My dear friend Conrad lives in Alabama and he says, “Don’t hate – Celebrate!” I love those words, and I live by them. He has this beautiful, warm smile that lights up a room and somehow when he says those words, you just feel good all over. But what if you feel hated? Then what?
On the morning after the war broke out – Sunday, October 8th – the Taliban put out a message to Muslim countries in the Middle East. “If you can guarantee us free passage to Jerusalem, we will join the fight to conquer Jerusalem.” Wild. However, that’s the Taliban. They are not exactly representative of most of the world. At the Sydney Opera House – a cultural icon – thousands chanted, “Gas the Jews.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ici-TnCCE_U. A US warship intercepted missiles fired from Yemen at Israel only days into the war. Anti-Israel protests around the world are calling for suicide bombers to descend upon Tel Aviv and in France, there have been 588 anti-Semitic incidents since the war broke out. That is an average of 39/day. Could always be worse. All of this just days after Israel was attached and slaughtered by Hamas. It’s hard to understand. On the one hand, I feel your love – the love of my friends – and on the other I am terrified by the rise in hate that has taken over the minds of individuals in so many corners of the world. Where does it come from? Why does hate grow faster than love and what is the benefit to humanity? Do people really believe they will be rewarded when calling for the death of individuals they have never met? Apparently they do. Hate seems to be alive and well.
It is striking to me that we are 16 days into the war and the missiles are still coming at us, fast and furious. Hundreds a day. They say supplies in Gaza are running out, but missiles are apparently in abundance. No shortage of those. Our mission at People for Israel is to deliver supplies and transportation to people that need, help to rebuild the destroyed communities and enhance security measures in our most vulnerable communities. If we can spread a little joy along the way, we will do that too.
Ofakim is a city of 33,000 people not far from Gaza. Last week a wedding took place there. I watched the video on You Tube with a tear in my eye. How can people celebrate amidst all this carnage? How can they dance? How can they sing? It is a city that was invaded by Hamas where people of all ages were gunned down in cold blood. One of the comments below the video said, “It seems Israelis are doing alright.” Then it hit me. The individual that wrote that does not understand our culture. I remember in 2001 when a terrorist detonated a bomb at Café Rimon in Jeruslaem. 12 were killed, 170 wounded and body parts were found three blocks away. Yet almost the next morning Israelis were out there cleaning the area and preparing to reopen the restaurant. It’s not that we are cavalier about these events. Heaven forbid. However, when you have lived with terrorism as long as Israelis have, we will not let the enemy see that side of us. The side they want to see. The side that spells defeat. The side that shows fear. No, we will go on. We will go to work, we will live our lives, we will place our faith in the One Above, and we will carry on. If you must know…we are not alright. The individual that wrote that comment does not get to judge us because our lives have been forever altered by the events of October 7th.
Yesterday we received a notice from the local authorities, an unexploded rocket part had been found in a local children’s park. Everyone – they told us – should be prepared for the boom that was to follow as the authorities had no choice but to blow it up (in an isolated manner) so as to not endanger any children. A few days ago, four more terrorists were found in an abandoned apartment in Beersheva, down south. Today we were told some 222 hostages are still being held in Gaza as they are still searching for missing children. I am tired of the body count climbing, and the reminders of this war. It’s been sixteen days that feel like sixty. My eldest son and I went to deliver 450 meals today. Before we could enter, we were stopped by a security guard working to keep the area safe. He told us his girlfriend’s entire family was taken hostage. My wife tells me since we lost our son two years ago there are “triggers” everywhere. There remain certain restaurants we will never eat in, songs we cannot hear and places we cannot visit. I wonder how long the triggers from this war will last. Perhaps a generation? Maybe two? They are everywhere, and it is impossible to escape them.
On December first we had a trip planned to Spain. Just a romantic getaway from life. Iberia Airlines contacted me today. That too has been canceled. I’m not complaining. It’s a small price to pay given what so many families have been through down south, but it’s a reminder that this war seems to be dragging on. More people are suffering, the missiles keep flying and the threats are getting louder every day. When we go to the Gaza border or the Lebanese border, we have no bullet-proof jackets. We have no helmets. We pray G-d will keep us safe and tomorrow we will make yet another trip to the border. I’ll think of Conrad’s words, and while this is not the time to celebrate, I know that couple did the right thing. They survived the terrorist attack and they shared their love with the survivors. How could they rejoice at a time like this? How could they not?
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Note: People for Israel is an organization that took flight the night of October 7th. Please invite us to speak to your church group, synagogue or civic group. We need to tell our story, the real story of what is going on in the Holy Land. If you can donate, please do so here: https://secure.cardknox.com/peopleforisrael. If you have friends that might want to receive this journal, please scroll down to the bottom of the home page here: www.peopleforisrael.com and fill out the form. We will continue to do everything in our power to assist those in need and those protecting our land and our families. May G-d bless you.
David
David at People for Israel
#1.201.801.6440
david@peopleforisrael.com
www.peopleforisrael.com
