I have seen the memes going around accusing Jews of causing the price of gasoline to go up at the pumps. This is an old lie in new form, and I’m going to answer it directly.
After giving it some thought, my reaction to the accusation that “The Jews did this!” is “Yes, we did!”
At least, Israeli leaders, joined by this American administration, backed by resilient Israeli citizens, have taken the bold steps to free the world from Iranian tyranny. And if that leads to higher oil prices in the short run, that is a price the world will have to pay for peace.
Iran is an evil regime. For decades, its mullahs have held the world hostage, using their influence over oil supplies and their tactical control of the Strait of Hormuz as a free pass to commit atrocities, openly support worldwide terrorism, and work to develop nuclear weapons.
Iran is the enemy not only of Israel, but also of many of Israel’s new Abraham Accords allies in the Middle East and of most of the free world. The recent geopolitical developments in the region forced Israel to take the decisive step to attack Iran, to eliminate its regime as a threat to Israel.
Thankfully, American leadership saw fit to join Israel in this war, giving the world a better chance of being free from Iran’s tyranny.
Torah values dictate that human life is valued over material concerns. In the past two and a half years, Hamas weaponized Jewish values in the form of Jewish human hostages and Gazan human shields to prevent Israel from fighting the war against them effectively.
In the case of Iran, the threats behind their blackmail are empty. If you accept that human life and freedom matter more than oil prices, then Iran’s leverage disappears.
Yes, Iran can cause the price of oil to go up by shutting the Strait of Hormuz. But at the same time, it is using their access to oil money to perpetuate the harm they do in the world.
The Islamic Republic promotes terrorism around the world, not just in Israel. It is working relentlessly to be a nuclear power, so it can hold the world hostage with the threat of nuclear attacks. And its leaders are depriving their own people of living lives free from religious oppression.
The only way to defeat Iran is to take away its stranglehold on the world and to end its ability to blackmail us with oil.
So, yes, as a Jew who supports the actions of Israel and America to fight against the evil regime in Iran, if you want to accuse me of being in some way responsible for the higher price of gasoline, I will own that accusation.
And, once we defeat Iran and end their tyranny over the world, you’re welcome!
