Perspective

I keep making excuses for my lack of productivity on this blog. The goal was to write about my aliyah. Well, that is old news. There comes a time in an olah's life where it switches from "oh! You just got here!" to "oh! You've been here for a while!" and I truly do not know what the delineation is, but it's happened. And the reason I have time to blog today is because the Tel Aviv municipality has canceled non-essential work for a Siren Day! Gone is the era of snow days. In this country, only an election or an incoming rocket will cause businesses to close. Not to mention we're having the warmest Autumn in nine years so snow isn't only not an issue, it's nowhere on the horizon. But the funniest part of this all is that I've been here long enough that this isn't even my first siren experience! That happened a few days after I got here.

This is the Iron Dome- Gd bless the Iron Dome

My mother calls me in a panic, wants to make sure I did the siren the right way. In the fortified room, in the basement, stayed there an extra 15 minutes to be safe. I didn't but I say "yep!" I take care of myself pretty well. It makes me laugh to think she's worried about me, here in the Jewish state. I face the enemy we know, in this case Islamic Jihad who are angry we've killed a leader of theirs. Meanwhile, my family sits in New York City, often referred to as Jew York City for its enormous Jewish population, now facing religious threats much like the rest of the country where I once lived. 

I recently went to NYC to visit my family and meet my new baby nephew (he is SO poopoopoo I literally can't even!) and my mom and I went to shul for Yom Kippur prayers. My mom kept glancing at the door, which made sense because she really can't wait to get out of shul. We were in the basement group service, whereas the other two services were upstairs near the front entrances. My mom turned to me and said "I don't like how that entrance isn't guarded" like the other two upstairs were. "Doesn't it make you nervous?" Now, by nature, I'm not a worrier and my mother is the definition of one (Jewish moms, yadda yadda) but for once I thought her anxiety might be founded.

I left America, the goldene medineh- the promised land for a people that was tortured by every country in the diaspora where they fled. Europe, North Africa and the Middle East all became inhospitable to their Jewish populations and it seemed like America was the first country to break that mold. And honestly, I would never compare America to what Jews are facing elsewhere in the world in 2019. I don't generally worry for my family's safety. But I do hear about a new incident (or ten) every day- a swastika on a synagogue, a vandalized cemetery, a beating of a Hasidic-looking Jew, a BDS resolution, a bomb threat, an anti-Semitic outburst on a subway- that makes me wonder if the clock is ticking on our time in the US.

Jewish cemetery in Nebraska vandalized, November 2019

I hope not. I don't want anyone to feel scared to threatened, least of all my family and friends. I don't want anyone to have to hide their Jewishness or their support for the Jewish state. And as much as I want people to make aliyah and come home, I don't want them to do it because they have to. I love my family intensely, but they don't want to move here (try as I might to badger them about it in nearly every conversation.) And if they ever do come, I want it to be running toward, not running away. So as I sit here on my unexpected Siren Day off from work, I think about how funny perspective is, with my mom terrified of rockets falling on Tel Aviv, and me feeling like I'm living in the safest country in the world to be Jewish. Perspective.

A No Good, Very Bad Deal

I have been hesitant to write about the Iran deal for a while now, for a few reasons. One is that this blog is about my life as an olah, and I wasn't sure a political opinion piece had its place here. The other was that I have so much to say on the subject, and I haven't been able to adequately gather all my disparate thoughts into one cohesive post. The third reason is that, generally, I want this blog to be light and silly. All these fears have been put to bed. First, this deal affects every one of us in Israel and the US, most especially those of us who moved here to Israel from elsewhere and plan to stay. That makes it truly a vital part of my experience as an olah. Second, I've decided that this probably won't be the only post I write about this deal, so I may as well start somewhere. The third is that while light and fluffy may be my mood most of the time, serious times call for serious words. The world we live in is not always going to be funny cab drivers and Hebrew gaffes. Sometimes it's going to be crazy mullahs and their nuclear ambitions.

Today I was corresponding with one of my former Birthright participants about the Iran deal. This was interesting for a few reasons. One, this was not a participant I often chat with, about geopolitical issues or otherwise. Second, this was not someone I knew to be overly concerned with Israel specifically. Like many of my former Birthright friends, they are peripherally aware of what's happening here, generally positively inclined toward Israel and overall not too involved with Israeli politics. This time, though, I think even non-involved Jewish Americans are taking note of how bad this deal is for Israel as a country in general, and me in Israel on a personal level. 

