This has been a challenging week for many people. For some it’s the results of the election. For others it is the pogrom in Amsterdam and watching Jew hatred go to another level. Today is the 400th day of the hostages being in captivity. Two Jewish students were assaulted at Chicago’s DePaul University for the crime of being Jewish. In the past months, Jewish students have been attacked at The University of Michigan and The University of Pittsburgh for being Jewish. Rockets continue to be fired every single day by Hezbollah from Lebanon into Israel.
We live in arguably the most divided time in the United States since the Civil War. The world may not be this divided since World War II. It is easy to feel sad and depressed. It is easy to lose hope and think the world is ending. Concern over the next few weeks, months, and years is a common refrain heard regularly.
And yet there are examples of hope all around us. There are examples that show when we decide to be the answer, the solution; when we decide that we are no longer going to wait for others to solve the problem and challengs of the world, that we create change.
We are a college football family. For years, our Shabbat has involved being together as a family, either watching college football on TV or in person. When our older son was playing High School football, Shabbat dinner was at the football field. When he was coaching High School football, we spent Friday nights watching him coach and as he coaches college football, we are watching on TV or in person once again. This morning, as I was watching ESPN Gameday, a beautiful and inspiring story was shown.
Malachi Moore, a star player for Alabama, befriend a young girl, Henrietta Murray, who had a terminal illness. Their relationship and his relationship with her family, is a beautiful thing to see. Once again, it shows the power one person has to change the world. Malachi changed not only Henrietta’s life but the lives of her parents and his own life. Listening to him talk about what his friendship with Henrietta not only meant to him but how it changed his outlook on life is powerful. We all have th ability to be like Malachi. We all have the power to change lives with our actions. Watch, listen, and feel the love.
Watch Malachi and Henrietta’s story
Then there is the story of Melhem Asad. A Druze fan of Maccabi Tel Aviv football/soccer, Melhaem was at the game in Amsterdam. As he watched the attacks begin against Israelis by criminal antisemites with law enforcement not helping, he thought quickly on his feet. As an Arab speaker, he ran to groups of Israeli fans, speaking loudly in Arabic to them, creating the impression that everyone in his group was Arab rather than Jewish. By doing this, he successfully misled the attackers, who left these groups alone as they searched for Jews to attack. He didn’t just do this once or two. He spent several hours using this strategy to shield Jewish Maccabi fans who were under attack in restaurants and bars, unable to safely reach their hotels. When people call Israel an apartheid state, when people say that Jews, Arabs, and Druze can never get along and never exist together, this is more proof that these are lies.
Thank you Melhem for showing that humanity isn’t about being Jewish, Druze, or Arab. It’s about being a good person, caring about your fellow human beings, and combatting hate. You are an example to everybody of what the future can look like when we choose to take action ourselves. When we don’t wait for somebody else to do something. When we don’t tolerate the status quo and do what we can to make the world a better place.
Melhem Asad, who’s quick thinking and speaking Arabic saved many from being beaten.
Kirk Herbstreit is the cornerstone of ESPN Gameday. He is well known, popular, and one of the people fans want to hear from. Recently, the focus has been on the relationship with him and his dog Ben. Ben became a travel companion for Herbstreit, with him on the road, on the field, and on the set. In many ways, he became America’s dog. Recently he got very ill and in the past week he died. His loss was felt not just by Kirk but by fans and dog lovers all over the world. ESPN chose to show a tribute to Ben today. It was beautiful and powerful. It shows the power of love. I have always felt that dogs are pure love in a living being. We lost our beautiful chocolate lab, Bella, earlier this year. I miss her every day, and ask Kirk publicly mourned the loss of Ben, I could relate and understand the loss.
Our sweet girl Bella, enjoying the back yard, the sun, the grass, and being with me.
We can have this type of unconditional love with a dog. Why can’t we have this type of love for our fellow human beings? Before the election and after the election, the vitriol expressed against those supporting a different candidate was horrific. You might be branded a racist, a bigot, a Jew hater, an antisemite, an islamaphobe, transphobic, anti-LGBTQ, anti-woman, anti-American, and many other terms. It’s ok to to support different candidates for many reasons. Understanding why people make the choices they make gives us a chance to build bridges, work together towards the type of society we want to live in. Most people don’t support every position that the candidate they supported stood for. Yet we simplify people and live in hatred and disgust rather than love and understanding.
Dogs aren’t like that. They love you no matter what. It is as if they understand that people are fallible and love is what helps us deal with our imperfections. Dogs really are perfect love. I miss having Bella climb in my lap to cuddle no matter what was going on. I miss her giving me kisses and laying down at my feet to be close to me. I miss taking her out to the backyard to walk and lay in the grass, appreciating the beauty of nature, the warmth of the sun, the smell of fresh air.
It’s pure love. Watch the tribute to Ben and let Ben inspire all of us to treat people better.
Speaking of Kirk Herbstreit, every week when I watch him on ESPN Gameday with Lee Corso, their interaction is one of the sweetest things in today’s world. It’s clear that they have a father-son relationship. As Corso has gotten older, Herbstreit openly provides him with more help and more support. It is a beautiful thing to watch.
Today, it was the opposite. As the tribute to Kirk’s dog, Ben, began, he was visibly crying and emotional. You could feel his pain and loss. And who was there to support him? Lee Corso of course. It was a public display of love and support. No worries about what it looked like or what anybody though. It was two close friends being together, even with millions of people watching.
We can use the example of the relationship between these two men as a teaching lesson for each of us. Every day we have an opportunity to be there for somebody else. Every day we have a chance to build these special relationships. I am lucky. Along with my brother and sister, I have two people that I consider brothers and two people I consider sisters. That’s how close we are. While biologically I have two siblings, in reality I have six. I choose to invest in relationships with people. The quality of friends is so much more important than the quantity. Many years ago, an older friend of mine (he was my age now back then) used to say, “I don’t need more friends at my age.” I heard him but didn’t really understand at that time. Now I do.
The example of Corso and Herbstreit shows us what we can do for other people if we want. It shows how we change the world, one person, one relationship at a time. It takes so little to improve the day and the life of another person. It also can take so little to suck the energy out of somebody’s day, making their life more challenging. The question is which type of person do you want to be. Do you want to be somebody who spends every day working to make the world a little bit better or do you want to live in negativity and make the world a little bit worse every day?
I choose to change the world every day with kindness.
Leadership is a word often used but infrequently actually occurring in today’s world. We have seen that this week between the United States election, the firing of Defense Minister Gallant in Israel and his replacement with somebody without military leadership experience, and the continued failure of the United Nations and the International Red Cross among many others. At the end, I have a reminder of what leadership looks like.
I’m not here to criticize or applaud the election of Donald Trump or the defeat of Kamala Harris. The American people voted and made their decision. The bigger question that is being discussed is about leadership and understanding what the American people have been asking for. I have heard too many people say they were voting AGAINST Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. Very rarely have I heard people talk about the policies of either candidate that inspire them. True leaders don’t inspire by creating fear of the other, yet that’s what both candidates did in this election. I wish that this would stop now that the election is over, however it continues and may even be increasing.
Representative Bernie Sanders, who pretends to be for the people as he has become wealthy as a U.S. Congressman and owns multiple homes, included the following in his statement after the election. “Today, despite strong opposition from a majority of Americans, we continue to spend billions funding the extremist Netanyahu government’s all out war against the Palestinian people which has led to the horrific humanitarian disaster of mass malnutrition and the starvation of thousands of children.” He continues to tell lies, as the majority of American’s support Israel’s fight against terrorism and to defend themselves. He conveniently ignores that it was Hamas and many Gazan people who invaded and attacked Israel on October 7th, murdering 1,200 people and taking hostages that remain in captivity for almost 400 days now. He chooses to pretend that Hamas and Hezbollah are not firing rockets every single day at civilians in Israel. He spews hatred while pretending to care about the common people. He continues to think he knows best from his ivory tower and elitist positions rather than listen to what regular Americans are saying and have been asking for.
Compare the words of the elitist Bernie Sanders, to the words of American Radio host Charlamagne The God. “I know today Democrats are going to be looking for someone to blame. Let me be the first to tell you it’s not just one thing. I personally feel like Donald Trump speaks to people’s grievances better than Democrats do. I know people are going to talk about misinformation and the dumbing down of society. I understand a of that, but you don’t have to be intelligent to know you can’t pay your bills. You don’t have to be intelligent to know you can’t afford groceries.”
Radio host Charlamagne The God
Once again, we see that common sense isn’t so common. The words of Charlamagne The God are clear and basic. People want to live in peace. They want to pay their bills, afford groceries and housing, and have the freedom to live their life the way they want. This is no different in America than it is in Israel. We just saw how unhappy and upset America is with the results of this election. We see how unhappy Israeli’s are with their leadership. The protests there only grew larger with the firing of Defense Minister Gallant and replacing him with Israel Katz, a man who has had no command experience and left the IDF in 1973, more than 50 years ago. The move has everybody confused as to what Bibi is doing to secure the safety of Israel.
Bibi and Gallant – Israel questions the direction without Gallant
Let’s move on to the United Nations, a corrupt and evil institution. There was a time that the UN stood for good in the world but those days are long gone. The UN has become an organization that is deeply antisemitic and openly flaunts its Jew hatred. Francesca Albanese, The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory is an open antisemite who hates Israel. She regularly lies about what is happening and who is responsible. She should have been fired a long time ago, but António Guterres, the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, refuses to take any action and hold her accountable. UNRWA has been proven to be tied closely to Hamas as their employees not only participated in the October 7th attacks, they also have hidden hostages and been found to be leaders of Hamas.
Released hostage Mia Schem addressed the UN this week. Her words are a powerful indictment of the organization. “Just be human” shouldn’t be a plea to an organization that says that is what it is all about Listen to her words, let your heart break, feel the anger build, and understand just how bad leadership is and maybe begin to understand a little more about the challenge we face not just in America and Israel but in the entire world.
Mia Schem addressing the UN
It’s not just the hostages in Gaza that are being ignored by the world. Have you heard of Ahoo Daryaei? She stood up against the oppressive Iranian regime in such a bold and brave way and has since disappeared. There is no outrage. Where are the women’s rights organizations who have been so outspoken during the US election? They are silent. Israeli women don’t matter. Iranian women don’t matter. Women all over the world who are being held captive, abused, sex traded, or married off as children don’t matter to these groups. I shake my head at the horrors that occur and their silence. Listen to my friend Fleur Hassan Nahoum tell Ahoo’s story with the video of what she did.
Fleur Hassan Nahoum tells the story of Ahoo Daryei. Let’s all pray for her safety.
It didn’t used to be like this. As we move forward after the election, I was reminded of the powerful letter left by President George H.W. Bush to incoming President Bill Clinton. An example of leadership.
