Crossing the Yarden

By Yarden Frankl

Talking in Shul

On Shabbat I was feeling wiped out. During the week I had been dealing with a case of strep throat (recently named Israel's most popular disease for yet another year running!). I had received this wonderful present from the kids, each one of whom had required a visit to the doctor during the week. (Maybe Meuchedet can give out cards where every tenth visit you get a free doughnut or something.)

Anyway, I was not at my best on Shabbat. As the Haftorah reading finished, I started to close my eyes. I missed the prayer for the Israeli Defense Forces because I was dreaming about eating a nice bowl of hot cholent for breakfast and getting back into bed for the rest of the day.

The son of a friend of mine came up to me and we started talking. It went something like this:

"Yarden, I read about your bike ride. It sounded really hard."
"Well, yeah, but it was fun."
"You haven't mentioned me in your column for awhile."
"Well, did you do anything interesting last week?"
"Hmm, not really, you know the usual. We were in Shechem."
"In Shechem, what did you do?"
"Well we had to go get a few terrorists that were hiding in a house. We got into the house next door and tried calling them to come out in Arabic. We said if they didn't come out, we were going to have to kill them. But they just started shooting at us and throwing Molotov Cocktails. So we got into it with them. We eventually got them to come out, and we arrested them and took them away."

So as I was standing there, listening to this teenager recount about being in a gun battle with terrorists, I started feeling a bit silly about going on my "hard" bike ride, not to mention "battling" a case of strep throat. This kid here, like many others, has volunteered to put his life on the line, so that the bad guys cannot rest comfortably in their homes figuring out ways to blow the rest of us up.

I know this is what he has chosen to do, but I can't help feeling sick that our enemies have created this way of life for our kids. When I was his age, I was busy drinking beer in college and taking dumb required classes like the "History of Civilization." You want the history of civilization? Simple, there is evil in the world, those who tolerate it, and those who risk everything to try and stop it. That's it, go have another beer.

I see that the United Nations just passed a resolution condemning us for hitting Gaza too hard and killing civilians there. Give me a break. Where is the condemnation for firing rockets at Israeli kindergartens? Where is the condemnation for shooting at us from behind Palestinian children? Where the hell is the condemnation for making our kids spend their days getting shot at in places like Shechem? You think our kids got nothing better to do? They should be out hiking our beautiful land, not stuck in some rotten hole in a foul, Arab-created refugee camp.

For those who say there is no justice in the world, you're wrong. There is justice. It is just not recognized by those so called "leaders" who run around the world pretending that morality somehow allows for the tolerance of evil. But we Israelis know the reality. If evil is to be stopped, it is in the hands of Israeli teenagers like my friend's son.

And yeah Eli, here's what I forgot last Shabbat. Be safe out there.

"May the Holy One, Blessed is He, preserve and rescue our fighting men from every trouble and distress and from every plague and illness, and may He send blessing and success in their every endeavor."

Amen and Amen.

Shabbat Shalom from our Blessed Nation.

© 2006 Yarden Frankl