OTHLII, VIEWS

A Tip Of The Hat To Our Defenders

Milwaukee
Until I moved to Israel, I had the
ast summer, one of my
typical American Jewish experience
favorite possessions, a cap
of not knowing anyone in active
from the USS Belknap, the
service. But that changed overnight
command ship of the Sixth
in Israel, where almost everyone is,
Fleet, flew off my head during a twi-
lives with or knows a soldier.
light boat ride on a lake in Maine.
There's Omer, the son of my
Shrieking, I had my sister-
neighbor, grinning rakishly
in-law turn the speedboat
as he walks down the path
around, and we searched
to his home for a Shabbat
until we found the black
furlough, paratrooper's
hat bobbing in the darken-
beret slapped on his head
ing water.
for ima's (mother's) benefit
Until now, my hat was
as he nears the door.
just a cool thing to own.
It seems only yesterday
Given to me in Israel by an
that a 12-year-old Omer
officer of the ship whom
stood on my doorstep,
my family hosted as part of
VIVIAN M.
shyly asking if I would
a reciprocal visitation pro-
ROTHS CHILD please speak only English to
gram, it was the envy of
Spe cial
him so that he could get a
many of my kibbutz friends
better grade in school. I can
Comm entary
— as cool an object to
still hear him throwing the
them as to me.
best of American slang my way while
That hat has taken on a new mean-
promising to drop by before he
ing in the last few weeks since
returns to his base.
America's war against terror began. I
There's Joe, the American immi-
look at my hat in a new way, think-
grant and father of three, equally shy,
ing about the servicemen and women
who startled me one day during a
aboard that ship and others as I do
run in the fields, determined to tell
so. I don't know anything about
me the location of leaky sprinkler
them or their families, and that's a
valves that runners could drink from
strange feeling.
or cool off in. Joe left for reserve
duty shortly after the birth of his
Vivian M. Rothschild is executive editor
third child and never returned. May
of the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle. Her e-
he rest in peace.
mail address is MilwaukeeJ@aol.com
There's Geula, of blessed memory,

L

the concentration camp survivor,
who lost two sons to Israel's wars. A
hard-working pioneer, she rarely
spoke of her loss.

Question of Protection

In Israel, I knew the people who pro-
tected me and my family. I knew
their lives and hopes, motivations and
fears. I knew the hardships their fami-
lies suffered during their absences.
Like all Israelis, I worried about
their comings and goings, and every
fatality was a fatality that hit home.
Here I don't know the people who
protect me. I wish I did. They seem
the antithesis of every negative
stereotype attributed to the genera-
tions following Tom Brokaw's "the
Greatest": the boomers, Generation
X, Generation J (the Jewish equiva-
lent of X) and the new young and
wired Generation Y (the children of
boomers).
As a citizen of a country unthreat-
ened on its own soil for most of my
lifetime, I'd like to hear why those
who serve the U.S. choose to do so,
or stay in a voluntary army long after
the years they've signed up for are
over. I think I know what they'll say
(it's definitely not the pay), but I
know it'll do me good to hear them
say it anyway.
I also know American servicemen

and women have spouses, parents,
sons and daughters, siblings and
friends. I wish I knew these people
too, so that I could try to help ease
the pain of absence, as everyone does
in Israel.
.
I'm grateful to our American ser-
vicemen and women. I felt the same
way about them in Is-rael during the
Gulf War, when they entered Iraq. For
now, I express that gratitude mainly
through thought and prayer. I pray for
their safety and their courage. I pray
they will all return home.
Surprisingly, I also found myself writ-
ing letters with my children to an
address we saw on television for letters to
"Any Service Member." [The national
letter-writing practice was suspended fOl-
lowing the anthrax incidents.] We gener-
ally don't respond to requests from or
polls conducted on television. Who has
the time?
But, we made time. Because even if
we don't know those who are protecting
us, we believe it's important they know
how much their service means to us and
that we do not take them for granted.
I doubt I'll ever put my black cap
on again without thinking twice
about the person who gave it to me,
the family he left behind in
Baltimore and the many others like
him who risk their lives for ours.
May they go from strength to
strength.

❑

Jewish Solidarity As A Travel Destination

I

mitment. Each of us has
began writing this
experienced both personal
note sitting in the last
and community tragedy
session of the board of
beyond anything we could
governors meeting at
have imagined possible.
the Jewish Agency for Israel
I was not privileged to be
last week in Jerusalem.
among
the 81 Detroiters
One year ago, the Jewish
who
traveled
to Israel on
News printed a column in
the
solidarity
mission dur-
which I urged the Jews of
ing
the
fateful
week of
Detroit to travel to Israel at
DR. CO NRAD
Sept.
9.
Those
who did,
a time when it was so need-
L. G ILES
however,
experienced
a
ed. I would have prayed
Comm unity
sense
of
worldwide
Jewish
then that one year later, I
Vi ews
community, where they
could report to you that all
received
the
sympathy and support
had changed for the better.
of
Israeli
Jews
at their time of their
The last six weeks have only deep-
need.
ened our need to continue our com-
Unfortunately, while the difficulties
Dr. Conrad L. Giles of Bloomfield Hilts subsequent to the Sept. 11 disaster,
is vice-chairman of the executive committee and the continuing bio-terrorism,
of United Jewish Communities, the New remain central to our thoughts and
York City-based umbrella for North
actions, we must understand that we
American federations.
have, as a Jewish people, other impor-

11/2
2001

32

tant obligations.
The intifada (Palestinian uprising)
continues. Unfortunately, Israel can-
not mark its major terror attacks with
a single date; and yet, we must not be
controlled and cowed by fear. To do
so permits the forces of terror to be
able to declare victory.

Good Time To Go

Now, more than ever, Israel needs us.
Hotels remain largely empty; shops
and restaurants are struggling; yet,
the indomitable Israeli spirit burns
strongly within the Jewish people
living there.
In part, we can meet our obliga-
tions by giving to Federation's
Annual Campaign. The dollars for
social services, aliyah and relief both
in Israel and the worldwide Jewish
communities continue to be needed.

You can, and must, walk the
streets of Jerusalem, visit Tel Aviv
and renew your relationship with the
State of Israel. It is difficult to place
a value on the receipt of an Israeli
smile or word of thanks for being
there.
I can only share with you my feel-
ing of joy and fulfillment in this
expression of solidarity. Never has
the meeting of our responsibility
been so simple and yet so rewarding.
For your sake, the sake of Israel and
for the sake of the Jewish people,
please make your reservations to
travel to Israel today.
Coincidentally, with the writing of
this, I found upon my return to
Detroit that the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit is planing a
solidarity mission to Israel Dec. 2-7.
This obviously gives all of us an easy
pathway to fulfill ow. ,..:bligation.