8 years later, as President Clinton was preparing the leave the White House, he left a similar letter to incoming Presdent George W. Bush. Leadership is about caring for the mission, caring for the people that you lead. It’s not about ego.
8 years later, President George W. Bush wrote yet another letter to incoming President Barack Obama expressing his wishes for a successful Presidency, wishing him well and sharing some advice.
All three are instances of leadership, of country over party, of caring more for the office and the American people than any personall animosity. It’s no wonder that you see the three of them together in pictures. See their smiles. It doesn’t look fake.
When he was alive, you would see George H.W. Bush along with Presidents Carter, George W Bush, Clinton, and Obama together. Unified Hard to imagine today. It makes me sad to see where we have fallen.
We can only hope that as we move forward into this next era of leadership, we can return to the days of real leaders. People who put the mission ahead of their own ego. Leaders who listen to the needs of their constiutents and act for their best interests, not personal ones. I’m not optimistic but will hope to be surprised and grateful that’s what we get. The United States, Israel, and the world need more. We need better. We need leaders more than ever.
There is often a debate about whether being Jewish is a religion or a people. My friend, Avraham Infeld, has publicly spoken about this. He says, “We are a family, a people, with a common religion.” It’s the best description I have heard.
Rabbi Harold Kushner (z’l) has written about this as well. In his book, To Life, he asks, “What do you have to believe to be Jewish?”. The answer, is nothing. You don’t have to believe in God. You don’t have to believe in the Torah. In fact, you don’t have to do anything to be Jewish. You are Jewish if your mother is Jewish. That’s it. Many people in today’s world will say you are Jewish if either parent is Jewish. That is the proof that we are a people, a family, a mishpacha, that share a common religion.
This gets proven all the time with Jewish geography. In the Jewish world, it isn’t the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon. Usually it is 2-3 degrees of connection. Hersh Goldberg-Polin (z’l) is a great example of this. I didn’t know him or his family. Yet I have friends who knew him at Camp Ramah Darom. 2 degrees of separation. The picture below is from a fraternity brother of mine who’s son was friends with Hersh. Another 2 degrees of separation.
Hersh as a kid with friends including my fraternity brother’s son
You may have seen the memes and comments about family in Israel.
I told someone I was traveling to Israel.
He asked, “do you have family there?”
“Yes I do. 8 million brothers and sisters.”
That’s who we are. Brothers and sisters. Family. Mishpacha.
As I think about family, I think about the hostages. There remain 101 of them in captivity and we don’t know how many of them are still alive. At Passover Seder, I set up chairs and put pictures of the Bibas family on the chairs so they could be at our Seder in spirit. After Seder, I couldn’t take them off the chairs so they remained there for a few months.
Mia Schem inspired me with her words, “We will dance again” and I got the same tattoo she did on my forearm. It inspires me to work hard every day to build a better future. To never forget the hostages that remain or the horrific violence that occurred on October 7th, I’ll never forget the look on Rami Davidian’s face as he talked about the morning of October 8th, when he went back to the Nova site to help clean up and provide dignity to those murdered. He looked at the trees right near us as he told us of the women tied to them that he had to cut down, cover them, give them some final dignity, and say the Shema for them. Unsaid was the condition of their bodies and the obvious rapes that had occurred. The tears in his eyes said more than his words ever could.
When Rachel Goldberg-Polin described the condition of her son Hersh’s (z’l) body, I cringed. Not just at the weight loss, the loss of part of his arm, and the obvious torture he had endured, but also how he was murdered. These aren’t the acts of freedom fighters or resistance. These are the acts of barbarians. As I listened to John Spencer, the pre-eminent expert on Urban warfare, talk about what he saw and how it doesn’t compare to any other barbarism he has seen throughout his career in studying warfare, it really hit home. People don’t want to believe other people can be this inhuman. People don’t want to believe this type of evil exists So they make excuses. They create lies to protect themselves from seeing that the evil exists.
The quote from Mia Schem below is powerful. “Each with her own horrific abduction story.” Yet the women’s rights groups couldn’t speak out. The ‘believe all women’ organizations denied that sexual violence occurred. The celebrities who spoke out in defense of every other group that faced sexual violence stayed silent. There was no ‘bring back our girls’ from Michelle Obama, Angelina Jolie, Pope Francis, Kim Kardashian, Ellen DeGeneres, Hillary Clinton, Anne Hathaway, Alicia Keys, Cara Delevingne, Jessica Alba, Khloé Kardashian, Sophia Bush, or Amy Poehler, who all spoke out when 276 girls from a school in Chibok, Nigeria were kidnapped by the Islamist militia group Boko Haram in 2014. Jewish women didn’t count.
Talking about Jewish women, my friend Yocheved Ruttenberg recently was announced as the Z3 Bridge Builder award winner. What did she do that won her the award? On October 8th, with her older brother serving in the IDF as a lone soldier, she realized that she could not stay in the United States in her Dallas construction sales position. This then 23 year old spent a week raising $17,000 to buy things for her brothers unit, booked a ticket to Israel, and began her journey. A month into her 2 week trip to Israel, she met another young woman and together they created the Sword of Iron Facebook group, creating a place for those wanting to come to Israel and volunteer to meet each other, learn where they could volunteer, and build a community. Today, almost a year later, the group has nearly 40,000 members. Yocheved is a star. The number of people excited to see her in Israel, who want to take a selfie, who thank her for creating this community which enables them to make a difference, is immense. People come back time after time to volunteer, using the Sword of Iron group to figure out where to stay that is affordable, where to volunteer, who else is going to be there, and how to connect to their community. Thanks to Yocheved, there is no ‘lone volunteer’. Everybody, Jewish or not, is part of a community.
Yocheved was 23 when she started Swords of Iron. She turned her passion into something that has changed the lives of more than the 40,000 members of the Facebook group. Every time somebody comes to Israel and volunteers, she is changing not only their lives but the lives of those who benefit from the volunteer work. She is changing the lives of the volunteers’ friends wherever they live, who hear that their friends are coming to Israel to volunteer, see the pictures, and hear from them upon their return.
If Yocheved can do it, what is your excuse for not following your heart and your dream to change the world? Yocheved isn’t done. There is far more she is planning. Let her be your inspiration to do something.
Doing something is what Dror Israel (Dror) is all about. After October 7th, they were first responders when it comes to the needs of children and families. They created pop-up schools at the Dead Sea for families that had been displaced. They created schools all over the country as people were displaced from the south and the north. They had afterschool programs, youth groups, and brought in counselors to help those dealing with stress and PTSD.
In September I had the opportunity to visit Dror while in Israel. Seeing their work in person was powerful. Hearing the impact directly from the children in school was incredible. Seeing the inpact of the youth movement in an Arab village was inspiring. Watching both the excitement learning and the gratitude the students had for Dror and their educators was impactful. In the middle of an ongoing war that is over a year long, with rockets being launched at them daily and sirens going off multiple times a day, the resilience of the children and the Dror educators was inspiring.
As the war continues into its second year, Dror educators continue to innovate. In order to help children deal with the stress and challenges just being children, they began restorative 3 day trips for them to Mitzpe Ramon where they can act like children without the rockets and sirens. They can play outside, sleep without worrying about having to go to the safe room in the middle of the night, and experience joy. As Dror began these trips, they quickly learned that the entire family had a need to participate. So as Dror does, they pivoted and innovated even more. Last week, 100 children and parents from the Nitzanim elementary school in Carmiel embarked on a three-day retreat in Mitzpe Ramon. “It was such great fun, far from the noise of the war. We had a chance to connect with other families from the school and our neighborhood—just what we all needed,” said Irena, mother of Michael and Vasily, both students at the school.
Israel is known as the start up nation but it is more than just technology. Israel innovates in so many different ways including education and how they value human life. This is seen through the work of Dror Israel, who is dedicated to supporting these children until they can safely return to their homes and to helping them rebuild their communities and restore a sense of trust, resilience, and hope. Imagine if we had that in the United States.
Families from Carmiel during the 3 day restorative trip to Mitzpe Ramon
Earlier I wrote about how we are a family with a common religion. The great thing about being a family is that we have traditions. Many of them are based on our common religion such as the Passover Seder, shaking the lulov and etrog on Sukkot, and putting on tefillin. One of my favorites is something that I just learned and began this summer.
The prayer Acheinu is not an ancient one. It tracks back to the 9th century, 800 years after the destruction of the second Temple. The song “Acheinu” however, was only written in 1990. I sing it every day for the hostages. It’s short, simple, and easy to learn. It’s something tangible that I can do while I lie in bed, am in the shower, or sitting at my desk. I have the words on my phone and I get them in an email every day as well. As Jews, we have these type of regular things to remind us. As I said before, Tefillin is one (and I must admit that while I occassionaly put them on, I don’t do it regularly). Tefillin takes a few minutes and is a physical reminder. Singing Acheinu is a spiritual reminder that takes a minute or two with practice.
As Jews, we can find what are the things that resonate for us. What keeps us grounded? What connects us to God? What do we do to stay grounded, connected to God, connected to the world and to humanity. I pray and meditate every morning and have for more than three decades. For the past 5 months, I also sing Acheinu. It’s the one thing that I do daily that I look forward to NOT doing any longer. When the hostages are released, the need for me to sing Acheinu will be removed. Every day when I sing it, it has meaning. And every day that I sing it, I hope it is the last day that I will have to do so.
It’s 395 days today. 395 days of captivity. 395 days of terror and abuse. 395 days that American hostages have been ignored by our government. 395 days that the world has tried to excuse their being kidnapped and abused. We will not forget. We will not rest until they are returned. We will not stop until Hamas and Hezbollah are removed from power, until the threat that is Iran is no longer a threat.
This week the news broke that Yahyah Sinwar, the Hamas terrorist who planned the October 7th massacre and attempted genocide in Israel, was eliminated by the IDF. The amazing thing about it was that despite all the amazing Israeli intelligence and targeted attacks to eliminate Hezbollah and Hamas leadership, Sinwar was eliminated by a training unit in the tanks unit. This video shows the proof of his death.
Yahyah Sinwar is dead – the proof
Israel has been targeting the leadership of Hezbollah and Hamas for a while now and eliminating them to destroy the infrastructure. While the world said this wasn’t possible, Israel has once again shown that what the world says is not possible, they will make happen. The Hezbollah leadership has been decimated. Not only have they eliminated Nasrallah, they eliminated the next two successors to him. As the chart below shows, the top 3 levels of Hezbollah’s leadership has now been eliminated. This is how you defeat terrorism.
Yet there remain those who actively support the terrorists. Noted antisemite Jackson Hinkle continues to think the terrorists are fighting for freedom despite their clear statements to the opposite. While the terrorists call the United States “The Big Satan” and are clear that while they want to eliminate Israel and all Jews, their real goal is eliminate the West and make the world part of the caliphate under Sharia Law, people like Hinkle empower and embolden them in their efforts to do so. His hatred of Jews blinds him to their desire to kill him. Note the number of views, the number of likes, and those who have saved the post. It’s frightening.
