I’ve been a proud Zionist all my life. My great-grandmother, who I knew, was a Zionist. My grandparents were Zionists. On a visit to Israel a number of years ago, I went to the JNF building and found the books that had their name in it for their support of JNF back in the 60s. My parents were Zionists. I grew up filled with a love for Israel and a strong belief in the importance of a Jewish homeland.
All four of my grandparents went to Israel. My parents went to Israel. My in-laws went to Israel. My brother and sister-in-law have been to Israel. My sister and brother-in-law have been to Israel. My wife has been to Israel and this last trip was my 22nd trip to Israel. The proof is in the pudding as they say.
On this recent trip, while sitting in the back of the bus with one of the participants, he posed an interesting question to me. “Why do we still call it Zionism?” After all, Zionism is the belief that the Jewish people should have their own state and be able to have their own self-determination. We have that. We have had it for 76 years. In 1776, the Americans were revolutionaries. We no longer call ourselves revolutionaries nor have we for more than two centuries. We are patriots because America is a country, and we no longer have to fight for our freedom from another country’s rule.
In 1948, in the former home of Mayor Meir Dizengoff, David Ben Gurion declared independence for the State of Israel. While we have fought many wars since then, from that point forward the Jewish people have had a state. We have had our homeland. We have had self-determination. So why are we still calling it Zionism? Shouldn’t we just be patriots as well? Haven’t we accomplished the goal of Zionism, the creation of a Jewish homeland?
It is a question I find myself struggling with for many reasons. While we have a Jewish homeland, the State of Israel, there are so many people and countries that want to eliminate our homeland and right to self determination that we must always be vigilant. So while we have our Jewish state and self determination, we cannot afford to sit on our laurels. We must continue to fight to maintain it. As a Zionist, I fight for our homeland and won’t let it be deligitimized. Today, more than ever, that is critical. The United Nations, UNRWA, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) are actively working to eliminate our homeland. If we are merely patriots, do we lose the urgency needed to defend Israel? Do we forget how long it took us to have our homeland after the Romans sent us into exile? Do we lose the passion of Zionism when we become Patriots? I don’t have the answers but I do have the questions.
On the flip side, we have our country. We have the right to self determination. Do we really need to be fighting for something that we already have? Defend it as patriots, yes. The Zionist dream is real and has been for 76 years. We accomplished the goal of Theodore Herzl. His radical idea, “the restoration of the Jewish State”, has come to pass. Are we using a word that we don’t need to? Are we creating challenges for ourselves because of that? Is it time to change the paradigm, to not live in fear that we will not have a Jewish state, because we actually have one?
As a Zionist, that word ties me to generations of my family. It ties me not only to my Great-great-grandparents and the time of Herzl but to ancient Jews and receiving the Torah. It is being a part of the Jewish people. Generations upon generations. When I was recently in Israel, walking on 2,000 year old streets, looking out at where King David’s castle was, praying at the Kotel, the base of Temple Mount, it all came together. My ancestors from thousands of years ago stood where I was standing.
Original streets from more than 2,000 years ago, beneath the Kotel.
In May, when I stood on top of Temple Mount, it was a connection to the Temple built by Solomon and then rebuilt and modified by King Herod.
In front of Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount, where the Temple used to stand
At Passover every year, we remember that God took us out of Egypt. Not just our ancestors but us. We were all at Sinai for the giving of the Torah. Judaism isn’t about what happened to others. It’s about what happens for us. So yes, the Zionistic dream of Herzl has been attained. But Zionism remains for all of us to defend. To fight for. To advocate for. Our history shows us that if we take it for granted, we will lose it.
After lots of thinking about the word Zionist and comparing it to Patriot, there is no question in my mind that Zionist is the right word. Our homeland is too precious to be diluted. As I watch so many Jews not understand the importance of Israel, having never been to Israel, not seeing the historical connection and minimizing what Israel means to Judaism and the Jewish people, I am not sure the fight for Zionism will ever be over. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to those who came before us and fought for Zionism and for the existance of Israel. They are giants on who’s shoulders we continue the fight.
I won’t change from Zionist to Patriot. I won’t stop advocating for Israel and the Jewish state. And I won’t stop being public with my Jewish identity and passion for Israel. Each trip I video walking the streets to show those who have never been what it’s really like. I post images and tell stories. Zionism is more than a national identity. It is core to the Jewish people. From Abraham to Moses to Joshua to King David to King Solomon, from the Mishkan to the First Temple to the Second Temple. If you don’t believe me, take a trip to Israel and see it yourself.
I returned from Israel about a week ago. It was my second trip this summer and very meaningful on many levels. I love going to Israel and being in Israel. Everybody in my family knows how much I enjoy being there, how meaningful it is to me, and I’m sure there are some who expect that one day I will make Aliyah and live there.
This trip was highlighted by a few things that I think are very important, not just because they mean so much to me but because they highlight a bigger picture of Israel and the meaning to the Jewish people.
We got off the plane and after changing, the first thing we did was go to work the land. There is something about Israel and working the land that is incredibly gratifying. We went to pick apples that will be given to those in need. It was a hot morning, and we had our water and hats and off we went. There were two huge bins to fill that looked daunting when we began. Yet working the land in Israel meant that we worked hard. Very quickly the first bin was halfway full. We talked, we laughed, and we picked apples. Halfway through filling both bins, we took a break to eat some fresh watermelon. By fresh, I mean it was picked just to cut up for us.
Israel was founded by working the land. “Making the desert bloom” remains a key goal and catchphrase. There is something about getting your hands dirty in Israel by picking fruits and vegetables that is incredibly rewarding and meaningful. It ties you to the founders of the State of Israel. It ties you to 3500 years of Jewish history in the land of Israel. I’ve been to farms in the Negev where they are growing fruit and vegetables in the sand and picked them. I’ve helped with lemon trees in the Gaza envelope. I’ve been to a friend’s Moshav near Gaza growing all sorts of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Now I have picked apples. It’s incredibly rewarding, and I can’t wait to do it again. I learned about Israel Food Rescue, an opportunity to volunteer picking fruit and vegetables in Israel to help harvest the food needed since the loss of so many Thai workers and Palestinian workers since October 7. Israel gives you an opportunity to really give back, not just with money or time, but with your hands and sweat equity.
I had the opportunity of this trip to meet and do some work with incredible leaders of Israeli civil society. I went to the Knesset to meet with MK Sharron Haskel, an amazing leader who represents a new generation of Israeli leaders. As we reach a crossroads in Israel with leadership, she is part of a new generation that will shape the future. I met with former Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, who I met a number of years ago and is a friend. Fleur is also part of this new generation of Israeli leaders who will change the shape of the country. Fleur spoke to our group and captivated them with her brilliance. Her analysis of the possibility of a 2-state solution, a 1-state solution, and other options for peace was fascinating. She recently debated former Ambassador Dennis Ross on the topic and I can’t wait to watch it when it is released on August 2nd. I met with Brigadier General (ret) Amir Avivi and my friend Lt. Col. (ret) Yaron Buskila about the future of leadership in the IDF and the Jewish world. They are doing some exciting work and I have the opportunity to be a part of it and learn from them. I met with Lt. Col. Rabbi Yedida Atlas who oversees the religious aspect of the IDF. He gave me a pair of the IDF’s tzitzit (ritual garments worn under your shirt) that since October 7, IDF soldiers, regardless of their religion, want to wear for spiritual protection. Later that day, I had the chance to help make tzitzit for the IDF which was incredibly meaningful. I am working with him to get enough mezuzahs for the IDF due to the war and all the reserve call-ups. I was on a zoom call with my friend Roni Ekele, the Director General of the Ethiopian National Project (ENP) and childhood friend, Grace Rodnitzki, the Director of International Relations for ENP. ENP provides critical services for the Ethiopian Israeli youth to ensure their success in Israeli society.
With Member of the Knesset Sharron HaskelLt. Col. Rabbi Atlas and meWith my friend Lt. Col. Yaron BuskilaWith my friends Fleur Hassan Nahoum, Lisa Barkan and Rabbi Randy Brown
In Israel, you have the ability to meet, befriend, and work with incredible leaders. They are accessible. They are friendly. They are passionate. I have great hope for the future of Israel because of these leaders – the future leaders of the country. In America, we are very concerned about the future of our leadership. We wonder where the quality leaders are and where they will come from. In Israel, we see them emerging in all aspects of society.
