Like many Israelis, over the past 10 days, numerous friends and relatives from the U.S. have reached out to ask how we are and what we need, to express sympathy and condolences, and to let us know that they are thinking about us. We appreciate it, and it really makes a difference.
The thing is, I live in Modiin, far from the northern and southern battlefront. Only once have I had to run to our reinforced room. Most Israelis, in fact, are in no immediate danger. Of course, life has been disrupted in significant ways. We are doing what we can on the home front: volunteering, donating items that meet our soldiers needs and boost morale, giving blood, and attending to the many who are grieving and wounded. My children have been packing food for soldiers, tying tzitzis, helping families where one of the parents has been called up, volunteering with special-needs kids, and more. I can hardly keep track. I have attended funerals, visited houses of mourning, and driven collected items to army bases. The massive outpouring of chesed in Israeli civil society has been truly inspiring.
So in comparison with my friends and relatives in the U.S., I am in the thick of things, but from my own perspective, I am very distant from the center. And both of these things are true. We can think of the Jewish people right now as a series of concentric circles. At the center are the soldiers risking their lives on the battlefront. Moving outward from the center, the next circle contains all of those who completely suspended their lives to serve in capacities that are not directly on the battlefield. Then comes the circle of immediate families, whose husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters leave home for days and weeks at a time and whose fate is often unknown.
The next circle is the one I find myself in. None of my immediate family is in the military at present, but our friends’ kids, and our kids’ friends, very much are. So many casualties are just one degree of separation. This circle includes most of Israeli society.
The next circle consists of engaged Jews around the world, who are doing what they can to support Israel, sending money and material, constantly inquiring about and praying for our wellbeing, and expressing solidarity with Israel openly and publicly. Finally there is the vast circle of Israel supporters across the globe, including world leaders who have made it clear that they have Israel’s back.
Each circle is crucial. Each circle reinforces and enables the others, and each contributes to the extraordinary effort that we must collectively make. The massive drive to donate things like shampoo, deodorant, and snacks has become something of a joke among IDF soldiers, who have taken to making parody videos. And yet we all know that these donations were our way of showing love and support. From what I understand, that message comes across beautifully.
It has become clear that this war will be a marathon, not a sprint. Just as it is crucial for the army itself to stay sharp and motivated, so it is incumbent upon each circle to support and encourage the circles that are closer to the center, and to maintain communication with the circles that are further out. Each of us has a role to play today. We must continue to stand strong, together.