There are those memorializing Sinwar as some sort of Palestinian hero. How easy it is for them to forget his nickname, “The Butcher of Khan Younis” came for slaughtering Palestinians. They quickly forget, or never bothered to learn, that he went to prison for murdering Palestinians or while in prison, he was accused of raping Palestinians and ordered the honor killing of his own sister for having an extramarital affair. It doesn’t matter to them that in his interviews, he stated that he did not care if 100,000 Palestinians died in the conflict he started with Israel. Their hatred of Jews is more important that the facts.
To all the Hamas apologists pretending to care about the lives of Palestinians, Yahya Sinwar didn’t earn his the nickname “The Butcher of Khan Younis,” for slaughtering Israelis, he earned it for slaughtering fellow Palestinians. pic.twitter.com/WUrBjUEu7v
Then there are the lies being told about Israel not allowing food and aid into Gaza. Despite the documentation, despite the pictures and videos, the world chooses to repeat the lies. The documentation of UNRWA providing the aid to Hamas doesn’t change the world’s condemnation of Israel. When the people of Gaza complain that the food given as aid to be given out freely is too expensive, the world turns a blind eye. Israel is the only country that is expected to provide food, water, fuel, medicine, and power to the enemy they are fighting against. They are required to give it to an organization, UNRWA, that is tied closely to Hamas, the enemy they are fighting. The hypocrisy is real.
An airdrop operation of 81 food packages was completed in Khan Yunis today.
This marks the latest of 10,000+ packages, including food and medical supplies, that have been airdropped in recent months through 141 airdrop missions across Gaza.
Over the past month, as Israel has systemically eliminated the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, they have shown their strength. As a result, other Arab countries are now taking a strong position against Hamas and Hezbollah. Unlike the current United State administration and European countries, Israel understands that strength is the currency of the Middle East. When you show strength, others join with you. When you show weakness, you are not respected and you have no ability to impact what is happening. We are now seeing Saudi Arabia come out publicly against Hamas and Hezbollah. This is because Israel has shown strength.
The Saudis have decided to fight with all the bad guys in Middle East
The Saudi MBC tv channel mentions all the terrorists in the axis of evil including Qassem Soleimani, Hezbollah, Hamas and the Shiite militias in Iraq.
Our media and the world’s media doesn’t like to cover those speaking out against the terrorists or the hatred. Yet more and more of them are speaking out. More and more we are seeing those with knowledge choosing to take action and speak out against the terrorists and in support of Israel. The lie that you can’t defeat an ideology is being proven wrong. Here is an amazing piece by a Muslim Yemeni asking real questions and providing real answers. My favorite part is when he tells the muslim woman that what she just said makes her a Zionist.
Here is an Australian journalist speaking the truth. Where is this in our U.S. media? Where is this on the BBC? It’s powerful to watch and hopefully we will now be getting more of this time of accurate coverage.
There are a number of things we have learned since October 7, 2023. Here is a list of things we have learned that we either take action on or suffer because we chose to ignore them.
The world really does hate us. We can’t forget that, ever. We see it constantly. Authors who cancel speaking engagements because they won’t share the stage with a Jew (they say Zionist but they mean Jew). Actors who take uneducated positions. Even Porn stars like Mia Khalifa are now being hailed by the NY Times as an activist because of her Jew hatred. She isn’t educated but she hates Jews and speaks out so that is enough. President Macron of France speaks out against us. President Erdagan of Turkey spews his Jew hatred and wants to partner with the regime of Iran. All we have to do is open our eyes and we can see the world hates us. We can’t keep our eyes closed or our heads buried in the sand about this any longer.
We are always Jews first. That’s who we are and how the world will see us. We are not American Jews, we are Jewish Americans. It’s no different than Germany in the 20s and 30s. Jews thought they were German first. They weren’t. We aren’t. Not Canadian-Jews but Jewish Canadians. We are not French Jews, English Jews, Spanish Jews, or Italian Jews. The Jewish part always comes first. We forget this at our own peril.
Education not Hasbarah for our children. We have lost and are losing our youth when it comes to Israel because we don’t teach them the facts. We don’t teach them the truth. Even when the truth may be ugly. No country is perfect. Every country has done things they regret and are embarrassing in retrospect. Israel is no exception. We need to teach the facts of Israel. Israel didn’t begin in 1948. It began with Abraham. When we teach our children the facts of Israel and the modern State of Israel, they are empowered to support Israel. They are much less likely to believe the lies they are told on college campuses and even in Middle and High School.
We can’t rely on anybody else. For years we have depended on the relationship with the United States for much of Israel’s support. Since October 7th we have seen that while we are still getting American support, some weapons are being delayed and withheld. As important as the relationship with the United States is, we cannot depend on America for as much as we do. Israel must create its own weapons industry to ensure that there are enough weapons, ammunition, and other needed weapons to defend herself when needed. At the end of the day, we are the only ones who will take care of ourselves. On a campaign stop Thursday at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, VP and Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris was Vice President Kamala Harris was interrupted by anti-Israel protesters asking about ‘the Genocide’. Her response included the words, “What he’s talking about is real.” This is scary to hear from our current VP and possible next President. You can watch and listen to it yourself.
VP and Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee last week.
Relationships do matter. If you had told me five years ago that Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt would help defend Israel from an attack by Iran, I would have laughed at you. Yet that’s what has happened TWICE in the past year. The Abraham Accords have changed the narrative and are creating a new opportunity for real peace in the region. The rebuilding of Gaza will happen with our Arab partners. The freeing of Lebanon will be with the Lebanese people. We see the Iranian people supporting Israel while the regime tries to eliminate us. Saudi Arabia is waiting to join in the economic boom that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is experiencing because of their normalization with Israel.
Peace through strength is real. We have seen that the only way to have peace is to show your strength. It doesn’t mean war. It means showing your economic and military strength. It means having strong intelligence and being able to act on it. It means being daring and innovative to gain respect. World leaders respect strength. They do not respect weakness. From the time Israel took the offensive and blew up the pagers and walkie talkies of Hezbollah leaders, the world took notice. As the leaders of these two terrorist organizations have been systematically eliminated, the world took notice. Peace comes through strength. Diplomacy happens because they respect your strength.
The media lies. This may seem like an obvious statement however far too many people simply believe what they see, hear, or read. TikTok has become the preferred news media for many. The bots telling lies make sure to spread them far and wide. The news media is really in the entertainment department and more interested in ad sales and clicks than facts. The old saying, “If it bleeds, it leads” has never been more true. Facts don’t matter, only what will sell more ads. We must be careful with believing what we see, hear, or read as far too often it is simply not factual. The world believes what they are told which only enhances Jew hatred. We do have some reputable journalists and we need to listen to them. One, Douglas Murray, who isn’t Jewish, has been outspoken. Watch this interview with Bari Weiss of The Free Press on her Honestly show.
This is an hour long and worth every single minute.
Antisemitism, really Jew hatred, never went away. As Jews in America, we had an incredible period of time when expressing Jew hatred was not acceptable. As a result, we fooled ourselves into thinking that America was and always would be a safe place for us. October 7th and what has come afterwards has shown us the folly of our ways. Jew hatred on college campuses has gone from verbal to intimidation to physical attacks. There is a movement to defund and remove Hillels from college campuses. We see violent demonstrations targeting Jews and Jewish communal facilities under the guise of targeting Israel. Physical attacks just for being Jewish are happening all over the world, including America. The day after it was confirmed that Sinwar was eliminated, multiple signs on UPenn’s campus were vandalized with “Sinwar Lives.” This comes after students and faculty posted repeatedly about Sinwar as a “hero.” This is what we face on the college campuses.
We cannot be silent. Far too many people are choosing to stay silent rather than stand up for what they know is right. They’d rather be silent and ignored than speak out and take a risk. Their silence makes them complicit in the Jew hatred and the violence. The choice is to remain silent and wait until they come for us or speak up loudly and not allow the hate to grow uncontested. We saw what happens when stay silent in Germany and with the pogroms in Russia. We can no longer afford to be silent. Our silence will ensure our death.
We have to go to Israel. I don’t mean we have to make Aliyah. We have to visit. Our brothers and sisters need our support. We need to see, feel, and experience what’s going on there. We have an eternal bond with the land and after October 7th, that bond is stronger than we realize until we are there. So go. Volunteer. I’ve worked the land in May and July for a few hours. It’s incredibly rewarding. It is meaningful. I’ve volunteered making packages for IDF soldiers, making Tzizit for IDF soldiers, and making sandwiches for children who aren’t able to afford to purchase them. Each one is more meaningful than the next. I’m too old to join the IDF but I’m not too old to help Israel and the Israeli people.
These are important lessons that we cannot forget. Our history shows we do forget. We think we are part of the Babylonian people, the Romans, Spain, Russia, Germany, England, France, and the United States. We aren’t. We are always the Jews. We have always been the Jews. We will always be the Jews. As long as we remember that, we will not just survive but thrive. When we forget, we risk elimination.
Below are two pieces about being Jewish. Both are powerful pieces describing being Jewish. I encourage you to spend the time watching and listening to both.
I met Andrew years ago at the JFNA General Assembly. His poetry is powerful and worth listening to.
And of course, the famous piece by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (z’l)
Israel just did what nobody thought they could. They not only eliminated the leadership of Hezbollah, destroyed many of their rockets and rocket launchers, and eliminiated Hassan Nasrallah, an evil terrorist responsible for murdering Israelis, Americans, Syrians, and Lebanese people in large numbers. You think that the world would celebrate the elimination of this evil man.
Many did, with meme’s like this filling the internet.
Even the Lebanese people are celebrating his death. It gives them a chance at freedom.
Yet there were so many more who mourned him, despite his despicable life of murder and terror. The Irish Republicans have idolized him and created things like this.
In America, we see far too many mourning his death and attempting to make him into a martyr. In Dearborn, Michigan, three separate mosques are holding martyr mourning sessions that they are live streaming as well.
This is what happens in Jihad capital of America, three separate Shia mosques in Dearborn are hosting their own "martyr" mourning sessions this evening while a live stream is also are going on. People in the Middle East are celebrating his elimination while in America their mourn… https://t.co/DuNUcWsEOV
In Ottowa, the antisemites pretending to only be against Israel, went to a Jewish neighborhood to hold a protest. They didn’t go to the Israeli embassy. They didn’t go to the Israeli consulate. They went to a Jewish neighborhood. But this has nothing to do with hating Jews. Their hypocrisy is obvious.
Holding a hate rally in a Jewish neighborhood in Ottawa is clearly against Canadian laws.
The college campuses continue to reek of antisemitism and Jew hatred. The University of Pennsylvania continues to fight with Columbia to see who can treat Jews the worst and who can be the most antisemitic school in the country. Students for Justice in Palestine (most of whom aren’t students, don’t want justice, and couldn’t pick out the countries in the middle east without help) posted this. Will the University do or say anythig? The odds say no.
