News

On the 50^th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, on the dual holiday of Sh’mini Atzeres and Simchas Torah, the Iranian-backed terror group Hamas launched a multi-pronged attack on civilian populations in the Land of Israel. As word slowly got around to the Jewish community in the United States, many are confused on what exactly happened when.

It is interesting that tzaros bring out the best in the Jewish Nation. The political climate in Israel was breaking us asunder. With the unexpected attacks and murder of hundreds of men, women, and children by Arab terrorists from Gaza on Simchas Torah, Israel was forced to enter a full-fledged war. No soldier or reserve soldier refused the call-up because other soldiers in his unit hold different political views than him. Suddenly, political views seem so unimportant. Israeli civilians have galvanized to create many and diverse projects to help soldiers, their families, and anyone who is need of help.

In the days that followed the savage Hamas attack on civilian lives, reactions from world leaders and the media came in droves. Many of these reactions showed support for Israel, yet a disturbingly large number either dismissed the suffering that Israel is bearing or ignored it altogether. Premature calls for restraint from Israel, moral equivalency, or absolute silence on the issue all occurred.

It was nearly 24 years ago to the day when the third episode of the hit television show The West Wing aired, entitled “A Proportional Response.” In the episode, the President is conferring with the Joint Chiefs on how to retaliate against a terrorist action in the Middle East. Bartlett asks the question: “What’s the virtue of the proportional response?” His military commanders have no answer except, “It’s what we do.”

For the first time in my life I drove on Shabbat, taking my son to defend our people. The scene repeated itself three more times as I sent my other sons off to war.

This article is reprinted with permission from Times of Israel

 It is hard to fall asleep at night.

It is even harder to wake up in the morning.