Once Proud Nation Loses it Way

If there were a Top 10 list of great and consequential leaders of the last century, most people would put Winston Churchill at the top. Churchill, nicknamed the "British Bulldog" by the Russians, rallied the British people and Western society to defeat the Nazis. It is easy to forget that England faced immense political and military pressure to negotiate or surrender in 1940, especially after the fall of France. A faction in the War Cabinet, notably Lord Halifax, pushed for peace talks or surrender to Hitler. But Prime Minister Winston Churchill insisted on absolute defiance and rejected any surrender. Churchill famously declared: "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.'" Within this context, it was surprising to hear that the Bank of England announced plans to remove Churchill from the five-pound note and replace him with a squirrel or a beaver. ​ A nation can only continue to thrive if it knows its past and the story that forged its identity. As Pesach approaches, it is once again an opportunity to retell our story to the next generation. The story of how Avraham followed the word of G-d when he left his homeland to walk toward his destiny. His grandchildren traveled to Egypt and endured pain and suffering before experiencing arguably the greatest event in world history with the Exodus. The Jews formalized their covenant with G-d at Mt. Sinai and, after some delays, marched proudly into their homeland. ​ As accusations persist that we are occupiers and colonialists, it remains vital to share our story with the next generation. Failing to do so carries consequences too severe to contemplate. We can look at Churchill being replaced by a squirrel as a nation that has lost its way. ​ Have a Peaceful Shabbos, ​ Rabbi Yaakov Fisch