SJP is really a hate group on college campuses
McGill University says, “Hold my beer!” to UPenn
McGill University wants to compete for the most antisemitic campus in North America
Then there is the media. I don’t expect anything different from them but I thought with how evil Nasrallah has been, with as many American’s he has murdered, with his mass murder in Syria and the acknowledged leader of a huge terrorist organization, they would at least be factual. It seems that is way too high a bar for them, as seen by the Washington Post and the Guardian
Yet the people of Lebanon, Iran, and Syria feel differently. Take a look at these signs and messages. They send a powerful message from the people of Syrian, Iran, and Lebanon about what they want. It speaks to the evil of Hezbollah from those living under their rule. Unfortunately, the elitists in the West and the antisemites in America, Canada, and Europe think they know better.
Please bear with me for posting so many videos and pictures. It’s simply amazing that the people directly impacted are clearly saying one thing yet the Western Elites think they know better. It’s the ultimate superiority complex. It is pretentious, ego-centric, and arrogant.
Syrian people with the sign in hebrew that says, “Thank you very much Netanyahu. By killing Nasrallah you light the path of peace”
Graffiti spotted in Tehran: “Antisemitism has no place in the future of Iran.” pic.twitter.com/vBaBiohPFg
From Iraqi 🇮🇶 to Israel 🇮🇱 THANKYOU! Congratulations to my Jewish brothers & sisters, congratulations to #Israel 🇮🇱 & the civilized world on the elimination of #hizballah ter*rorists weapons leader #Nasrallah , this major achievement by Israel 🇮🇱 will bring peace to our region… pic.twitter.com/girwwlWBfS
Iranian and Jewish Canadians come together in Toronto to celebrate the world without Hassan Nasrallah. Here is @SalmanSima handing out sweets to the crowd. 🦁☀️🇮🇱🇨🇦📟📟💥 pic.twitter.com/PZaN0Ec1px
Then there is one of my all-time favorites, Abu Mazen/Mahmoud Abbas. The President of the Palestinian Authority (PA), who is now finishing his 20th year of a 4 year term. Despite this incredible fact, the UN, Europe, and the United States give him credibility as a ‘democratically elected leader’. While many of the liberal elite fear that a Trump presidency would be more than the 4 year term, they have no issue supporting a man who is in year 20 of a 4 year term. The hypocrisy is brutal.
Mahmoud Abbas has had many opportunities for peace. Three consecutive Israeli leaders – Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon and Olmert – sought to hand over permanent control of territory to the Palestinians. First to Yasser Arafat and then to Abbas. Olmert offered Abbas a map that showed Israel would give Palestinians nearly 94% of the West Bank, with Israeli territory in the remainder that would have been compensated for via a land swap, and a corridor connecting Gaza and the West Bank. Yet Abbas rejected it outright.
When Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, they gave the PA an opportunity to build a state. Instead of building a state, instead of building the Singapore of the Middle East, Abbas and his leadership squandered the opportunity before Hamas took control in 2007. He has shown through every action he has taken that he doesn’t want a Palestinian State that lives next to Israel. He wants a Palestinian State with NO ISRAEL. Yet he has the chutzpah (yes I used a yiddush word with a terrorist) to say to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) that, “We want a solution that will protect both countries – the State of Palestine and the State of Israel – so they can co-exist in peace, stability and security.”
The man who responded to the Olmert peace offer by starting the second intifada also said to the UNGA, “we cannot fight Israel, and we don’t want to fight, we want protection.” This from the man who sent suicide bombers into Israel, who denies the Holocaust, and ensure terrorists in the West Bank/Judea and Samaria and places like Jenin have become a breeding ground for local terrorist groups. And the UN loves him.
When Nasrallah was killed, Abbas mourned his loss. He offered his condolences to the Lebanese Hezbollah members. Once again he showed he doesn’t care about the people of Lebanon just like he doesn’t care about the Palestinians. What does he care about? Lining his own pockets. Arafat died a billionaire. Abbas is a billionaire. The money that comes in goes in his pocket first. As long as he can stay in power and not have peace, he gets wealthier and wealthier. Yet the world closes their eyes, continues to send him money, while the people hate him and everything that he represents.
Condolences to Hezbollah from Mahmoud Abbas
So what’s the point of this rant? We have clearly seen that bowing to pressure from the US or the UN does Israel no good. As important as the relationship with the US is, Israel must do what it needs to do for the safety and security of her people. When Rafah was said to be a ‘no go’ and that it was impossible to evacuate that many people, Israel went ahead and evacuated the people and went anyway. When the pressure from the US was to leave Hezbollah alone and try dipolomatic efforts that never work with terrorists, Israel proceeded to eliminate the leadership of Hezbollah in about 2 weeks and is reportedly preparing a ground incursion to push Hamas back to the lines agreed upon in the UN Resolution 1701 that the UN, the US, and the world has failed to enforce over the past 18 years.
Israel can no longer sit back and cowtow to the US or the world’s opinions. After October 7th we have seen that most of the world would happily let Israel die. The US does not exude strength which means listening to them only emboldens the terrorists. Israel must do what Israel must do in terms of security. Otherwise they have no country.
As former Ambassador Michael Oren said when he spoke at a local JNF event earlier this year, “Israel was founded with 2 covenants between the government and the people. The first was “Never Again” and on October 7th that was broken. The second was that “the IDF will always be there.” On October 7th, that was broken. Israel needs to renew that covenant. They need the citizens who live in the north to return to their homes. They need the hostages to come home. They need to rebuild the south where Hamas destroyed the kibbutzim. They need to rebuild the trust between the government, the IDF, and the people of Israel.
And then, in the words of Mia Schem, “We will dance again”. I can’t wait until there is another Nova dance party to remember the last and celebrate life. I plan on being there.
I got back from Israel on Friday September 20th. On Saturday night, September 21st, the bombs and rockets started en masse from Lebanon and Iraq into the north of Israel. On Sunday night/Monday morning of September 23rd, the village across the street from Kibbutz Lavi, were we stayed less than a week ago, had a direct hit from Hezbollah. Luckily the family was in the safe room, so nobody was injured. It’s not the first time something like this has happened to me. During the 2nd intifada, the night before we flew home, we were out a club having a good time. The music was good, the people were great, and we enjoyed ourselves. A day later we flew home. A few days later, a suicide bomber blew themselves up in the club we had just been. I’ve been in Israel when masses of people were on the Syrian border, threatening to breach it and enter Israel. We could hear the chants and the gunfire from our hotel rooms. Once again, our flight was the next day.
While in both situations I left just before a major attack on a place I had just been occurred, things are very different this time. Before, these were isolated terrorist attacks. That sounds horrifying but it also means that it was one person or group of people, at one place, focused on doing damage and murdering people at that location. It was very local. Now it is different. The entire country is being targeted. While in Israel last week, rockets were fired close to where we were. In both cases, the alerts didn’t go off where we were but did go off a few kilometers away. The train station in Modi’in, where I had been in May, had damage. My friends in Modi’in, who I had spent Shabbat with, had to go into their safe room on Sunday night.
My friends at Kibbutz Ravid sent me this video of the rockets over their heads and Iron Dome shooting them down. Less than a week ago, I was there.
Rockets over Kibbutz Ravid
This was over Tzfat, one of my favorite cities in Israel. I haven’t been there since prior to October 7th and couldn’t go on this trip because it wasn’t safe. I wasn’t far from Tzfat and could see it in the distance, but just being a few kilometers away makes a huge difference in terms of safety when Hezbollah is bombing indiscriminately.
Rockets over Tzfat
I speak to friends in Israel every day now. When I wake up my WhatsApp is filled with updates about the war. What Israel is doing to Hezbollah and what Hezbollah is firing at Israel. The alarms are now going off across almost the entire country. Iraq is now firing on Israel as well. It all stems from Iran, an existential threat to the US as well as Israel, and yet we stay silent.
Actually we don’t stay silent. We get continued lies from people like Representative Rashida Tlaib, who still hasn’t removed her lies about the hospital bombing on social media from 10 months ago. This is her speaking out yesterday.
The Israeli government has deliberately blocked food, medicine, medical supplies, and fuel from entering Gaza for almost a year now. Using starvation as a weapon of war is a war crime.
Congress must pass the UNRWA Restoration Act to restore humanitarian relief to Gaza. pic.twitter.com/EeV6l6V2DN
Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate for President, is both Jewish and hater of Israel. She also continues to spew her hatred and lies on daily basis. This is one of her most recent posts, again accusing Israel of genocide.
As a Jew who grew up after the Holocaust, it was essential to come to terms with genocide and affirm that it would never happen again. That means to not perpetrate, nor be a bystander, to genocide.
Representative Ilhan Omar, a noted antisemite and Jew hater was silent as Hezbollah fired rockets on Israel for 11 months, as more than 60,000 Israelis have become evacuees and refugees in their own country. It’s only when Israel fights back that she opens her mouth.
Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur, is another avid antisemite and Jew hater. She has continued to attack Israel since October 7th. She continues to spread lies. This post was from yesterday.
I keep on saying that Israel is writing a new page of genocide. This video, of settlers taking boats to watch the bombing of Gaza, is disgusting beyond what decent human body and mind can tolerate. https://t.co/AYLYFD1gne
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) September 24, 2024
The UN does nothing while she spews her hatred and lies. They don’t tell her to stop. They don’t fire her. They don’t attempt to distance themselves from her. The media is silent on all these Jew haters and liars since it doesn’t move then
There is no price to be paid by these two members of Congress who are not only antisemetic but also lying. There is no criticism by the Republicans or the Democrats of Jill Stein and her lies, likely because they don’t deem her a threat to them. Despite her vile and hateful rhetoric, it doesn’t benefit them so they stay silent. The media remains silent on those who are clearly Jew haters and liars. They continue to support and advocate for the terrorists.
This is the Washington Post article as the people of Lebanon celebrate Nasrallahs death and their freedom from his tyranny.
Israel will fight and win. She has no other choice. I talk to friends in the IDF and they are committed. A friend of mine just sent his 18 year old son off to the IDF and to join the war this week. Other friends have been recalled to serve. The elimination of Nasrallah means the leadership Hezbollah is all gone, sending a clear message to Iran and anybody else who wanted to murder and eliminate the Jews that they are not safe. They will pay for their efforts.
Both President Biden and VP Harris issued statements after the elimination of Nasrallah. In both, they continue to hold to the fallacy that a cease fire is the desired outcome. A ceasefire only benefits Hamas and Hezbollah. It benefits the terrorists. It doesn’t benefit the people of Gaza nor those of Lebanon who yearn to be free from the yoke of terrorists. It doesn’t benefit Israel who wants safety and security. For decades the US policy has been to pressure Israel in the belief that land for peace would work. We have seen time after time that it doesn’t. As my friend Fleur Hassan Nahoum so eloquently says about the two-state solution, “It was our dream, not theirs.”
