BAMIDBAR 5781

Nicky Blackburn, editor of ISRAEL21c—a wonderful app about Israeli innovation with a weekly email update—sent this email yesterday:

Dear Reader,

          In these last few difficult days in Israel, there is a moment that I cannot shake. I’m sitting on the sofa talking to my husband who is abroad on a work trip, and suddenly, unexpectedly, the siren goes off. It’s nearly 9pm, and the only sound we can hear is that awful rising and falling wail.

         My middle son and I start to run for the shelter, and as we go by the window, we see not one, not 2, but 5, 6, 7 missiles heading in our direction. Only seconds to get to a bomb shelter. Bright lights streaking through the sky from the south. One goes “boom” as the Iron Dome hits it.

         “Damn,” says my son.

         “Quick,” I say.

         We run to the shelter and I start fumbling with my phone trying to catch my youngest son, who is 15 and out somewhere in the village with his friends. There’s no answer.

         There’s a boom, another boom, more booms.

         After 10 to 15 minutes, the explosions stop, and we go back out and I finally get hold of my youngest. “It’s okay,” he says. “I was at a friend’s shelter. I’m walking home.”

         Meanwhile my middle boy is at the window. “Run!” he says. “There’s more.” And I see more and more of those bright lights coming—one really low down seemingly on a trajectory directly towards our village.

         “Go to a shelter,” I yell at my son on the phone.

         “But, mum,” he says, about to give me teenage attitude.

          “Go to a shelter NOW!” I shout.

         I hear a grumble, and he puts the phone down. Now we’re back in the shelter, and there are more explosions. So many explosions. And they go on for quite some time.

         And even after we think it’s all over, and I go to pick up my youngest from a different friend, where he has been staying during the second attack, we see another missile directly overhead, a long bright arc in the sky, then “boom” as the Iron Dome hits it.

         I can’t adequately describe what it’s like in Israel now. This conflict has erupted so suddenly, and so devastatingly. The mood is grim. Everyone is frightened. We have no idea where this is going, but it really doesn’t look good.

          …But the second element, the one that worries so many of us, is how this round of violence has spread to the Israeli-Arab population. There is rioting all over the country. Cities like Haifa, Acre (Akko), and Lod that were famous for their peaceful coexistence are now in flames.

My friendsall week we watched in horror as more than 2,000 rockets were fired from Gaza to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ashdod, Ashkelon and throughout Israel. As I speak, Air-raid sirens may be blaring throughout Israel. I have received several similar emails from friends and colleagues in Israel. As I wrote this, 9 Israelis had been killed. Violent Arab rioters are torching Israeli cities and violently attacking Jews. Arabs roam the streets looking for Jews to kill. Synagogues are torched. It feel like another Kristallnacht! Israelis are living in terror and fear.

Yesterday was a significant date. Just before Shabbos on Friday May 14, 1948 the State of Israel was proclaimed by Ben Gurion and, 11 minutes later, formally recognized by President Harry Truman. Who could have imagined that 73 years later Israel would still be fighting for its existence?

Today we begin the 4^th book of the Torah—Bamidbar. It’s also called Sefer Hapikudim or “Book of Numbers,” because several times it takes a census to organize the Jewish people. After counting the men of military age, Moses organized the camp into a military formation that would get them and their families safely to the Promised Land. This week, Israel has again organized its military to effectively respond to this vicious attack and to bring safety to its citizens. Yesterday, Israel pulled off what has to be considered one of the most amazing military maneuvers of all time and did so without losing a single soldier, by completely fooling media outlets like the Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, ABC, etc.

According to the Jerusalem Post: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that the campaign against Hamas was far from over and that more Israeli action was coming. At midnight, the Israel Defense Forces tweeted: “IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip.” The foreign media jumped at the tweet, interpreting it to mean that Israel was sending ground forces into Gaza, a major escalation in the current operation and a sign that it was far from over.

Websites of media outlets around the world reported the incursion. “Israeli troops have entered the Gaza Strip as conflict with Palestinians escalates, Israeli military says,” was the tweet put out by the Washington Post.

The problem was, there was no ground invasion. Yes, the IDF had deployed troops along the border but they did not cross into Gaza. What did happen was in the air where 160 aircraft had assembled for a massive bombing run over the Gaza Strip. Their target was what the IDF called Hamas’s “Metro”, an underground network of tunnels—literally an underground city of sorts where Hamas stored its weapons and enables Hamas to move from place to place without being detected by Israeli aircraft.

According to reports, due to the Israeli troops deployment along the border and the news coming out in the foreign media of a ground incursion, Hamas and Islamic Jihad sent their first-line of defense into the tunnels to start taking up defensive positions. These were the anti-tank missile teams and mortar squads meant to strike at incoming Israeli ground forces. What they did not know was that there was no ground offensive. Instead, once they came out of the tunnels to deploy, they were exposed to Israeli aircraft and mowed down!

It’s stunning, that with more than 2,000 missiles fired at Israeli cities, there should be a question whether Israel has a right to defend itself. On the contrary, it has an obligation to defend itself! We should be grateful for the many voices of support in America from President Joe Biden and both Republicans and Democrats. However, ever growing “Squad,” made up of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, are leading a charge on behalf of Hamas against the Jewish state.

Ilhan Omar said this: “Israeli airstrikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism.” Ilhan, is shooting 2,000 missiles towards cities, hospitals and schools not an act of terrorism? She continues: “Palestinians deserve protection. Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don’t exist to protect Palestinian civilians. It’s unconscionable to not condemn these attacks.” Ilhan, Palestinians would never need an Iron Dome if they didn’t fire missiles.

Rashida Tlaib said: “American taxpayer money is being used to commit human rights violations. Congress must condition the aid we send to Israel and end it altogether if those conditions are not followed.” Rashida, is shooting 2,000 missiles at civilians not a human right violation.

AOC joined her fellow “squad” members to blast Israel for “inciting violence.”       Tell me AOC, just what did Israel do to incite the shooting of 2,000 missiles? I paraphrase Golda Meir: “If Hamas puts down their weapons, there will be no more war. If Israel puts down its weapons, there will be no more Israel!”

My friends, we are all anxious and upset. What can we do? In this book of Bamidbar we began today, a counting of the Jews happens again and again. Israel now needs to count on us—for us to stand up and make our voices heard! AIPAC has asked us to reach out to our elected officials asking them to stand with Israel and to condemn the rocket attacks on civilians. AIPAC has arranged a simple form. Tonight I’ll send out the link to you. This will literally take just a minute.

And let us pray together: Oseh Shalom bimromav, Hu yaaseh shalom aleynu v’al kol Yisrael (He Who makes peace in the Heavens, may He make peace upon us and all Israel) Amen!

Urge your members of Congress to stand with Israel and condemn Hamas rocket attacks. Here's the AIPAC link to easily accomplish that in only a minute: https://p2a.co/u9jbbtK.