Aliyah Committee, Amton Newsletter — December 2001

Consolation & Consideration By Joeseph Romanelli

I’m not sure who’s supposed to be encouraging whom. These are hard times for everyone. My brother in Los Angeles purchased Israeli gas masks for his family, and is concerned about anthrax antidotes. Here, a few weeks ago, a bomb exploded outside our building next to the place our car is usually parked. My wife had left five minutes earlier. No one there or here can be certain that he or she is safe. That’s a fact we in Israel have lived with for years, and which Americans too will now have to accept.

We know we have to continue to lead normal lives, but we do so with a part of us, mostly unconsciously, observing our surroundings and giving us feedback as we go along. “Who’s that getting on the bus now?…What was that noise?…Should I take that road? Is it safe? …Should I take my pistol with me?” These are thoughts that accompany my daily rituals. Now it becomes part of the routine of all Americans and Israelis. Perhaps because of America’s sheer size it still seems an exaggerated statement, but some 5000 Americans were recently killed, partially a result of an exaggerated feeling of security.

In some weird sense, the playing field has been leveled. If terrorism is now world-wide (and it is), then it should no longer be an impediment to aliyah. Jews in America may be statistically safer then in Israel, but as here, you never know when you or someone near to you will be a victim. In the meantime, while this violence is going on, your presence here, as always, makes a statement. Every oleh contributes to the survival and flourishing of Israel. Trite but true; indisputable. And so, worth considering. What do you want your life to mean?

I realize what I write is somewhat of a downer, but I hope it’s realistic. What is happening today does not surprise me, it is a logical result given what the Arab world wishes Israel, American naiveté and hypocrisy, and what we manage to do to ourselves. There is, however, no choice. We have to cope and deal with what we’ve been given. Any help is appreciated, and most of all olim, who come to fully share in our future. You have the choice of whether to commit yourself to Israel physically or support her from a distance. I’d rather see you closer than farther.