This was a leadership trip for 19-26 year olds. We had a very diverse group on the trip. Some graduated Jewish Day School. Some were entirely secular. Some knew nothing. Throughout the trip, we learned something with everything we did. The Torah study was interesting as we explored the ‘why’ of the first verses in the Torah. Not the story but what the lesson is behind the story. The things that affect us today. Services were not about the ritual of the service but the meaning of the prayers. Not just what we say, but why we say it. We sang, “L’dor V’dor”, from strength to strenth, throughout the trip, reminding us of our place in Jewish continuity. We sang Acheynu ,the prayer to free captives, for the hostages. As we stood under the Kotel, on original flooring from over 2,000 years ago, we sang it, one of the more powerful experiences I have had in Israel. At our last dinner of the trip, everybody had a chance to share their feelings about the trip and the experience. It was powerful listening to what everybody got out of it. I’m excited to see what this group of leaders is going to do. Just like the future of Israel is bright with their future leaders, I believe that American Jewry can also have a bright future with these type of leaders. It takes effort. It takes work. It’s not easy to find them, recruit them, train them, and pay for all of it. But we must. I have seen the impact of this trip for the past 26 years. I have seen what engaging the future of Jewish life in a meaningful way means and does. It is something I am committed to and I look forward to sharing some exciting plans for 2025 in this area. This trip, seeing what happened for these future leaders, has inspired me to do more. So pay attention, something very exciting is coming in the very near future in regards to young leadership!!
Singing Acheynu for the hostages while standing on a 2,000+ year old original floor under the KotelOur group of future leaders after making sandwiches for those in need. The future is bright!!
Israel is a special place. If you haven’t been to Israel, I can’t really explain to you what it’s like. If you have been, I don’t have to. There is something in the air. Walking the streets of Jerusalem is unlike anywhere else in the world. Floating in the Dead Sea, swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, doing a water hike in the lower Galilee, eating on the edge of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), looking at the Golan Heights, being at the Kotel, working the land – each is so much more than just an activity. There is a connection. There is deep meaning. Israel isn’t just a place you visit. It visits your soul. It visits your heart and your mind. As we sat in Machane Yehuda one night, the traditional middle eastern market that turns into a nightclub, the buzz was amazing. The music was pumping. The energy level was high. And then they played ‘Am Yisrael Chai’. It touched us all in our hearts and in our souls. We knew it was more than just a nightclub. We knew it was more than just a fun place to be with friends. It was home. It was a connection to thousands of years of history and of family. Israel changed us all for the better. Am Yisrael Chai.
The party at Machane Yehuda at night – Am Yisrael Chai is playing
Our 13 ½ year old chocolate labrador, Bella, crossed the Rainbow Bridge last month. We got her as a Hanukkah present on December 1, 2010, and she has been a constant in our life and our family ever since. She taught us about unconditional love, how important playing is in life, the joy of treats, and the joy in just being together.
Bella as a puppy when we first got her and took her for her first checkup
Almost exactly a year ago, she almost died. While being boarded, something we hadn’t done in many years, she developed 3 major infections and had 3 major open wounds. She couldn’t eat, walk, or do much of anything. We were preparing to say goodbye and tried one last Hail Mary attempt before saying goodbye. That last attempt miraculously worked and for the last year Bella fought every day to be with us and to do whatever she could do. She went on walks. She climbed the stairs. She did some physical therapy in a swimming pool. She would climb up in my lap.
The last few months she would come upstairs at 2 am to wake me up and make me go downstairs and sleep on the couch next to her. She liked sleeping on the travertine tile floor but didn’t want to be alone, so it was my job to be close to her. Most of the time, as soon as we got downstairs together, she would lay on the floor and be content and sleep through the night. Every so often she would let me spend the entire night sleeping in bed, but it was a rare occurrence. I didn’t mind (much) because I knew how important it was to her.
Bella reminds me in many ways of Israel. Israel is 76 years old. When the US was 76, we hadn’t even fought the civil war yet. Israel is still a baby, or maybe a middle school student. It is start-up nation. It is innovation. We joke that the national bird is the crane because when you are in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, there is so much construction that you see so many cranes all over the place. My relationship with Israel is similar to the relationship I had with Bella. It is one of mutual love. It is one where we learn from each other every day. It is unconditional love. It doesn’t mean that I was happy when Bella stole the challah or that I am happy when the Israeli government makes what I consider to be a bad decision. It does mean that I love Bella no matter what she does, just like I love Israel even when the government or some of the people make very poor decisions.
My relationship with Bella started the day I picked her up, December 1, 2010, and brought her to our home and our family. While she is physically gone, it is a relationship that will last forever. My relationship with Israel began as a child, shaped by my grandparents and parents. It deepened when I made my first trip there in the summer of 1989 and has continued to grow on each of my 21 subsequent trips since that first one. Just as my relationship with Bella deepened as she got older and we spent more time together, so has my relationship with Israel. Each visit takes me deeper into my own Jewish identity. Each visit helps me explore who I am, who I want to be, what my values are, how do I want to spend my life, and answer the question I have previously written about, “What would I diefor?”, which tells me what I am living for.
Israel is not a tourist attraction that you go to once and that’s it. It is a fine wine. A good bourbon or scotch. Incredible music. It is to be savored. That first taste is exactly that, a taste. It’s wonderful and exciting and exhilarating. Floating in the Dead Sea, climbing Masada (or taking the cable car), going to the Kotel, touring the old city of Jerusalem. Exploring Tzfat and spirituality. Visiting the Kinneret. Rafting down the Jordan river. Hearing the Muslim call to prayer from the minarets, as you are in the middle Jewish or Christian prayers. Exploring Haifa and the Baha’i Gardens. I could go on and on and on. Yet it’s just a taste. A first sip. Your toe in the ocean. There is so much to explore, so much to invest, so much to learn and grow. Just like every relationship. Just like my relationship with Bella. The day I brought her home, I was in love. She was adorable and cute and fun. The day before she died, we were sitting outside together, she way laying the grass, happy as can be, a totally different and deeper experience. My first trip to Israel was exciting and exhilarating. I soaked it all up and have vivid memories from that trip, 35 years ago. My trip to Israel last month was also powerful and deep in a very different and more mature way. My trip this month was a deeper exploration into what Israel stands for, what she means, what her values are, and my personal connection that as a Jew, started when Abraham listened when he was told by God to “Lech Lecha”, go forth, and was guided to this land. Just like sitting outside with Bella during her last weeks as she laid in the grass instead of playing frisbee or chasing a ball, it was even more special despite the vast difference.
Bella in the yard just before she died. She was happy until the end and gave us love her entire life
As we toured the old city of Jerusalem this time, our guide challenged us to view it very differently. He urged us not to see buildings, walls, rocks, and rubble. Instead, take a look at what happened. What are the stories? What does it all mean? When he took us through the tunnels under the Kotel, he posed the same questions. It was a remarkable two tours with Eytan. He spent three hours each time with us, pushing us to keep moving with him as he made the old city come alive in a completely different way. I felt like I was there in the 1948 war for the old city. My love for Jerusalem was captured during the tour as I asked myself what I would do to defend Jerusalem. The old city will never be the same for me as I turn every corner and there is deeper meaning.
As he took us through the City of David, we stood where King David’s palace likely was. There is enough archeological evidence to show this is where it would have been. You could imagine what happened in that area. The poetry of King David being written. The decisions he had to make, both good and poor. As we moved to the current excavation site, you could imagine the city that once existed there, more than 3,000 years ago. The vibrancy of the people. We walked through the drainage system, designed to capture the rainwater from the mountain to bring fresh water to the cisterns of the city below. The system was small and narrow. I couldn’t stand straight up and banged my head a few times. It felt tight and constricted. All I could think of as I walked through this tight place was the hostages and how they live like this every day. A 3,000-year-old water collection system teaching me about life today. I’m not sure there is anything more Jewish than that.
I miss Bella every day, just like I miss Israel. There are a few images that will stay with me from this trip for a long time.
Our hotel is where the residents of Shlomi, a town in the north of Israel, have lived since October 7th. They are right on the border with Lebanon and were bombed by Hezbollah and had to evacuate. Throughout the hotel, we had families living their lives. Kids running around, riding tricycles, women doing laundry at the specially installed washing machines because this was now their home. A Gan (kindergarten) still functioning as the other children are now enrolled in local schools. The hotel lobby had become a community center. Shlomi is a religious community and as we prayed each day, said the Birkat Hamazon (grace after meals), and learned Torah, they watched. They came up to one of our leaders and spoke to him in Hebrew, telling him how much we inspired them. How proud they were because of what we were doing and because we were there. Imagine being forced from your home and living far away in a single hotel room with your 5-7 children for over 9 months. And young people, choosing to come to Israel during the war, doing Jewish traditions, inspire you.
You see how close Shlomi is to the Lebanese border
I watched as their Gan began the day. The children were adorable. The teacher filled with excitement and passion. The joy in the room at the hotel was palpable. These 4-year-old children who have had their life turned upside down had normalcy. I was inspired. I watched and smiled. Life doesn’t just go on. It flourishes. That is Israel. Even in the worst of times, there is joy and plans for a better future. As we visited the Kotel before leaving Israel, what did we see? Another group of children, dressed in costume, learning at the Kotel. It was a beautiful site. No matter how much people try to kill us, try to villify us, try to isolate us, try to mock us, try to eliminate us, we will not give up. We will not forget who we are.
