Aliyah Committee, Amton Newsletter — December 2001

A Message From the Front By Jonathan Berg

Judging by how the Middle East is covered in the international press, I suppose that viewed from the U.S., Israel looks like a war zone--bombs, shootings, mortars, tanks. But the truth is that life goes on--maybe not completely as normal, but pretty close to it.

Shopping malls are still packed on Saturday nights, restaurants and cafes still fill up on the weekends. We still go to concerts and plays. We still have traffic jams at least twice a day on every major artery. And we still have to put up with a variety of labor disputes (at least half a dozen strikes at the moment).

All this despite what has become known as hamatzav "the situation." That's why when you ask us how we are, a common reply these days is, "By me, personally?--Fine."

My point is, don't be scared off by all the horrible news you hear. Of course, every single death is a terrible tragedy, and the daily news can be very depressing and painful. But despite all the dreadful news, Israel has NOT become an especially dangerous place.

Of course, that's not what the terrorists want you to think. They're called "terrorists" because their aim is to instill terror--far beyond what is actually warranted by the direct damage they cause. The success of terrorism lies in its producing a disproportionate amount of fear. But recognizing this is the key to understanding how each and every one of us can personally do something to fight terrorism. For even though there's not much we can do to prevent the terrorist acts themselves, we can nevertheless fight terrorism, each of us personally, simply by not letting the terrorists dupe us into harboring unwarranted fears.

So, don't fall for the mistaken belief that Israel has become a dangerous place! That's exactly what they want you to think. But you can fight terrorism by resisting the false conclusions the terrorists want you to draw.