We made our first-ever visit to the land of Israel in June. By the end of July, we made our home here. My wife and I had long talked of such a move, and we were indeed planning on making aliyah "within a year or two". When we finally announced our intentions, I often found myself at a loss for words rooted in reason and common-sense when confronted with the question, "Why?"
I am still unable to muster a reasoned and rational answer to such a query; yet, it makes perfect sense to me.
After years of discussion and cogitation, shortly after arriving here for our visit in June, it took us a mere instant to make the final decision and to be wholeheartedly committed to enacting that decision without delay. All of my previous protests about making this move were based on the underlying premise that the State of Israel is a moral coward.
I reasoned that the country should stand its ground in the face of world opinion and the "Arab street", and state without equivocation that this land is the land of the Jews and there will be no negotiation with terrorists. The adoption by the state of a position of moral courage would, no doubt, forebode difficulties and trials, but I would not hesitate to join such a just struggle.
Anything short of such a morally clear position might mean that the government would be using my home as its next bargaining chip in the appeasement of our enemies. Such reasoning makes it all the more peculiar that I have chosen such a time as this to make aliyah.
But I came to a realization on our visit. I came to understand that the position of the government bears little relationship to the people of this wonderful country. I came to the understanding that there is no lack of moral courage in Israel. Quite the contrary, moral courage abounds here. And that moral courage is finally finding its voice.
I have met people here with such a quality that can not be found elsewhere on this Earth. I have come to know people here that have love for this land like I have never witnessed in my years in the United States. I now count among my friends people who will endure any hardship, embrace any risk, and tackle any difficulty, all with an indescribable joy that seems to just ooze out of every pore.
I have long admired the stories of the brave and pioneering Zionists to whom we all owe our gratitude for making this country a reality. Of particular fondness to me are those heroes who built and defended Gush Etzion, where I now call home. In the War of Independence, this block was certain to be overrun, but David Ben-Gurion would not yield this ground in spite of its near-hopeless position. It was defended to its last man before it was lost then, and if it comes to it in the future, I will defend it to my last breath before it is ever lost again.
You can imagine my astonishment at the current government, which has cast today's pioneering Zionists as the enemy, rather than the murderers on the other side of the fence. I believe that they are so desperate for a victory of some kind that they have turned their sights on their own - the best of their own. They feel compelled to act, but lack the moral courage to take the necessary actions against the enemy. They know that they can not just do nothing. But the world tells them that any action against the enemy is immoral, and since they lack any moral compass of their own, they are compelled to agree with what the world tells them. They therefore act in the only way that they know how - more concessions to terror and redefining the enemy as that much-maligned kippah-wearing "settler."
But I see a new Israel rising out of the midst of this cowardly plan. The Zionists of yesterday, who so bravely carried the flame for Jewish freedom in the last generation, have passed the torch to a new, orange generation. The current governmental leadership has failed because of its moral cowardliness, but there is a new leadership rising that has the backbone to take effective action.
So, I look at all that is happening in this country right now and, in spite of it all, I am encouraged; even excited by it. The old guard has tired and become weary, but I have a message for them:
Fear not, me and a couple million of my closest orange friends are here to take over and let you retire. You do not have to run away anymore; we will hold on to the land with our teeth and we will thank G-d for the privilege of doing so.
I am still unable to muster a reasoned and rational answer to such a query; yet, it makes perfect sense to me.
After years of discussion and cogitation, shortly after arriving here for our visit in June, it took us a mere instant to make the final decision and to be wholeheartedly committed to enacting that decision without delay. All of my previous protests about making this move were based on the underlying premise that the State of Israel is a moral coward.
I reasoned that the country should stand its ground in the face of world opinion and the "Arab street", and state without equivocation that this land is the land of the Jews and there will be no negotiation with terrorists. The adoption by the state of a position of moral courage would, no doubt, forebode difficulties and trials, but I would not hesitate to join such a just struggle.
Anything short of such a morally clear position might mean that the government would be using my home as its next bargaining chip in the appeasement of our enemies. Such reasoning makes it all the more peculiar that I have chosen such a time as this to make aliyah.
But I came to a realization on our visit. I came to understand that the position of the government bears little relationship to the people of this wonderful country. I came to the understanding that there is no lack of moral courage in Israel. Quite the contrary, moral courage abounds here. And that moral courage is finally finding its voice.
I have met people here with such a quality that can not be found elsewhere on this Earth. I have come to know people here that have love for this land like I have never witnessed in my years in the United States. I now count among my friends people who will endure any hardship, embrace any risk, and tackle any difficulty, all with an indescribable joy that seems to just ooze out of every pore.
I have long admired the stories of the brave and pioneering Zionists to whom we all owe our gratitude for making this country a reality. Of particular fondness to me are those heroes who built and defended Gush Etzion, where I now call home. In the War of Independence, this block was certain to be overrun, but David Ben-Gurion would not yield this ground in spite of its near-hopeless position. It was defended to its last man before it was lost then, and if it comes to it in the future, I will defend it to my last breath before it is ever lost again.
You can imagine my astonishment at the current government, which has cast today's pioneering Zionists as the enemy, rather than the murderers on the other side of the fence. I believe that they are so desperate for a victory of some kind that they have turned their sights on their own - the best of their own. They feel compelled to act, but lack the moral courage to take the necessary actions against the enemy. They know that they can not just do nothing. But the world tells them that any action against the enemy is immoral, and since they lack any moral compass of their own, they are compelled to agree with what the world tells them. They therefore act in the only way that they know how - more concessions to terror and redefining the enemy as that much-maligned kippah-wearing "settler."
But I see a new Israel rising out of the midst of this cowardly plan. The Zionists of yesterday, who so bravely carried the flame for Jewish freedom in the last generation, have passed the torch to a new, orange generation. The current governmental leadership has failed because of its moral cowardliness, but there is a new leadership rising that has the backbone to take effective action.
So, I look at all that is happening in this country right now and, in spite of it all, I am encouraged; even excited by it. The old guard has tired and become weary, but I have a message for them:
Fear not, me and a couple million of my closest orange friends are here to take over and let you retire. You do not have to run away anymore; we will hold on to the land with our teeth and we will thank G-d for the privilege of doing so.