01/02/2024
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/come-to-israel-we-need-you/ . You can click above or read the whole text below. Enjoy and share.
๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ผ๐๐-๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐
And now for something differentโฆIn one week we mark 4 months into this unasked-for war. ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ โ๏ธ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฌ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ. ๐ฎ๐ฑ Yes, you are reading correctly. ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ โ๏ธ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฌ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ. ๐ฎ๐ฑ We are your brothers and sisters and this is the hardest time our country has ever known. We are truly grateful for the millions of ๐ต you have sent us, but ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐๐.
While it is hard to explain, life here has moved to what we sadly call, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ.. Each morning, our hearts skip a beat until the announcements of the war casualties at 6 am. If there are none, we breathe easier that day. If itโs a bad day, we go about our lives with a heavy heart ๐ and take comfort knowing that every single one of us is feeling the same way. No explanations needed to anyone, anywhere. We think incessantly about the hostages, feeling the chill in their not-warmly-dressed-enough bones during these freezing and rainy times. And we go through our days a little less carefree knowing that at least 100,000 of our people have no idea when they will again sleep in their own beds. ๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ข๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฎ๐ฌ.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ?
1)Jews all over the world have ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ to the slaughter in the South. 10โs of 1000โs do the March of the Living in Poland every year. Well, sadly, there is no need to wait half a century to commemorate this tragedy.
2)The unprecedented ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ฒ could use your help. Light (or heavy) farming, cooking, packing food parcels, delivering meals, sorting clothes, setting up apartments for evacuees, visiting recovering soldiers, making shiva calls, and literally hundreds of other tasks await you.
3)If you are not inclined to volunteer, then come here and ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ, who has to sleep, eat and be busy, providing much needed income to hotels, restaurants, shops, rental car companies, and tour guides (personal plug for David Ebstein!)
4)We want to ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ about your experiences being our advocates in your countries, and what it feels like to deal with raw anti-Semitism.
๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ? ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ฌโฆ
๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ฌ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ: I am sure the death toll in your home city from crime/car accidents/mass shootings is 100โs of times higher than anything happening here now to people who arenโt soldiers on the Northern or Southern border (even when you factor in the occasional terror incident).
๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ ๐๐จ? Everything is open except for things very close to the Northern or Southern borders. All major tourist attractions are open, and there are no lines. Itโs easy to get reservations at restaurants that normally have long lead times. And everyone will greet you with a welcoming smile (well, almost everyone, these are Israelis after all๐) and a thank you for coming.
๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฒ ๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ: I know people who still talk about how life changing it was for them when they came to Israel to volunteer during the 67โ and 73โ wars. Todayโs volunteers are reporting similar experiences. The time is now.
๐
๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ฏ๐: There are at least 4 major airlines flying now (United, Delta, American and El-Al) with more to come, so the airfares are becoming more competitive.
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐: I can send you links to companies that will happily insure you (just donโt use IMGlobal-but that is another story).
๐๐ก๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฌ: Most hotels do not have evacuees in them. There are plenty of available rooms.
๐ ๐๐จ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐: If you canโt entice anyone you know into joining you, there are literally thousands of people visiting and volunteering all over Israel. You will make friends everywhere you go, and you wanโt be alone for longโฆ
๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ญ๐จ๐จ ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ: There is volunteer work that can be done sitting down.
๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ : there are organized trips going all the time, or you can pay someone to put together a trip for you and your friends.
I hope this has been compelling for you. Here is my final thoughtโฆ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฌ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ - a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a renewal of your wedding vows, a major birthday, a promotion at work, the birth of a grandchild, recovery from an illness etc etc.
Please reach out to me if you have any questions, and PLEASE SHARE THIS everywhere you think it needs to be seen. ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐! ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ!
From the blog of Rena Magun at The Times of Israel