The joy of being at Machane Yehuda in the day, as a bustling shuk (market) and then in the evening as a crazy fun group of nightclubs is amazing. The energy, the passion for Judaism and Israel expressed at both times is amazing. When in Jerusalem at the shuk, the singing is loud, the passion is raised, and there is a strong and powerful pride in being Jewish. Why can’t we keep this when we return? Why do our voices suddenly get quiet? As you watch this video of the shuk, feel the energy, the passion, the joy and make sure you bring it with you every day when it comes to being Jewish.
Can we always sing Am Yisrael Chai with this passion and love?
I have been to Israel 22 times now and will be back at least once more this calendar year. As I walked and talked with one of our participants who was on her first trip to Israel, she talked about how surprised she was at how she felt in Israel. She talked about how much she wished we had an extra week or two on the trip, with the group, to continue learning and having the experience. She talked about how much she wanted to come back and maybe next summer would work. Once you have been to Israel this will make sense to you. Until you go, you can’t really understand it. It brings up the existential question, how to do we maintain this connection to Judaism, to our history, to our family and community, and to God, when we aren’t in Israel? How do we bring it home with us so that it lives within us all the time, not just when we are in Israel?
Many people and organizations have tried to answer this question over the years, some with some success, others not so much. What I do know is that as long as those of us who aren’t super religious can inspire the religous people of Shlomi with our effort, we are doing ok. As long as we continue to make the effort to do it, we are having success. It truly is a journey, not a destination.
P.S. – Here is a little something to put a smile on your face – the Jerusalem Youth Choir with Arab and Jewish youth singing on America’s Got Talent.
Every so often there is something written by somebody else that is so amazing that I want to share it with others. The last one before this was by Yotam Berger. This time, it is an incredible response by Russian-Israeli author Dina Rubina. Her summation is concise, brilliant, and one I firmly agree with. Please read and know that we can stand up for ourselves, we don’t have to accept the lies and narrative, and we don’t have to play defense any longer. It is time for us to play offense both as Jews and Zionists.
Enjoy her words.
Russian Israeli author Dina Rubina was scheduled for an event to discuss her books at Pushkin House in London in collaboration with the University of London.
Before she was “allowed” to speak, however, event moderator Nataliva Rulvova demanded she clarify “her position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” saying other invited participants needed to “understand your position on this issue before responding.”
Here is the note Rubina received from Rulyova:
Hello, Dina!
The Pushkin House announced our upcoming conference on social media and immediately received critical messages regarding your position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They wanted to understand your position on this issue before responding. Could you formulate your position and send it to me as soon as possible?
– Natasha
Here is Dina’s blistering response to the ridiculous request.
Dear Natalia!
You’ve written beautifully about my novels, and I’m so sorry for the time you’ve wasted, because apparently we have to cancel our meeting.
The universities of Warsaw and Torun have just canceled lectures by the wonderful Russian-speaking Israeli writer Yakov Shechter on the life of Galicia’s Jews in the 17th and 19th centuries “to avoid making the situation worse.” I suspected that this would affect me too, since academia is now the main breeding ground for the most disgusting and virulent anti-Semitism, disguised as so-called “criticism of Israel.” I was expecting something like this, and I even decided to write you an email about it… but I put it aside. It’s time for me to publish it.
This is what I want to say to all those who expect from me a quick and obsequious report on my position regarding my beloved country, which currently lives (and always has) surrounded by ferocious enemies who seek to destroy it. My country which is waging a just war today against a rabid, ruthless, deceptive and cunning enemy. The last time I apologized was in elementary school, in the principal’s office, I was 9 years old. Since then, I have been doing what I think is right, listening only to my conscience and expressing exclusively my understanding of the world order and human laws of justice.
Natalia, thank you for your efforts, and I personally ask you to send my answer to all those who are wondering.
On October 7, Saturday, the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, the ruthless, well-trained, well-prepared and well-equipped Hamas terrorist regime of Iran, Hamas, which rules in the Gaza enclave (which Israel left about twenty years ago) attacked dozens of peaceful kibbutzim and bombarded my country with tens of thousands of rockets. Hamas has committed atrocities that even the Bible cannot describe, atrocities that rival the crimes of Sodom and Gomorrah. Atrocities filmed by the way, by GoPro cameras, the murders having taken the horror to the point of sending the images to their families or on social networks in real time.
For hours, thousands of happy, blood-drunk beasts raped women, children and men, shooting their victims in the crotch and heads, cutting off the women’s breasts and playing football with them, cutting off the babies from the wombs of pregnant women and immediately decapitating them, tying up and burning the small children. There were so many charred bodies that, for many weeks, forensic pathologists could not cope with the enormous workload of identifying individuals.
A friend of mine, who worked in the emergency room of a New York hospital for 20 years, then in Israel for 15 years, was one of the first to arrive in the kibbutzim, as part of a team of rescuers and of doctors. She still hasn’t been abe to sleep since.
While she is an emergency specialist, accustomed to dissected bodies and corpses, she fainted when she saw the macabre sight and vomited all the way back in the car. Among the Hamas militants, Palestinian civilians rushed in, participating in pogroms of unprecedented scale, pillaging, killing, dragging everything they could get their hands on. Among these “Palestinian civilians” were 450 members of this highly regarded organization UNRWA (United Nations Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East).
Judging by the utter joy of the population (also captured by thousands of mobile cameras), Hamas is supported by almost the entire population of Gaza. But the essential is there for us: More than two hundred Israelis, including women, children, the elderly, and foreign workers, were dragged into the beast’s den. A hundred of them are still rotting and dying in Hamas dungeons.
It goes without saying that these victims, who continue to be mocked, are of little concern to the “academic community”. But that’s not what I’m talking about right now. I am not writing this so that anyone will sympathize with the tragedy of my people.
During all these years, while the international community has literally poured hundreds of millions of dollars into this piece of land (the Gaza Strip) – UNRWA’s annual budget alone is equivalent to a billion dollars! – During all these years, Hamas used this money to build an empire with a complex system of underground tunnels, stockpile weapons, teach schoolchildren from primary school to disassemble and assemble Kalsashnikov assault rifles, print texbooks in which hatred of Israel is indescribable, in which even math problems look like this calling for the murder of Jews with every word:
There were ten Jews, the Shahid killed four, how many are left?
And now, when finally shocked by the monstrous crime of these bastargs, Israel is waging a war of annihilation against the Hamas terrorists who so carefully prepared this war, who placed thousands of shells in al the hospitals, the schools, kindergartens…
The academic community, which was not concerned about the massacres in Syria, nor the massacre in Somalia, nor the mistreatment inflicted on the Uighurs, nor the millions of Kurds persecuted by the Turkish regime for decades, this very worried community, which wears “arafatkas” [keffiyes], the trademark of murderes, around their necks at rallies under the slogan “Liberate Palestine from the river to the sea”, which means the total destruction of Israel (and Israelis). “Academics”, as polls show, have no idea where this river is, what it is called, where certain borders are located.
And it is the same public which asks me “to express a position cear on the issue”. Are you really serious!
As you know, I have been a professional write for over 50 years. My novels have been translated into 40 languages, including Albanian, Turkish, Chinese, Esperanto, and many more.
Now, with great pleasure, without choosing my expressions too much, I sincerely and with all the strength of my soul send to all the brainless “intellectuals” who are interested in my position to go fuck themselves.
I’m back in Israel and have been for two full days. They have been exhausting days, physically, mentally, and spiritually. They have been uplifting days. They have been challenging days. Days filled with emotion and gratitude. Days filled with joy and sadness. Days that end in exhaustion and an inability to think any longer, let alone write. It is Friday here and that means Shabbat. Rest. Recharge. Gratitude. Life. Love. Happiness. Joy.
I have been struck by a number of things on this trip so far. Having just been here last month, coming back has felt different. Normally there is a longing to return after 6 months, a year, or two years. This trip, just a month later, has felt much more like really being home. Not just a spiritual home or a Jewish home, but a real home. The streets of Jerusalem are familiar because I was just walking them. It’s a different feeling and very comforting. Despite all that is going on here in Israel and in the world, there is both a feeling of being safe and a feeling of being where I belong. It is a special feeling that is difficult to describe, especially in the crazy world we live in now.
When we landed, we changed clothes and went to an orchard to pick apples. Sammy, the man who owns the massive agricultural area is a patent lawyer who bought the land and cultivates it purely to feed those in needs. Every bit of produce grown is donated to those in need. Sometimes it is the IDF. Sometimes it is families or even communities. If you are hungry and want/need produce, you get it for free from these fields. Volunteers like us do a great deal of the harvesting however he also hires at risk youth, those from challenging homes, those who need to earn money to help support their families, to come work the fields after school and in the summer. Not only does he not make any money on this massive investment, it costs him money to pay the people to work. It struck me that this is so Israel and is also the way to solve so many of our problems in the world. Imagine if people like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, etc. used just a part of their immense wealth to follow this model. Imagine if they took just a fraction of their fortune and dedicated it to both feeding those in need and helping provide an income for those who need it. What would our country look like? What would our world look like?
