What we can do

Editorial

Israelis board buses to go to work. They shop at grocery stores and at bustling malls. They enjoy coffee and conversation at local caf‚s.

Tragically, Palestinian terrorists target these same buses, shopping areas and restaurants in Tel Aviv, Netanya, Jerusalem and Haifa. With a flash of light and a compression of sound, a human bomb explodes and its deadly shrapnel destroys lives - murdering innocents, maiming bystanders, shattering minds.

Willingly or not, Israelis find themselves on the front line of an insidious war, battles in which the enemy often has as little regard for their own lives as they do for those of the Israelis.

Two weeks ago, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon took the conflict to where the Palestinians live. From the villages of Yatta and Samua to the cities of Nablus and Ramallah, the Israel Defense Force began going street to street, house to house, room to room to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure that has unleashed terrible destruction upon Israel.

That defensive action has unleashed a barrage of international criticism against the Israelis, who nevertheless persist in their effort to regain security in their daily lives. They are doing what they must, with one eye cast on a plan for survival, the other on a vision of peace.

Following the rabbinic teaching, kol Yisrael achrayim ze ba ze, every Jew is responsible for one another, we are obligated to do what we can to defend Israel.

We can begin by attending the Israel Independence Day celebration, 3:30-7 p.m. at McCormick Railroad Park, Scottsdale. The festivities include a 5:45 p.m. Israel solidarity rally.
We can contact our elected officials, thanking them for their support of Israel and asking for continuing support.
We can spend an extra half-hour a day reading newspapers and surfing the Internet to keep abreast of the quickly changing events that affect our Jewish world.
We can write letters to the editors of local and national papers and call talk radio shows.
We can learn more about the historical, religious, sociological and psychological nuances of the Israeli-Arab conflict.
We can contribute financially to funds devoted to Israel's self-defense.

Kol Yisrael achrayim ze ba ze. Every day, Israelis take life-threatening risks doing things we take for granted. We are obligated to do what we can - what we must - to help them improve their safety, security and quality of life.

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What we can do

Editorial