I sincerely wish you a very happy and healthy New Year although I confess to having great trepidation with these expectations. As the calendar turns to the first month of 2003, I'm keenly aware we are on the brink of war. It is difficult to imagine happiness or health emerging from this scenario.

Jews believe in the spirit of Tikkun Olum, protecting and restoring the resources of the earth. We are responsible for the condition of our planet and we have a duty to nurture and preserve it. The ravages of war are entirely counter to Tikkun Olum and we as Jews must demand better from our leaders and ourselves.

So much of the world's hardship is worthy of our attention. This is not the time to divert resources to a war with Iraq. Osama bin Laden and his henchmen are still on the loose and Afghanistan lays in ruin. Al Qaeda cells continue to function in many countries, including the United States, and they are the culprits who attacked on September 11, 2001. The CIA has reported to the White House there is no direct evidence of Saddam's involvement with Al Qaeda. So why does the U.S. feel compelled to attack Iraq?

Locating and destroying Iraq's weapons of mass destruction has been the loudest refrain. Weapons inspectors on the ground and intelligence from previous inspectors show that Iraq's arsenal is gutted and its capacity to rearm is so reduced as to not present a viable threat to anyone. Clearly, there are distasteful things about Saddam Hussein but cool and logical analysis shows that Iraq is not now nor is it likely to be for quite some time a threat to the United States. Much of the enthusiasm for war seems to come from a desire to resolve unfinished business from the previous Bush administration.

It is true Iraq is no friend to Israel and would like to see the Jewish state obliterated, but there is no evidence of any hostile intentions that Israel cannot handle on its own. If the U.S. invades Iraq, it is almost guaranteed Israel will be attacked, with the possibility of other Arab nations being drawn into the fray.
War is a brutal and destructive mess but media reports sanitize it for our consumption. Desert Storm was presented as a video game with graphic animations showing smart bombs hitting targets and blowing them into silent puffs of smoke. Those of us viewing the war on CNN were spared images of blood and guts.

Unlike Viet Nam, we did not see the carnage from ground level or a single body lying in the fields of ruin. When war is reduced to colourful graphics, it becomes unreal to us.

As human beings we must picture for ourselves the broken and bleeding bodies of our young soldiers and of the civilians living in Iraq who did not ask for war and who have never lifted a finger to harm us or anyone else. War kills real people and it is ugly. I urge all of us to remember the ugliness of warfare and to live by the Jewish principle of Tikkun Olum. Please tell our leaders that this war must not happen.

There is nothing happy or healthy in a new year that brings war.

I would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the survey that appeared in last month's Megillah. Your comments are extremely helpful in the planning of the new look for the publication. I am happy to announce that you will see the fruits of your input beginning with the February edition of the Monthly Megillah.

We have many plans to improve and add to the Megillah and the Yiddishkeit project in general. This all takes time and financial resources. We are in constant need of voluntary donations. There is no change in our policy of not charging for a subscription and we only ask for the help of those members who find value in these services.

Please click on the Tzedakeh box or other links in the donation area for information on how you can do your share in helping to support the Gantseh Megillah. Some members have made contributions in multiples of chai. As you know, chai, is both the number 18 and the Hebrew word designating life. Your donations help keep this publication alive, and we welcome your infusion of chai into our work. To all of you who have already contributed, we offer our sincere thanks and gratitude.

Much love to all of you,
Michael
Editor