My wife and I have been absorbed in the aliyah process for almost a year and, like clockwork, whenever something happens in Israel (and the Middle East in general) we are asked whether we are still planning on moving. Every time, including right now, our answer is a resounding YES! When someone attacks your home you don’t run away.
We understood at the onset of our journey that acts such as those over the past couple of weeks could happen. Do we pray for peace? Of course we do but we cannot stand on the sidelines and wait, we can’t expect others to stand in our place, we can’t say we support our home and our people with all our heart and soul if we are not there. This is our home and we are not going to run away!
I know I am not the only one who feels this way – I am not the first and I am not the last. I know that many people will not understand or agree with these views but they should think about the power that conviction in the face of terrorism can possess. We saw this in the US after 9/11 but these “smaller” events can have a similar impact. Take a couple of minutes to watch the following video and think about how many lives have been changed. Think about how many people have been able to go home thanks to Rabbi Yehoshua Fass and Nefesh B’Nefesh.
The objectives of these acts of terror are to kill some and frighten, to get rid of, and prevent the rest of us from returning home. Have these events scared me? I would be lying if I said they didn’t. Will they prevent me from making aliyah? NO! Will they get rid of me? NO! I am going home!
We are one people with one home. No one can take away our faith. No one can take away our home. Acts of terror should bring us together. These events should motivate us to change our lives and appreciate all that Hashem has given us. While these recent events have made me stop and think, they will never deter me from going home!
I will continue to pray for peace, for the victims and their families, and that everyone will be able to find their way home!
