Time for Honesty

Tough Questions for my Jewish Brothers and Sisters Abroad. In Memory of Elisha Loewenstern, HY"D

Time to be brutally honest. The Jewish people are going through the most heartrending, horrific time in modern history. We were attacked unimaginably, followed by millions across the world cheering on our attackers before we had time to catch our breath and bury our dead. At the same time, we are privileged to be part of a Jewish awakening the likes of which we’ve never seen.

The Jewish nation has been inextricably linked to the Land of Israel for thousands of years. Our ancestors prayed the same words every day that Jews all over the world say today, and that prayer is filled with yearning to return to Israel and live as Jews where our forefathers walked and breathed. As a teenager, when I visited Israel for the first time, I felt the strongest pull I’ve ever felt in my life. Everything I learned, everything I prayed for came to life when I stepped off the plane at Ben Gurion Airport and felt the ground, the air, and looked at the cloudless and stunning blue sky. During that short two-week trip, I drank in every moment of being in Israel and even tried to convince my parents to lose my passport and let me stay (I was 14. They said no.)

From the moment I returned to the US after that trip, my heart had a huge, Israel-shaped hole in it. I prayed as I’d never prayed in my life that I would merit to return to Israel as soon as possible and join my nation in our incredible Land. During the three long remaining years of my childhood in the US, not a day went by when I didn’t think about, talk about, and learn about Israel. I have a slightly obsessive personality, as long-time readers may have noticed, and my full attention was turned towards Israel.

I could not understand the mindset of Jews in the US who had no intention of moving to Israel. It simply didn’t make sense to me. G-d had performed an open miracle in 1948, when He softened the hearts of the members of the UN who voted for the Jews to be given the right to officially govern our own Land, a Land that had never been devoid of Jews no matter who was in charge in previous eras. To me, it seemed like a slap in the face of G-d to reject this incredible gift and say “no thanks, I’d rather stay abroad”.

With endless thanks to G-d and my parents, we all made Aliyah (moved to Israel) once I finished high school. I woke up every day to a stunning view of Jerusalem that first year, and it was an actual dream that had come true.

Since that time over 20 years ago, I’ve been blessed to continue to fulfill my dream of finding my soul partner at a young age, marrying, and raising a family in this gorgeous land. As the years went by, my burning love for Israel, my fellow Jews, and our nation only grew. The Jewish people took a barren dessert and turned it into a metropolis on ancient lands, and it has never ceased to amaze me.

Israeli Jews are a fiery melting pot full of people who streamed towards our homeland from all corners of the Earth to join the Jews that have lived here for centuries, sometimes under horrific conditions. Israelis are a tough, innovative, and scrappy people who will tell you exactly what they think, and then give you the shirt off their back if you need it. After we were brutally attacked on Oct 7, Israelis abroad once again streamed TOWARDS their home that had become a war zone, and rushed to do anything they could to defend their homeland and their nation.

Jews living abroad have been incredible as well, donating funds and goods to the tune of one BILLION dollars to their brothers and sisters in Israel, in a huge hug that we all feel daily. However, I have painful questions for our nation abroad. We are without a doubt, the luckiest generation of Jews that have ever lived on this planet. We have a gift that is so precious, and until recently, many of us didn’t realize how precarious it is. We only have one life to live, a short time on this Earth. Are you really willing to turn down the gift? Are you really willing to continue your lives in a land that we don’t truly belong in? I don’t mean that Jews can’t live full and meaningful Torah lives in other countries. Clearly, they can, and the Jews have built incredible pillars of Judaism in countries across the world. But it’s not where we belong. It’s not ours. You don’t walk outside every day and live in the land you teach your children about, and see other Jews of all stripes walking beside you. Our gracious hosts in other countries will only do so much to counter the rising avalanche of ancient baseless hatred towards the Jews.

Are you almost ready to come home? Are you ready to join your brothers and sisters in the most meaningful fight for our lives and our nation we’ve ever engaged in? Are you ready to wake up every day and be infused with a clear sense of purpose? Are you ready to understand that we are a link in a chain of special people who would have given their right arm and leg for the opportunity to be a 12-hour plane ride away from becoming a full member of the Jewish State?

I’m not minimizing the difficulties. I understand that most of you have deep roots in your host countries. I understand that my sentiments are not shared by all of you. You have jobs, schools, shuls, strong institutions, and strong communities. You’ve done an incredible job of creating havens of Jewish life abroad. Yet at the same time, there has never been an era in history when it’s been logistically easier to make Aliyah. Yes, there will be painful adjustments. There might be a culture shock.

Honestly, as the years went by and life settled into a routine, my deep love for this land has only grown, yet my fire for explaining why Aliyah is so important diminished. I didn’t need to endlessly explain to people any longer why I was so desperate to move to Israel because it already happened. I accepted that it’s not for everyone and that Jews abroad were living beautiful lives.

Oct 7 changed that. Oct 7 changed everything. Witnessing the burning passion that has awoken across this country has reminded me that it’s our duty to share that passion. It’s our mission to remind ourselves and each other that this gem we were given is NEVER to be taken for granted. You don’t have to take this gem, this gift, this incredible opportunity that exists in 2024. You can continue to fulfill your personal missions abroad and connect with Israel in your own way. But I hope you don’t reach a point in your life where it’s too late, you have generations of children deeply entrenched in life abroad, and you regret not having taken that transformative leap.

Rabbi Elisha Loewenstern HY”D

In the spirit of sharing the passion, it’s time for me to tell you about Elisha Loewenstern. Elisha was a childhood friend. His family moved to Israel 10 years before mine, and their choice of neighborhood was a huge factor in my family's decision to purchase a house and move nearby. Elisha was a quiet and righteous man, with a sharp sense of humor who had a burning love for Torah and Eretz Yisrael from a young age. Elisha was a family man, who married an incredible woman named Hadas when they were in their 20s. They went on to have six children and raise them in a life filled with Torah and love. Elisha was in a tanks unit in the IDF. When the war broke out he was officially exempt from service due to the number of kids he had, yet in a unified decision, Elisha and Hadas understood that the situation Israel found itself in was bigger than any one individual, and his place and mission was with his unit, on the frontlines, fighting like hell to defend his homeland.

On the 7th day of Chanuka, Elisha’s tank was hit by an anti-tank missile and Elisha was instantly killed. At his funeral the next day, I watched Hadas walk through the crowd with her children, pushing their 10-month-old baby in the stroller when she stopped and shouted towards the crowd “אתם זכיתם להיות בלוויה של גיבור ישראל!” -"You are all privileged to be at the funeral of a Hero of Israel!”

Since that moment, Hadas has gone on to become an unbelievable source of inspiration and faith to the Jewish people everywhere. Her strength and clear purpose shine through in her words and deeds. I can’t possibly describe what Hadas embodies, so I’m going to request that you take a few moments and watch her in her own words:

If you’re so inclined to help Hadas secure a financial future for her children, you can contribute here.

In Elisha’s memory, may we all merit to live meaningful and strong Jewish lives, hopefully alongside us in the beautiful, Jewish, Land of Israel.