Zushy, the letter is an erudite and mannerly iteration of the crudely expressed theories of Health and HaKatan: Israel and the IDF are instruments of shmad and were created for that purpose, no gratitude is owed because the secular don’t have the right kavanna (as we have the ability to rule, of course), they brought all those misfortunes on themselves and on us because they don’t keep “toira and mitzvois,” etc. I propose a counterpoint. The chazals the writer cites are parts of a makhloket. If the propriety of thanking the Romans is debated in both directions, one just might be machmir and feel a bit of gratitude to Jews who believe they are safeguarding the whole population — frum, non-frum, Arabs, tourists — with their bodies.
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