Of PM Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at Auschwitz, the Jerusalem Post's Benjamin Weinthal chose to headline,
'A new Amalek is appearing,' Netanyahu warns at Auschwitz
In a speech of any length there will be some phrases that will stand out more than others. This is one of them: it's unexpected but apt.
It is more apt than a superficial reading reveals. It's a powerful hard hitting condemnation.
But who is this new Amalek?
Weinthal implies Netanyahu was referring to Iran's ruling regime,
The Iranian threat permeated the speeches and remarks of many of the speakers during the events commemorating the former Soviet Union's liberation of Auschwitz 65 years ago. http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=167043
But Netanyahu didn't mention Iran by name (see full text of his speech. Ronald Lauder, who also spoke that day, did mention Iran. But Netanyahu didn't. Netanyahu said at his previous Yad Vashem, “there is evil in the world”, “there is new Jew hatred in our midst”
But he didn't mention Iran. He ended that speech saying,
This is a test of mankind and we shall see in the coming weeks and months how the international community lives up to its responsibility to stop evil before it spreads further.
A blogger named Jacob, on a site dedicated to Netayahu's speeches, wrote that Netanyahu indirectly referred to Iran.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told dignitaries gathered at the Auschwitz extermination camp on Wednesday that the Holocaust demonstrates how imperative it is to "warn the world of impending danger," an indirect reference to Iran's nuclear program.
After a short introduction in English Netanyahu switched over to Hebrew. He began his speech with the Aramaic words that open the Kaddish prayer – “yitgadal veyitkadash Shmeh Raba” – “may the name of G-d be grow great and be sanctified” - and said that the last words of many of the Jews who were murdered at Auschwitz were the call of “Shema Yisrael” – "Hear O Israel."
He then said that many of the slain must also have uttered another phrase before their death: “Remember what Amalek did to you – do not forget.”
"The lesson of the Holocaust is that murderous evil must be stopped as early as possible when it is still in its early phases and cannot yet realize its intentions,This lesson must be internalized by all the world's enlightened nations. We, the Jewish people, internalized it well, after losing one third of our nation on the blood-soaked earth of Europe. We learned that we must be prepared to defend ourselves. We have learned that the only guarantee for the survival of our nation is a strong Israel and its army – the Israel Defense Force. We learned that we must alert the nations of the world and be prepared to defend ourselves.” http://bibireport.blogspot.com/2010/01/netanyahu-in-auschwitz-we-will-never.html
The quote from the speech highlights specifically 'murderous evil' and 'enlightened nations', not Iran
Bloomberg's Jonathan Ferziger and Gwen Ackerman devoted most of their piece on Netanyahu's comments to Iran,
Netanyahu has been lobbying European leaders to tighten economic sanctions on Iran to force the country to curtail its nuclear program.http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601104&sid=a4iOht27_eS0
Note PM Netanyahu has been lobbying European leaders.
The Australian phone company Optus' website, which assumed the public in Australia were interested and familiar with the Bible, also referred to Iran,
Quoting the biblical account of the attacks on the Jews by the people of Amalek as Moses led them out of Egypt, Mr Netanyahu urged Jews today to ''remember what Amalek did to you''.
''I have come here today from Jerusalem to tell you: we will never forget,'' Mr Netanyahu said, then made an oblique reference to Iran. ''We will not allow the Holocaust deniers or those who desecrate Jewish graves and signs or distort our memory.'' http://www.optuszoo.com.au/news/89564/we-will-never-forget-says-netanyahu-at-auschwitz.html
Iran's leader is not the only Holocaust denier. Jews in Iran may live in less fear of than Jews in Europe. The graves and signs that was desecrated were in Europe, the most worrying Holocaust denier is a Catholic priest.
Fox news didn't give much background or information on the speech but leaped in with a misleading headline making assumptions and possibly unjustified conclusions, "Netanyahu Says World Must Face Iranian Evil”. Remember PM Netanyahu never mentioned Iran. Not once.
The Japanese Mainichi daily didn't mention Amalek as the Bible is not well known in Japan, but they did imply Netanyahu was referring to Iran,
"My murdered brothers and sisters and brothers who survived the inferno, I came here today from Jerusalem to say to you we will never forget," Netanyahu said. "We will not allow Holocaust deniers and desecrators of grave stones to erase or distort the memory."
Netanyahu's remarks were a clear reference to Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinajad, who has called for Israel's demise and questioned the extent of the Holocaust. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/features/news/20100128p2g00m0fe017000c.html
Quite clearly people pick up and report what they think is interesting from an event. Netanyahu didn't even need to mention Iran and quite a few were assuming Iran was implied. Jason Koutsoukis who was published in both The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age also assumed Iran.
Netanyahu warned of the new catastrophe facing the Jews. ''A new Amalek is appearing and once again threatening to annihilate the Jews,'' Netanyahu warned, leaving no doubt as to his Government's national security priorities.
The reference to Amalek, a biblical enemy of the Jews, was a less than oblique reference to Iran, whose President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has denied the Holocaust and spoken repeatedly of his desire to wipe Israel off the map.http://www.smh.com.au/world/netanyahu-makes-no-apologies-20100129-n49h.html
Koutsoukis also reports on an interview with Netanyahu where it is clear someone asked a question about Iran, to which Netanyahu replies,
'With regard to Iran, the clock hasn't stopped ticking,'' Netanyahu said. ''The sand keeps flowing through the hour glass. The world has to come to a decision about Iran.''