The world is tired of war. I get it. We all are. Those who are evil and live in hate are taking advantage of this exhaustion. Russia and Putin against Ukraine. China is waiting so they can take Taiwan. Iran directing Hamas, Hezbollah, Iraq and the Houthis against Israel. The way to peace is through strength and deterrance, not through diplomacy. Strength and deterrance create the situation where diplomacy can work. Without the fear of strength, our enemies have nothing to fear and no reason to negotiate in good faith or give up anything of value. They know we will always cave. Israel’s elimination of Hamas leadership and their military in Gaza shows that strength. The elimination of the leadership of Hezbollah, including their newly appointed leader after only a few hours, shows strength.
In today’s world, sometimes I think Israel is the only one with common sense. There are plenty of problems with the Israeli government and I have been as critical as anybody of the power and influence that Ben Gvir and Smoltrich have, the issues with judicial reform, some of the policies in the West Bank/Judea and Samaria, and many other things. When it comes to evil, Israel understands you can only eliminate it, you can’t negotiate. Israel understands that in that region, the only thing that is respected is strength. They don’t try to negotiate with Iran and the Supreme Leader, they show him what will happen if he continues his efforts at genocide.
The Abraham Accords happened when the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain realized that the strength of Israel, both militarily and economically, was beneficial to them. Sudan and Morroco joined when they also realized it was to their benefit. Saudia Arabia and Indonesia were ready to join before October 7th for the same reason. The strength of Israel in removing Hamas and Hezbollah, even taking much longer than anybody expected, will only increase the likelihood that they will end up normalizing relations with Israel.
I worry about my friends in the IDF, my friends who have children in the IDF, my friends who live in the north and the Galilee, my friends in the south, my friends who have moved their bedrooms or their children’s bedrooms to their safe room because it’s easier than waking them up and trying to move them when the alerts go off. I hope that by destroying Hamas, eliminating the leadership of Hezbollah, we can get to place where they don’t have to do this any more. Where the people of Shlomi, who lived in my hotel for almost a full year now, can return home. Where the hostages will be released and this nightmare can end.
One thing that has become clear in the past few weeks with Israel’s attack on the leadership of Hezbollah. Israel will not accept the status quo. Israel will not return to the way things were on October 6, 2023. Containing the terrorists is no longer acceptable. Israel will protect her citizens. Israel will not abandon the north. The country is different now than before October 7th and will never be the same. But in the words of released hostage Mia Schem, “We will dance again.” The Jewish people and Israel will rise and be strong.
I spent this week in Israel with one of my clients, Dror Israel. Dror works with youth in schools, afterschool programs, youth group, and summer camps. It was an amazing four days that both inspired me further with the work they do and also challenged me to ask why we can’t replicate it here in the US. At a time when it’s clear that we have lousy leadership throughout our organizations, local, state, and federal governments, and internationally, why can’t we look to a different model that not only inspires leadership but teaches it. That not only values the individual but also the group. That has proven to work across diverse groups of people. What stops us from actually doing better?
Gary (Dror Israel), me, Irit, Marc, and Michael. My partners and I had an incredible experience with Dror Israel last week.
Here is a great example of what we saw in Israel with a Dror school in Ravid. The students wanted to have a music room. There were two challenges to adding a music room. There was no existing room that could be repurposed for a music room and while there was plenty of room to build a music room, there was no money to build a new music room. Simple, right? In America, this would mean there would simply be no music room. Two good reasons, a lack of creativity to figure out a solution, so the answer is simply ‘no’. Not with a Dror school!
The students wanted the music room so they had to figure out a solution. And figure it out they did! They learned that there were old shuttle buses that used to take people from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion airport that no longer worked. They learned that if they could get one of the shuttle buses to the school, they could have the bus for free. The school has a maker space where they use 3D printing and computer software to design things build in a mdoern ‘wood shop’. What did the students do? They used their technology and what they had available to them to make their own drum set! Problem solved. Solution achieved. There is now an amazing music room, housed in the old shuttle bus, that students use all the time. Imagine if our students, leaders, government, etc. used this type of thinking. Imagine if they were empowered to find solutions to our problems
The old shuttle bus that is now a music room. Pretty ingenious.Inside the music room/old shuttle busThe drum set was made by students on campus using their technology. What a great space!
I would love to do something like this at my house to make an art studio for my wife. Put in some air conditioning and she’d have exactly what she wants without having to lose a bedroom in the house, without having to convert our garage and lose that space. Without having to deal with permits and zoning. If you ever see an old bus in my driveway, you will know that I was inspired by the High School students of Ravid and that it is an art studio, not a bus!!
We have so many children struggling in school in the United States and no solutions for them. This was before Covid closed schools for up to 2 years and made it even worse. I was proud when my younger son decided to stay home and go to Community College where he could learn to wake up, do homework, study, and get back into the learning mode without the stress of going away to college. He graduated with his AA Magna Cum Laude and now that he is at a traditional 4-year University, he is doing outstanding academically. He was the minority who made that non-traditional decision. Our education system doesn’t encourage creative thinking or solutions. It doesn’t encourage learning, it is based on test scores.
The Dror schools are based on a different philosophy. Teachers are encouraged to engage students where they are. They are required to listen and learn from their students. They get to know their students as people, not just as test scores. While everybody at Dror is an educator, they play different roles. Listening to those in the classroom talk about their students was enlightening. They knew about their home life. Those who struggled to get to school regularly would get phone calls from their educators every morning to make sure they were awake and coming to school. They call them educators instead of teachers because that’s what they are doing. Educating. Not teaching to a test. Not teaching things to regurgitate on a test when you can simply find the information on your phone when you need it. They are educating them for life. Showing them how to treat people, how to invest in people and relationships. How to succeed in life, not on an exam.
At the school in Ravid, we saw some incredible, creative ways to encourage learning. They have a stable for horses and teach riding. It’s not just riding though. The students are required to do everything for the stables. They get up early to feed the horses. They clean the stables. They rub down the horses. It’s not just a class on horseback riding. It’s a class on life, responsibility, and committment. They teach that joy comes with work. We met Tamar, a wonderful 16 year old young woman there, 16 year. She shared her story with us. She was struggling at a regular school. Nobody paid attention to her. She was lost. She spent too much time out late doing things she ‘shouldn’t have been doing.’ At the Dror school in Ravid, the teachers paid attention to her. She said, “when I need to, I can get up, leave class, smoke a cigarette, and then come back.” Hearing her love for the school and for learning was exciting. She loved the horses but that wasn’t what she wanted to focus on. She told us her goal was to get her certificate in dog training. The school doesn’t just have stables and horses. They have a kennel and an entire dog training curriculum. For those who love animals, they can get a real education in this school and leave with a trade to ensure they have a successful life. Imagine education focused on that instead of test scores to get you into college to get a degree that you can’t find a job with.
Horses in the stablesMore horses in the stables
We see this type of thinking in Israel all the time. Tel Aviv was an empty beach 115 years ago. Now it’s a thriving city and one of the world centers of technology and innovation.
A picture of the founding to Tel Aviv. That sand is now a bustling city.
Israel, an agricultural country just 40 years ago, became known as start-up nation in the 2000s. Computer chips, instant messaging and SMS technology, along with medical innovations and much more all come from Israel. Massive use of desalinization to create drinkable water and water for irrigation is Israel. Drip irrigation is Israel.
Warren Buffet famously said, “If you are looking for brains, energy and dynamism in the Middle East, Israel is the only place you need to go.”
He also said, “In industries ranging from software to textiles, Israelis have shown that they have a special genius for devising creative solutions to problems.”
My final Warren Buffet quote is, “Israel has created a miracle in the desert. It is a miracle of creativity and innovation.
Each of these quotes reinforces what the Dror educational model in Israel does. Creative. Innovation. Solutions. Genius. Brains. Energy. Dynamism. Inspired to use their minds to find solutions. To analyze the situation and be creative to find a resolution.
Faced with 150,000 rockets in the north with the Iran proxy Hezbollah threatening, Israel had a real issue to deal with. This was not Hamas with far fewer rockets and far inferior weapons. This was an existential threat. How did Israel address this? On September 17th, the beepers that Hezbollah was using went off and then exploded, killing, injuring, and maiming thousands of terrorists. The next day, the walkie talkies they switched to exploded, killing, injuring and maiming even more terrorists. Their communications network destroyed, their leaders injured, Hezbollah was weakened. Israel targeted their leadership and eliminated them.
Truly weakened, Israel moved in. They began bombing the Hezbollah military sites where these rockets and the rocket launchers were kept. They destroyed rockets and rocket launchers, limiting what Hezbollah can do to attack them.
This doesn’t mean that Hezbollah can’t attack Israel, they can and have. The area around Haifa is under attack tonight however as big as it is, it could have been worse. They still have plenty of rockets. They are now limited. Hezbollah’s main target tonight was the Ramat David air base, where most of the Israeli jets flying into Lebanon have been based. Half of the rockets were intercepted, some direct hits in Nazareth, but no injuries reported thus far. Ramat David air base was not harmed. Israel used creativity, innovation, genius, and boldness to find a solution to the massive amount of rockets on her northern border.
Rockets launched at Israel late Saturday night, early Sunday morning on September 21-22.
To give you context, I was in Acre (Akko), Karmiel, and that area just a few days ago. I was in Nazareth, where this video was taken. Israel isn’t a big country and needs to use their creativity and innovation to stay alive.
Nazareth after Hezbollah rocket attacks tonight
I started by writing about the creative way students got a music room and ended with the creative way that Israel reduced the threat. It is all about creativity and encouraging the use of minds to find solutions. Despite the rockets falling in Israel tonight, Israelis remain undeterred. They know there is a solution for everything when they put their mind to it. This video was from Nazareth, the same place as the fire above, after the rockets fell.
I arrived in Israel this time on Thursday September 12th. My flight was changed to leave 3 hours early so I arrived at 3:30 am. The airport was empty – a strange thing at any time. I got to my hotel by 5 am, they let me check in 10 hours early for a 280 shekel charge, and I was in business. A shower, a nap, and off to my first meeting of the trip. The first four days were a combination of meeting with potential clients, friends, and enjoying Israel and the beach. I got a lot accomplished and was able to really enjoy being in Israel.
