Jerusalem–With the recent rise in Jewish-Muslim tensions, and in light of Tuesday’s terrible terrorist attack, people around the world have begun to question how life can continue in Jerusalem. The threat of being stabbed in the street, getting run over at the bus stop, and now, getting shot in shul, should be taking its toll on Israelis. However, Israelis are a resilient bunch, and walking through the streets of Jerusalem or any other city in Israel, one would be hard put to even know that something was amiss.
To get a wider perspective on how life can go on during difficult times, The Jewish Link of Bergen County spoke to a few Israelis who made aliyah from the New York area, to see how they are handling the tumultuous recent events.
Talya Cohen, originally from Teaneck and now studying in Bar Ilan University, was shaken when she heard the news of Tuesday’s attack. “The first words that came to mind were, ‘Oh Lord, not again!’ and it was hard to realize what that meant. [Tuesday]’s events were not the first by a long road, and the frequency of these events seems to be increasing. It’s hard to hear that yet another member of your nation is no longer here for no other reason other than the malice of cruel people, bereft of moral code.
“Running away is not an option for me, the Israeli government or the Jewish people. Deciding to live here is one of the best decisions I made and I will remain here as long as God allows me the honor,” Talya said. “As painful as today’s tragedy was, we must stand our ground, stand for justice, stand for our right to be in this land, and stand for peace.”
Esther Simchi, a second year student in Midreshet Mevaseret Yerushalayim (MMY) and a Fair Lawn native, said “There are many emotions and reactions to what has been occurring the past few weeks. My personal reaction has been a combination of sorrow, fear, and helplessness. Hearing about the events that happened in Har Nof was particularly disturbing. These were beautiful neshamot who were immersed in the most holy of practices–prayer. Blood soaked tallitot and teffilin is a sight that should never be seen.”
Esther, in contrast to others, feels afraid when walking the streets of Jerusalem, but not just of being attacked. “As more security measures are being taken, with a policeman on almost every block, I still can’t help but feel scared. There is a palpable fear while walking on the street that anyone can be an enemy. But at the root of all these confused and awful emotions is the feeling of helplessness. There is nothing I can do to stop the hate and acts of terror that are occurring almost on a daily basis.”
Larry Stern, an accountant in Tel Aviv who made aliyah with his family from Riverdale several years ago, said that Tuesday’s attack, as well as other recent violence, have made him angry and sad–sad about the unecessary loss of life, and angry that the violence is continuing. Nonetheless, “I still feel safer in Israel than I ever felt in New York. Israel is home, where we belong.”
Others echoed this sentiment. Dovid Gottesman, a Machon Lev student and also a Teaneck native, said that when he first heard about the attack on a Jerusalem synagogue, he couldn’t accept it. “It’s hard to explain. I couldn’t cry, because it was just crazy. It was crazy to imagine that the slaughter took place in a shul. It could’ve been my shul, it could have been literally anywhere.” However, he said, “The point of terrorism is to stop us from living our normal lives out of fear. We need to go out of our way to live a normal life, especially through the mitzvah of living in Israel. We cannot let the terrorists stop us.”
Gottesman concluded: “The situation isn’t good. We need a long-term solution to the conflict, or the Palestinians will keep on trying to kill us. It cannot continue this way.”
While reports of violence in Israel may give the impression that the Jewish State is on lockdown, it’s clear from Bergen County-area olim that, for now, the “silent intifada” is too silent to stop resilient Israelis from pulling themselves together, saying “B’seder” (OK) and keeping on the move through day-to-day life.
Tzvi Silver, JLBC Israel Correspondent
