“Two of my three sons were called for duty, but I don’t know where they are.”

This is from an e-mail I received from a cousin in Israel. She and her husband have three boys, all of whom serve in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

In 2006, my cousin and her husband, both olim, watched as her eldest boy went off to fight in Lebanon against Hezbollah. This time, their two other sons may be entering Gaza to fight Hamas.

“But I don’t know where they are.”

This part of my cousin’s message was the most difficult. Her two boys are fighters and may be ordered to enter Gaza and make their way over booby-trapped bridges and battle hand to hand with enemies hiding behind children and in mosques.

Or maybe those orders won’t come. She and her husband just don’t know.

Just as difficult for my cousins is the fact they do know what lies in the hearts of their boys, their sensitive boys.

The Torah says Jacob was frightened and distressed by the knowledge that his brother, Esau, was coming. The commentaries say he was frightened because he might be killed and distressed because he might have to kill. My cousin tells me she won’t ask them, but she knows that her sons are both frightened and distressed for the same reasons as Jacob. What do parents do with this knowledge?

Most of us in the Diaspora have never been army parents. We’re safe Jews. Our 18-year-olds won’t go off this morning to fight in hell. The closest they’ll get to the front is surfing their favourite Israeli websites. We’re lucky, because our boys and girls are sitting in their economics classes or in their offices working the phones for another account.

Let us, therefore, use our position of safety and lend support to our Israeli family. Let us publicly and openly thank our brothers and sisters in Israel for being the guardians of our homeland and our people.

Let us express our appreciation to them for their courageous and brave decision to live in Eretz Yisrael, knowing full well that one day, their sons and daughters will be called up to fight for the Jewish people.

Let us pray for their children and always be vigilante and informed about the war in Gaza, and promise that not a moment will go by during the course of our day when they’re not on our minds.

And to you our brave Israeli family, we say: “When we look at the pictures on our desks of our sons and daughters, we will close our eyes and think about your children who are in harm’s way and ask God to ensure that everyone returns home safely. Your sons are our sons, and ours are yours.”

To the Israeli people, we promise that we will print this line – “Two of my three sons were called for duty, but I don’t know where they are” – and paste it where all of our family can read it. And when we do, we will remind ourselves to be eternally indebted to you for your ability to be strong and righteous in such daunting hours. We will remember that your boys are in harm’s way for us, the Jewish people. And we will hug our children just a little bit tighter.

As I write this, Israel’s first army son has just been lost to the battle: Staff Sgt. Dvir Emmanueloff, 22, from Givat Ze’ev, near Jerusalem.

Rest in peace, Dvir. Thank you!

May God watch over the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

[email protected]. Sderot!