Day XL – A Journal from the Holy Land

The Wonder of 40

Forty days is a long time. It is also an important number. When Noah was on the Ark, the flood lasted 40 days (Genesis 7:12). In Christianity, Lent is observed for 40 days until the celebration of Easter. Before G-d gave Moses the Ten Commandments, Moses was called to Mt. Sinai for 40 days (Exodus 34:28). When G-d had Moses send the spies to explore the land of Canaan, they spent 40 days before they returned to provide their report (Numbers 13:25). The NY Mets even chalked up a total of 40 wins during their historic 1962 season. The last 40 days feels to me like it has gone by in a glance, and yet it seems like an eternity. Today is my first day in Jerusalem since the war began. It’s good to be back in the capital city. It is my favorite city in the world.

I saw pictures and videos of the rally in Washington DC yesterday. 300,000 people marching, singing and praying for Israel. It brought me some hope. To those of you that attended, we the – People For Israel – thank you and bless you. Yes, I also heard the stories of the hundreds of people from Detroit that disembarked from their flight only to be led to shuttle buses where they were forced to remain on the tarmac for hours. Apparently, the drivers walked off the job when they found out the passengers were going to a rally in support of Israel. How this can happen in the suburbs of Washington DC is unclear to me, but it did not change the loud and plentiful voices speaking up for Israel’s right to defend itself.

Apparently, many nations don’t see it this way. Colombia, Chile, Bolivia, Belize, Turkey, Jordan and South Africa have either cut ties with Israel or recalled their Ambassadors for “consultation.” What’s the expression: “With friends like this, who needs enemies?” Israel has practiced “restraint” for 18 years, and we have been rewarded with missiles on our heads, the invasion of our southern and northern borders, the rape and torture of our citizens and the kidnapping of 242 Israelis. The time for restraint has passed. Despite this, Israel continues to have one of the most moral armies in the world. Before a building is bombed, Israel “knocks” to alert civilians to leave the area: https://www.peopleforisrael.com/knock-knock-has-a-different-meaning-in-israel/. Messages are sent to cell phones so civilians have time to flee. Despite Hamas siphoning off electricity from hospitals to provide for their needs in the tunnels, Israel has brought in incubators, generators and other life-saving equipment to ensure innocent children are protected. Yet, Hamas would like us to believe their hospitals and nursery schools are strictly places of human decency. Weapons, bombs and guns are stored there in abundance and ambulances are used to transport terrorists. So how is Israel to fight the terrorists if they do not go door to door to every home and hospital room? Have innocent people been killed? No doubt. However, Hamas is not only a terrorist organization. They also lead a magnificent PR campaign most of which is built on fiction. They even train their youth to “act” in these videos so the world can see the “terrible” things Israel is doing. I’ll say it again. I understand there is suffering in Gaza as well, but when a population cooperates in furthering terrorism and lies, it must be rooted out at the core. So while Israel is maximizing efforts to minimize civilian casualties, they are also fighting a PR battle as the nation is urged to “show restraint” for what reason…..so Hamas can strike us again in another year?

My daughter in law works at Hadassah Hospital as a nurse in the NICU (Neonatal ICU). On October 7^th when missiles were fired at the hospital, the nursing team had to take preemies into the stairwells of the medical center. Ensuring the safety of these new lives was first and foremost in the mind of the nurses that worked there even if it meant putting their own safety in jeopardy. The babies hooked up to oxygen could not be moved and were pushed away from the windows in an effort to keep them safe from exploding shrapnel. Apparently this was acceptable to nations like Lebanon, Syria and Yemen which are now attacking us but when Israel brings in incubators to help save babies in Gaza, the nation is routinely criticized for not doing enough.

Perhaps the most emotional day I have had since the first day of this war was this past Sunday. My wife and I went to the Museum Complex in Tel Aviv to visit with many of the families of the hostages. Dozens of them are sleeping in tents there and will stay until their relatives are released. There is no way I can do this scene justice. What we saw, what we felt was beyond painful. Posters of the hostages everywhere. Art projects from children depicting the situation through their eyes, people singing and holding hands, individuals screaming at the heavens, families crying and shaking, tables and chairs set with the picture of every hostage being held in Gaza. Of course, security everywhere. I could not sleep Sunday night. The story of women being repeatedly raped and then being shot in the head, terrorists laughing as they walked the streets of these peaceful villages on the Israeli side of the Gaza border. It was just too much to bear. We will go again, and we will continue to do what we can to support these families. Our office doors are plastered with posters of some of the hostages and while I am trying to find the words to describe this scene, I cannot seem to do so. Thus, I have attached some pictures of the scene, and we will post more on our website: www.peopleforisrael.com.

Forty days from now is Christmas. I can only pray it will be a time of peace and harmony. It seems uncertain. Before then, those of us in the Jewish faith will celebrate the miracles of Chanukah, the festival of lights and a time when the Jewish people rose up to revolt against their Syrian-Greek oppressors in the Maccabean revolt. Once again we are rising up and ironically Syria – a nation that killed approximately 350,000 of their own citizens (including tens of thousands of children) from 2011 to 2023 – is one of the nations supporting Hamas. 40 can also symbolize new life, growth and restored opportunities. My fervent prayer is that 40 days from now I will not need to write this journal and that we will all be celebrating together the destruction of Hamas and the ushering in of a new era. I have doubts, but I believe. May G-d bless you.

People for Israel is out of money. We have raised over $100,000.00 since October 7^th but we have spent well in excess of $100,000.00. I know most of you reading this journal have donated. If you could simply share our website with two people you know, it would be appreciated. The requests keep coming. As we are out of funds, we have temporarily shifted our focus to meals and transportation exclusively. However, supplies and equipment are still needed – particularly in our border communities. If you know of individuals that are able to help our efforts, here is the link: https://secure.cardknox.com/peopleforisrael. Please join our FB group (information on the website), have us speak to your church, synagogue or civic group and believe me…..prayers are still needed. Needed in a BIG way. We are incredibly grateful for your support and praying all of this will come to an end soon. However, we don’t want to see an end that will mean another war in six or nine months. We want a peaceful end that will allow the families of the region to live in peace.

Today’s Pictures: