Sometimes living in Israel feels like a total disconnect from the rest of the world. Every night on the news, we hear about some new city of country that hates Jews or some new incident of anti-Semitism where local Jews or visiting Israelis have been attacked or abused. We see protests with people carrying signs showing blood dripping by the hands of Israelis. We see accusations of genocide, of the murder of babies, of purposeful starvation of Gazans. We have been astounded by the terrible hatred of Israel suddenly appearing in Australia! And then we look around and see ourselves – not at all like the way we are portrayed abroad.
Living Under Fire — and Misrepresentation
We have been fighting a bloody war since the 7th of October against multiple enemies and on several fronts. We were attacked by murderous terrorists who committed crimes against humanity and attempted the genocide of the Jewish people. And genocide against Jews remains their stated goal. They abducted hundreds of people from their beds, their homes, their gardens. They murdered more than 1,000 people in one day, including hundreds at a dance festival. But we are the ones accused of genocide? Does this make sense?
As the massacre was still happening on 7th October, our young men and women were called up to reserve duty and preceded to serve hundreds of days in the IDF, leaving behind family, study and jobs. Civilians volunteered and continue to volunteer to help wherever help is needed – making meals for the families of reservists as young mothers balance work, young children and household without the help of a husband; picking fruits and vegetables in the farms just outside of Gaza and along Israel’s northern border, who have lost so many of their employees; babysitting for children whose parents are in the IDF, and so much more.
Ordinary Heroes in an Extraordinary Nation
Soon after the war began, a popular rock band, Hatikvah 6, released a new song. Titled “We are a Nation of Superheroes” it tells the story of a nation, the Nation of Israel, totally committed to one another, to the survival of the nation itself.
The song lists all kinds of people, from ordinary walks of life, who drop everything to join the effort: “So the Bible teacher is in the Givati Brigade, the Hebrew teacher in Intelligence, the upstairs neighbor is a contractor but has been in reserves for a month. The lawyer is a logistics officer, doing shifts in the battalion, her brother, a senior high-tech professional is now a sniper on the roofs of Gaza.” And then the refrain: “Everyone seems ordinary but we are actually a nation of superheroes, within everyone hides a soldier, ready to save the world.”A Song That Became a Mirror
And the song continues with more and more examples of ordinary people who are actually superheroes.
But what is a superhero? We are not talking about a small sliver of society, the fellow who is a crack undercover agent, or a fighter pilot. We are talking about truly ordinary people: bakers, accountants, shop workers and teachers. What makes them superheroes is their willingness to drop everything and run, and then perform at their maximum ability. Because they are truly saving the world.
“Israel is, indeed, a nation of superheroes. A nation nurtured by love, driven to find peace, but determined to survive. We are not acists. We are not murderers. We celebrate life like no other nation on earth.”
Make no mistake. Israel’s ability to defeat Hamas will determine what kind of world we live in. If the people carrying the “genocide” signs are allowed to win, if the Hamas terrorists they support (unwittingly or not) are allowed to prevail, democracy will be destroyed. Hatred, lies and violence will replace reason, moral judgement and justice. Every Israeli fighting this fight is truly saving the world. I just wish we didn’t have to do so much of the work by ourselves.
The war in Gaza has been going on a very long time and no one wants it to end more than the Israelis. After all, we are the ones who are struggling to maintain some kind of normal life even as so many of our young men have spent more than half of the past two years in the military. Our school-children are limping along with all sorts of substitute teachers as so many teachers have been drafted. Every day in Gaza, the IDF is fighting against terrorists, people who we know have murdered Israelis. Every day, our soldiers are gathering information regarding our hostages, even trying, unsuccessfully to rescue them.
Fighting a Relentless Enemy
When we bomb a hospital it is because that hospital is a Hamas command center or a place of refuge for terrorists. Hamas has used the hospital as a human shield, but Israel is penetrating that shield. We have no choice. We do not want to hurt children or anyone that is not involved in this war. But Hamas has put those shields in place to destroy us.
And yet, as soon as a young man or woman is released from reserve duty, even for just a few months, they go back to life, to their families, their jobs, their productivity, with even greater energy and gusto than before. That is why our economy is growing – an absolute miracle considering the terrible price this war has extracted from us.
Dancing Through the Pain
At the end of August, there was a music festival in our local community to celebrate the end of summer. Thousands came out to dance and sing, of all ages. Although I must admit, we were among the few grandparents in attendance. But our children and grandchildren were there and we love watching them dance and sing and just enjoy. And I have to admit, I love a good concert.
The main performance was Hatikvah 6 and we waited breathlessly for them to sing the superhero song. And when they did, I sang along and tears came to my eyes. All those people who slander us and hate us all over the world, have no clue what makes us tick. Here we were, an audience of children whose fathers have hardly been home, of young men, home on leave, of policemen who have been doing double shifts since the war began, of women exhausted from doing it all alone. I am just a grandmother helping out when I can. But my children and grandchildren and all of their friends and neighbors – they are all superheroes.
This Is Israel
Israel is, indeed, a nation of superheroes. A nation nurtured by love, driven to find peace, but determined to survive. We are not racists. We are not murderers. We celebrate life like no other nation on earth. And we sing and dance about the real superheroes – not the cartoon characters but the real, ordinary people.
This is Israel!
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