Wailing

Photo by Alice Castro.

I woke up at 3 am because the gentle rain of the night was no longer gentle. The winds were whipping the rain into the window as they wailed through the trees whose leaves had yet to drop.

Wailing. That’s what woke me up.

And that’s when I realized that Mother Nature had picked up the wail of our planet and was joining in with our sorrow.

Wailing is the result of pure evil visited on innocents whose only sin was being born Jewish.

Wailing is the sound of sirens announcing another round of incoming bombs that intend to inflict further damage and death.

We stand witness to the wailing of mothers, fathers, children with the pain of loss and destruction and fear.

I am not a Middle East expert, but I am a Jew. I have been to Israel only three times in my life, and each time I fell in love again with that young nation that emerged from British rule following the Second World War.

Israel has always been a land of diversity – among its citizens are Jews, Arabs, Christians, Druids, and others – all of whom consider themselves Israelis. Its people, its culture, its science that has improved lives, and its overall zest for life.

Israel has always been a nation at risk which makes that zest for life particularly poignant. When terrorist leaders in the lands surrounding you have the stated mission of eliminating the Jews “from the river to the sea”, or erasing them from Israel, it’s a struggle to even start a conversation, isn’t it?

I’m not going to even pretend I have any ideas or suggestions or even thoughts for where this “war” could or should go from here.

All I do know is that the wailing will continue. As will the death, destruction, and fear that feels to be overwhelming us all right now.

May we pursue shalom or peace - Shabbat shalom.