does not do to show up saints for the rabid anti-semites they really are.
The true victims, those murdered by Rachel Corrie's comrades will not be remembered at that play. The true victims, those murdered by the weapons smuggled through tunnels that Rachel Corrie fought to keep open, will not be paid tribute to by the somber faces and fat jowls sitting as their ancestors sat while the Jews on stage killed Jesus, demanded their pound of flesh and abused poor Oliver. These are the other Rachels. London may not remember them but G-D surely will.
1. My Name is Rachel Levy (Israeli girl age 17, blown up in a grocery store)
On Friday afternoon, Rachel's mother, Avigail, asked her to go to the supermarket to buy some things for the Shabbat meals. Rachel Levy, 17, of Jerusalem, was one of two people killed when a female suicide bomber blew herself up in the Kiryat Yovel supermarket in Jerusalem. Rachel Levy was a senior at the Sieff High School. Fellow pupils from her photography class at school said that she was an excellent pupil, and that an exhibition of Rachel's photographs is being held at her school.
2. My Name is Rachel Thaler (Israeli girl aged 16, blown up in a pizzeria)
"Rachel Thaler had gone on Saturday night to the local Yuvalim Mall in Karnei Shomron with his brother, Lior. Since its opening six months ago, the mall has become a popular meeting place for local youth. Rachel, who suffered a critical head injury in the bombing, never regained consciousness. She died 12 days later."
3. My Name is Rachel Levi (Israeli girl aged 19, murdered while waiting for the bus)
She had been dropped off by her father near the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station, about an hour before she was killed. He said: "Adi, my older daughter, told me that the attack occured at a junction where Rachel used to be daily. We called her on her cell phone, but there was no answer. Rachel left behind her parents and two sisters. She was buried in Ashkelon
4. My Name is Rachel Gavish (killed with her husband and son while at home)
Rachel Gavish, 50, of Elon Moreh was one of four members of the Gavish family killed in Elon Moreh, when a Palestinian terrorist infiltrated the hilltop community near Nablus, burst into their home, and shot them shortly before 9 P.M. Rachel Gavish was buried in Elon Moreh alongside her family members. She is survived by her six children: Menashe (23), Yeshurun (2), Avigdor, (19), Tzofia (18), Leah (17), and Assaf (14)
5. My Name is Rachel Charhi (blown up while sitting in a cafe)
Rachel was a secretary at an accounting firm. Her daughter had often suggested she quit her job so as not to have to ride the busses, but Rachel told her not to worry. On the day of the attack, Rachel and Ben-Zion thought to dine in a different cafe but chose My Coffee Shop instead, since it was less crowded. Rachel was buried in the Yarkon cemetery in Tel-Aviv. She is survived by her husband Benzion, daughter Kinneret 14 and sons Ariel 13 and Barak 7.
6. My Name is Rachel Shabo (murdered with her three sons aged 5, 13 and 6 while sitting at home)
The terrorist first shot the mother, Rachel (top right), in the back. Then he shot Avishai, 5 (top, second from right), Zvika, 13 (bottom, second from right), and Neria, 16 (bottom, third from left), as well as a neighbor, Yosef Twito, who came to their aid. Rachel Shabo was buried in Itamar alongside her three sons.
When it comes to Jews, the world and self-hating Jewish have a tendency to lament the perpetrators not the victims, to make heroes of the murderers and those who held the murderer's hands and washed clean the blood on their hands and not the innocents whose blood they spilled; because those innocents are Jews and Jews on the London stage are condemned to be Shylock's, Fagin's and Sharon's. Let us remember and honor our dead because no one else will.
With thanks to Steven Plaut