I don’t know where to begin.

As a kid in Chicago, I remember the Yom Kippur war where everyone was scared of the war in Israel.

Back then, Israel didn’t have a lot of phones, there was no internet, email and in Israel, you waited 7

years to get a phone line.

 

Saturday morning at 8:30 in the morning, sitting in the synagogue I heard – “there’s a war “ but with no

cellphone or tv on the sabbath, I had no clue that this was pearl harbor and 9/11 together. I remember

9/11 when we all had TV’s on and watched the second plane fly into the Twin towers in real time and

thought – this is a replay of the first plane.

 

By Saturday night I was aware of the full extent of the situation. Who is missing, who do we know. What

will be tomorrow.

By Sunday morning, Israel was at war. My son, who went for 3 years to serve as a Rabbi for College

students in New York was discussing with his wife and 5 kids if he should get on a plane and join his unit.

This is a fighting unit where he is the head of a unit in the reserves.

 

Another son was visiting New York and also was called back to his unit which he prefers I not reveal.

 

Judah’s unit (he is a tank driver) did not get called up – so he and I decided to work on Adopt a unit

project together.

360,000 called up and told- report as soon as you can.

 

Israel went from nobody agreeing on anything to everyone agreeing to cooperate in less than one day.

Unfortunately, it took was is probably the single bloodiest day that anyone in our generation in the US

and Israel has been a part of.

 

Stories emerging both tragic and heroic.

 

The grandson of my mother’s best friend from Chicago is among the hostages taken after being

mistreated.

Sons of at least 3 people I know have already been among the casualties and this is all in the first 4 days.

Sirens going off, people going to sheltered spaces.

I happen to be at a hotel and it’s entirely comprised of displaced people from the north and the south.

Businesses are shut down. People are in trauma, trying to deal with everything.

My own kids and grandkids are trying to deal with the stress and the trauma.

 

But watching the country come together and the world come together gives us hope to watch the

world, stand up and say no more is keeping us going.

 

We hope to show the world that Israel is strong, our will is strong, and we are a light unto the nations.

Your support and help is inspiring to all the people in Israel and as I go back to helping on the various

items I am working, I have a few thoughts.

1. I have no doubt it’s going to get more complicated as a ground attack or a second front is

needed.

2. There is no doubt much life will be sacrificed to protect the country and our families.

3. But there is no doubt that with the world behind us, we have the will and strength to be a

beacon of light for the world.

 

If we can show the world that evil does not triumph and has no place, others will be inspired too and

maybe we can all make the world a better place of good.

Shalom