Readers Write: If you want to do something more, do it in Israel

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Readers Write: If you want to do something more, do it in Israel

Somewhere in the Gaza strip an IDF infantry soldier (or a tank crew on the Lebanese border) is taking a break with a plastic bag of snacks and candy or is pausing to take solace in the familiar comfort of Shabbat with a bottle of grape juice and a couple of challah rolls, assembled and packed by a veritable army of foreign volunteers working at tables in a nondescript warehouse on a military base in southern Israel far removed from the fighting or any danger whatsoever.

We are Jews (and a fair number of non-Jews as well) from America, Canada, England, France, Germany and elsewhere who have come to Israel for the mitzvah of doing something physical and tangible to support the Jewish state in its fight to survive amongst the nations of the world.

Volunteers at other bases are packing medical supplies and doing similar tasks essential to the overall functioning of a military force.

Most of us doing this almost comically unheroic work have already done all we could at home. It is a blessing and a credit to Klal Yisrael that there are so many opportunities that exist in our communities to support the state of Israel and the Jews living there.

We have attended rallies and written letters and given money and said prayers. Some of us are in positions in our day-to-day professional lives to support Israel, the war effort or the Jewish people generally. (I have the privilege of having a leadership role in a prominent Jewish civil rights organization defending Jews against antisemitism on college campuses and in workplaces).

Each of us wants to do something, and there is an almost spiritual quality to doing something mundane for those who are doing something hard; the hardest thing that can be done — risking their lives, their bodies, and their sanity to protect their families, their fellow citizens, and, without question, world Jewry itself. We already see how the October 7 pogrom in Israel has encouraged antisemitism to burst forth around the world. Imagine the orgy of hate and violence against Jews everywhere if Hamas and its cheerleaders actually succeed in defeating Israel?

What stands between us and that awful fate is primarily young men and women in their late teens and early twenties marching and driving into harm’s way in Gaza and on Israel’s border with Lebanon. To be connected to them in even the smallest way by offering them something assembled with your own hands that boosts their moral and strengthens their sense of unity and purpose is a privilege. It’s worth the effort of coming to haaretz, even if the work product itself seems trivial.

It’s also worth the effort to work alongside those Israeli service members who are in supporting roles themselves, which truth be told is most of the IDF (as it is in every military). The soldiers actively on the front lines represent a much smaller “tip of the spear” of the entire mobilized military than those who’ve never served in a military might think, but every role and function is essential to the success of the overall objective. The support soldiers – from the warehouses to the mess halls to the maintenance shops – like their front-line counterparts also need to know that their fellow Jews are with them and are grateful for their service. What better way to show you’re on their side than by spending some time literally by their side? The volunteers are in no way part of the IDF, but their efforts support the IDF and Jewish freedom.

During our own long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq the conflicts were never omnipresent except in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and in the early months of each war’s commencement; indeed, as the wars dragged on it often seemed as if the American people had moved on. The stories went from the front page to hardly being reported on at all. The lack of constant awareness of the sacrifices our service members were making overseas bothered me greatly, particularly as a former service member myself (during peacetime). The wars were a distant thing, unless you or a family member was serving. Certainly at home there were no rocket attacks to seek cover from; no fighter jets and helicopters scurrying overhead; no convoys of military vehicles heading to the front. Our recent wars were—distant. It’s different here in Israel, and it’s inspiring to see how resolute and determined Israelis are in the face of such evil in their daily lives.

I’ve been to Israel as a student and summer kibbutznik, scrounging together enough pocket money to keep me in shawarma and falafel; as a parent to shep nachas at my children’s bar and bat mitzvot at the Kotel; and as part of a delegation of elected officials who got to meet with the prime minister (this Jewish kid from Flushing is still pinching himself over that one). Each visit was special. But helping Tzahal in even this most modest and risk-free way was a duty I didn’t want to duck. I encourage everyone at home to make the trek if they can. Israel would be happy to have you.

Rory Lancman

Great Neck

Rory Lancman in a former New York State assemblyman and New York City Councilman currently serving as director of Corporate Initiatives and senior counsel at the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law.

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