I was riding through the south of Israel this past year with my grandson who lives near Kever Rachel with his family. Yoni took me through the areas of southern Israel attacked on October 7, 2023. As a tank commander in the IDF, he not only talked about the devastation done to Israel that day but also the role of “innocent” Palestinians in torturing and killing Jews. He also told me of the armaments he saw stored in family homes in Gaza. When we got to the discussion of hostages still held by Hamas, he said, “Papa, we are all potential hostages of terrorist groups.”
After I went to the site of the Nova massacre, the auto cemetery, Sderot, and the empty kibbutzim of the south of Israel, I began to think of the safety of Jews anywhere. Are we any safer on Cedar Lane in Teaneck, on Route 9 in Lakewood, in Times Square in New York, Pico Blvd in Los Angeles, Boca Raton in Florida, or Tel Aviv in Israel?
The question is not where is it safe for a Jew to live but where is it safer for a Jew to live! The influx of radical Islam in London, in Paris and in New York, on the streets, on college campuses and in politics, should be an obvious sign of the impact of antisemitism. Certainly 9/11 and 10/7 are indicators of how far haters are willing to go. Iran is willing to attack, to finance, to sacrifice thousands of soldiers, sacrifice Lebanon, Qatar and any other group of Jew-haters to commit genocide.
In this new year, what is it that we are praying for? For thousands of years, we have been told that oppressors would rise up against us, but we would survive. Our resiliency and our faith has always preserved us. We must thank Hashem for what has been and once again ask that Hashem protect us from “the oppressors.” Jews know that we have a choice between life and death. Let us let Hashem know that we choose life.
