A letter of love and support for Israel

My dear friends and family,

There are so many things I could say. After the horrific events of the past few days in Israel, and the terrifying uncertainty of what could happen next, made so much worse by legitimate concerns of the fate of the hostages, I like countless others, have my fears, my opinions, even my theories on what to do moving forward. But to be frank and very honest, my fears, opinions and theories will do nothing to help anyone right now. Since this letter is not just to my friends and family in Israel, but to all of my fellow Jews there as well, I write this not to vent, but as a show of love and support.

I am extremely cognizant of what might be the most important thing for Jews outside of Israel to know right now, and that is that this attack was not just an attack on Israel, it was an attack on every single one of us. So many of us are besides ourselves with feelings of sadness, anger and helplessness. We will look for ways to help, but until then I know many of us will be here to pray for you, speak with you, message you, and look to those who can provide funding to be ready to offer financial support.

As I sit here, I think of those close to me who are frightened for their future, or even more frightened for their children, brothers and sisters and all other friends and family preparing to fight in defense of the Jewish people. The pain I feel for what you must be going through is something I will keep with me until I know all of you are safe and secure. I fight off my tears and the fear I feel because as I sit safe and comfortable in Florida, I feel I need to stay strong for all of you. Even if none of you ever need me or want to reach out to me, I will remain here and ready to do anything within my capabilities to support you. If all I ever do, all you ever need from me is to know that I stand with you, we all stand with you with all our hearts and souls, then at least you know you are not alone.

Furthermore, while there will be questions that need to be answered, this is not the time for Jews outside of Israel to do anything other than offer unwavering support for the government. This is life and death, and any accountability or political issues attached to this need to be shelved until Israel is once again safe and secure.

Finally, I want you to know what I saw the last 2 days as I celebrated Simchat Torah in my synagogue in Florida. As we all found out what was unfolding, the largest percentage of us became increasingly distraught. I came to realize that in some way I owed it to all of you to celebrate the holiday. The young men and women that are about to put themselves in harms way in defense of the Jewish people are doing it so that all of us can live a life as happy, healthy and free people. Remaining distraught was not a victory I was willing to give to Hamas. While my heart was heavy, my mind prevailed, and I found the happiness and joy appropriate on this holiday, because I came to realize how fortunate I am to have been born a Jew. A very proud Jew, not just because our remarkable past, not just because of my attachment to our faith, but maybe most importantly because of all of you, my dear friends and family that live in the place that protects all of us by its existence alone. I love you and continue my prayers for you and for all of us.

Let us know what you need and what we can do to help you. In the meantime know that you are not alone.

Am Yisrael Chai!