I write a lot about how we all have the ability to change the world. This Israeli patent attorney is doing just that. He took a fraction of his wealth and invested in people. He invested in the future. He invested in humanity. As we filled up these two huge bins with apples, it was clear that his vision and passion had rubbed off on all of us. We were working hard to pick the apples. We were excited to see the bins filled. It was hot and buggy, but we didn’t care because we were doing something that was meaningful and would feed people. We were working the land of Israel. We were making a difference. I truly believe that people want to make a difference and want to give of themselves. We need to do better on all level in making this possible. This means people with the economic ability to invest like Sammy did. It means the rest of us need to invest our time and effort like we and many others do. It is possible with inspiration and commitment. Are we willing to be inspired, to share the inspiration, and committed to doing our part in making the world better?
We finished the afternoon by going to the Kotel, the Western Wall, in the old city of Jerusalem. Being in Jerusalem is always a miracle. It is always special. The place that King David built, thousands of years ago, as the center of the home of the Jews is incredible. As we walked to the Kotel, we came upon an IDF unit being inducted at the Kotel. It was amazing to watch these young soldiers finish their training and take the oath as official IDF soldiers. Many will be sent to Gaza. Many will be sent to the north to prepare for a possible war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. There stood, proud to serve their country, proud to serve the Jewish people. It was powerful to see and be a part of.
I had 20+ prayers/notes from friends to put in the Kotel, to get them directly to God. Each one I read, folded, kissed, and placed in the wall. One after another. The prayers were beautiful. They were selfless. It was all for the betterment of others or of the world. It struck me that if we actually lived this way, our world would be so much better. If our leaders truly were concerned about the betterment of others, the betterment of the world, doing the right thing no matter what, we would live in a magical place. Is it too much to ask? Maybe. Or maybe we need to ask and hope, just not to expect. Or maybe we need to ask, demand, and expect. I don’t have the answer, I only know that if that was how we acted, we’d have the world we want. When I finished with the notes, I placed my head against the Kotel, closed eyes, and thanked God for the life he has given me. For my family, my friends, and the many gifts I get every single day. I asked him to continue to do so and help me live in gratitude each and every day. I asked him to take care of my family, friends, and the world. I spent more time with the notes than I did with own prayers which felt right. As we left, I couldn’t wait to return next week.
Yesterday we went to the Nova music festival site and Kibbutz Kfar Aza. I was at both last month. Nova was powerful and felt healing last month after visiting Kfar Aza. We were doing it in reverse this time and I wondered how it would be different. It was different. We started with some music that would have been played at the festival. Then we talked about what happened. It was a powerful contradiction that we both felt and discussed. Rami Davidian, a true hero of Octobetr 7th who spoke to us last month also spoke to us. I recorded him so you can not only understand that we can all be heroes but also to see how this simple farmer changed 750+ worlds by saving 750 people on October 7th. The risks he took. The situations he put himself in to save people he didn’t know. You can get a small understanding of what October 7th was like through his words.
His story was even more powerful than before and inspired me to ask myself, what more can I do? If Rami was willing to do what he did, put his life at risk for people he didn’t know, honor the dead, what am I willing to do? One thing that he said that I want to add some context to. When he talks about the dead women tied to the trees, they were naked, at least from the waist down. They had been sexually abused. Rami not only untied them, he honored them by covering them up, by respecting their bodies, and by saying the Shema over each body. In a world with too many October 7th deniers, it is important to understand what Rami saw and hear his story.
We had a chance to wander the site. Look at the posters of those murdered or kidnapped. Put faces to names. Some had stories about them as well to remind us of the person they were. It was incredibly powerful. As one of the students said, “I tried to find this one person’s poster but there were so many posters I couldn’t find it. I kept going in circles until I finally gave up.” The feelings were powerful and deep. Not just the loss of life but the loss of the future. Who among them was destined to cure cancer? Who was going to solve our societal issues? Who was going to write the song that inspired millions, the book that took the world by storm? Who was the artist that was going to provide inspiration to millions? The loss of future is immense.
Our final stop of the day was Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Last month, as I toured Kfar Aza, I was filled with anger and rage. The inhumanity infuriated me. The way the world wants to forget or minimize October 7th fueled a deep rage as I went from house to house to house. As I saw the houses ruined, burned, and the signs on the house that indicated how many people were killed in the house. The stories we heard were painful. In the young adult neighborhood of the Kibbutz the loss of life and future was palpable. Last month my friend Ben was on his 7th visit to Kfar Aza when I was there for the first time. As I told him how painful he was, he said, “This was my 7th time here and it gets worse every single time.” I wasn’t sure what to expect this time.
This time our guide was a resident of Kfar Aza. It was much more personal. Shachar took us to his house to begin his story. His next-door neighbor was away and his wife home alone. The neighbor called Shachar and asked him to check on his wife. He braved the risk of the terrorists to check on her and found her murdered. He got back to his house and hid in his safe room with his wife, knowing that the terrorists came in next door and could come into his house at any time. We sat on Shachar’s front deck under shade as he told us his story. When he told us that the terrorists loved his deck and used it as a place to sit, plan, eat and drink, it was hard to believe that the chair I was sitting in right then was a chair the terrorists used to plan more murder and rape on October 7th. It was personal.
Shachar highlighted how the Kibbutz defense team of 12 was decimated in the first hour, leaving them without any defense for 3 hours until a group of 9 soldiers showed up. They were soon injured or killed, once again leaving them defenseless. There were an estimated 1,000-armed terrorists that entered Kfar Aza against a defense force of 12 and then 9. You don’t have to be a military expert to know those are bad odds. It took the army many hours to finally reach the Kibbutz and, in Shachar’s words, “retake Kfar Aza”. Powerful words.
The armory where many of the Kibbutz’s defense force were killed
We toured the Kibbutz and saw the houses that were burned with people inside. We saw the border and how close Jabaliya is to the Kibbutz (less than a mile from where we stood). We saw the street that is still closed, and pictures are forbidden because they are still working to identify some human remains there. Every person on that street was either murdered or kidnapped and taken hostage in Gaza. Every single person. And entire street. Imagine your street having every single person murdered or kidnapped and taken hostage. It is beyond inhumanity. We saw the youth area with the pictures of those murdered. Banners with pictures of the hostages taken from the Kibbutz. We got to enter two of the apartments where Hamas murdered people. Their personal items are still there. Outside of the massive damage due to grenades and bullets, it was a home. Yet the person who lived there was brutally murdered by terrorists.
Sivan’s house was one that we could tour. The holes in the wall and the ceiling were unbelievable. Her bathroom was as she left it.
As I listened to Shachar and toured the Kibbutz, my stomach was in pain. It was a deep gut pain. My insides were twisting with each story. The more Shachar talked, the more it hurt. When he finally went back to work, he told us that in the middle of a dangerous job, he just froze. People noticed and asked if he was ok. When he told them no, they came to take over for him. He hasn’t tried to work since then.
Yet at the end, Shachar stunned me. He told us that he still hopes for peace. After all that he has seen and experienced, he still wants peace. He isn’t sure when it will come but he believes and hopes that it will. He invited us all to come back and visit him. To stay at his house. He loves Kfar Aza. He doesn’t want to ever move and won’t leave. He wants us to come visit and really experience it. Most of all, he still wants peace.
Shachar talking to us
Last month, I wrote about how the bombs going off in Jabaliya were the only thing that gave me comfort during the visit. It bothered me then and it bothers me now. It’s not who I am yet is was who I was at that time. This trip was different. While we heard jets above us, saw missiles fired, heard explosions and gunfire, it wasn’t comforting. It felt necessary. Hearing the personal story of Shachar reinforced the evilness of Hamas. He had told us how after Hamas had murdered, raped, and kidnapped people, the civilians of Jabaliya came across the border into the Kibbutz, looting homes and stealing whatever they could. He saw a man with a crutch tying a TV to his back to take back to Gaza. While I am sure there are some innocent civilians in Gaza, the behavior of civilians on October 7th shows that most are not. From the celebrations on October 7th, the civilians who joined in the murdering, and those who came to loot and steal, the evidence is clear.
As we come closer to the end of the war in Gaza and elimination of the last battalion, it is clear that Hamas cannot remain. The textbooks provided by UNRWA cannot remain. UNRWA itself cannot remain. For there to be any peace, there needs to be both a change in leadership as well as a change in the taught hatred. Without that, we will continue to have ongoing attacks and repeated wars.