If this were two years ago and I was sitting in NYC, following the intricacies of this deal, I have no doubt I'd be equally furious. I'd be calling my senators and attending rallies. I'd be posting on Facebook and engaging in constant debates with friends and coworkers. It would be a huge issue for me, just like it is now. But there would be a difference. I would be worried-- on behalf of my Israeli friends. I would be concerned-- for my family in Israel. I would be anxious-- for the foreign country I held so dear. All that is completely different from my current emotional state. I feel a numbing fear for the future of my friends, family and myself here in the Jewish state.

I am a realist to the end. Not a pessimist, not an optimist, just a realist. When a country bent on the destruction of Israel screams from the rafters "Death to Israel! Death to America!" I believe them. When the Iranian negotiators celebrate the amazing deal they made with the world powers, giving them the money, time and ingredients to realize all their nuclear ambitions, I take notice. The deal completely baffles me. From my understanding (and exhaustive research) I have concluded that: The Iranians now have tons of money and freedom to develop "nuclear capability", no oversight from the USA (as we are not an ally nation and therefore do not have the right of oversight), sanctions lifted and the stamp of approval from world powers to let a totalitarian Islamist regime join the community of democratic nations. Am I missing anything? Probably, but let's see what we in the free world get in return! Oversight of nuclear facilities (although not by the USA, and not for about a month from our request, and not for several years from now), and the assurance of a murderous regime that they will try not to destroy the world when they have the chance. Sounds like a bargain to me!

But why would America agree to this? What do they actually gain? Why the desire for this clearly lopsided agreement? From what I gleaned, the USA gets 1) probably a Nobel Peace Prize for John Kerry (score!) 2) a signature from an extremely hostile country (knew we could do it!) 3) a legacy for Obama (I got Iran to sign an agreement! So what if it's only good for them- they signed!) and... that's about it. "But Jordana," you protest, "we had to sign this agreement for the peace of the world! There would have been war!" Well, friend, now I'm confused. Where was I during this impending war declaration? I keep myself quite well up to date with current events- I'm a total news junkie. I hadn't heard a word about Iran gearing up to take on the strongest country in the world. I did hear about the sanctions strangling them and keeping them from furthering their nuclear development. I did hear that even with these sanctions, they were the leading funder of terror in the world, via their proxies in Hezbollah and Hamas, among many others. But I did not hear about this phantom war that was thankfully averted by this dismal agreement. "Well, Jordana", you continue, "none of you war-mongering, right-wing Neocons (as many are wont to call anyone who opposes this deal) had any better ideas for how to deal with Iran." Well, that's not at all true. How about tougher sanctions? How about no agreement without Iran promising not to annihilate Israel? How about Iran releasing the 4 American prisoners they currently hold? How about more oversight into their current facilities? How about anything at all to reign this regime in, just a little? Was securing the signature of a violent Islamist regime (committed to world domination) so important that you don't care at all that Israel will be collateral damage? For many American Jews, the answer is of course no. Millions of dollars are being spent to damage Israel's credibility and push forward this terrifying deal, by my fellow American Jews. And to me, that is a tragedy.

Because I know that if I was still in America, I would do everything in my power to protect my Israeli brothers and sisters. Even the spectre, the possibility, that this deal could bring the Iranians closer to a nuclear bomb would chill my bones. The remotest possible prospect that in 10 years time, a country entirely bent on Israel's destruction could have the capability to do it, would compel me to try and stop this travesty by any means. When a radical regime says they want to destroy Israel, American Jews, why don't you believe them? When they scream in front of tens of thousands of their citizens "Death to America! Death to Israel!," why don't you listen? When the overwhelming majority of Israelis, Left and Right-Wing alike, fear and oppose this deal- why don't you at least question it? When the possibility of Jewish life in Israel is in danger of being destroyed by those who currently fund world terror is rapidly becoming a probability, why don't you stand with your Jewish brothers and sisters? And why do I need to even write this, to implore you to stand with us? Why don't you care enough about our well-being that you want to keep us safe without question? Why do you feel it necessary to not only not stand with us, but actively stand against us? That is what breaks my heart. You have the ability to fight on the front lines for us- in New York and LA, Washington, DC and wherever else you are. You have the power to stand up for your friends and family in Israel like American Jews haven't had to in 70 years, why won't you do it?

Wow. I just got emotional, I know. I'd imagine if you're not in agreement with me on this issue, you're seeing me as overly paranoid, too pessimistic and basically an all-around doomsday alarmist. And it's possible you're right. But the realist in me believes Khameini when he shouts for my destruction. The realist in me sees the terror wrought by Hamas and Hezbollah now and imagines a world where their funders have 150 billion more dollars with which to target my fellow Israelis. The realist in me sees no benefit from this current agreement, both as an Israeli and an American. And the realist in me sees the possibility that in 10 years, the family I hope to have in Israel and raise in Israel could be gravely threatened by this terrifying deal. And what use will this blog post be then? I don't want to ever say "I told you so." I want to say "Thank G-d we were saved. That was close."

