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Eliav Sharvit

HEY ISRAEL! CAN YOU HEAR US?

Can you hear our beating hearts in the diaspora, as we dash to our computers at the end of Shabbat? Was there a ceasefire? Was it broken? Can you hear the millions of sighs at the news of another fallen soldier?

Can you hear the sounds of all the update notifications on our smartphones, iPads and computers?

Can you hear the sounds of the Red Alert app we downloaded in solidarity with you?

Can you hear the rabbis from the pulpits of every synagogue? Can you hear their words of unity, brotherhood and a call for our small nation to come together across the globe during these vexing times?

Can you hear the cheer of children and the songs of thousands sending their rallying support at parks, thoroughfares and public squares?

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Pro Israel Rally in Cleveland, Ohio July 22, 2014

Can you hear the tales of your bravery, valor and humanity being told around every bonfire at Jewish summer camps?

Did you hear the sound of tens of thousands of keyboards typing names and email addresses in the online petition to remove the Federal Aviation Administration’s inequitable flight ban?

 

Can you hear us explaining to our unapprised business colleagues about the justness of your mission, the lawfulness of your actions and the praiseworthy care you take to avoid civilian casualties?

Can you hear the sound of clinking coins collected by children at lemonade stands to buy the IDF soldiers basic necessities?

Can you hear the skilled voices of United States Congressmen passionately reaffirming their support of Israel and exclaiming Israel’s inalienable right to self defense?

Can you hear the conversations we have with friends and family about the rising tide of global anti-Semitism and the resulting reaffirmation of the centrality of Israel in our collective destiny?

Can you hear the private prayers said for the protection of every soldier in harm’s way? Can you hear us singing Acheinu Kol Beit Yisrael at the Shabbat table with loving fervor?

Acheinu, can you hear us?

 

About the Author
A practicing attorney and businessman in Cleveland, Ohio, Eliav's perspective is shaped as much by his youth on a Moshav farm, as it is by his current professional endeavors.