Following the brutal 1973 Yom Kippur War, Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau journeyed to New York to visit the Rabbi M M Schneerson—the Rebbe, to seek his advice. The Rebbe asked Rabbi Lau what the mood was ‘in the streets of Israel’, after having faced such a challenging war. Rabbi Lau responded that people are asking, “What will be?”
The Rebbe gently took Rabbi Lau’s arm and passionately replied, tell people “Don’t ask: ‘What will be?’, ask them ‘What can we do?’”
Despite the ongoing difficult days for Israel not only with having to fight a despicable enemy in Gaza, there are daily rocket attacks from Hezbollah in the north and the Houthis in the South. This war has also brought out an unprecedented level of antisemitism around the world that we have not seen in our generation. Yet despite these challenges, the Jewish are a resilient people, and with Hashem’s help, will be virtuous.
I share with you a story of an individual who decided we can do something to make a change for good.
There is Always Something We Can DO!
Here is a beautiful story of my friend Janine Rankin who, after the massacre in Israel on 7 October 2023, like many people, was in shock. This was further exasperated by the unprecedented rise of antisemitism in Australia and around the world. As time went by, the world continued to turn on Israel with even more lies and distortions and increased antisemitism. Janine felt she had to do something.
“I felt at times helpless, and my heart was breaking for the Jewish People in Israel who were traumatised from the massacre itself, then the unprecedented hate from the world. One morning I became frustrated with a news item and thought, we can pray, we can send money to help, but we must also DO something! I decided to go to Israel for three months with my friend Joy Heylen.
I also wanted to convey a tangible message of support, hope, and faith to the Israelis that I would meet. The thought came to me to print (500) postcards that I would give out in Israel. I used a design with a Koala, Dove, and Star of David and underneath the words ‘Am Yisrael Chai’ which means The Nation of Israel lives.
In Israel, I carried the postcards with me every day. I gave them out on the street, on the bus, light rail, in shops, the Temple Mount, Yad Vashem, City of David; to ordinary folk, naval cadets, IDF soldiers, border police, and El Al staff. They always brought a smile, surprise, and sometimes tears to their faces that a non-Jew from faraway Australia understood their plight and cared.
Here are some special moments when people received the postcards. I wished a border policeman a good morning in Hebrew at our bus stop, and gave him a postcard. A huge smile appeared on his face, and he put his hand on his heart.
In the Jewish Quarter, I noticed a female IDF soldier looking sad, preoccupied, and felt to give her a card. Her face lit up and she smiled. I let her know we love Israel and the Jewish people, and that many people around the world are praying for Israel. She was very moved, and I gave her a hug and said I would pray for her protection.
At the Kotel on Independence Day evening, I was with two other Australians, and we were able to speak with groups of young women. One group had come to see their friends’ names, who had been murdered at the Nova Festival on the lighted sign. I gave them postcards and let them know that we love the Jewish people and stand with them. They really appreciated our love and support as they felt that the world was against them. I assured them that there are many non-Jews who are standing with them.

The women’s section of the Kotel was overflowing with young women with Israel flags and banners everywhere and dancing in prayer and song. In a very moving moment, one group of young women grabbed us and were dancing and singing ‘Am Yisrael Chai’. When I heard those words, I felt as if Hashem was smiling on us. That is a memory I will remember forever.
There is always something we can do, to bring a smile to someone, even by handing out postcards. AM YISRAEL CHAI The Nation and People of Israel Live!
0 Comments