"What's Going on Over There?!"

 Since several people have asked for my take on what's going on in Israel now, I'll say what I firmly believe:

We are all one people

We are all one family

We are one tiny nation surrounded by countries that, at best, would shrug and look the other way if we ceased to exist and, at worst, would be dancing in the streets at Israel's destruction

We have been given a GIANT test that has come to a head during the Nine Days leading up to Tisha b'Av, the saddest day of the year, when we mourn the loss of our Holy Temple. Will we rise to the occasion and show absolute, baseless love, the opposite of the baseless hate that caused our downfall in the past?? 

I KNOW that many other people are also thinking this. The Jerusalem Post this morning, as part of their main editorial  (https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-752146) spoke about a protest yesterday that I doubt many of you read about in your local newspaper: Israelis from all across the religious- and political spectrum forming a human chain from the Kotel to the Knesset with the simple message: UNITY.

Want to see some of the best of Israel during these protests? Watch this video (https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvEBWvvgmy8/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==) of protesters on one side of the debate leaving a train station while those on the other side were entering. As one group goes down the escalators and the other goes up, there are handshakes and shouts of "I love you". If you watch this video, you cannot tell which side is which: each side has plenty of people carrying the Israeli flag and people on both sides of the escalator are reaching out to their fellow Israeli on the other side.

In our city, protesters on each side of the debate have met on opposite sides of a large traffic circle, each holding signs and Israel flags. And they end the night by singing Hatikva, Israel's national anthem, together.

Am Yisrael Chai