An Open Letter to my Sisters and Brothers in Israel:

Dear Family,

It’s hard to know the right words to say when people you love are in pain and there is so little that can be done to alleviate it. In crises, there are so many wrong things to say and so few right ones, that people often naturally shy away or awkwardly say nothing, for fear of making it worse. But saying nothing, not showing up can be another kind of exacerbation, and so I want to try, with apprehension, to cobble together some inadequate words, as an alternative to silence.

Of course, I can’t speak for everyone, but I know that I’m not the only Jew in the Diaspora who feels this way, and so I’m reaching out, on behalf of myself and anyone else who aligns with these thoughts.

I’m so sorry. I’m sorry that you and your children have had to endure this ongoing trauma- particularly from 10/07 and everything since then. We can’t know how it feels to live through it there, but I want you to know that we feel reverberations here, constantly and acutely. So many of us have been crying, praying, longing, trying, in whatever meager ways possible to do something- anything to move the needles for the hostages, to support the IDF, to help those affected by the war. We’ve been glued to news outlets, writing to our government representatives, sharing hasbara on social media, showing up to advocacy and solidarity events, donating to causes in Israel that have been set up to assist, displaying our flags and tags and yellow ribbons, touching base with our friends and family ba’aretz, gathering in prayer, and yet it just never feels like enough, because it isn’t. For a while, we were saying “until the last hostage comes home” but it’s so much more than that.

It feels so wrong that you and your babies need to stop your lives and constantly run for cover. It feels so wrong that your 18 year old babies have to learn to defend our land, often at great risk, and that they need to deal with that intensity and loss at such a young age. It feels so wrong and frustrating that there doesn’t seem to be more we can do to help, to support you, to fix this mess.  

Many of us feel guilt too- a heavy-hearted discomfort going about our usual routines knowing what our holy family in Israel is enduring. We also know how resilient, competent, smart, and courageous you are as a people, although we wish you didn’t need to be in this way.

We feel so deeply for you in general, and we hope you feel it across the oceans- love, concern, worry, fear, gratitude, admiration, and more love. I guess that’s really the point of all this. Just to say we love you, and really really want things to get better- for you, for Jews all over the world, for good, moral, kind, truthful humans everywhere.

And thank you. Thank you for protecting the free world from the ultimate evil threat that most people don’t even realize exists, and hopefully will never find out, because you will prevail. Thank you for representing Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael, always and especially now.

May G-d protect, reward, and bless you infinitely, and may we see complete redemption, healing, and world peace, speedily, in your merit, in our days.

Love,

A Jewish sister in exile