What Bumpy Weekend? 10/16/2023
This is a long email for such an uneventful weekend in Israel. My first thought was that Shabbat was a reprieve; while being watchful, we were afforded a true day of rest. Then, Sunday rolled around and the quiet tension remained. The old adage "the calm before the storm" seems apropos. Israel is clearly rolling into Gaza, but it feels like efforts have downshifted from 5th to 3rd gear. As I parse through the news and talk to people, theories percolate, but they're all conjecture and I don't want to misinform anyone. So, we'll continue to play this eerily silent waiting game together.
In my last update, I was worried about the Day of Jihad, which seemed to fizzle out. At least when terrorists announce their intent and confirm the date, we have a chance to prepare. But there were issues globally: Jewish schools were attacked in France and a teacher killed; Jewish homes (not businesses, homes!) were riddled with swastikas in Berlin; and an Israeli diplomat was attacked and stabbed in China. Thankfully in the US, our synagogues and other Jewish centers were well supported by police. Our real problem was on college campuses, which should surprise no one. They have become petri dishes, fomenting Antisemitism and racism, in complete antithesis to their higher educational doctrines. Even the DEI movement has been commandeered, used as a tool of convenience, if not always conviction. Zionists have become the perpetrators of hate crimes, and Jews the oppressors. And we now have to reckon with a generation of students who have graduated from campuses where radicalism about the "sins of moral equivalency" were espoused undeterred.
In addition to all the demonstrations, the week leading up to this Day of Jihad was pretty ugly: Jews were beaten publicly on campus (Columbia), a Jewish students dorm room was set on fire (Drexel), Jews were separated and placed in a class corner to be called killers (Stanford) and the list goes on. There will come a point when Jews stop teaching, attending, and funding universities. Faculty and students already don't feel safe, and if you can't teach or learn in this environment, what's the point of being a part of the system? There isn't one. You exit the system, directing your money and human capital elsewhere. My Yom Kippur at Harvard Hillel was a case study in creepy. The community was lovely and the service heartfelt, but I was pointedly uncomfortable when I left the building, even in the daytime. Both evenings we were advised to not walk alone. I am a grown woman and it was a bustling college campus! And while I've seen observant Jews cover their kippah with baseball caps or hats, I have NEVER seen them tuck their tzitzit into their pockets to fly under the radar.
As for our family, Moti is planning on coming home soon. He's placed his name on a return list, but who knows if that means three days or three weeks. Israel stops calling reserves after age 40, so other than showing up at your old army base (ahem!), or driving supply trucks and delivering food, here's not a lot to do physicallyright now. And while Moti wants to return to the US, his sister and the remainder of our family have decided to stay in Israel. There's a sense of solidarity right now and it feels like a betrayal to leave. Let's hope it is the right decision.
Am Yisrael Chai