I also began spending some time with Israelis without touring. Time talking about life. About the last year and how things had changed. Most of my trips to Israel involve an itinerary related to seeing locations. Jerusalem and the Old City. The Kotel. The Kotel tunnels. The City of David. Masada. The Dead Sea. The mystical city of Tzfat. Ammunition Hill. The strategic value of the Golan Heights and the importance of the Galilee for agriculture. Meaningful places that help me ask and answer questions about myself and what it means to be a part of a people that is over 3,000 years old. I could tell this trip would be different. This wasn’t going to be a trip about my own self exploration. This wasn’t about who I am, who I want to be and how to get there. This was going to be an experience focused on who Israel was. The impact of October 7th. Who Israel is currently. Who Israel might be in the future. From time spent with my friends Grace and Yocheved who live in Israel (both made Aliyah about 30 year apart) to my friends Margot and Tamar (Margot made aliyah over a decade ago while Tamar is a sabra) I could tell just how different the country is and the impact on them. It was going to be a different type of exploration.
I had Shabbat dinner with Margot, Tamar, and their family in Modi’in. I wrote about that previously. On the drive home, Tamar and I had a deep and meaningful conversation. Knowing her as a proud Israeli and her history it was painful to listen to her uncertainty about the country we both love. As a mom, she expressed the concern for her children. She expressed her concern for the impact on not just her and Margot as parents but on her friends who are parents. The challenges of her children being so young and yet seeing and hearing things that were not age-appropriate. Her 9 year old daughter asking questions that are meant for much older children but are now part of her reality. Hostages. Hate. Murder. Invastion. Loss of family. She shared a dream her daughter told her about where terrorists came to their house, killed everybody but her and took her into captivity as a hostage. No 9 year old should have this as part of their reality. As a parent, my heart broke.
Our talk took the entire drive. It was deep. She shared things she needed to but hadn’t had a safe space. Everybody in Israel is living this horror. It was the first glimpse for me into what Israelis are really going through. It hurt. Deeply. These are my people. My family. My mishpacha. The last 11 months have not only been horrific, each day makes it a little worse as there is more death. More rockets. More destruction. More hostages found or confirmed dead. More fear of it happening again. Does Israel stop to get as many hostages back and let the people heal, knowing full well that they will end up repeating this again in the future? Do we do whatever it takes to end it and worry about the human and emotional toll after? Theoretically it had been a challenge for me as I debated in my own head. Talking with Tamar showed me it isn’t theoretical. It’s real people struggling with real emotion and life. We got to my hotel and gave each other a big hug. It was the start of my head spinning journey that continues on the plane as I write this.
Saturday night I had dinner with a group of newer friends. All but one I met just a few days before. Most were Israelis who had made aliyah. Two were IDF soldiers, recalled from the reserves to fight in Gaza. As we talked over dinner, I could see the impact the war has had on them. These two Americans who moved to Israel to follow their zionist dream not only got their dream but also their nightmare. One had finished his reserve duty, the other was about to go back in for another round of reserve duty. The one who had finished his was preparing to return to America and then to travel. He needed to get out of israel and get away. He needed to wander and clear his head. It was obvious to me that the other one needed this as well but didn’t have that option as he was back in mellowim (reserves) and had to finish this round before he could even consider it. I tried to think what it must be like to make aliyah, live your dream, join the army and complete your service. Begin to start you life as an Israeli when all hell breaks lose. Your dream becomes a nightmare. In and out of reserves. In and out of Gaza. Seeing things nobody should see. I realized it was something I simply could never comprehend. I have called this Israel’s greatest generation. They have showed up in a way that was unexpected and unprecidented. They are paying the price for it. When this is finally over, how long will it take them to heal? How will their children be affected? For those that don’t have children, how long will it take for them to have children? Immediately? A few years? Many years? Never?
The diaspora Jews have showed up as well. Many have chosen to flock to Israel to volunteer. What other people run TOWARDS a war zone? This was my third trip since October 7th. I would have come more often except my family wouldn’t let me go until May 2024, 7 months after October 7th. I would have gone October 8th and they know it. My friend Mark had never been to Israel before October 7th. This was his 3rd trip since. He’ll be back in December. All to volunteer. All to make a difference. Masha was back to volunteer again and brought her sister Diana on her first trip to Israel. Leon was back to volunteer again and again. He took his break on Shabbat and then went right back to working hard in the fields. He’s a successful attorney who leaves his practice to do this. Masha has found a way to work remotely so she can do her job while in Israel. Mark takes time off from his career. The sacrifice is clear. It is inspiring. Yocheved left her job and got on a plane in October to be in Israel while her brother fought in Gaza. She helped start a volunteer organization, Sword of Iron, that now has nearly 40,000 people a part of it. She is 24 and has literally changed the world.
Yocheved and me at the group dinner on the beach in Tel Aviv
Is this a new definition of Judaism? Is a return to our Zionist roots, working the land, giving of ourselves, going to be the next advent in Judaism for those who are Jewish at heart but have not been Jewishly connected? There are many who are running far away from Israel, yet there are many who are literally running to Israel. I have alway believed that Israel is core to my identity as a human being and as a Jew. Is this going to be a new reality for many Jews? I have watched as Israel has changed the lives of so many people and the impact of October 7th has completely changed who they are. I know it has changed me. I know it has changed others. When we look back in 100 years will see this being a turning point? The rise of the greatest generation of Israelis since the founding of the state? The change in the diaspora in their relationship with Judaism?
Sunday night I met with one of my partners and a potential client. Hersh Polin Goldberg (z’l) was a key part of the conversation. There were things about him that I didn’t realize. Things that made his death that much more tragic. An even bigger loss, if that’s even possible. As I was talking business, his presence hovered over us along with all the hostages still in Gaza. It was an introduction to the trauma of the hostages on Israeli society that I was about to experience. After our meeting, we headed to Jaffa for a private talk by Avigdor Lieberman, a candidate for Prime Minister when the elections finally happen. While it was entirely in hebrew, one of my partners translated for me. Once again, it was eye opening to sit in the room and hear what he was saying. The questions were blunt and powerful. Pointed. He answered them all. Some with the answers that I expected and others in ways I did not expect. While I knew Israel wasn’t the same country since October 7th and felt it on my two prior visits, this was a different depth that I hadn’t experienced before. It continued building on the conversation Tamar and I had on the drive. The future of Israel is undetermined. Not the physical existance but the spiritual existance. The essence of what the country is going to stand for and what level of trust the people were going to have. It reminded me of Michael Oren saying that on October 7th the 2 convenants the government made with the people in 1948 were broken. The first is “Never Again”. Never again died on October 7th. The second is that the IDF will always be there to protect Israeli citizens. That myth also died on October 7th. An existential covenant broken. A country questioning who they are and what they stand for. The soul of the country on the table up for debate. If I thought that it would now be time to chew on this and come up with some bright, pithy statement, I was very wrong. It was just the start of what would overload me and keep my head spinning all week long.
Monday we went to Kiryat Gat, the temporary home to those who lived at Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7th. Nir Oz was devastated on October 7th. We met with Gal Goren, a 22 year old boy, who lived at Nir Oz. On October 7th he was away from home on a retreat. His family was at home in Nir Oz. On that Sunday he learned that his parents were missing. Were they alive? Were they dead? Were they hostages? 18 days later, his father’s body was found in the fields. It took 18 days to find his father’s body while it was simply in the fields. In July 2024, 9 months after he last spoke to his mother and she was last seen, her body was recovered in Gaza. She had been wounded on October 7th severely and only survived a few hours yet it took 9 months to get her body returned and closure for her family. As we sat on the couch in Gal’s home, listening to him tell his story, looking at pictures of his parents in the room, I realized that his parents were probably close to my age. I later looked it up and they were both 56. Maya Goren (z’l) and Avner Goren (z’l) were simply parents of 4 children. They were living their lives, no differently than me living my life. Until terrorists showed up. They are gone. Their children have no parents alive. I could see the pain in Gal’s eyes. I could hear it in his voice. I can’t imagine what his younger sister is going through. His two older brothers are in the IDF, the organization that failed them. In Nir Oz, there was not a single IDF bullet fired. By the time the IDF got to Nir Oz, the terrorists were completely gone. It took them 8 1/2 hours to arrive. Hundreds of terrorists against five people with guns. Somehow the five people lasted over two hours before the last was killed.
Gal’s parents, Avner (z’l) and Maya (z’l) from Gal’s living room.
How do you deal with an epic failure of intelligence and security? As a country that prides herself on safety and security, on the IDF being a badass army, how do you reconcile that it took them 8 1/2 hours to arrive. 117 of the 400 people on the kibbutz were murdered or kidnapped and taken hostage. It’s an incredibly indictment of the IDF yet it is the IDF that is required to keep Israel safe. Two of Gal’s brother are fighting for an organization that didn’t save their parents. Gal went back into the army to be an IDF educator. After having their parents murdered and the IDF not showing up for 8 1/2 hours to Kibbutz Nir Oz, Gal and his two brothers went back to the IDF to play their role. I can’t imagine what that must be like. Around every turn is the failure that resulted in the dealth of your parents and yet you double down, invest, and give of yourself to the army.
During the four days I spent with my client, we explored the experience of the evacuees deeply. Nir Oz. Kiryat Shemona. Kibbutz Reim. A school just for evacuee children in Kibbutz Ravid. More than 11 months after the attack, these communities remain evacuated and remain living in temporary places. Some in hotels. Some took over entire buildings. Some are scattered around and nobody is sure if the community will return. It is not just the number of internal evacuees due to the war who have been displaced. Those used to living on a Kibbutz with lots of land and freedom are now cramped into a hotel room or a small apartment. Their entire life has been turned upside down and for some there is no timetable for their return. I experienced a little of this on my last trip with the people of the town of Shlomi living in our hotel. It was shocking to see then. To see the meta perspective of so many communities still living like this was troubling to say the least.
The front door to the apartment building where the Nir Oz community now lives in Kiryat Gat. Never forget the hostages.
The world pays attention to the people in Gaza, terrorized by Hamas, used as human shields by Hamas, refused by Egypt and without any pressur on Egypt from the United States to be me let into Sinai to live, where there would be no reason for military attacks. Yet the world is silent about the Israeli internal refugees, some who will no be able to move back to their home communities for many years. Some who will never move back to their home communities. The Jews remain the world’s pariah. In a world that frowns upon hatred and bigotry against any minority community, the only one that it remains acceptable and encouraged to hate are the Jews.
We heard from a lot of people about both what they experienced on October 7th and what they began to do on October 8th. Carmi told us about taking her 7 month old daughter into their safe room while her partner was up north celebrating his birthday that weekend. I can’t imagine being in a safe room for nearly 30 hours with a 7 month old and limited bottles, diapers, and entertainment, all while trying to shield them from the sounds of the rockets and the fear of terrorists entering your building and attacking you. I can’t imagine the horror of knowing your family was at risk and getting no update, and then when you get the update it is that they have been taken captive by Hamas and are hostages in Gaza. Zohar told us about his sister-in-law and niece, taken into Gaza where they spent 50 days as hostages. The fears of his brother and himself. The non-stop fight to get not only them returned but all the hostages returned. As we spent time at the Hostage Family Forum, hearing Zohar’s story, it was painful. Hearing his anger at the government was powerful and understandable. He summed up my thoughts on our leadership, which I have written extensively about, when he said, “We don’t have leaders. We just have government.”