It may be argued that reporters are making conclusions based on mere inference. Given how frank Netanyahu was in the interview after, and how open he is in his work to alert the world on Iran, there is no reason for him not to have named Iran in his 2 speeches, at Yad Vashem or at Auschwitz, if he meant Iran.
If Netanyahu didn't mean Iran, specifically, what was he getting at? Who is the 'new Amalek'?
If we read again what Netanyahu said in the interview, Koutsoukis missed Netanyahu's point. Note his point is “the world has to come to a decision”. This is the 'enlightened nations' of the memorial speech. In is here that the battle is being fought for minds. Iran's leadership is an 'indicator' for the presence of Amalek in the enlightened world.
To understand fully what Netanyahu meant it might help to find out who Amalek were, and what they did that Israel must “never forget!”.
Amalek was grandson to Esau (called Edom) who was the elder twin of Jacob (also known as Israel). Esau sold his birthright, lost his blessing and then so hated his brother he wanted to kill him (Genesis 27:41-42). Amalek's descendants became a mighty nation in Canaan (displacing the locals). They, however, must have felt threatened by the wonders and power shown in the Israelite exodus from Egypt, as they sneak up on the man attack them in the wilderness at Rephidim (see Exodus 17:8-14). Joshua (Yehoshua) leads Israel's army to victory only while Moses holds his hands up, and they finally defeat them at the going down of the sun. The Torah says of this,
Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way as ye came forth out of Egypt; how he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, all that were enfeebled in thy rear, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God. Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God has given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God gives thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shall not forget. (Deuteronomy 25:16-19)
The very last reference to Amalek in the Tanakh explains in more detail what Amalek is about,
O God. (83:3) For, lo, Thine enemies are in an uproar; and they that hate Thee have lifted up the head. (83:4) They hold crafty converse against Thy people, and take counsel against Thy treasured ones. (83:5) They have said: 'Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.' (83:6) For they have consulted together with one consent; against Thee do they make a covenant; (83:7) The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagrites; (83:8) Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; Palestine with the inhabitants of Tyre; (83:9) Assyria also is joined with them; they have been an arm to the children of Lot. (83:10)
Amalek is associated with a group who use 'craft' or their cunning to implement a covenant they made to wipe out Israel from being a nation. The Book of Judges shows Amalek tended to tag along with anyone who wanted to fight with Israel. They had a nasty tactic when they joined the Midianites in destroying all the crops in Israel which had the effect of starving everyone, especially children and animals. When Samuel kills their king Agag, he says that Agag made women 'childless', indicating they attacked children (1Samuel 15:32-33)
In summary (for more see here) Amalek was a real nation, its descendants now dispersed. But that nation is exemplified in subsequent individuals and nations who,
Know of the purpose of God in giving Israel an inheritance in the land
Seek to deny this right to inheritance as they do not fear God
Seek the inheritance for themselves thinking they have the right (even if they sold it, or lost it)
Go out of their way to attack Israel 'in the way' even without being provoked
Cowardly plot their victory by targeting the faint, weary, feeble and weak
Have tactics including killing children, and destroying crops which might benefit themselves, merely for the sake of harm to Israel
They seek utter annihilation of Israel and will conspire and use cunning to achieve it
Who is this today? It does not only refer to the Iranians. It might also describe Hamas, or Hezbollah or the Palestinian Authority. But in Netanyahu's context Amalek was related to “Evil”. This is because to a Jew, Amalek does not only refer to the nation. Amalek is a name for all Evil and is remembered on Shabbat before Purim.
Purim is about Haman who sought to destroy all the Jews. He was an Agagite. Agag was the king of Amalek that Samuel slew.
It is written,
the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.' (Exodus 17:15-16)
Amalek represents all those, like Haman the Agagite who seek to annihilate Jews, and even Jews who do not blot out evil in their lives, and so lead to the success of Amalek over Israel. Amalek exists until Messiah (Mashiach) destroys it. The Torah tells us this.
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Write this for a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.'(Exodus 17:8-14)
Agag is also 'Gog', Gog behaves just like Amalek. When Gog sees Israel in the land dwelling safely, unprovoked they will come to attack, when they think Israel weak, to annihilate it from being a nation (Ezekiel 38:14-16).
I deal more with this in more detail here
It's up to the 'enlightened' world. Will they chose to be a new Amalek or chose to help blot out Amalek? Netanyahu's point is hard hitting. It is as he said in English at Yad Vashem,
there is evil in the world; if it is unstopped, it expands; it is expanding and it is threatening the same people, the Jewish people, but we know that it only starts with the Jews and then it consumes the rest of mankind.
There is now a test, a test for humanity. There is new Jew hatred in our midst. There are new calls for the extermination of the Jewish State
But Netanyhau at Auschwitz spoke about Amalek in Hebrew to an audience that knows Amalek and new Amaleks will exist until Messiah (Mashiach) comes. The implied point for Israel is they must even now be blotting Amalek out in their midst, and according to the Sages that is done by studying Torah and removing Evil in Israel's midst.
The enlightened world has the same choice as Israel, accept the guidance of the Torah, or rejecting it. Some may reject the Torah, but those that reject it and hate its advice and seek to defy it, their fate is written.
And the Torah said the inheritance of the whole land of Canaan, the mountains of Israel included, is given to the sons of Jacob or Israel........ It is written in every person's language in the most available book on the planet. To actively deny and defy this is to be Amalek: the new Amalek.
This is a modified version of a more Bible based analysis from here