Shachar showed us that the desire for peace from Israelis remain. There are serious conditions that must happen before that can occur. The hostages must be returned. Hamas must be eliminated from any type of power structure. Gaza needs to be rebuilt with leaders who want to build a civil society with their neighbor, the Jewish State of Israel. Anything less is unacceptable. If people tell you Israel should accept anything less, tell them the truth. Anything less is not acceptable. It is not feasible. It is not acceptable. And it will not happen.
The Jewish people will not go away. We will not allow our extermination. If it becomes ‘us or them’ we will ensure it us. Am Yisrael Chai.
I boarded the flight to Israel today around 11 am. We took off at noon for the 11 ½ hour flight from Miami to Tel Aviv. This is my least favorite flight to take as it’s very difficult to sleep during the daytime after a good night’s sleep and when we land, it’s the start of a brand-new day. It’s great to land and have the full day in front of you, but when you are tired and it feels like midnight, it’s not always so easy.
On the flight, I chose to get the internet package. Knowing it was daytime and I’d be awake for most, if not all, of the flight, I thought it was a good investment. As I spent the flight checking emails and responding to texts, I realized that when we landed in Israel, not only were we going to start by volunteering to help by picking fruits and vegetables, but we were also going to spend the afternoon at the Kotel, the Western Wall, one of the holiest sites in Judaism. One of the traditions is to write prayers and put them into the wall so they are close to God. Since I had such a long flight, I went on social media and offered to put prayers into the Kotel for whoever wanted one. All they had to do was message me what they wanted the prayer to be.
I didn’t think much of it and expected a few people would respond. I was overwhelmed as the requests kept coming in. Without sharing any specific people or what they requested, I will say that a great deal of them were related to health issues. It is a reminder that there is a reason the saying is, “healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Health comes first. Without health, we have nothing. There were requests for a better world. Requests to help loved ones who are struggling. Nobody was asking for the ‘wealthy and wise’ part of the saying. All the requests were truly selfless. A few people thanked me for offering to do this for them. I often take going to Israel for granted. This is my 22nd trip and the 23rd is already on the books this year. Israel is truly a core part of my soul and my personal identity. Today, on the flight, these requests were a reminder of how lucky I am to go to Israel once, let alone 22 times.
These requests also got me thinking about the world we live in today and the world it appears most people want to live in. They are not the same place. The world we live in is filled with selfishness. It is filled with ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’. It is filled with people who desperately want to obtain and keep power. It is a world filled with ego. When half of the United States hates the other half, we are not living in the world that most people want.
These requests made me think about the world we would like to live in. A world where we cared about other people. A world in which doing the greatest good really mattered, whether it helped the individual or not. A world filled with love, not hate. A world in which we were more concerned with giving than getting, with doing rather than taking. What would it look like to live in a world where kindness was the most valued commodity?
Imagine a world where we didn’t hate but rather worked to understand each other. Our differences were celebrated rather than used to create a reason to hate. As I watched this video, I couldn’t help smiling when he said, “Babka is my middle name” or when he called rugelach, “roo ga losch”. He is filled with curiosity. He wants to explore a different culture. I want to watch him try gefilte fish, kasha varnishkas, shakshuka, cholent, and so much more. How much fun would it be to watch people of different cultures explore the unique foods of another culture?
On this trip to Israel, we have 12 young adults. 6 males, 6 females. Twelve very different people, who come from different backgrounds, with one similarity. As I met most of them for the first time, I loved their differences. I can’t wait to spend two weeks exploring a post October 7th Israel, leadership, and Jewish thought with them. I can’t wait to hear their thoughts, their impressions, their opinions, and their ideas. As I write that, I can’t imagine our world leaders saying the same thing about each other. I can’t imagine our country’s leaders saying that about each other. It shows me that there is a path back from the cliff we are on, if we want to take it. It’s not easy. It’s not comfortable.
A perfect example of how close to the cliff we are is the text exchange between Deans at Columbia University that was released by the Department of Education. The texts are bigoted. They are hateful. They are unbecoming a leader and an educational institution. Three of the Deans are currently suspended pending an investigation while one, Joseph Sorett, has falled on his sword and not only won’t be suspended, he is guaranteed to keep his job. Normally, with evidence this damning, you could count on them getting fired. Yet in the world we live in, with what we have seen in the past 3 months on college campuses, there remains a good chance they will all return to their positions with merely a slap on the wrist and by making an insincere apology. As you read the text thread, your blood may boil the way mine did.
Instead of approaching this with empathy, care and concern for Jewish students at Columbia, these four Deans, Susan Chang-Kim, the Vice Dean and Chief Administrative Officer, Matthew Patashnick, the Associate Dean for Student and Family Support, Cristen Kromm, the Dean of Undergraduate Student Life, and Josef Sorett, the Dean of Columbia College, utilize stereotypes, antisemitism, hate, racism, and everything they are supposed to fight against to mock Jewish students, Jewish professional leadership, and antisemitism. Their titles show how powerful the positions they hold are.
The 3 Columbia Deans that have been suspended
We all have a choice. Do we want to be like the Deans of Columbia University or do we want to work to change the world, seek to understand rather than to be understood, strive for the best for humanity, be kind, and treat others with dignity and respect. It seems like a simple choice, however in the world we currently live, it isn’t.
I choose the latter. I choose to do things like meet with my Palestinian friend in East Jerusalem to have meaningful and respectful discussions. I choose to listen and learn both with and from the twelve young adults on this trip. I choose the harder path, one that leads to a better world but isn’t easy. When I go to the Kotel later today with all these notes from other people, detailing their prayers, their hopes, their dreams, I choose to be an instrument of good, placing each one carefully into the wall. With each one I place, I will ask God to grant them their prayer, their wish.
We are not stuck in the world we live in. We have the ability to change the world one step at a time, one day at a time, one action at a time. I hope you will join me.
I’m on my way to Miami today so that I can fly to Israel on Tuesday at noon. It’s one of my least favorite times to fly because you fly all day long and then it’s 7 am in the morning and you start a whole new day. The good news is that by doing it this way, we will get a full extra day in Israel.
This trip is with the Jewish Leadership Institute (JLI), a program I am proud to have worked with for over 25 years. Targeting 19-26 year olds for a 2 week leadership experience in Israel, JLI has had an incredible impact on the lives of those who participate. Heavily subsidized, the program is available to everybody interested in developing their leadership in a Jewish context.
It is amazing that post October 7th, in the middle of a war, with things heating up in the north of Israel with Hezbollah, we have a group of young adults who want to go to Israel for two weeks, volunteer, visit Kibbutz Kfar Aza and the Nova Festival site, learn, and connect Jewishly. It is the essence of Jewish community. It is hope for our future.
Standing at the Nova site
This will be my 22nd trip to Israel. I began going after graduating college in 1989 and didn’t return for a decade. Since then, I go as often as I can. Israel is home. There is a special feeling being there that you can’t explain to somebody who hasn’t been and that once somebody has been, you don’t have to explain. I have been there during the first intifada, the second intifada, just as the country was about to reopen from Covid, and during this war. I have been there during times of quiet and during bombings. I have always felt safe in Israel. Just last month, I walked from Ben Yehuda Street to East Jerusalem through Arab neighborhoods and felt safe. The news tells one story and when you are there, you realize the media lies.
I am proud of the men who I went to Israel with last month. You can watch a 23 minute video of our trip and feel the emotions we felt, experience the power of the trip and of Israel below.
An incredible video made by Saul Blinken of our trip. Like #23 Michael Jordan, this 23 minute video is great.
I am proud of the young adults I am going with now. Years from now, my grandchildren and great grandchildren will ask what I did during this time. My children will tell them that I went to Washington DC for the March for Israel rally after October 7th, joining nearly 300,000 other people on the National Mall in support of Israel. I went to Israel multiple times. I helped get the IDF supplies that they need and got them the mezuzahs they needed due to all the reserves called up and the battlefield housing. (If you want to participate in the Mezuzah project, click here.) I took young adults to Israel and worked with organizations that helped displaced Israelis because of the attack on October 7th and the war in the north. I showed up and hope that my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren will use that as inspiration to do the same.
In the movie, Independence Day, just like Israel currently faces incredible challenges in Gaza, from Hezbollah in the north, from Iran, from the Houthis, and from the international community, the world faced a threat from aliens that was seen as overwhelming. Just like Israel, in the movie, the people didn’t give up and rose to the challenge. The President gave a powerful speech before the attack. It reminds me exactly of what Israel is facing and how we need to rise up and do what we can to support Israel and the Jewish people.
I used to say that I didn’t understand why the German Jews stayed in Germany as long as they did. So many stayed until it was too late. When I am in Israel and when I talk to my friends in Israel, they all ask me the same question. Why are you staying in the US? I hope you don’t stay until it is too late to get out. You need to move to Israel. This is not the Aliyah recruitment that I have experienced since my first trip to Israel in 1989. This is not an effort to get more Jews to Israel. This is true concern for our safety. I find myself wondering if they are right. Like most, I think this is a small minority with a loud voice creating chaos that the media love to cover because people watch, read, and click on it. It’s good business for the media. But what if I am wrong? When will we know that it is time? Will it be when it is too late? I already have the person that will hide my family and me if it comes to that. Does that mean I expect I won’t know it is time to leave until it is too late?
