Throughout the summer, even as rockets sent millions scurrying to their shelter, even as innocents died on both sides, tourists continued visiting Israel. In fact, some people hopped on planes to visit precisely because Israel was under attack. I wish to say, in the name of my family, the Jewish people and freedom-loving, democracy-defending people worldwide: Thank you, brave tourists – with an extra special thank you to your parents.
The 41 people from the Montreal Federation CJA who came constituted one of the largest solidarity missions, organized in a matter of days. The gifts they and others brought, the love they expressed, meant a lot, especially as anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism surged.
My daughter, who is serving in the army, received one of the many care packages that soldiers received. She was genuinely touched by the thoughtfulness. Little acts of generosity can make a big difference in people’s lives. We should not need wars to trigger that kind of mass outpouring of love.
Similarly, although cancellations were up, so too was morale on Taglit-Birthright Israel trips as tens of thousands of young Jews continued launching their Jewish journeys by visiting their homeland. In my voluntary capacity as chairman of the Taglit-Birthright Israel education committee, I had the privilege of speaking to some participants, formally and informally. They used words like “phenomenal” to describe their experience – and felt particularly good about defying the worrying and the warnings. There also was a seriousness on many of the trips, an awareness of the high stakes and an acknowledgment of the evil motivating Hamas that made the visits even more powerful.
I frequently spoke to visitors about the “Great Israel Disconnect.” There we were in Jerusalem, looking out over a beautiful vista, hearing birds chirping, feeling peaceful and calm. And I would say, people don’t believe me when I describe this – all they see on the news is Israel under the gun. My heroic cousin in Kibbutz Nirim on the Gaza border, Adele Raemer, was indeed being rocketed and living in a safe room. But in much of the country, life continued as usual – meaning vacation time and fun activities, with an added cloud of guilt for many of us as we enjoyed ourselves.
Still, despite the fact that driving on an Israeli road – or a Canadian road – remained statistically the more hazardous activity than touring, I acknowledge that it was a stretch to stay in Israel or stick to the plan to visit this summer. The natural human tendency is to flee danger, to dodge conflict. And as hard as it might have been to decide to visit, parents or loved ones who stayed at home suffered worse. They could not experience the calm, have fun and witness the fact that most Israelis maintained their routines.
When I travelled away from Israel this summer, I found the war news much more stressful. When abroad, the only Israel-oriented inputs are war updates. When you are in Israel you have the weather, traffic, the people, other experiences, mass acts of solidarity and generosity, to put the war in context – and, as frequently occurred, to note its distance.
Coming to Israel should not be a heroic act. But fighting terrorism requires a kind of heroism of the everyday, sticking to routines even under potential threat. Part of the Palestinian anti-Zionist strategy is to complicate if not discourage simple acts like visiting Israel, talking about Israel, supporting Israel. Every time we cancel plans, they win. Every time we only see Israel through the conflict prism, we lose.
I tell friends with complicated families, “living well is the best revenge.” That holds for Israelis and the Jewish people too. This summer, we celebrated more than usual, even while contributing and helping and protesting and mourning (and, of course, for some, fighting). The totalitarians of Hamas always underestimate us. The Israeli home front, supported by the Jewish people and good people everywhere, once again demonstrated tremendous resilience. Thanks to all who helped – and please come again, with your parents!