IDF soldiers
IDF soldiersצילום: UJ Magen David

November 8, 2024: Jews beaten in a pogrom in Amsterdam and there’s noise about rowdy sports fans. Jews kidnapped, massacred and raped on October 7, 2023 and we hear about “genocide.”

We have nothing to apologize for. Not in Amsterdam, not in Gaza, not in Lebanon. We are done apologizing.

As the forefather of Zionism, Ze’ev Jabotinsky said in 1911, No Apologies

“Instead of excessive apology and instead of turning our backs to the accusers – as there is nothing to apologize for, and nobody to apologize to – it is long overdue to respond to all current and future accusations, reproaches, suspicions, slanders and denunciations by simply folding our arms and loudly, clearly, coldly and calmly answer, ‘Go to Hell!’

“Who are we, to make excuses to them; who are they to interrogate us? What is the purpose of this mock trial over the entire people where the sentence is known in advance? Our habit of constantly and zealously answering to any rabble has already done us a lot of harm and will do much more. The situation that has been created as a result, tragically confirms a well-known saying: ‘Qui s’excuse s’accuse’ (He who apologizes condemns himself).

“We think that our constant readiness to undergo a search without hesitation and to turn out our pockets will eventually convince mankind of our nobility; look what gentlemen we are–we do not have anything to hide! This is a terrible mistake. The real gentlemen are the people that will not allow anyone for any reason to search their apartments, their pockets or their souls. Only a person under surveillance is ready for a search at every moment. This is the only inevitable conclusion from our maniacal reaction to every reproach, to accept responsibility as a people for every action of a Jew, and to make excuses in front of everybody.

“I consider this system to be false at its very root. We are hated not because we are blamed for everything, but we are blamed for everything because we are not loved. We do not have to apologize for anything. We are a people as all other peoples; we do not have any intentions to be better than the rest. We do not have to account to anybody; we are not to sit for anybody’s examination and nobody is old enough to call on us to answer. We came before them. We are what we are, we are good for ourselves, we will not change and we do not want to.”

Not for flags being ripped down, and not for IDF activities will we apologize. The world who watches Jews beaten in the streets of Europe will not tell our Jewish nation how to behave.

Ronn Torossian is an American-Israeli activist and entrepreneur.