As Jews, spending most of our 3500-year history in exile and under the rule of others, we are used to trying to fit in. We do our best to integrate into the culture of the country we live in and follow their rules. We fool ourselves into thinking that we are just like them. We have seen the consequences over and over and over again. Are we doing it again? The big difference this time is that we have the State of Israel. We have the IDF. We don’t have to fit in. We don’t have to hide and hope they don’t harm us. We fight back. We defend ourselves. We won’t be victims again. For nearly 3400 years, we played defense. We protected ourselves and tried to be invisible. We tried to not be a target and always failed. For the past 76 years that dynamic has changed. Since the creation of the modern State of Israel, we now play offense. When attacked, whether it was 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973, or on October 7th, we fight back. It’s a dynamic the world doesn’t like. Israelis don’t care. Zionists don’t care. Those who care are stuck in the past and would recreate the horrors of our past in order to be liked and to fit in. They refuse to learn the lessons of the past.
As I head back to Israel for the second time in just over 7 weeks, this message resonates strongly with me. I have seen the carnage at Kibbutz Kfar Aza. I have heard from survivors of the Nova Music Festival. I have seen the Hamas 47-minute video. I have been to the Nova site and felt the loss of the souls there. I have met with a hero of Nova who rescued 750 people that day (a truly remarkable number for a farmer in the area to do.) I heard from the woman who had to identify the women’s bodies that were murdered on October 7th, then prepare them for burial. I have spoken to friends who are serving in the IDF, called up from reserves and leaving their families behind. I have heard from those who have lost their children fighting for Israel and the Jewish people and from fathers who have children that are still hostages in Gaza. We are victims no more. We refuse to allow harm to come to the Jewish people without defending ourselves.
Kfar Aza – one of the most powerful and moving experiences of my life.
I don’t know what the future will bring. War with Hezbollah and potentially Iran will be devastating but may be necessary. Israel is already a different country since October 7th. What will it be like after a war in the north? How many people will die? How much damage will be done? Will the United States and NATO step in should Iran get involved? Will this be the start of World War III (WWIII)? There is much that is unknown. What I do know is that Jewish blood will not be cheap. Jewish safety matters. No matter what the ICC, the UN, or other countries say, Israel will defend herself and the Jewish people.
I also know that I have done, am doing, and will continue to do my part. Will you?
The lies continue to grow and get more absurd. The newest one is that Israel has trained dogs to rape Palestinian women. In 2018 it was that Israel sent lizards to spy on the Iranian nuclear program.
The lie of genocide is particularly appalling. People use it because it is easy to say, a powerful word, and a way to get people to hate Israel and Jews. They like accusing Israel of it while ignoring the real genocide that occurred in Syria and what is currently happening in Sudan and to the Uyghurs in China. These are real genocides but don’t involve Jews. Gil Troy addressed this lie powerfully, writing:
Genocide means trying to wipe out a nation. For years, Gaza averaged a growth rate of 1.99 percent, 39th in the world. Having started this war, Hamas is 100% responsible for every death, especially because its terrorists hide behind Gazans and Israeli hostages. Still, Israel has minimized civilian deaths in its just war of self-defense. Urban warfare, atop hundreds of tunnels, is treacherous. A U.S.-led coalition killed 10,000 innocents to defeat ISIS in Mosul. After Oct. 7, when Israel needed to protect its civilians from Hamas, and deter others from massacring innocents, what else could Israel have done?
In fact, Jewish population in Arab countries decreased from 1948 to 2023 by 99.83%. At the same time, Arab population in Israel increased by 1,296%. That is not a genocide. When the war is over, the facts will show that it was anything but a genocide. In the meantime, we fight the lie that continues to be told over and over again.
ISRAEL IS AN APARTHEID STATE
Israel gets wrongly accused of being an Apartheid State because it’s an easy word to use, people know it is not a good thing, and most people don’t understand what it means. It’s easy to repeat, easy to write on a sign, easy to post on social media. Similar to the use of the word Genocide, it gets wrongly used by people who don’t know what they are talking about to convince other people who don’t know what it means to agree. Gil Troy explains it well when he writes:
South Africa’s racist Apartheid Regime enacted 148 laws defining people as “white,” “mixed” and “colored.” No Israeli law ever defined anyone based on race or skin color. Israeli-Arabs enjoy equal rights. In the disputed territories, Palestinians and Israelis are often kept apart based on security and/or mutual preference. But apartness is not Apartheid. The Apartheid libel tries racializing the Israeli-Palestinian national conflict. Israel’s enemies want to demonize and Nazify Israel, finding it guilty of biological racism. This charge deems Israel evil and worthy of the international death penalty, rather than a country in a complicated, painful border dispute.
Knowing this information is important to combat this lie. The facts are on Israel’s side. Too many people prefer the easy language than learning what the facts and definition are for what they are saying.
ISRAEL IS A COLONIALIST EMPIRE
Gil Troy also addressed the issue of Israel being branded a colonialist empire. He wrote:
“Colonialism” means settling a far-away land, to extract resources or extend power. Calling Israel “colonialist” negates Jews’ indigenous ties to their homeland, while rejecting Christianity too. Jesus emerged in a deeply-Jewish land of Israel also called Judea. Jews are the original aboriginal people. They put the “in” in indigenous, being tied to the same land, praying to the same God, maintaining the same traditions and culture for millennia. Whether you’re religious and believe the Bible, or historically-oriented and trust archaeological evidence – or both! — “Eretz Yisrael,” the land of Israel, has always been central to “Am Yisrael,” the Jewish people.
Archeology proves the Jews were in the land thousands of years ago. Just this week, a 3,300 year old shipwreck was found off the coast of Israel. This was a Canaanite ship – the people in the land of Israel when the Jews arrived from Egypt. That was 3,300 years ago!
The archeological finds show the history of the Jews in Israel goes back thousands of years, not just to 1948. The City of David, built by King David, has been excavated. You can see the underground original city of Jerusalem from King David’s time at various locations in Jerusalem. The Crusader capital city of Akko has been excavated and you see what things looked like in the 1100-1200s. The Tombs of the Matriarchs and Patriarchs in Hebron go back even before the Canaanites to the time of Abraham. In Rome, they have the painting on the Arch of Titus showing the Romans coming back after sacking Jerusalem, carrying the great menorah from the Temple. Yet the lies continue.
The Israel Antiquities Authority said the silver coin shows the obverse face with the chalice in the center, and above it the letter “Aleph” marking Year 1 of the outbreak of the revolt, and the inscription “half-shekel,” the value of the coin. (Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority.)
ISRAEL IS CREATING A FAMINE IN GAZA
Israel continues to be blamed for the food crisis in Gaza despite the antisemitic UN saying there is more than enough food coming into Gaza. The problem remains UNRWA giving the food to Hamas instead of the people. Yet the media refuses to cover it and the Jew haters continue to state the lie over and over again. You can read the UN report here.
There isn’t a question that the people of Gaza are not getting food. It is not because of Israel not sending food and aid nor is it because Israel is blocking the aid from entering Gaza. There are plenty of pictures of the aid piled up, waiting for UNRWA to pick it up and distribute it. The food stays there for days. The food and supplies end up with Hamas. As Israel clears the tunnels and other military encampments in schools and other places, they find more and more of the stolen aid. The people of Gaza have commented that the food and aid is too expensive for them to buy. This FREE aid is being sold on the black market instead of going to the people. This is Hamas and UNRWA, yet the blame is put on Israel.
Mike Fegelman, the Executive Director of Honest Reporting Canada, wrote a great article about the famine lie in the National Post. In it he states, “Not only is there a paucity of evidence to suggest there is an ongoing famine in Gaza, there is an overwhelming amount of data showing precisely the opposite: in addition to locally produced food, huge amounts of humanitarian aid enters the territory on a daily basis, thanks to Israel.”
ISRAEL IS KILLING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN
Every day, you will see new reports that are not cited nor documented by any facts, about more Gazan civilians being killed by Israel with almost all of them reported to be women and children. This is another big lie. The Gazan health ministry is run by Hamas, and they say whatever they want for the headlines. People make up facts.
In this BBC article, they report that on May 6, 2024, the UN reported 34,735 deaths – of which there were 9,500 women and 14,500 children, citing the Government Ministry Office (GMO) as its source. Two days later, the UN released a further report, switching its sourcing to the health ministry. The result of this was that although the overall recorded death toll was almost unchanged (34,844), the number of registered deaths of women (4.959) and children (7,797) had both fallen nearly 50%. They consider children anybody under 18, so any Hamas terrorists who were 16 or 17 are not being counted as terrorists but as children.
I chose to cite the BBC article and its statistics because they are not a fan of Israel. They are typically anti-Israel so the facts really stand out.
