This is a war against antisemitism.

While I spoke to you about not giving in to terrorism and the importance of moving forward, I cannot deny that I am deeply troubled by what is happening daily in Israel and the growing rate of Antisemitism everywhere.

Yesterday, I attended a meeting of the Board of Rabbis, with rabbis from all over Los Angeles, and we spent an hour sharing how difficult our roles have become in 2023. I am directly referring to the stark hatred we are seeing against not Israelis, but Jews. One rabbi at a major university shared that his constituents want to either know more about Israel and its history, but of course only in bullet points (no pun intended), which is not an easy task; or they want to avoid the whole 'Jewish issue' for fear that if they are in a Jewish school or synagogue, they are targets of antisemitism. The third group is against Israel and believes that they are occupiers and deserve what has happened.

As a Rabbi/Cantor, I find myself in a precarious position because I don't speak about politics. I love Israel, I love living in America, and I have cherished the opportunity to educate and encourage you and your families to support and love Israel. I am also a product of post-Holocaust grandparents and parents, so, for my age group, the survival of Israel was ingrained in us as our 'insurance policy' to ensure that the Holocaust would never happen again. I am the generation that upholds this promise, and I am the one who explains that Israel's army is known as the 'Israel Defense Force' and does not initiate attacks against its neighbors. I have marveled at how such a tiny country, surrounded by vast expanses of land with numerous enemies, has managed to survive.

I want to dispel some of the misinformation about Israel that is rampant on campuses and on social media.  I am speaking up for the truth and hoping that it can affect my corner of the world. Please trust that my sources are not left or right, not based on politics but are based on the difference between good and evil. I am shocked when I see the tables turning on Israel, and the fact that Secretary Antonio Guterres said, “Hamas’ Oct 7 attacks on the country, did not happen in a vacuum.” The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation…etc.

This entire occupation, the lack of recognition of the state of Israel, and the two-state solution are where it becomes very complicated. Both sides have their stories, but NOTHING justifies the brutality experienced on Oct 7, while the Jewish people were celebrating their holy days. The remorse felt by the Israelis for letting down their own people breaks my heart in the face of Hamas justifying its actions. It's unthinkable to see support for the terrorists in America on college campuses.

THIS IS NOT A WAR AGAINST PALESTINIANS, IT IS A WAR AGAINST HAMAS AND HEZBOLLAH AND THE SPREAD OF TERROR AND GETTING HOSTAGES BACK, PERIOD.