As we walked through the Hostage Family Forum building, I felt the sadness. I felt the depression and anxiety. The effort to do anyting to make a difference. To push the government to get them home. To actually lead. Somebody has referenced this building as the saddest place in Israel and I believe that to be true. The posters of hostages on the wall where their age was crossed out and updated by a year. In a few weeks, they will all have celebrated a birthday in captivity.
There are Americans who are still hostages yet our government remains largely silent. There is no pressure on Hamas, Qatar, or Iran to have them released. If America won’t force the return of our hostages, who is going to put the pressure on diplomatically? The only choices are surrender to the wishes of Hamas or military action. Neither are good options. So we sit. They protest. I write. They cry. The hostages get a day older and a day closer to death. Shame on us. We like to think we are better than that yet the proof is there that we are not.
We went to hostage square. I was there in May and the sadness envelopes you. The mock tunnel is powerful. Walking through it is depressing and I always think of what I was told in May that released hostages said after going through the mock tunnel, “I only wish they were that big.” I bought some Israeli flags with the yellow ribbon through them. I have my ‘NOW’ hat. While up to now I have struggled with what happened on October 7th and how that has changed me, now I find myself thinking about what happened AFTER October 7th and that is changing me. We must do better. We must get leaders not government. It is up to us to BE THE CHANGE. I look at people who were seen as changemakers, people who spoke up and spoke out about other causes and how today they ignore what happened on October 7th and ignore Hamas and Iran. How they simply engage in Jew hatred. Greta Thornburg has become a racist and bigot, spewing Jew hatred. What a shame. Leaders of the UN show they are merely power hungry Jew haters with their statements and the resolutions. Is this the world we want to live in? Is this the behavior we want to encourage? It never ends with the Jews. We are merely the first. Are you ready to be the second? The third? Because you will be.
October 7th didn’t just affect the Jews. On this trip we spent time in the arab village of Ein Mahil. My client works with all Israelis. Jews. Arabs. Druze. Christians. It’s about people and children. They work with the children of Majdal Shams, the Druze village where Hezbollah murdered 12 children playing soccer by bombing them while they played. Hundreds were wounded. I wanted to go visit but it was deemed not safe. It made me sad. Tzfat was not safe to go visit. Most of the north is not safe. We went to Akko, we went to towns around the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) but we could not see anything further north. There were two mornings where rockets were fired in our general vicinity. We did not get alerts but they did 10-15 minutes away. I made sure to text my family that everything was ok, not wanting to alarm them but also not wanting them to worry.
Ein Mahil was a great place to visit. The youth center there is part of the Israeli Zionist youth movement, HaNoar HaOved (NOAL), that I am working with. Yes, you read that correctly. The arab village, just like the Druze village of Majdal Shams, are places where there are Israeli Zionist youth groups where arab and druze children are members. There are 55 arab villages that have this youth group. You read that correctly. 55 ARAB VILLAGES HAVE A ZIONIST YOUTH GROUP THAT ARAB CHILDREN PARTICIPATE WITH AND LOVE. More than 20,000 Arab children are participants in this Zionist youth group. We got to hear from leaders of the Ein Mahil branch. They grew up in the movement. They are Israeli, Arab, and not only participated in a Zionist youth movement but are now leaders of a Zionist youth movement in their Arab Village!! Abu Hani, the Mayor of Ein Mahil came to speak with us. His daughters were in the Zionist Youth movement. Yes, he is also Arab. The children were having so much fun. I enjoyed getting to walk around and talk with them. By talking I mean mostly hand motions as they spoke Arabic and I don’t. I’ll never forget this one little girl, Yasmina. When I saw her name on her project and called her by name, the smile on her face was precious. When we went to take the picture, I made sure that this shy little girl joined us. She smiled when I called her by name and waved her over. Who says you can’t communicate with kindess and love instead of words.
In Ein Mahel with the kids and the Arab members of NOAL, an Israeli Zionist Youth group, along with the staff.
Gazel, the head of the branch, spoke to us. She only spoke Arabic so it was translated. Lina, who learned English from watching Friends and How I Met Your Mother on TV spoke with us. Yousef, who was an early participant in the movement in 1995 (the movement began in Ein Mahil in 1989!) spoke to us. Shadi, another leader in the movement, told us about how he began in 4th grade and now his children participate. Shadi told us what October 7th was for him. It was something I never considered. How did October 7th impact Israeli Arabs? He was out with his son, getting haircuts. After hearing what happened, they got in the car and raced home. He said he drove like a maniac. He didn’t know who was going to want to kill him. Would it be Hamas because he was an Israeli Arab? Would it be Arabs who think he is a traitor because he was in an Zionist youth group and now is a leader of the movement for Arab children? Would it be Jews who see him as an Arab and think he is a terrorist? I can’t imagine the fear he and others faced, thinking every person they encounter could be an enemy and wanting them dead, all because they live in Israel, are Israeli citizens, and get along with Jews. Shadi told us his Jewish friends from other villages were calling to check on him. They understood what was happening to Israeli Arabs. Calls that Israel is an apartheid state simply miss the facts. Every one of those people needs to visit Ein Mahil. Majdal Shams. Or any of the 55 Arab villages with a Zionist youth group thriving. The 12 Druze Villages (almost all of the Druze Villages) that have a Zionist youth group thriving.
Gazel, Yousef, me, Gary, Shadi, Marc, Michael, and Lina. New friends in Ein Mahel that I can’t wait to see again.
The effects of October 7th and more importantly, the effects of what has happened since October 7th, will not only change Israel forever, it is changing our world. I felt the impact of hate like I never have before. October 7th was an explosion of hatred that was overwhelming. What has happened in the 11+ months since then is an ongoing hatred, ongoing pain and suffering, ongoing bigotry and racism. Ongoing terror. For many of us, today is not September 20, 2024. It is still October 7, 2023. Until the hostages are returned, until Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran are defeated, until the refugees from the north and south of Israel can return to their homes and rebuild, and until the people of Gaza can live safely, in peace, with their neighbor Israel, it will always be October 7th. As Zohar so powerfully stated, we need leaders, not government. Where will they come from? How do we get there?
There is much more from this trip to process. More I will write about. For now, I have added the pain of everything after October 7th to the pain of what happened on October 7th.
Today is my younger son Matthew’s 22nd birthday. I get home in time to celebrate it. While I treasure the time celebrating his birthday with him, I will be thinking of Gal, who because of hatred, because of bigotry, because of Hamas and Iran, didn’t get to celebrate his 22nd birthday with his parents and will never get to celebrate another of his birthday’s with his parents. Gratitude for what I get and sadness for what he lost.
There are many things we take as truth ‘just because’. Rituals we do because that’s what we were taught, without understanding the why or the intention behind them. Things we accept as fact, once again, ‘just because’. We live in a time where we no longer have that luxury.
On the English calendar, my dad died on September 6, 2022. I will always remember him on that day. In addition, the Hebrew calendar (which is lunar) means that his yartzheit (remembrance of the day he died) is different. It was the 11th of the month of Elul. This year the 11th of Elul began last night (Friday night) and it is all day today. Being in Israel and staying in a hotel, I wanted to think how to best remember and honor him. Typically I would light the yartzheit candle that burns for 24 hours and use that to reflect. Being in a hotel, lighting the candle wouldn’t be possible.
It was also Shabbat (the sabbath). This added an additional opportunity and compexity. What would I be doing Friday night and with whom? And then Saturday would be a completely free day to reflect – what an opportunity! The first answer came quickly. My friends Margot and Tamar invited me to their new home in Modi’in (the just moved there from Jerusalem) to enjoy Shabbat with their family. I always see Margot when I am in Jerusalem, so the chance to see their new home, see Tamar and their beautiful 3 children, was something I couldn’t pass up. An added bonus was Margot’s parents were visiting along with another friend of theirs from Jerusalem.
The last time I got to spend time with Margot and Tamar’s kids was about 2 1/2 years ago. During that visit, the two older ones put on costumes and ran around playing while the youngest had already fallen asleep. Remembering how much they loved costumes, I brainstormed with Margot about what they would want and got them special presents. I couldn’t wait to give them their presents and see the joy on their faces. It was something very much in the spirit of my dad – bringing happiness and joy to people was so important to him.
The excitement of the costumes was as I hoped. They put them on and ran around. It was so much fun to watch their faces and hear their voices.
Black Panther, Spiderman, and Red.
I smiled as I watched their joy. It was a fitting way to honor my dad. He loved children and loved making people happy. As they talked excitedly to me, especially Halleli as Red, I was filled with his presence. I felt like him with his grandchildren, paying full attention to them and validating their excitement with his listening. We laughed, we sang and we danced. Margot and Halleli did a dance together that was fun to watch. Halleli danced by herself for us. The joy was palpable. Yartzheit’s and remember those we have lost is usually sad and somber. I’m grateful that this year, on my dad’s 2nd Yartzheit, he joined us in spirit by making it fun and full of light. It was his spirit and the way he lived that infused Friday night. As Tamar drove me back to my hotel in Tel Aviv we had an in depth conversation about the impact of the war on her and Margot, on other parents, and especially on children. It was a reminder to me of not just what Margot and Tamar and other Israeli parents are doing to protect their children but all the things that my parents did to protect my siblings and me. I was filled with gratitude. It was far better and more meaningful than simply lighting a candle.
Margot and Halleli dancing
The day of my dad’s yartzheit (Saturday) I had a slow morning of rest and relaxation. I then spent the day on the beach with some new friends. It was a great day to celebrate life. That’s what my dad did, celebrated life. It was a different way to honor his memory this year. It was also very meaningful because it was about the essense of who he was. It was about his values (family) and happiness and enjoying life. It felt right. It felt good. And I felt him with me the entire time. ‘Just because’ you are supposed to light a candle for remembrance isn’t enough. I lived the day as my dad would have, truly remembering and honoring him.
One of my favorite pictures of my dad and me
I’m currently in Israel. The past few days I have been in Tel Aviv and enjoying the weather, the beach, the Mediterranean, delicious food, and time with friends and colleagues. A group of new friends went to dinner on the beach and it was amazing to learn how interconnected we were. The food was good, the company better, and the view of the beach spectacular. Later, we sat on the roof last night talking about Israel, perceptions, safety, and much more. It was a beautiful night. The weather was cool, the sky was clear, you could see and hear the Mediterranean. We talked about the beauty of Israel. How safe we felt. Our love for the country. Some of us were here for the first time. Some for multiple times. Some were Jewish and some were not. What a diverse group. Around midnight our group broke up and I walked back to my hotel.