May G-d bless Israel and America, and keep His nation safe.

This Is Just a Drill

        It is 7:10 PM, Jerusalem time. I just left the stairwell of my very old apartment building, following the second emergency siren today. Don't panic. If you're concerned because you haven't been up on the news today, there's no great cause for alarm. These sirens were planned weeks (and maybe months) ago to prepare the nation in case of war. We require these drills like elementary school kids require fire drills- in case of emergency. And yet we know all too well that in this country, an emergency is a very real possibility. I don't mean to scare anyone, especially in the relative calm that we Jerusalemites have been, thank G-d, enjoying these past few months. But today was a wake-up call, that those of us who live here can get comfortable, just not too comfortable with the status quo.

       I read that today is one year since the "three boys" went missing. In case you don't know, I'm referring to Eyal, Gilad and Naftali- three Israeli boys who were kidnapped and killed in short order, but whose whereabouts were unknown for weeks, causing Jews in Israel and around the world to unify in a way that had never happened before to my memory. I can remember in my life pre-aliyah, going to a rally in the center of Manhattan, demanding the release of the boys (who we hoped were still alive) and praying with a fervor reserved for Yom Kippur. I can remember Jews coming together regardless of observance level or denomination or political orientation, praying for the safe release of our Jewish brothers. As we all know, it was not meant to be. The boys were killed immediately, but their whereabouts remained hidden for those torturous weeks. A revenge attack on an Arab boy followed, vilified by almost all Jews, because even in our deepest grief, that is not how we as Jews behave. And then the rockets. And the sirens. And the tunnels discovered. And the human shields. And the soldiers' funerals with mourners in the thousands. And the Iron Dome in all it's blessed glory. And the canceled Israel trips. And the ceasefires. And the ceasefires broken by Hamas in mere hours. And the flight cancellations. And then the quiet. The quiet end to a summer deferred.

             A year has passed since that crazy, scary, incomprehensible time and today I heard my first siren in almost that long. And it wasn't to warn me that a rocket was headed my way. It wasn't sounded to warn me that we were living in a war zone, and that we had just 90 seconds here in Jerusalem to take cover. It was to remind me that here in Israel, with enemies named Hezbollah and Hamas, Syria and Iran- we will always be targeted, so we must make sure that we stay safe as a country, and that we stay strong as a nation. Am Yisrael Chai.

Aaaaaand...We're Back!

            Quick update on "the situation" here as it pertains to my life. In case your home is under a rock, the cease fire has ended and rockets are back to flying over all of Israel. The perpetrators are Hamas. They live in Gaza, and they hate Jews. Not Israelis, not settlers, Jews. Me,  my friends, the old guy collecting money, the children in kindergarten and the dudes learning in yeshiva, you in the USA- all of us. This week, those of us naive enough to have thought "the war is over!" (myself included) were rudely reminded that it wasn't. 
            Tuesday night, after coming home from a fabulous dinner with visiting American friends, I started getting ready for bed at the ulpan. No sooner had I taken off my shoes than I heard the familiar, but recently unheard shrill rocket alarm outside.) My actual internal monologue: "Jords! (I call myself Jords) Is that the siren? No way! What is this, July 15?! Jerusalem hasn't been targeted in weeks! I was just telling my friends today 'see? Good thing you didn't cancel your trip here! look how safe it is! The worst is behind us!' I hope they don't blame me for this! Where are my shoes? Where is the miklat (shelter)?! Let me just follow the stampede downstairs."
              So I raced downstairs with the 160 other internal students in my ulpan, in various stages of undress (towels, robes, pajamas and the like) and waited for the all-clear. There was a lot of nervous tension in that miklat, people making jokes about turning this into a shelter rave, taking #bombshelterselfies and such. There were also those of us trying and struggling to watch the Israeli news (the highest-level class doing what I thought was a pretty solid job of translating for the less advanced students) and all of us comparing how many shelter experiences we had under our collective belts ("This is your first?! I've had 5 already!") It is true that a harrowing experience bonds people; I got to know people in those moments that I hadn't really spoken to until that point.
          We all waited the requisite time and headed back to our rooms, slightly shaken (not stirred) but I did notice something great. None of us said one word about this whole aliyah thing being a mistake, or going back to the safety of our birth countries. We were all truly firm in our resolve that we were now Israelis, this is our country, and we are all in this together. It was really special to be in a room full of people who felt as I do- that regardless of the hard times here (and this summer has truly been tough emotionally), there is no place else we'd rather be. Am Yisrael Chai.