The death tolls being reported include NO Hamas terrorist numbers. They include every natural death, and everybody murdered by Hamas. The data is unreliable and has been proven to be unreliable. Each time more research is done, the death toll changes, just like the famine issue was changed. It is important to know the lie and to be able to address it. The lie gets front page news, the correction and the truth gets buried on page 10 inside.
In a speech at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1910, Teddy Roosevelt spoke strongly about leadership. He talked about those who actually get in the ring and fight. Those who take action and those who take risks. If you want to end the lies, you must get in the arena and challenge them. You must be the person Teddy Roosevelt talked about when he said:
“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
Teddy Roosevelt at the Sorbonne giving the historic speech
Are you willing to get in the arena? Are you willing to fight? To strive valiently for a worthy cause? I am. Come join me.
***Gil Troy’s full article about 12 Tough Questions and Simple Answers About Israel can be found here.
I grew up in a very multicultural environment. My friends were many different religions and came from many different cultures. They were of many ethnicities. They came from different socio-economic backgrounds. Some had intact families, some had parents that were divorced. Some were straight and while some were not ‘out’ yet, we all knew they were gay. It was a great way to grow up as people were just people. Friends were friends because of who they were, not any other reason. Growing up this way shaped me as person. To this day, my friends are my friends because of who they are, not based on their religion, culture, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexual orientation or identification.
I didn’t realize that how I grew up was a bubble in a world that was not like that until much later in my life. As a Jewish, middle-class kid, I didn’t feel any different than my friends. I would go to their house; they would come to mine. We all played together, hung out together, dated each other, shared our hopes and dreams with each other. I wrongly assumed that everybody felt the way I felt.
It wasn’t until I went away to college that I began to notice the difference. We went to different colleges, and some didn’t go to college. A number of my friends had children when they were 19, 20 or 21. Even my friends who went to college with me ended up having different social groups that were more aligned with their personal identity. I joined a Jewish fraternity. I had friends that joined the historically black fraternities. Some joined fraternities that didn’t like Jews or black people. Others joined no fraternity and had a totally different social circle.
While I faced antisemitism in college, I didn’t see my friends facing prejudice because of their skin color or their ethnicity or their sexual identity. It wasn’t something that I lived with and so it was easy not to notice. I was blind to the discrimination they faced. When my childhood friends came out, it wasn’t a big deal to me because I had already known they were gay since childhood. While I was happy that they could now publicly be who they were, I didn’t understand what they were now facing as openly gay men.
It wasn’t until I was in my 40s and living in Seattle that I began to notice what my friends faced. I saw the Jew hatred starting and saw others ignoring it or not standing up for it. I saw hatred against the LGTBQ+ community and saw people ignore it. A friend of mine there told me that my leadership reminded her of Harvey Milk, and I’m embarrassed to admit that while I knew the name and that he was a gay man and leader in San Francisco, I didn’t know his story. I read about him, watched the movie (I highly recommend watching Sean Penn as Harvey Milk in the movie Milk) and was amazed that this incredible leader isn’t taught to children. I was more stunned when I learned it was his murderer who got off on the ‘Twinkie Defense’ which I had heard of.
Harvey Milk
When the murders happened at Pulse in Orlando, it was shocking to me. After Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Philando Castile, Botham Jean, Breanna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery were killed, I remember a friend of mine posting about how her son was driving across country and how worried she was about his safety because he would be driving while black. That was a slap in the face for me. My children were just a little younger than hers and while I worried about them driving safely, I wasn’t worried about them getting pulled over and ending up dead. It deeply affected me and made me realize how much I was oblivious to because of how I grew up and my own life experiences. My heart broke for her. It broke for my other friends who faced the same thing and were not comfortable saying it publicly.
When my son was recruited to play football by Howard University, a historically black college, I was excited for him. Howard is an excellent school with a great alumni base, and a childhood friend of mine was one of the coaches. When they offered him a full scholarship, I really wanted him to choose Howard. I was surprised by the pushback I got from people. He decided to attend UCF instead and I was sad about the process. When he thought about transferring, he was recruited by 4-5 other HBCs and I encouraged him to consider them. Again, there was pushback by others which saddened me.
I began paying more attention. One of my childhood friends posts regularly about black history and important black historical figures. Most of them I have never heard of and as I read about them, I am sad that I never had. When The Free Press wrote an article about Bayard Rustin, the architect of the March on Washington in 1963, I was stunned that I had never heard of him. I learned about the March on Washington, the Reverand Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcom X. Why had I never learned about Bayard Rustin?
Bayard Rustin – if you haven’t seen the movie about him and the March on Washington, watch it!
When October 7th happened, it was my turn. The pain I felt from the murders, rapes, and kidnappings that day was intense. I was worried about my friends in Israel who lived in the south of Israel and could be murdered just because they were Jewish. Those murdered and kidnapped from the Nova music festival hit me hard as that could have been my children and could have been me with them. When my friend’s son was killed by the terrorists, it hit hard. He was younger than both my sons. When I learned of family members of my friends who were being held hostage, I was devastated. As of now, there were 10 hostages that are related to my friends. 6 remain hostages to this date.
When the violence against Jews increased after October 7th and people were silent, I was outraged. When the denial of the rapes happened, I was outraged. When the women’s rights groups are silent about the rape of Jewish women on October 7th, I was outraged. When the hostages are forgotten or not mentioned by many of our leaders, I am outraged. When Israel gets vilified for defending her citizens, I get outraged. When the lies about what is going on become accepted, I get outraged.
I got it. While Jews marched with Dr. King and were active in the civil rights movement, that was 50 years ago. Where have we been as real partners for other communities, building friendships and relationships, since then? How could we expect them to be there for us when we haven’t been there for them? Of course there are some people who have been, but as a community, we have not. I made a commitment to not be that person any longer. To build relationships with other communities so they know the Jews are there for them before we ask them to be there for us. To have my eyes open for hatred of all types and to stand up against it.
On Thursday June 20, 2024, the SF Giants played the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. It was a tribute to the Negro Leagues and to honor Willie Mays (z’l). The fact that Mays died on June 18, 2024, days before the game, made it more poignant. That June 19th is the holiday Juneteenth made it more powerful. During the pregame interviews on television, Alex Rodriguez asked Reggie Jackson what it was like returning to a field that held so many memories of baseball’s past. Reggie’s response was one of the most powerful things I have ever heard. He describes with bitter passion how horrible it was for him. He shared the prejudice he faced. How his manager, teammates, and even the owner, supported him. How they likely saved his life because without them he would have reacted on his anger. It made me commit even more to fight against racism and hatred. Watch the interview – it is powerful.
Reggie Jackson sharing the powerful experiences he had with racism when he played in Birmingham
As I listened to Reggie talk, it hit me that we are back there again. From violence against the black community, the LGTBQ+ community, the Asian community, the Muslim community, and the current horrific issues against the Jewish community, it is just like what Reggie described. “No Jews” is now heard. Being a Zionist means your teachers and other students will discriminate against you. Being Jewish makes you eligible to be attacked. Looking Jewish makes you a target for physical violence. A 12-year-old Jewish girl was gang raped in France on June 19th because she was Jewish. Jewish schools have been shot at in Canada. The horrors Reggie faced are now being faced by Jewish students on college campuses, in public schools, synagogues, and other public spaces. How have we come so far to be right back where we were?
This is why we need to do 3 things immediately.
Get educated. Learn the facts. Don’t believe the lies and don’t just speak in generalities. Know that Zionists so wanted a Jewish homeland that they accepted the partition plan immediately despite the challenges the plan presented. It was a Jewish homeland, so they took it. The Arabs rejected it and have continued to reject every opportunity for peace and a 2-state solution since 1948. Most of the time rejecting with violence. Learn about the State of Israel and the Arab supreme court Justice, the Arabs in the Knesset. The Israeli-Arabs, the Ethiopian Jews, the Druze, the Bhai, the Bedouins, and the Christians. Hasbarah is great but not enough. Learn the history. Learn the facts. Be able to have an intelligent discussion and defend Israel. Even when you are talking with people who know nothing. Actually, especially when you are talking with people who know nothing.
Defend Israel and the Jewish people. The days of hiding or playing defense are over. We play offense now. We don’t take the beatings because we get to stay alive. We fight back so we can live. Go to Israel and be public about it. Wear your Jewish pride, as a Star of David, a Chai, a kippah, a t-shirt, or whatever you want. Stand up. Speak out.
Build relationships with other communities. We need to have these relationships. During Pride month, be visible as a Jew celebrating Pride. During Black History month, be visible as a Jew. Stand with the black community as they celebrate their history. During Ramadan, go to a community Iftar and celebrate with your Muslim brothers and sisters. Learn the right greeting and wish them a Ramadan Kareem or Ramadan Mubarak. Know and use the greeting Eid Mubarak on Eid-al-fitr, the last day of Ramadan. Build relationships with the Christian community, the Sikh community, and every other community you can. We need them and they need us.
