“Why We Need To Go To Israel”

When I was in my fourth year of rabbinical school, I signed up to be part of a Federation mission to Israel. For months my family and I fought about whether or not it was safe for me to go during an intifiada. Literally the day before I was supposed to go (I was already packed) two suicide bombers exploded themselves in the middle of one of Jerusalem’s busiest streets. When the news reached CNN, my father called me and told me I was irresponsible for going, and that I was thinking only of myself. Reluctantly I unpacked and cancelled my trip. I was one of two people out of nearly 100 who cancelled. Every one else, had a wonderful time, supported Israel and its citizens, and returned home safely.

What is the moral of this story? The moral is that many of us feel reluctant or scared about traveling to Israel today. So many of you have said to me, “I would love to go to Israel with you, but not now.” You see what is happening on TV and you see innocent Israelis dying in cafes and on buses. You see Israeli soldiers raiding Palestinian refugee camps. You see protests, rage, and hatred boiling over between Israelis and Palestinians.

Now let me tell you what you do not see on the news. You do not see the overwhelming safety precautions that trips like ours take to ensure your safety. You do not see the myriads of American Jews who travel to Israel every day and return home safely. On our trip we will take every precaution to ensure the safety of our participants, and make every effort to keep our group out of any possible trouble area. I am so confident in our ability to ensure safety that I am going on the trip with my wife Jodi.

Let me now explain a few more things you cannot get from the news. You cannot experience the spiritual life-changing experience that being in the land of Israel provides. You cannot replicate the feeling you have in your heart when you step on Israeli soil for the first time. You cannot imagine what it is like to walk in the footsteps of King David, to pray at the Western Wall, or to marvel at the beauty of the Golan Heights and the Galilee. And you cannot recreate the joy you will see in the eyes of Israelis when they see that you have come to voice your support for their cause. We shall let them know that they are not alone, and that we stand with them in all times!

When my grandfather was the rabbi of Temple Israel in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., he used to take a group of congregants to Israel every year. But when times were tough in Israel, he did not go one time. In those years he went twice!

I invite you to join us on our Temple Beth El congregational trip to Israel February 25-March 6, 2004. I promise you that this trip will reinvigorate your soul, charge your spirit, and instill within you a bond with the Land that you never thought was possible

L’Shalom,
Jeremy Barras