(#bombshelterselfie!)

When The World Has Gone Mad

              I've had several conversations with friends in the past few weeks (since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge) about just how confused they are. Was it just June, when their Facebook walls were filled with pictures of weekends in the Hamptons and Buzzfeed quizzes ("What color is your aura?" "I am such a purple!")? Suddenly, their feeds have become a battleground, filled with anti-Zionist diatribes and calls for all Jews (themselves included) to immediately denounce Israel and take up the Palestinian cause. Their friends will engage them aggressively, pepper them with questions, throw back-handed insults at them, and generally make them uneasy with the fact that as Jews, they are right to support the Jewish Homeland from attacks, both physical and ideological. Now, my experience has been blessedly different. I would guess 90% of my Facebook friends are pro-Israel, 5% are indifferent and the last 5% are those well-meaning "equivocators" who just want both sides to be right and both sides to be wrong. Mmmmkay. So with absolutely no authority other than my own experience, I've created a list to calm you down and build you up, so you can tackle the hatred coming your way with confidence and strength. Hope it helps:

Be calm: I put this one first, because it's the one I too have to work hardest to put into practice. We, the Jewish/Israeli side, wants this war over. I have yet to speak to a person who wants it to drag on, endangering the lives of more of our precious soldiers. We also want Hamas disabled, the rockets to stop, and the tunnels destroyed. That is why we are still fighting. The objective on the other side is more complex. Simply put,  Hamas (and those who support them) wants Jews gone. From the West Bank, Israel, Europe, America, what have you. It is in their charter. Their reason for existing, as a terrorist organization, is to eradicate the Jews. This may panic you. Keep a clear head. Never be the person screaming "Death to ----!" The (rational) world will see the signs that say "Hitler was right!" and "Death to Jews!" and they will hopefully understand the mental instability of the other side. Were they to see Jews/Zionists doing the same, it would give them all the permission they need to blame both sides equally. This is not an equal fight. This advice applies to rallies as well as Facebook and social media. We can not curse and we can not WRITE IN ALL CAPS. We are better than that and we are smarter than that.

Be real: Get rid of the noise. If you haven't defriended or been defriended by those anti-Zionist friends of yours, I highly suggest doing so, or unfollowing them. While I don't know how deep your friendships run, I do know that a major aspect of anti-Israel sentiment is a latent anti-Semitic feelings, and I, personally, have little in common with people who, I dunno, hate my nation and Homeland. If you don't want to cut the cord, maybe unfollow their postings. That way, you'll have a few less pieces of propaganda clogging up your feed.

Be realistic: If you have people who virulently hate Israel, enough to repeatedly post negatively about it and argue the Palestinian side regularly, you will not change their mind. They are not "on the fence" or "apathetic" to the situation. There is absolutely nothing you can say to bring them around. You can't link them an article, a video, or a graphic perfectly explaining Israel's just position and have them say "Wow- I never thought of it that way! You are so right! Thank you for shining the light of truth into my eyes!" This is a fantasy. That brings us to...

Be informative, but not a one-person PR firm: I can appreciate you all wanting to share a cool video or article or infographic with your friends and family on Facebook and social media. That said, if you share every single one of those you see, you will do more harm than good. There is nothing that will annoy a real-life acquaintance/Facebook friend more than 25 JewsNews articles a day. "What is with this chick? Enough with the op-eds! Unfollow!" While it's great to share interesting information, it's greater to sift through that information and share that one knock-your-socks-off piece so that people actually take it seriously. This leads me to those of you who are maybe not so in-the-know:

Be informed: Many of you know Israel is in the right, support Israel, but can't articulate yourself. Get to know that facts and figures. Watch a video (maybe ones titled "Israel's position in under 5 minutes!" or something like that), do the research, ask a friend who seems like they may know the answer or where to find it. I would obviously prefer you check resources less biased against Israel (I'm lookin' at you CNN, the Guardian, NYTimes, MSNBC, Haaretz, Politico, etc, etc) but even biased media has been reporting the truth about the tunnels and human shields. So get in the trenches with us, so that when your friends come at you with fake facts and figures ("The death toll! The civilians!") you can respond with actual facts to refute their claims. Take the death toll, for example- dazzle your friends with these factoids: One of the most unbalanced death tolls in history was the German vs. Allies during WW2- weren't the Nazis in the wrong then? And where are the death toll numbers coming from? Hamas itself! And why is the reported civilian casualty rate exactly the same as was reported in Operation Cast Lead (82%)? Come prepared, if not to change anyone else's mind, then to sharpen your own.

