Israeli News Update

While today was a normal day for most, it was a truly sad day for Israel. Though there have been atrocities over the last few years, including rockets being shot into S'derot, the shooting in the Old City seminary last year, and last week's bulldozer pigua (attack), Israel has been in a relative state of peace and stability since the end of the Second Lebanon War with Hezbollah in the summer of 2006. The war began when Hezbollah attacked Israeli soldiers in border towns, leading to the deaths of three soldiers and the capture of two others- Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. This week, after waiting two years, Israel and Lebanon brokered a prisoner exchange- Lebanon would return Ehud and Eldad in exchange for, among others, Israel's most notorious prisoner, Samir Kuntar, who in 1979 killed an Israeli man in front of his four year old daughter, and then killed the girl by crushing her skull. Though the majority of Israelis believed that there was no way that Eldad and Ehud could still be alive, some still hoped. Today, after two years and four days, that hope was crushed, when Israel exchanged Kuntar and four Hezbollah militants in exchange for the bodies of Ehud and Eldad.

Prime Minister Olmert echoed the words of many HUC professors who spoke about the event today, saying that "the sheer power of Israel's moral obligation to its soldiers prompted the exchange, even such at a heavy price" (Ha'aretz News, full story here). Olmert stated that "a foreigner wouldn't understand what every Israeli knows well - the mutual responsibility and the obligation to ensure the welfare of each and every one of our soldiers, is the glue that holds our society together and enables us to survive while surrounded by enemies and terror organizations."

I hope that my sharing this news doesn't upset anyone, or make anyone feel that I am unsafe or in an unstable country or situation. The fact of the matter is that Israel is an incredibly safe country. The danger that many of you remember from four years ago during the second intifada has almost completely diminished. I want to assure everyone that I not only feel safe all the time, but that Hebrew Union College has set up all kinds of systems to keep everybody safe and to make sure that we are taken care of at all times.

I also want to stress something really amazing about Israeli society. I know that I have been making fun of Israel and Israelis (and believe me, I'll continue to do so), but this is something that I really admire about Israelis. The people of Israel have a unique ability to simply LIVE their lives. They are certainly affected by events like terrorist attacks and the situation today, but unlike Americans and so many other people, they refuse to be afraid or to stop their everyday lives in fear of what may happen in the future. Even though Israel was faced with a terrible loss today and will never forget it, Israelis will wake up tomorrow, go to work and school, meet friends and family, smile, and keep on living. Just something to think about!

I hope that you'll accept this serious post for today- I promise to let you in on the last few days SOON! Hopefully, our router will finally arrive tomorrow and I will have my own internet, Vonage, etc, and will be better equipped to stay in touch with everyone. Goodnight!