On Monday, another Nefesh B’Nefesh flight is leaving from JFK, taking a plane load of new olim to Israel.
For me it is the best answer when it comes to issues such as prisoner exchanges and the conflict with a despicable enemy such as Hamas or Hizbolleh.
As American Jews, if we keep making aliyah, or even if we keep visiting, spending our vacation time and money in Israel, then Israel wins, they lose.
While in Sderot recently, a religious leader told me that for every Quassam rocket that hits his town, it is his hope that another person moves into the community. This is how Israel wins, not by backing down, but by showing the enemy that there is a vibrant, ongoing, growing Jewish life to be lived.
This mere fact, enrages the enemy more than any military maneuver Israel can conduct.
Also, here is Israel paying the price for the remains of its beloved with terrorists, mere criminals. I believe we are showing the Arab street something that they won’t admit, that the honorable remains of the soldiers are of a higher moral value than the living scum they are getting back in return.
I know that the enemy will continue to try to kidnap, because like giving back Gaza and other land, we all see that nothing is changed. You expected Hamas to take Gaza and build libraries and schools and museums?
Hamas is not empowered by education, science and letters. It is validates itself like a cancer cell does, by spreading its disease.
When Israel took back Jerusalem in the Six Day War, they found old synagogues in ruin, thanks to the care of the Jordanians.
When Israel gets the remains of soldiers back, why should it expect the remains to be well preserved?
This is who we are dealing with.
If it hasn’t already, Israel needs to improve the way it keeps its soldiers safe from kidnapping.
But soldiers, sadly, do get captured. And if the foe was honorable, there would be rules of engagement to exchange prisoners and remains honorably.
There is no honor here, only Hizbolleh and Hamas and a puppet named Abbas.
Israel is at war.
Never forget that.