Be aware: Anti- semitism is real and it's back. Or did it ever really leave? We are living in an era where Jews are being assaulted, shops are being burned, swastikas are being spray-painted, and holy sites are being desecrated. It may not be pre-war Europe, but Europe is inching eerily closer to their usual ways- consistently present throughout history during the Inquisition and the Crusades, the pogroms and the blood libels. And you need only to listen to the chants "Death to the Jews, Back to the Ovens!" to realize that this is also a Jew thing, and not just an Israel thing. Is this to say that the whole world hates Jews? NO! It is to say that we need to be aware, and we need to stand together, against the hatred. This brings me to the most important tip:

BE PROUD: Your detractors want you to be scared. They want you to not answer back, they want you to turn against your homeland. They delight in every single Jew who publishes an article slamming the state of Israel or other Jews. They publish photos of those crazy Hasidic looking men who rally with the jihadists. I know many of you don't feel very Jewish. You may not have done anything Jewish at home, you may have no Jewish friends and you may not care at all about the Jews as a people. But I care about you. And I want you to have pride in the fact that you are Jewish- whether you learn Torah every day or just eat lox and bagels. I want you to realize that we are part of a special people, a kind people, an accomplished people. We are a people who values knowledge and compassion and life, not a people who values death and destruction and annihilation. Be proud like our ancestors before us were proud. And let that carry you through these hard times we're seeing. I will leave you with this quote I love from Menachem Begin:

"We did not return to our historic homeland through the right of might, we returned here through the might of right."

May G-d bless and protect you, the IDF and the State of Israel.

"Stay Safe!"

           Every time I start to write a post about my day to day life acclimating to a new country and a new culture, I am jarred back to my current reality in the form of a "buzz." I want to write about my shabbat in a chareidi area and --"buzz." I have a funny story about my foray into Tel Aviv and-- "buzz, buzz." I mentioned earlier that I downloaded an app which alerts me to every rocket fired by Hamas toward Israel. When I first downloaded the app, the buzzes jarred me. My cousin and I would call out "Sderot. Ashkelon. Ashdod. Ashkelon..." 
            But soon the locations changed, the net widened. "Tel Aviv, Hadera, Jerusalem, Beersheba..." until no place was safe. Just today, "The Golan Heights?!" (Thanks for your help, Syria!) While leaving Beit Shemesh Saturday night, right before heading to the bus stop, two more sirens had me rethinking my journey back to Jerusalem. To risk being on a bus as rockets landed indiscriminately all over the country? Even me, in my indestructible new-immigrant fantasy world wasn't willing to chance that. So I stayed close to my friend's trusty apartment shelter and she made me a cheese toast to calm me down.
            And so to the title of this post. Normally, when saying goodbye to a friend, some common goodbyes include "see you later, have a great day, call you soon." I, and most people I meet now, will end our interactions with "Stay safe!" That is not how I would ever fathom ending conversations in Queens, New York. The Bronx, New York? Maybe. But Queens? The Five Towns? The Upper West Side?! Nope. 
            I remember the fears I had before I made aliyah (even just reading old blog posts, I can laugh) where I was anxious about making friends, finding a job, navigating bureaucracy and tackling the language barrier. Now I think about whether I'll be in the shower when a siren goes off, how to help fight a losing media battle on Israel's behalf, and whether my mother will really, truly lose it with worry over me at some point soon. I worry that there will be no end to the rockets, that this life will become the new normal. I fear that the Iron Dome will prove fallible (G-d forbid), that tourism will stop and the economy will suffer. I worry that people will stop visiting me, stop visiting their home. I worry about people I know every time a rocket reaches a familiar address. I check in with friends in Tel Aviv, friends in Arad, in Haifa. I worry that my precious homeland is in danger.
             But to be honest, I don't worry too much of the time. When the sirens sound and I am praying for our safety, I allow myself those moments of worry. I allow my mind to wander into darker places. But it never stays there long. Because, at the end of the day, I am a person of faith. I feel like I am lucky, to have a faith which constantly reminds me that "if He sees you to it, He'll see you through it." It is my faith that allows me to laugh off the fears of family and friends in the States. And it is that faith that realizes that while Israel has seen better days, she has also seen worse ones. And so when I say goodbye now, I always say "stay safe". Because even though we'll be just fine, it's still nice to be careful.