Bright Spots During Challenging Times
Federation’s Israeli emissary Omer Karavani returns from a trip home with his reflections on the biggest headlines this summer in Israel.
“Lo, the people that rise like a lioness, leaps up like a lion, rests not until it has feasted on prey.” (Numbers 23:24)
Hello everyone! As some of you know, I just returned from a trip home to Israel. I wanted to share with you some of the beautiful experiences I had while I was there. Perhaps it is more accurate to say, the bright spots during challenging times of war.
Benjamin Netanyahu in Congress
I am not going to express my political opinion on Netanyahu or even on the quality of the speech. What I do want to talk about is the U.S. Congress’s reaction to the speech.
Netanyahu was accompanied by several Israelis whom he recognized in his speech. One was former captive, Noa Argamani. After months of hearing how the world is increasingly anti-Israel, to see Noa Argamani receive a standing ovation from members of Congress was truly heartwarming.
It was also very moving to see our Israeli soldiers receiving hugs, approval, and the respect they deserve from people who understand the importance of the State of Israel and the importance of supporting it. This was an amazing day for people in Israel. Watching the tremendous support from the United States for the State of Israel on our screens was an important boost to our morale.
The Olympics
Oren Smadja, coach of the Israeli national judo team and former Olympic medalist, lost his son Omer in the war just four weeks before the Olympic Games. It happened on his 54th birthday. Despite the deep pain, Oren chose to go to the Olympic Games and lead his students, including Peter Paltchik, to win Israel’s first medal in the Paris Olympic Games.
In an interview afterward, Peter said that during the match, he thought about Oren, about Omer, about everything Oren had been through, and realized that he could not give up on this fight. The two embraced in front of the cameras, bringing an entire nation to tears in that moment.
This medal opened a door that no one expected—seven Olympic medals in total for Israel in the Paris Olympic Games. Despite the war, the fighting spirit in sports was not broken; on the contrary, it grew stronger. Five silver medals, one gold medal, and one bronze medal. For comparison, until now, Israel has only won twenty medals in all its Olympic participation since 1952.
Although no medals were won in the first four decades, since the 1990s, Israel has won a medal in every category of the Olympic Games (except for the London 2012 Olympics). That is Israeli pride!
The Attack on Madjal Shams
But, as you know, the war is still going on, and we are currently in its midst. Despite the moments of joy that Israelis experience, no one forgets that we are at war. One of the events that Israelis did not expect was the rocket attack on Madjal Shams.
Madjal Shams is a small town in the north on the Golan Heights inhabited by Druze. The Druze are an Arabic-speaking ethno-religious group in the Middle East who practice a unique ethnic religion that split from Shia Islam-Ismailism in the 11th century.
Many of them serve in the army and consider themselves Israelis in every respect.
Some, however, (especially the Druze on the Golan) identify as Syrians and refuse to accept Israeli identity cards or identify as Israelis. Why? Well, there are two main reasons, but first, we need to understand who the Druze in the north are.
During the Six-Day War in 1967, due to artillery fire from the Syrian side towards Israel, the State of Israel captured the Golan Heights from the Syrians, understanding the need to establish peace in the northern settlements.
So, what are the two reasons? Essentially, it is one reason divided into two parts. What will the Syrians think if they understand that we support the State of Israel? These people fear that Israel will be forced to return this territory to Syria at some point as part of a peace agreement.
The additional problem is that even if that doesn’t happen, people are living in the country whose family members are in Syria, and it’s not clear if the Syrian authorities would be sympathetic toward these families if they knew they had relatives in Israel who support the State of Israel. In short, it is not that the Druze living there do not support Israel or support Syria; the situation is just a bit more complicated.
Returning to Madjal Shams: On July 27, a Hezbollah rocket hit a playground and killed twelve Druze children. The rocket that hit the playground was not an ordinary Hezbollah rocket; it was an Iranian rocket named Falaq-1, carrying 110 pounds of explosive material.
The response from Israeli citizens demanding a strong reaction after the attack came swiftly. The realization that this cannot continue, that a red line had been crossed, and these are our brothers and sisters serving with us in the army, led to great anger and frustration in the streets, but also a sense of unity.
One of the beautiful images taken after the rocket attack was at the playground where the children were killed, showing a Jew and a Christian priest praying for the souls of the twelve victims. Again, a moment of unity in times of war.
Back to Uniform
One day, I was sitting with my father (age 62), and he told me about a new initiative he participates in called “Back to Uniform.”
It is a movement for people who were exempt from the army, mostly due to age (Exemption is given between the ages of 40-50, depending on the role they performed during their regular military service.) The organization is comprised of Israelis over 50 who wish to return to the army, understand the need for manpower, and want to take part in the war effort.
Even with the exemption they received, many still want to return to serve and defend the country. Their call is, “It doesn’t matter what you assign me to do, I’ll do it—driver, supply officer, combatant, base guard.” This is a commendable initiative, which, over a few weeks, has managed to recruit over 1,500 people.
To sum it all up, the situation in the State of Israel is not easy, morale is down, and it is just too much for many people. Having said that, we are resilient and do not forget to cherish the good and see the bright spots in our daily lives. That is one more reason that the support of the American-Jewish community for Israel means so much to us in these difficult times. May all of us know easier and more peaceful days.
Happy to come back for your service, your Israeli emissary.
Omer Karavani
Israeli Emissary
Jewish Federation of St. Joseph Valley
574-233-1164 x1819
Israel@TheJewishFed.org