From October to October
The prophet Jeremiah, whom we read on Rosh Hashanah a few days ago, speaks to us. He buys land in Israel as the Jewish people are taken to exile while witnessing the destruction of Jerusalem. He says, as he quotes God, 31:2 I will build you firmly again, Israel! and then, 32:15 Houses, fields, and vineyards shall again be purchased in this land. We should remember that Jeremiah bought this land even as the people of Israel were suffering the loss of Jerusalem: It was 586 BCE and Israel was being destroyed by Babylon. Jeremiah planted the seed of hope that Israel would rise, that God would not abandon our people. Yes, there would be death and exile, but also the faith and the hope that recovery would come.
About fifty years later it did, and the Jewish people found a way to build Jerusalem and the Temple again. Even so,that second Temple and Jerusalem – again – would be destroyed in 70 CE. The Jewish people would cycle between despair and hope countless times for the next 1,875 years, all the way up to 1945. And then: The Jewish people began again in 1948.
Since that time, there have been ups and downs. More ups than downs, in truth; we are always rising again. October 7, 2023 was the most painful day for Israel since 1945, but the effort to overcome and defeat those who have hurt the people of Israel is unstoppable. I will share some stories here about that effort.
First story: I was in Israel this summer visiting with my best friends of 30 years, Uri and Yedida. They live in the south of the country, and even though they themselves were not in the direct line of fire on October 7, the terrorists did come very near to their home. While visiting with them, I saw clearly what had happened, not just by being there, but also by directly witnessing through the eyes and words of friends and beloved ones. A few years before this most recent visit Uri, and I had spent Shabbat with friends Levi and Carmela in Moshav Netiv Haasara. We had gathered at that time for Erev Shabbat dinner, warmly hosted in a beautiful place…just about 3 kilometers from Gaza. Since its founding in 1982, Netiv Haasara had continued to grow and flourish. The people accomplished this by staying aware and alert about the “activities” of their neighbors in Gaza whilestill living their lives to the fullest. Israeli style. Why do I tell you this? Carmela and Levi woke up on Saturday morning, October 7, together with many other residents of Netiv Haasara. People were taking morning walks and enjoying a festive weekend in Israel. Levi and Carmela heard shots in their backyard. Levi took his gun and went to check as he saw his son in law and a tenant shot to death. Levi (not a youngster anymore) was able to shoot and kill two terrorists. Carmela and Levi, together with most of their Netiv Haasara neighbors left the community following October 7, resettling in Ashkelon for the time being. Slowly they are now going back, with the hope and conviction that no matter what, Israel will recover.
Second story: Again, Shabbat dinner with Uri and Yedida: this time, this past July. Yoav, the son of Uri and Yedida, was serving in an Elite unit of the Israel Defense Forces. His platoon entered Gaza with the first wave of Israeli troops in November, 2023. He lost a leg after being shot with a rocket while in action in Gaza that month. He described the experience, ”I flew like a doll without a rope. Smoke was coming from my body, I was feeling no pain because of the adrenaline. Mom says I was born twice. In 1993 and 2023. Now, I am moving mentally from the ‘fighter’ mentality to ‘wounded man’ mentality. But I will not quit. This will not break me. I’m not going down; I am still here. New stage: I am in a new fight. To be able to walk, that is the task of my life. I am undergoing physical therapy and I’m OK, getting stronger every day. What do I want to do when I finish my treatments? People ask me if I would want to go drinking coffee in Tel Aviv or have a beer with a friend? No! I want to go back to the reserves and serve my country! October 7 changed the rules of the game: That is where we want to be. Where we need to be. With a prosthetic leg or even with my wheelchair. I’m asking my officer in charge to put me in the list to go back and serve with my unit. I won’t be the first one after the injuries I suffered to do it. It has been done. That is where we want to be. Where we need to be.” That is Israel. Those are her children!
Third story: It is about Maayan; whom I haven’t met. His story comes from Israeli TV. He has been living for the past seven years in India with his wife and three children, and he has developed a very successful business there. He said after October 7, “It was clear for me that I couldn’t stay there and watch Israel from afar. I decided immediately that I’m flying to Israel. Suddenly in a minute everything in my life changes. I go from being a businessman to becoming a soldier again. From wearing a suit to wearing fatigues. From holding a pen to carrying a weapon. From communicating through a cellphone to using a walkie-talkie”. In the expat community where Maayan and his family lived in India, their Russian peers look incredulously at these Israelis who are eager to return to serve their country. They can’t understand the Israelis. When Russia got into a war, Russians ran away to India. When Israel had to go to war, Israelis all went back to Israel to fight for their country!
An explosive device injures Maayan, but he refuses to be evacuated. A doctor holds him and tries to move him, and Maayan resists. He tries to ignore the medic and finish his mission: to evacuate his partner. That’s the Israeli spirit! These are the Israelis! They are our family, our brothers and sisters. They believe in each other and in their mission of recovery for Israel. So should we! As the first Israeli Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion said, “In Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles”. Israel has a Divine purpose: to be the nation state of the Jewish people. It is our spiritual homeland, and we all wantIsrael to be secure and strong.
During Shabbat services, when we return the Torah to the Ark, we sing Psalm 29, “Adonai oz l’amo yiten, Adonai yivarekh et amo bashalom”: “May Adonai give strength to His People, May Adonai bless us with Shalom”. So, we plead with You, Adonai: Please Avinu Malkenu, continue to give Israel strength, so that a strong Israel will be enjoying (sooner in our days) a life of Shalom, in this New Year that has just started.
