Time And Place For Everything

There is a time to call attention to the fact that brutal bungling from incompetent ideologues birthed this catastrophe, but that time is not now. There is a time to unbutton the cloak of the “occupation” and pinpoint the missteps of miserable MPs over many decades, but that time is not now. And there is most certainly a time to empower the janitors of the Knesset and give them the cleaning tools necessary to clean house of the leadership responsible for the tragedies over the past few days, but that time is not now.

The unbearable blasphemy of more torrents of Jewish blood make even the strongest, stumble. The thickness of dense debris-filled air makes the iron-lunged ill. The closeness of loss crushes the most stubborn of souls, impairing one’s vision to see nothing but red. This rings true for Israelis and Jews near and far. A feeling so familiar yet so often tucked away.

I was always puzzled by the fact that the only real time all Israelis came together was during times of war. Waiting for collective death and tragedy to trigger camaraderie, compassion, and closeness always left me with a feeling of mystification coupled with nauseating nationalism. A strange feeling it’s always been and continues to be. But how many societies can say that they come together at all. And surely, none do as often as the Israelis.

Now is the time to do what we do best, show up for each other. Supporting our troops, policymakers, friends, and neighbors’ trumps all. I have witnessed folks from all sectors of society do what they can to back our country. We all know, nobody does it like the Israelis. It’s desperately disorganized, stunningly scrappy, and incredibly efficient. Whether it’s civilians driving food supplies down south in caravans of clunkers, or Israelis rejoining their platoons from the plains of Sri Lanka or the posh parties of Santa Monica, the Israelis know, and always will know, how to show up and support their nation, and each other.

Israel is widely imperfect. It is downright divided, dreadfully discriminatory, and has more than a few bad apples baked into its citizenry. But it’s all we have. We will always make the most of what we have. And we will protect it and advocate for it at all costs.

We mourn the losses we’ve endured thus far and may the memories of those fallen be a blessing. Those near and far will continue to show up, show strength, and support the only Jewish homeland at all costs. For this, there is infinite time and place.