Here is an example of what getting educated and defending Israel can look like. Watch as this lie, this falsehood, is completely exposed by the speaker.
This is what we all need to be able to do.
And watch true experts, Douglas Murray and Natasha Hausdorff debate on behalf of Israel here. Some highlights of the debate are below.
Some highlights of the debate.
Hate is on the rise. Don’t think it isn’t. Don’t think it hasn’t always been here. I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t see it for a long time while my friends had to deal with it. I’m embarrassed it took what it took to open my eyes. Now that they are open, there are only two options.
Keep my eyes open and take action to fight hate and bigotry.
Put my head back in the sand and pretend that I never saw it.
History has shown that only keeping our eyes open open and taking action has positive results. This action includes making the effort to support other communities and show that we are there for them before we need them to be there for us. That’s my choice. What is yours?
We often generalize way too much. My father used to tell me all the time to be specific. Be detailed. Don’t just generalize as you miss too much. He was right. I used to joke that the older I got, the smarter my dad got. As a parent, I now joke that the older my kids get, the smarter I get.
Today’s world is crazy. The growing hatred is hard to believe. The lack of basic knowledge is shocking. Often, it is very easy to generalize about people, places, things, beliefs, etc. and wish it all away. Fortunately, that isn’t true and with just a little effort, it is possible to learn that generalizations don’t work, and that people are people. It’s possible to make friends with people who have different political beliefs, different religions, different ethnic backgrounds, come from a different socio-economic status, have different criminal histories, different educational backgrounds, come from different parts of the country or different countries, and speak different languages. We can choose, if we desire, to focus on our similarities, not our differences, and make the world a better place.
When I was in Israel in May, I made it a point to go visit my friend Mahmoud, a Palestinian Muslim who lives in East Jerusalem. I wanted to walk there, through East Jerusalem, through Arab neighborhoods, because I chose not to believe the stereotypes and generalizations. It was a beautiful walk and I saw many families and people living their daily lives. It was not what you see on television. It was not what you read in the newspapers. It was real life.
Mahmoud and I have many different beliefs. We come from different backgrounds. I’m an American Jew who loves Israel. I have lived my entire life in the United States with the safety and privileges that come with living in the US. Mahmoud is a Palestinian Arab, who has lived his entire life in East Jerusalem. He has lived with the challenges that come with living in that region, not being an Israeli citizen, and having a limited voice in his government. We could easily not be friends. We could easily be enemies. We could easily demonize each other. Instead, we have chosen to invest time in a relationship based on mutual respect, on trust and on respect. Our conversation in May was challenging in many ways. It was refreshing in others. I was relieved by some things he said and discouraged by others. We spend 90 minutes talking deeply as friends, sharing thoughts, feelings, and opinions. I wish I had more people in the United States that I could talk with the way that Mahmoud and I talked. I’ll be back in Israel in July and hope to be able to see him again and talk more. Invest more in our friendship.
With my friend Mahmoud. I hope to see him again in a few weeks when I am back in Israel.
There are often generalizations about liberals and conservatives. That there is no real center left or center right. That a Democrat can’t talk to a Republican and vice versa. That there is no common ground – you choose a side and that’s where you have to be. I hate that absolutist way of thinking because that isn’t real life. Real life is complicated. Real life is complex. Absolutes rarely, if ever, work in real life. It is truly consumed by the gray and how we navigate the gray.
I consider myself a slightly right of center person. I am liberal on most social issues and conservative on most fiscal issues. I believe in small government and the rights of the individual. I’ll be vulnerable here and share some of what that means for me. It means I am pro-choice (which isn’t pro-abortion, it means that a woman has the right to choose whatever is best for her). It means I don’t want the government telling me what I can and can’t do in my personal life. I am pro-marriage equality because people love who they love and should be able to marry who they love. As a fiscal conservative, more marriages (and then divorces) mean a better economy so there is a practical side of it as well. People should be able to use the pronouns that they want because it matters to them. It doesn’t affect my life in any way to use somebody’s preferred pronouns once they tell me what they are. Just like I don’t need to share mine if I don’t want to.
We live in a time when common sense isn’t so common. We focus on the things that don’t affect us because somebody else tells us it should matter. Don’t believe in marriage equality? Then don’t marry somebody of the same sex. Other people’s life choices are their choices. Let them make them. Common sense.
Let’s use common sense and focus on the things that do matter. How do we keep people safe so they can enjoy their inalienable rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?” How do we not discriminate against people when it comes to things like jobs, housing, or education? What can we do to ensure equalaccess to things like jobs, housing, or education? Instead of fighting about forgiving student loans, how do we find a solution to the exorbitant cost of a college and/or graduate school education? How can we use our intellect to find a solution to the rising cost of housing instead of trying to socialize housing? What can we do to deal with the rising costs of food and clothing? A number of years ago, I was very frustrated by the government’s incentives to put solar panels on your roof. You had to have the funding or the ability to get a loan to pay for the panels and at the end of the year, when you filed your taxes, you’d get the money back. Why not just have the government pay that money to the solar company upon installation so it was affordable? Simple solution. Same money. Only now it would be accessible.
It used to be that our leaders and most Americans wanted the same things, and it was merely a question of how to get there. We focused on how to improve lives, how to improve our country, how to keep the world safe. It was about the HOW, not the WHAT. Today, I’m sure we even agree on the “what”. The hatred that comes from the far left and the far right is powerful but isn’t the majority, even when it feels like it. We have the ability to take the narrative back. We have the ability to build relationships with our elected officials to get things back on track.
I have the gift of working with many local, state, and federal officials. I have their cell phone numbers, we text, we meet, and we talk. I choose to invest my time talking with our elected officials, regardless of their party, about the challenges we face. I don’t care whether they are a Democrat, Republican, or Independent. I care about what their positions on issues are. I care about the policies they believe in. Like with my friend Mahmoud, we can differ on many things but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about them and have meaningful and deep conversations. It doesn’t mean that I can’t learn something from them, or they can’t learn something from me.
Our country was built on being able to talk with our representatives and share our views, our hopes, dreams, needs, concerns, and fears. It seems we have forgotten that. I live in Central Florida and have relationships with all my local elected members of the US House of Representatives. I have a relationship with both Florida Senators. I have relationships with Florida Representatives and Senators. Not because I am special. Not because I have any sort of special access. It is because I made the effort to connect with them. I spent the time and continue to spend the time investing in a relationship with them. When there is a new candidate who I want to get to know better, I reach out and introduce myself. We can get coffee. Talk about why they are running for office. Talk about my concerns. It’s building a relationship. We can all do this if we want.
Larry Hogan, former Governor of Maryland and a current candidate for the US Senate from Maryland, wrote a letter to 60 Maryland Rabbis concerned about rising antisemitism and Jew hatred. In it, he wrote:
“This is a moment when our leaders must be held accountable for their words and their actions. There are times in history when leaders must stand up for what is right regardless of party affiliation or personal interests.”
This is what we can each make happen with our own advocacy. This is within our individual power. Pick up the phone and call your elected officials. Local and state elected officials will easily meet you for coffee and begin a conversation (not an argument) and build a relationship. Write to your US Representatives and call their office to request a meeting. It may take a few months, but you can get the time with them. Make an appointment in their local or DC office. You may get 30 minutes so use it wisely. Ask questions, listen, highlight your concerns.
I often highlight the movie, The American President, because the writing is so brilliant. The last speech by President Shepard speaks to this and still gives me chills decades later.
“America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship”.
“We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them.”
Despite the challenges of our Congress not working, despite the challenges we face in our individual states with their legislation, we do have serious people ready to work to solve our serious problems. It’s our job to make sure they know that it matters to us. It is our job to make sure they know that when they take on this work, we have their back. It is our job to be their citizen partners as they address these problems. And it is our job to get to know them so that if they are not serious people ready to take on serious issues, we replace them with people who are.
That means we vote. I always vote. I hate it when people say, “what does one vote matter?” Many years ago when I was in graduate school, I went to vote and there were two local positions where nobody was running. As a joke, I voted for my roommate and ‘brother from another mother’, Aric, for both of them. I told him that he could tell his future children that he got votes in an election and would have the proof for it. We laughed and forgot about it. A few weeks later he got TWO certified letters. He had won BOTH elections with my ONE vote. While he didn’t choose to serve in either role, it shows the power of one vote. If you choose not to vote, you don’t get to complain because you were not part of the process. I don’t care who you vote for, just vote.
Common sense isn’t so common. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It doesn’t mean we get to throw up hands up and quit. It means we double down on our efforts. It means we advocate for the things that we value with the decision makers. It means we build relationships with them. It means we hold them accountable in a respectful manner. It means we actively vote and encourage others to vote.
The time to take action is here. What are you going to do? That’s the question that only you can answer.
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