Sunday, May 1, 2011

Yom HaShoah 2011

As I type this, my little girl sits on my lap eating cheerios and trying to play with my Palm Pilot.  Harry wants attention as well, now that the working day has started.    My daily worries center around moving to a new apartment, making enough money to support us, and hoping that Raphaela's allergies pass soon, so she can start breathing fully again.

Here in Israel, we are surrounded by Arab countries, enemies who want to wipe us and our people off the planet.  At least they are upfront about their intentions.

Here in Israel.  There is an Israel, controlled by Jews and sworn to protect Jews and Israelis around the world.  Despite all the beaurocracy and the internal conflict, we Israelis know how to pull ourselves together when threatened from the outside.

Watching the ceremony for Yom HaShoah, I can't help but be affected by the stories of the survivors, those who made it out of Europe and re-built their families.  I can't help but play the scenario in my head, how I would go to any lengths to protect my daughter, and how agonizing (if there are even words) it must have been for mothers and fathers to take their children onto the trains and into the camps, knowing what awaited them.

Thank G-d there is an Israel, and I thank the Universe every day for my daughter and our life.  Strip away all the toys cluttering the living room and the sleepless nights, and I have a beautiful healthy girl. We are all of us, all Jews living today, lucky beyond measure.

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