A few hours later my phone rang. It was my oldest son. It woke me from a deep sleep and I immediately answered. His voice was full of excitement as the team he coaches had just won a big road game and for the second week in a row, the part he coaches played a key role in them winning. It was awesome that he wanted to call me to share his joy. I didn’t mind that it was 4 am for me – the fact he wanted to share this joy with me right after the game ended meant the world. This was my dad’s dream – that his children would have that type of relationship with their children. That his children would remain close as adults. I shared in his joy with immense gratitude. Does life really get any better than your children having success and joy and wanting to share it with you? I don’t think so. I know my dad didn’t think so.
On the field after the first home game – nothing comes close to celebrating your children’s happiness and success.
I fell back asleep and a few hours later, when I woke up, I saw messages from friends in the US asking what was going on and if I was safe. I wasn’t sure what they meant since it was quiet in Tel Aviv and I slept well. I opened my WhatsApp to see what was going on and saw this:
I understood why they were worried and reaching out. Thankfully the rockets and the alerts did not reach Tel Aviv. It didn’t impact my sleep nor did I have to go to the 2nd floor saferoom in the hotel (yes, there is one, and yes, I know where it is). The rockets and the sirens did reach Modi’in, where I have many friends and where I had Shabbat dinner this week. I checked on my friends and they are all safe, just a bit flustered from the 6:30 am sirens and going to their safe rooms, getting their children and sometimes parents into the safe room, in the time alotted for safety. I responded to my friends that reached out that I was safe and we had no sirens. Even though it was around midnight on the East Coast of the US, I texted my family, brother and sister, and mom to let them know we had no sirens and I am safe. Hopefully it didn’t wake them up and they can have a restful sleep and see it when they wake up.
A rocket did hit part of the train station in Modi’in. In May, I was at that train station. If the trains ran later on Friday afternoons (they close just after 2 pm for Shabbat), I’d have been there on Friday afternoon. This is the reality of terrorism, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthi’s and the head of the snake, Iran. This is what Tamar and I were discussing on the ride to my hotel Friday night. How does she explain this to her young children? How do she and Margot deal with the stress of parenting plus parenting in a war plus shielding their children and keeping them safe, physically, emotionaly, and spiritually. Most people understand that the IDF soldiers, the families of hostages, the rescued hostages, and those who lost loved ones on October 7th or afterwards, are struggling. The reality is the entire country is struggling. You feel the struggle when you are here. The recovery will take a long time after the war ends. Tamar and I discussed that on our ride from Modi’in to Tel Aviv. While we are seeing the greatest generation of Israelis step up in this time of crisis, there are other generations that are doing the best they can in these circumstances to survive, to live, to protect their children. The repurcussions of this war are long standing. There is a deep wound in the Israeli psyche and the Israeli people that will need to heal. Those of us in the diaspora need to understand this and help as much as we can. Coming to Israel is part of that support. As diaspora Jews, we do not understand the power of our coming to Israel during this time and the message it sends to our Israeli brothers and sisters. To know they are not alone now is critical. I have been here three (3) times since May. The thanks that I get, and the shock from many that I would come to a war zone at all, let alone 3 times, is powerful. Our Israeli brothers and sisters need us. They need our support. I urge you to come. More will be coming from me in the very near future about new ways to get here that are meaningful and affordable. It matters.
Escalator at the train station in Modi’in after a rocket hit the station
Our choices determine who we are. My dad taught me that. It’s what we do, not what we say. He taught me that too. I have lived my life in a way that when my grandchildren ask what I did at key moments, there are answers that I will proud for my children to share with them. On 9/11 I was active and helping address the trauma the UF students were dealing with. During Covid I was active in helping ensure we found ways to being back our employees quickly and provide needed services. After October 7th I made sure to be at the rally in DC, I got active with helping hostages that were released, and helping Israel. I have come here 3 times since October 7, brought students on a leadership trip, and am working with Israeli nonprofits that help children, families, small businesses, US college students, and families of hostages.
“Just because” isn’t good enough. It’s no longer acceptable. Each of us have the ability to make a difference with our actions. A friend of mine in Richmond posted this message on Facebook about a fraternity brother and me being in Israel together with a picture of us here.
Two past Richmonders who are amazing Israel advocates who don’t just talk the talk but are constantly walking the walk and using social media to share their experience! This is so much more powerful than the ho hum talk of people who lead without their personal investment and family involvement. We need THIS here!
We need this everywhere. Take action. You can. The status quo does not have be accepted. In my dad’s memory, I refuse to be silent. I refuse to sit by idly. I refuse to accept the unacceptable and will fight for the future of the Jewish people, the land of Israel, and the type of world not only that I want to live in but one that I want for my future grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I owe them no less. My grandparents did if for me, how can I not do it for mine?
Israel, and the world, are facing a truly existential question. How do we deal with terrorists that take our civilians hostage, brutalize them, starve them, use them as human shields, and murder them whenever they choose?
That is the core question with Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and the hostages taken on October 7, 2023. There are many who say to ‘cut a deal’ to release the hostages and end the war, whatever it takes. Trust Hamas and take them at their word. This is despite the fact that they are untrustworthy and have proven this over and over again. This is despite the long term security risks Israel will face as a result. To this group of people, freeing the current hostages and ending the loss of life in this war immediately is the most important thing, regardless of the long term effects.
There are others who take a different view. As much as they want the return of the hostages and the end of the war, they know that Hamas is not trustworthy and you can’t take them at their word. They are concerned about the long term impact of any deal. We may get 30-50 hostages home alive and the bodies of 50-70 dead hostages now, but in the long term it will result in thousands of deaths when Hamas attacks next, which they have vowed to do. They look at the effort to free Gilad Shalit, where 1,000 terrorists, including Sinwar, were traded for one Israeli. That trade resulted in 1,200 deaths on October 7th and many more since. Was it worth it? That’s above my pay grade to answer but based on sheer numbers, you have to say no.
We have most of the world committed to continuing failed policy attempting for a two-state solution, believing in the Palestinian Authority (PA) even when the people in the West Bank/Judea and Samaria, do not believe in them. They continue to fund both the PA and UNRWA despite evidence that shows that they are corrupt and only harm the people they are supposed to be helping. Albert Einstein is credited with saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” There is no question our world leaders are living in insanity.
We have heard a great deal from Rachel and Jon Goldberg Polin, the parents of Hersh Goldberg Polin (z’l). We see the protests from families of hostages and those who want the Israeli government to make any deal necessary to get the hostages back and end the war. While I have friends serving in the IDF who clearly share with me their views, we have not heard much from the other side. Recently, I read the word of Hagai Lober, whose son, Yonatan was killed in Gaza. He speaks to the hostage families who called to intensify the protests against the government and to end the war now.
Hagai Lober
Nobody will burn down my country.
We are sick and tired of the threats from the extremists. Yes, even if those extremists have family in Gaza. You won’t burn down the country. It’s not in the books. And if I have to rise against you, I will.
Millions of people view you with mistrust, discord, and horror. And only out of respect for you, are they silent. I won’t be silent.
My son was killed in Gaza. He went to defend and free your children, and was killed. He left everything behind, left a wife and a nine month old baby, And was killed. He will never come back again. Not in any deal.
And therefore, I am allowed to tell you:
You cannot dismantle the country.
You cannot riot.
You cannot block roads.
You cannot clash with police.
You cannot call for military recalcitrance.
You cannot rattle police cars.
You cannot attempt to break into the Prime Minister’s house.
The fact that your children are hostage in Gaza, Is painful. It’s sad. It’s slicing us all from within.It will cause me to send my three remaining children -To fight, to risk their lives for you.
But it does not give you extra privilege:
You don’t have the right to
“remove your gloves”
“You don’t have the right to curse public representatives”
“You don’t have the right to scream, “Shame!“
“You don’t have the right to disrupt the public peace”
“You don’t have the right to block the airport”
“You don’t have the right to announce an economic strike”
“You don’t have that right at all”
Control yourselves, you hear?!
C-O-N-T-R-O-L
Express your opinions – and don’t scream.
Say that we need a settlement now – and don’t block the roads. Demand the release of everyone for everyone – and don’t call for a rebellion.
Say that the Knesset should not be adjourned- and don’t threaten.
Say that Bibi must be replaced -and don’t light fires.
Say that we must hold elections now – and don’t you dare storm the Knesset.
Say that everyone has failed – and don’t even think of the possibilty of a coup.
Stop threatening this nation. These are your opinons. We have heard them. Do not enforce them upon us.
You want to hear my opinion too?
In my opinion, Yonatan was killed because of the Oslo Accords, which some of you supported.In my opinion, Yonatan was killed because of the disengagement (from Gaza), which some of you encouraged with banners of support at the entrance to the Kibbutzim.
And yet, I don’t shout at you in the streets.
I don’t block your path
I don’t refuse an order
I don’t transfer my money overseas.
I don’t curse your public representatives who still support all these disasters.
I send and will send my sons to fight.
I will suppprt and will abide by any elected government, even if its opinion differs from mine.
I don’t think I have the right to destroy this beloved country.
Because now we fight.
Because now we heal.
Because now we connect.
Now is the time to look outwards together.
This is the time to show love towards one another.
And to the “Kaplanistim” (those who block Tel Aviv’s main road), to the “Brothers in Arms” (those who called for military refusal due to the reforms), to the Barak supporters and Olmert supporters who wanted to overthrow Bibi, I say:
Don’t hitch a ride on the pain of the families.
Don’t, Don’t, Don’t……Take it all back.
And know, dear hostage families, We have not forgotten your loved ones, our brothers. We have not forgotten and will not forget. But enough. Stop, for God’s sake, for the country’s sake, for victory’s sake.
And if not, I and others will be there. Bereaved families, injured soldiers and hostage families who think differently. We will stand together in the face of the anarchy,And we won’t let you. We just won’t…”
Unfortunately, since October 7th there is more than enough pain to go around. More than enough death and loss of loved ones. More than enough anger, frustration, and a desire for the war to end. The question is how to we get there. The question is what are we willing to sacrifice. Is it the risk of losing the hostages? Is it the risk of losing the long term safety and security of Israel? Is the inevitability of a Hamas left in power attacking Israel again? These are difficult questions where something will have to be sacrificed.
This isn’t about Bibi. The government will fall, it’s just a matter of when, not if. There will be major leadership changes as a result. Again this isn’t if, but when. The type of Israel that this new government inherits is yet to be determined. A part of our soul was lost on October 7th and it is inevitable that another part will be sacrificed to end the war. What part is the question. What Israel will look like at the end of the war is yet to be determined. Neither side is wrong. Both sides are right. The question to be answered by Israeli leaders is simply which part will be sacrificed. We know we have to lose something. We know we will lose something. Which something that is will be determined by the current Israeli leadership and the impact will be felt by the government that replaces the current one.
This truly is a modern day Sophie’s choice. I fear we lose no matter the choice and we will have to fool ourselves into thinking we have won because we are still alive. That may be the best we can hope for.
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