We will never forget that morning. A friend, highly placed in Tzahal, gave us the first warning. A terrorist had infiltrated our yishuv Tekoa, and was roaming at large. My wife and I grabbed our guns and sped over to our Talmud Torah, one of 10 of the kindergartens of United Derech Haavot, located a short distance from the security fence. My wife and I were the only defense that stood in the way of the terrorist, protecting over 55 precious neshamot. Soon word came that a pregnant mother of one of our little girls was stabbed, only a few hundred feet from our location. How could we face this little girl knowing that her mother was fighting for her life? We could not hold back our tears as they flowed together with our prayers.
Baruch Hashem, that story ended on a positive note as the mother recovered, but so many do not. Sometimes, as a resident of Tekoa, we feel as though we are a most hated people. Israel, as we know, is viewed negatively by many in our complicated world, but “Settlers” are seen by much of the world as the main obstacles to peace and the cause of much of the tension in the Middle East. As I drive from Tekoa to Jerusalem, gun in hand to protect my family from the constant rock throwing and threat of being lynched, I see many vacant hills and wonder how our little hilltop with 700 families could be causing so much trouble. We want to live together in peace, be able to drive to work without the fear of being stoned and send our children to school without fear of being stabbed. Tekoa employs over a hundred Arab workers almost every day, yet in the eyes of the world, we are the source of all their troubles.
The sad truth is, as Chazal teach us, “Esav hates Yaakov.” Until the Geula Shleyma, final redemption comes and peace on earth prevails, the world will most times be against us. For generations, they yelled at us, “Go back to Palestine.” Now that we have returned home, they call us occupiers in our own homeland. No matter where we have lived or what we have done, we have never found lasting favor in the eyes of the world.
The true path is to recognize the justice of our cause and our right to our homeland. Our claim to Eretz Yisrael is based on Torat Yisrael. United Derech Haavot is about strengthening the next generation of Am Yisrael to embrace our heritage through quality Torah education, specifically in Gush Etzion where we are fighting daily for our future. We are the largest private religious educational network in Gush Etzion, providing quality Torah education from kindergarten to Kolelim, to our teachers college. We have over 500 students currently enrolled with us.
At United Derech Haavot we accept any child who wishes to learn with us, regardless of background. We focus on strengthening the God-given talents that students already possess in order to build their confidence and cultivate their talents. We strongly emphasize Jewish unity and tikun olam, trying to make the world a better place for all of mankind. Our students feel the blessing that it is to be a Jew, acknowledge the responsibility that comes with it, and are full of purpose, inspiration and calling.
It is our hope and prayer that by strengthening Torah learning and observance specifically in Gush Etzion, we will justify our claim to Israel through the eyes of the most important decision maker, that of our Father in heaven. We pray that United Derech Haavot may serve to protect us from those who seek to physically harm us, boycott our businesses and contemplate even expelling us from our homes. It is through the support of our brothers and sisters abroad that we continue to exist. Please take a stand and join us for the sake of the future of Am Yisrael.
I’m happy to invite the public to a short lecture on behalf of United Derech Haavot, this Sunday night July 31, from 8 to 9 p.m. on a topic that is very close to my heart, “How to Instill Children With a Meaningful Relationship With Hashem in a Modern World.” The evening will take place at 513 Sunderland Rd., Teaneck. Looking forward to meeting you.
