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My 5779 Pro-Israel New Year’s Resolution

A

friend of mine,
a Baptist pastor,
tells me I need to
chill out when it comes
to Israel.
“Relax, brother,”
he tries to assure me.
“Nothing bad is going
Mark Jacobs
to happen to Israel
because the Lord won’t
let it.”
He then proceeds to
tell me about all the
times in the past — from ancient days to
the present — when enemies to the Jews
attempted and failed at destroying my
ancestors. His words, I have to admit, are
somewhat convincing. He cites a laundry
list of such efforts by the Philistines, the
Assyrians, the Amaleks, the Babylonians,
the Persian Empire, Crusaders, the Nazis
and so on; and I try my hardest to believe
that maybe it’s true, that Divine provi-
dence will always be our protector.
I don’t totally dismiss the possibility;
but still, when it comes to faith and war,
I generally subscribe to the old WWII slo-
gan, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammu-
nition.” Praying wouldn’t hurt, I’m certain,
but stocking up on anti-aircraft missiles
wouldn’t be such a bad idea either.
We all know that Israel has a Herculean
struggle on its hands. At AIPAC, with
whom I’m active, we work tirelessly to
make the case for U.S. support, which is
never an easy job. We know that despite
our efforts, Israel’s enemies, even with all
their missteps and infighting, are still get-
ting stronger and brasher. There are now
hundreds of thousands of missiles pointed
at Israel, many with longer-range capa-
bilities than ever before. “Terror tunnels”
continue to be dug, funded by humani-
tarian aid diverted by Hamas leadership.

Random stabbings and shootings are all-
too-common, and the possibility that one
day the ultimate threat — a nuclear capa-
bility in the wrong hands — will become
a reality cannot be denied. The rhetoric
coming from Israel’s enemies continues
to be way over the top (last month, senior
Hamas official Fathi Hammad announced
that “by 2022, we will cleanse Palestine of
the filth of the Jews”).
We Jews are bombarded with daunting
news, just like we always have been. But
with a combination of smarts, cunning,
determination and yes, faith, we have
figured out a way to not only survive, but
indeed thrive. We evolve, somehow, some
way.

RE-EVALUATING THE FUTURE

So, as our new year, 5779, is about to kick
off, it seems like a good time to once again
re-evaluate how to face tomorrow’s chal-
lenges. If you’re a pro-Israel advocate, then
this is the time to identify what you can
do to help Israel in the coming year. This
is the time for your 5779 pro-Israel New
Year’s resolution.
Mine came to me just recently, as I sat
at a Temple Israel service and heard the
words of teenagers who had just returned
from a Teen Mission to Israel. In the most
glowing and sweetest way, they described
the depth of emotions they experienced
on the trip. They professed their love for
Israel and the people they met, especially
the Israeli teens with whom they had
become instant friends. They spoke of
their “new homeland” with words that
were passionate, heartfelt and pure.
And all I could think was — I hope they
can maintain this passion in a few years
when they go to college and experience
the wave of anti-Israel rhetoric they will
surely encounter on America’s college

campuses. How will they fare when they
inevitably face other students — some of
whom will be Jewish — who will tell them
that their love for Israel is misplaced and
that the nation is, in reality, an evil apart-
heid state, no better than South Africa
was at one time?
Will they waver when they walk by a
BDS rally and hear chants about Israel’s
violating international law or denying the
right of return for Palestinian refugees
or occupying Palestine? Have we armed
these kids with the knowledge and skills
they’ll need to counter these arguments,
or have we spent too much time just try-
ing to get them to like Israel and enjoy
their trip? We need them to become effec-
tive advocates for Israel, but what if they
can’t articulate and defend the histori-
cal and logical reasons for its existence?
What if all they can say is that it’s a cool
start-up nation with beautiful beaches,
great food, a great night life and friendly
people?
I flashed back to being in Israel last
spring and talking to a group of 16-year-
olds. They were just a few years away from
joining the IDF, and as they spoke of their
impending service, they showed no signs
of fear or hesitation whatsoever. To the
contrary, they were eager, mature, serious,
proud and excited to serve their coun-
try. They spoke of the obvious dangers,
but weren’t the least bit deterred by the
mission ahead of them. They were ready
— emotionally, spiritually and intellectu-
ally — to be the next guardians of Israel.
My group marveled at them all, our eyes
getting teary as we watched their steel
courage and hugged them good-bye, well
aware of the odds they would soon face.
Our kids here in America won’t be join-
ing the IDF. They won’t be firing rifles or
leaning how to operate an Iron Dome

anti-missile system. But they’ll, neverthe-
less, be desperately needed to rise to a
gargantuan and noble challenge: to serve
as future leaders among the disapora, to
be knowledgeable, to teach, to become
advocates, and speak out, write, protest,
inspire and display the courage to do all
this in the face of an increasingly hostile
wave of anti-Semitism on college cam-
puses and beyond.
They will have their work cut out
for them, and they will need our help.
Fortunately, there are places for them
to go to seek information, support and
resources, which include:
• The Academic Engagement
Network (academicengagement.org). The
AEN was created by a group of college
professors, including Kenneth Waltzer,
one of my professors at James Madison
College at Michigan State University. The
organization’s mission is to oppose the
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions move-
ment and to stand for academic freedom
and education and robust conversations
about Israel.
Waltzer, the group’s executive director,
has stated that the organization’s intent is
to “promote a sane middle ground of sup-
port for a two-state solution and embrace
uncompromising support for human
rights for Arabs, Jews and others.” To do
this, the group, now at more than 100
campuses across America, holds confer-
ences, organizes programming, advises
campus presidents, deans and professors,
mentors students, publishes newsletters,
makes media appearances and a host of
other activities.
• Hillel. Founded almost 100 years ago,
Hillel is known as the “Foundation of
Jewish Life on Campus.” Hillel has long
been the central campus organization for
Jewish students, including training stu-

continued on page 8

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