Operation Cast Lead

Not A Simple Walk

An altercation takes place between
local protesters and synagogue-goers.

Scenes from Israel: (left photo) Adiel Nachshoni, at right, with a fellow soldier during IDF training. Right photo: During a ceremony

in Jerusalem after Nachshoni's completion of basic training. The Hebrew sign reads: "Adiel Nachshoni is our warrior. We love you."

Shelli Liebman Dorfman

Senior Writer

W

ith the strongest of ties to
Israel, Rabbi Meir Nachshoni
of West Bloomfield found
himself on the defensive this past Shabbat
afternoon, during a walk to Minchah (the
afternoon service).
An Israeli, whose son currently serves
in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Rabbi
Nachshoni moved through a crowd of anti-
Israel protesters at Maple and Orchard Lake
roads (related story: page A15). "When I
was walking to synagogue with my 17-year-
old son Arnitzur we started hearing loud
shouts," he said. `As we were approaching,
Arabs were screaming and yelling against
the IDF. They were waving Palestinian flags
and signs. People start
honking their horns to
cheer them on."
The two were aware
that the demonstra-
tion would be taking
place as it had been
announced that morn-
ing by Rabbi Elimelech
Silberberg during a
talk about the situation
in Israel during services at the Sara and
Morris Tugman Bais Chabad Torah Center
in West Bloomfield, just down the road
from where the protest took place.
Still, as they got close, Rabbi Nachshoni
said, "We were in shock. As we were cross-

Rabbi Silberberg

ing the street, they recognized us as Jews.
They started yelling toward us," he said.
"I yelled back and I said: 'In this way, you
are strengthening the terror.' They started
pushing me. My son helped me. There
were many police officers that protected
from every angle. They came to solve the
situation. I said to the police officers, 'How
come you are letting this happen? Support
Hamas? Terrorism?'
And they replied, 'We
know. What can we
do about it?'"
Rabbi Nachshoni
and his wife came
to the Detroit area
in 2005. "Israeli
- Rabbi Nachshoni
teachers are sent to
Jewish schools in the
diaspora to enhance
the Jewish studies and Jewish and Zionist
identity of their students;' the rabbi said.
Both are teachers at Yeshivat Akiva in
Southfield. Four of their children came to
the States with them; two others remain
in Israel, including their eldest child,

"There were many
police officers that
protected from every
angle."

A14

January 8 • 2009

Rabbi Nachshoni

21-year-old Adiel, a student at Yeshivat
Hessder-Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh and also
a combat soldier in the IDF. "He was sent
to the Gaza Strip a week before the war
started:' Rabbi Nachshoni said. Adiel's unit
has been relocated to the Lebanon border.
Rabbi Silberberg encourages the recita-
tion of daily psalms and has organized
special prayer services for the citizens of
Israel and its soldiers, which also include
the son of another Torah Center member
who is currently serving in Gaza.
"With the war against Hamas now
entering a much more dangerous stage, we
must all join forces with klal Yisrael [the
Jewish people] to ensure victory for the
Israeli armed forces and protection for the
soldiers and all residents of Israel who are
in harm's way:' Rabbi Silberberg said. "It is
important to always keep in mind that we
have a shared destiny with Jews who live
in Israel and that prayer, Torah study and
tzedakah that we perform, impact the for-
tunes of our brothers and sisters in Eretz
Yisrael [Land of Israel].
"Our brave sons and daughters who
are fighting the war are the children of all
of klal Yisrael and our concern for them
should be similar to the concern that we
have for our own biological children."
Said Rabbi Nachshoni, "On the one
hand, we are very worried about our kid
like any other parents who have a son in
the Army. On the other hand, we are satis-
fied that our son can be part of this mis-
sion."

❑

Volunteer In Israel

Sar-El volunteers are needed
right now in Israel to support
the military effort being made
to stop the rocket fire into the
Israeli cities from Gaza. Sar-El
is asking you to give whatever
amount of time you can, even
if it is only a week, including
arriving on or off the existing
schedule. American volunteers
came through in 2006 during
the last Lebanon War.
Go to the VFI Web site,
www.vfi-usa.org , and click
on "Contact Us" on the left
side for the list of Regional
Contacts. Call or e-mail your
regional contact or call the
national number: 1 (866) 514-
1948. You also can e-mail local
Sar-El regional director Ed
Kohl of West Bloomfield:
michigan@vfi-usa.org
You must have at least
seven months on your U.S.
passport (six months when
you exit Israel). You also have
to take with you three copies
of each of the following: the
front page of your passport,
verification of health insurance
coverage while in Israel and
the VFI forms for insurance
waiver and the two-page medi-
cal form.

Answering
Israel's Critics

The Charge
Israel's Gaza military operation
is attacking the democratically
elected, legitimate government of
the Gazan citizenry.

The Answer
Hamas does not represent the
Palestinian people. Hamas thugS
took over Gaza in a bloody
coup in the summer of 2007.
Palestinians are represented by
the Palestinian Authority, with
whom Israel is conducting nego-
tiations to achieve peace. Most
nations maintain a diplomatic
and trade isolation of Hamas.

- Allan Gale, Jewish Community

Relations Council
of Metropolitan Detroit

© Jewish Renaissance Media, Jan. 8, 2009