At the opening of the Eichmann trial, defense attorney German Cervacius sought to challenge the Israeli court's jurisdiction in the case, arguing that the Jews were concerned, and therefore the verdict would inevitably be biased.
The judges answered what they answered (and as is well known, ruled what they ruled), but precisely in the face of this cheeky argument, and in the face of the renewed war in Europe, it is worth remembering: there are events where shock and disgust are an essential part of internalizing the event.
War cannot be analyzed as a sterile phenomenon - it always involves death, suffering and injury for generations.
Emotional detachment from the difficult sights does not make the viewer more "objective".
On the contrary - it causes him to close his eyes to a central and essential element of the event.
The media that broadcasts to us non-stop small, personal stories of people from the heart of the storm is doing well.
Last week, a young woman told the radio how she stood in line for the border crossing for several hours, until the gas ran out, and when they returned from the gas station they had to stand again at the beginning of the line;
How when they finally reached the border her partner was forbidden to cross, and she went out into the unknown with two little girls, alone;
How the shops were empty and she had no food for them.
A British newspaper reported on the Ukrainian fighter that the Russian soldiers shot his entire family in the eye.
The terrible destruction of residential buildings and city centers, the masses of old people crowded in the metro stations, the fate of hundreds of orphans;
So many stories of people who until two weeks ago had a house and a bed and a routine of life, and now their world is broken and their future is full of fog.
It is very important to understand the war, Putin's motives and the profound and long-term consequences for the entire world.
It is important to choose steps carefully, while safeguarding national interests and strategic alliances.
The local discussion about Israel's role and the limits of support, and even the question of how many refugees Israel can and should receive, and what their identity is - their dignity is in their place.
But within the strategic calculations and the cold analyzes, it is important to remember that these are a lot of local, personal tragedies, which are not dwarfed even when it comes to millions.
The big numbers must not be allowed to forget the small people.
Russia's war on Ukraine is not just a collapse of the European concept of peace, or a threatening signal to the powers of the free world;
The war is not just a trailer for a comeback of the national struggle, and for the respect that the West has for ethos and heroes;
It is first and foremost a story of destruction and death for millions of Ukrainians.
It is customary to attribute to Stalin the sentence that the death of an individual is a tragedy, but the death of many is a statistic.
Indeed, the masses dull the senses.
When we look at reality, and feel it is outrageous or shocking, it is not a raw, unprocessed voice of a more mature perception of reality.
Israel should consider its actions in accordance with its values and ethos, its needs and interests;
But our view of war should be first and foremost a compassionate look, which seeks to reduce human suffering.
Let us not turn people into statistics.
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