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August 10, 2001/Av 21, 5761, Vol. 53, No.44
Letters to the EditorAugust 10, 2001
Tough get goingEditor:Not since the Yom Kippur War has the future for Israel appeared so bleak. There is no real chance for peace in the foreseeable future. The Arabs have become very sophisticated in manipulating the media, the Western media are content to go along without going beneath the surface, the U.S. government has no idea what to do about the situation, and morale in Israel is lower than I can ever remember it being. And how are the Jews of the Valley responding? With deafening silence and mind-numbing apathy. Several recent rallies and information meetings have had extremely low turnouts. Out of tens of thousands of Valley Jews, only a few hundred showed up to the largest of the gatherings. Unlike past crises, there has been no influx of calls or contributions to the Jewish Federation or other organizations. Letters to the editor of Jewish News rarely mention the issue, and the newspaper itself seems more intent on having special-theme sections on weddings and restaurants than the Middle East crisis. So what can we do? When I've asked this question of Israeli representatives as well as people I know in Israel, the answer has been amazingly consistent: Go there. During a time when Israelis need us, we have been abandoning them. The streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are quiet, hotel rooms have been closed and restaurants and stores are empty. Friends and family who have gone recently describe the atmosphere as eerie. My son is currently in Israel on a program where an initial enrollment of 30 shrunk to an actual attendance of eight. When the going got tough, all but the tough stopped going. What about safety? It's true that there has been an increase in terrorist activity. But let's put the risk in perspective. Nearly all of the violence in Israel is in the territories, not in Israel proper. My wife, Sandi, and I have committed to going on a National Solidarity Mission to Israel Sept. 9-14 sponsored by United Jewish Communities. I invite every Jew in this community to join us and others from around North America who realize there is little that is more important for us to do as Jews. Those who cannot go then can find another trip to go on. Call the federation, call another organization that sponsors trips, call El Al, call a travel agent, book something online, but go. We need to show our fellow Jews in Israel that we have not abandoned them, that we are with them, that we care enough to take a small risk to show solidarity with those who risk everything. Gary Grove Scottsdale |
