A Rabbinic Reflection on the Death of Yahya Sinwar
I was a high schooler in Jerusalem when the father of mass terrorism against my people, Yassar Arafat, died. His death brought me messy emotions: Satisfaction that this agent of murder could no longer cause harm, but also much confusion. How could it be, I wondered, that so many of my Jewish peers celebrated the loss of a human soul, even one as stained as this?
I don’t wonder anymore.
That’s not to say I think cheering the death of any person is acceptable. If anything, after watching the disgusting scenes of jubilation on October 7th, 2023, in Gaza, I am more confident than ever that death shouldn’t bring us joy. But in October of 2024, I understand the temptations that could make a person feel this way.
I’m proud that our Jewish tradition teaches that when the angels sought to celebrate the deaths of Egyptians at the Sea of Reeds, God rebuked them, asking, “How can you sing songs when my children drown in the sea?” Simultaneously, I recognize that it is the same Jewish tradition that contains scripture urging the Israelites to utterly wipe out Amalek. Ours is apparently a complicated God, and undoubtedly ours is a complicated tradition.
On this day, I can empathize with those who feel vindicated by the elimination of an arch enemy, a mass murderer of Jewish and Israeli innocents, all while I, myself, simply can’t rejoice. Yahya Sinwar’s death might have been necessary, but Judaism teaches that even he was created in God’s image–so even his death represents a loss of something godly, if still godawful.
I can only hope in this moment of moral confusion that this latest death can begin an end to the year’s–and yearslong–bloodshed in Israel and Gaza. I pray that it’s the beginning of steps that could enable a ceasefire–particularly, a ceasefire that leads to the return of hostages and an actual, lasting peace rather than the tired, predictable, recurring temporary cessation of hostilities the region has seen too many times.
My dream on October 6, 2023 was that I’d see a two-state solution in my lifetime. In the last 12-plus months, there have been more moments than not when this dream felt naively hopeless. Today, even if just for a few hours, I’ll allow myself to hold that dream again.
During last year’s Simchat Torah, Yahya Sinwar brought Jews worldwide torment. For this year’s Sukkot, I hope and pray his death could promise to deliver closure.