The Best Revenge

Children of Israel are Never Alone

Hey, beloved tribe.

So I was walking during the golden hour this evening — my favorite time to walk outside — and I called my mom, and she asked, “Where’s your column today?”

I said, “I don’t post again until Monday — tomorrow.”

And she said: “Today is Monday!”

Now I was well aware that it was Memorial Day, so I can’t explain, even to myself, why I was shocked to realize that yes, of course, it is Monday — except that my husband was home from work, my kids were home from school, and it felt for all the world like a Sunday instead.

So I apologize for the late hour. And I know I promised you several more great folks to follow today. I might need to write about them on Wednesday, though, because so much happened over the weekend and letting it all go unremarked wouldn’t feel right.

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First, I need to acknowledge the tragic and lethal fire in Rafah and the different versions of attribution I’ve seen.

I’ve seen it asserted that an IDF airstrike caused the fire when the shrapnel from a precise munition strike hit a nearby fuel tank and ignited an adjacent tent camp.

I’ve also seen footage posted by Open Source Intel in which Gazans are discussing the fact that the fire was caused by a strike on a Hamas Jeep filled with weapons and ammo.

Regardless of how it started, I don’t believe the IDF attacked the tent camp directly or deliberately, and the idea of so many deaths (45 was the last count I read) by fire is beyond heart-mangling. We can’t ever let ourselves become desensitized to the horror of this war, or any war.

And yet it still enrages me that the world is screaming only at Israel to take more steps to protect civilians while it seems to occur to absolutely no one that there is an entire $2.6 billion underground bunker city in Gaza where civilians could take shelter, but Hamas won’t let them. None of this carnage is ever the fault of Gazan leaders; it’s entirely Israel’s responsibility to safeguard the citizens of a territory waging an existential war against her.

But it’s excruciating from any angle. Like any sane person, I desperately wish there was a tenable way for it to stop. I pray the IDF can destroy the few remaining battalions of Hamas swiftly and end this war on their own terms somehow.

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Second, I wanted to mention something affecting that happened last night.

Both my kids had a very busy and social holiday weekend, but last night, my daughter had a rare little window of downtime and we were doing artwork together. When she invites me to an art date, I drop everything and accept, because the chance is rare and she’ll be away in college sooner than I like to let myself think about.

This is her collage. It has nothing to do with Jewish advocacy, but isn’t it just so beautiful?

Anyway, we were at the dining room table, collaging and having tea, when the doorbell rang. We were surprised as we weren’t expecting anyone and it was on the late side, around 9 at night.

Our Israeli friend Eran was on our porch, holding a gift bag. He and his wife — my friend Shanna — were back from Israel after spending several weeks there. Knowing I’m a little bit obsessed with tea, he had brought me several different Israeli varieties, all of which I broke into immediately. Each is made with herbs that are emblematic of Israel. And all of them are just lovely.

Anyway, when I asked how Israel had been, he said: “Oh…” and made a gesture that I understood to mean it was way too involved an answer to deliver while standing on a porch. I said, “Would you like to come in?”

So he motioned his wife from where she was waiting in the car and we brewed the tea and they told me about their time in our homeland.

I won’t get into the weeds of all we talked about, but there was one exchange I do want to share. Eran told me that many Israelis believe that the I/P conflict is simply not solvable. That it will never be solved, because it can’t be solved. That it’s destined to remain in a tortured stalemate in perpetuity.

I don’t actually believe this is true but it’s not as if I haven’t entertained the thought, and it’s not as if I don’t go there on the darkest days. When one side of an intransigent conflict wants nothing in the world but the other side’s utter destruction and death, and no compromise will ever be acceptable, and they’re willing to sacrifice not only their own lives but their children’s and their children’s children’s forever and ever — and the other side refuses to leave or to commit mass suicide, which thankfully the Jews in Israel are not willing to do — then it would be seem that the conflict is not solvable.

And yet, even if that proves to be the case, I would still not consider the situation a stalemate.

Yes, it’s possible that things will remain like this much farther into the future than we will be alive. But if that’s true, then Israel has still won. Because Israel is thriving. It’s an absolutely miraculous nation at the intellectual, entrepreneurial, technological, medical, scientific, and cultural forefront of the world. It’s diverse and it’s democratic. Its women are free and empowered. Countless titans of industry have their headquarters in the country. Its ingenuity is doing undreamed-of good all over the globe. It’s the vegan capital of the planet. Tel Aviv is the gayest city in the world. I could go on and on; I could type all night, and I wouldn’t be done listing everything about the Jewish nation that leaves me bursting with pride.

While Palestine is wretched. Hamas has made the lives of Gazans hell on earth. Every single dollar that’s gone into rockets and bombs and drones and terror tunnels is a dollar withheld from civic infrastructure, healthcare, education, social services, and economic development.

So who is the standoff hurting infinitely more?

Spoiler: not us.

Yes, terror attacks will continue to happen in Israel. But in today’s world, terror attacks happen everywhere. Here in America, we can’t stop even kids from shooting up our schools again and again and again. No place is immune: not a marathon, nor a movie theater, nor a nightclub, a concert in an arena, a music festival, a church, a synagogue, or even a McDonald’s or a Walmart.

And here’s the most essential aspect of this contrast, and the best revenge against Hamas: against all odds, and as improbable as it might sound, Israel is happy.

In a Gallup poll investigating global happiness levels, Israel ranked 5th in the world, 18 slots above the United States.

So if this goes on indefinitely, we have every reason to believe that Palestine will simply go on being wretched, and Israel will go on being happy, until the former has tired of self-immolation and foreclosing their own children’s futures.

Finally, if our siblings can maintain their moral and emotional courage in that neighborhood, surely we can too.

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Last but not least: I know I’m late in setting a date for our inaugural book club meeting where we will talk about Morning After The Revolution. Let’s tentatively try for Thursday, June 20th. One challenge is finding a time of day that’s good for everyone since we’re all in different zones. I’m thinking maybe 5:30 pm Pacific time, which would make it 8:30 pm on the east coast. Would this work for people? I’ll likely put out another poll soon to find out what’s most ideal for the most members. But I’m really excited, and between now and then, I’m going to do my best to see if Nellie might join us for all or part of it.

Okay, fam. I’ll be back with you on Wednesday. I love you all.

Am Yisrael Chai.