On Holocaust Day, Ireland Chooses Darkness: The Price of Cursing Israel

January 27, 2025
Stone sculptures at the entrance to the Children's Memorial at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem (Shutterstock.com)
Stone sculptures at the entrance to the Children's Memorial at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem (Shutterstock.com)

Today, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, as the world pauses to remember six million murdered Jews, Ireland’s President Michael D. Higgins has already desecrated this solemn occasion. Yesterday, at Ireland’s Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony, he used his speech to attack Israel and accuse it of genocide in Gaza, drawing obscene parallels between the systematic murder of six million Jews and Israel’s defensive war against Hamas terrorists who burned Jewish babies alive and raped Jewish women. The perversion of truth was so extreme that Jewish attendees walked out in protest. This comes just weeks after Israel was forced to close its embassy in Dublin due to Ireland’s relentless hostility toward the Jewish state.

How does a Western democracy descend into such moral confusion? How does a nation that claims to value human rights end up standing with terrorists against their victims? How does the country that prides itself on neutrality and peace become an eager participant in the demonization of the Jewish state?

The answer lies in an ancient biblical principle, one that carries far more profound implications than most realize. When God first called Abraham, He made this eternal promise:

Many understand this verse in purely materialistic terms – if you support Israel politically or send money to Israeli causes, God will reward you with financial success and national prosperity. While there may be truth to this interpretation, the real meaning cuts far deeper into the spiritual fabric of human society.

This verse reveals a fundamental spiritual law: Nations that align themselves with the people of Israel ā€“ God’s chosen vehicle for bringing moral light into the world ā€“ naturally elevate themselves. Those who turn against Israel inevitably suffer spiritual and moral decay. It’s not a supernatural punishment, but rather the natural consequence of rejecting the divine wisdom that comes through connection with the Jewish people.

The Jewish tradition teaches that the fate of nations depends on their attitude toward Abraham’s mission and his descendants. Those who further this mission share in the blessing, not through some divine quid pro quo, but through their very connection to the source of moral truth in the world. This is why Ireland’s current stance is so tragic ā€“ in opposing Israel, they are cutting themselves off from the very source of moral clarity they claim to champion.

We see this principle playing out in real-time. Ireland, having turned against Israel, now finds itself unable to distinguish between the deliberate murder of innocent Jews and Israel’s careful efforts to defend its citizens while minimizing civilian casualties. A nation that once understood good and evil now supports those who proudly film themselves kidnapping elderly Jewish women and celebrates the murder of teenagers at a music festival.

The Biblical prophet Isaiah foresaw this dynamic when he proclaimed:

While many read this verse as a prediction of physical destruction for nations that oppose Israel, its deeper meaning points to something even more devastating – the complete collapse of moral clarity and spiritual understanding that we witness today in nations that turn against God’s people. When nations turn away from Israel, they lose their moral compass and descend into ethical chaos.

This spiritual law works in both directions. Nations that stand with Israel, who align themselves with the people chosen to bring divine light into the world, find their own moral vision clarified and strengthened. We see this today in the United States, where voters rejected the Biden-Harris administration’s hostility toward Israel in favor of President Trump’s steadfast support for the Jewish state. This realignment with Israel will likely bring a renewal of moral clarity to American society in the years ahead. By choosing to bless Israel, nations themselves become blessed with moral clarity and purpose.

Ireland’s tragic descent into anti-Israel hatred serves as a warning to other nations. The choice to curse Israel isn’t just a political decision ā€“ it’s a spiritual one that will destroy a nation’s soul. When a country turns against the people of Israel, they don’t just oppose a modern nation-state; they reject their own connection to the source of moral truth and divine wisdom.

The message is clear: No nation can maintain its moral bearings while attacking the very people God chose to bring light to the world. Ireland’s ethical confusion isn’t random ā€“ it’s the inevitable result of cursing those whom God has blessed. Their moral collapse serves as a stark reminder of an ancient truth: The nation that turns against Israel doesn’t just harm the Jewish people; it destroys itself.

Join Israel365 Action in building a stronger Israel. Stand with us as we champion a bold new vision for Israel, support communities in Judea and Samaria, and partner with Israel’s true allies worldwide. Join the movement today! Ā 

Rabbi Elie Mischel

Rabbi Elie Mischel is the Director of Education at Israel365. Before making Aliyah in 2021, he served as the Rabbi of Congregation Suburban Torah in Livingston, NJ. He also worked for several years as a corporate attorney at Day Pitney, LLP. Rabbi Mischel received rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva Universityā€™s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. Rabbi Mischel also holds a J.D. from the Cardozo School of Law and an M.A. in Modern Jewish History from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. He is also the editor of HaMizrachi Magazine.

Subscribe

Sign up to receive daily inspiration to your email

Recent Posts
Standing With, Not Standing By
When the Bible Commands Us NOT to Teach
A Tale of Two Cities: How Jerusalem Became Our Capital

Related Articles

Subscribe

Sign up to receive daily inspiration to your email