We all like to collect souvenirs. Sometimes we find a pretty stone when we walk on a trail, other times it is a special shell we see at the beach. When I was a small child, we collected apricot seeds and used them to make whistles. We all collected glass beads to play a game of “hit”, and traded with each other pretty ones. But as grown ups we tend to buy souvenirs from all the places we visit. It gives us pleasure to look at the item and remember where we got it, and what it meant to us then, and now. Taking something to remember an event or a place is so common, that we do not even think twice about pocketing an item which triggered our fancy, regardless whether it belongs to someone else. Even a photo that we take, we usually do not bother to ask permission from the person who appears in the landscape. This behavior has taken root, and most people do not think twice about “collecting” rather than buying souvenirs.

When our daughter was around 9, she was very interested in rocks and especially ones embedded with minerals, like Amethyst or Quartz or any other colorful minerals. On our trips she used to follow the guide to rock formations beside the road we were traveling on, and plan our stops according to the places which were rich in the deposits she was interested in. She had a small hammer which was specially formed to chop off some rocks. We allowed her to indulge, and thought it was a nice hobby. However, in National parks it is not permitted to take anything away with you – be it flora, fauna, or rocks. She knew the rules but was tempted, and we found later on that she was hiding under her pillow some precious rocks from the parks. Literally sleeping on rocks. She learned her lesson when we explained what would happen if everyone took only one small rock or any other material from the park as a souvenir.

It gets a bit more complex when we talk about trophies – especially war trophies. A recent article I read about soldiers pilfering objects from homes of “enemies” made me furious to think that the army I thought was so pure and ethical, is behaving in such an unethical manner, and the authorities turning a blind eye. We grew up believing in the purity of our army. Reading the article felt like the times have changed, and we no longer have the right to think of our soldiers as moral and upstanding. Then I suddenly remembered a souvenir I have, a small decorated dagger which I cherish, because I found it in my brother’s belongings. My brother was an outstanding young man. He was honest, caring, believing in justice, and loving. He fought for what he believed was the right cause, to live in peace in our land. He died fighting for it, his group of 10 fought so the rest of his company would be able to retreat without injury. I never before thought of the dagger which I use as a letter opener as a war trophy.

And then there was my father: honest to a fault, he fought in 2 world wars and never took any trophies – he brought home a majestic big cupboard from the market in Jafa toward the end of the war. It was a beautiful piece, the best piece of furniture we had.  All the rest of our furniture was made by my father from discarded orange crates which were plentiful at the orange orchards around our home. This cupboard was made of good wood, and carved with Arabic writing, possibly from the Quran. It is certain that it came from the home of a family who had to abandon it and flee. True, he bought it at the market, but I never heard him wondering how it actually ended up in the market.

Throughout the years, up to this time, I took for granted the official declaration that our army is ethical and does not loot or pilfer any goods from the civilian population it conquered. It never crossed my mind that officers would allow any of their soldiers to behave in an unethical way, and if they saw something, they would punish the soldier who erred. Therefore, I was a bit shocked to read the article which described mass looting from homes in South Lebanon which the army entered. I was stunned to read that soldiers took motorcycles, televisions, sofas, and jewelry which they caried over the border back to Israel. Apparently, the brass knew what was going on and turned a blind eye. There are military police posts on the way back to Israel, but somehow the looted goods managed to get into Israel. Only after the story broke in the paper did the army generals give an order that anyone who sees looting has to report it. Apparently, some officers refused to sign that they will report every case they know of.

Thinking back and looking at the generals of past generations we can see that the appropriation of property is not a new phenomenon. The revered Dayan appropriated antiquities for his own private collection. It was widely known, yet no one dared challenge him. There is a saying “If even the mighty cedars catch fire, what chance do the small wall plants have?” The expression comes from the Babylonian Talmud and conveys the idea that if great, strong, or righteous people are vulnerable to disaster or failure, then ordinary people are even more at risk. The “cedars” symbolize the great and powerful, while the “wall moss” (or hyssop growing from cracks in a wall) symbolizes the humble and weak. This is a big embarrassment to a nation who is supposed to be a light unto the nations. Have we indeed become corrupt and forgotten the biblical commandments? There are groups who declare themselves religious and have studied the Bible, who are also breaking the commandments by stealing and attacking indigenous farmers, and the army is allowing it to happen. I must say that we need a major change in leadership in order to be worthy of becoming a light unto the nations. Let us gather the torches and make a big light to find all the dirt and evil within our borders, and sweep it away. Only then can we live peacefully with our conscience.