Summary: B”H<br> <br> How is everyone holding up? It hasn’t been an easy time. I know our hearts are broken and I know we are scared. But, we can’t cave into the fear, my friends. We just can’t.<br> I just saw that Miriam Lottner, who wrote a wonderful <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/05/22/israel-gaza-hamas-terror-jewish-people-column/5163782001/" target="_blank">Oped on USA Today</a> is receiving death threats. Death threats, my friends! I mean if you’ve been on social media at all the past 12 days you know what I’m talking about. <br> Al Tira, says the Torah – do not fear! But, I know it’s hard. So, what do we do? We have to strengthen our connection to the only Source of comfort and peace, G-d Almighty. Pray, do a mitzvah, take an otherwise mundane interaction and make it holier, strengthen the peace in the home. The stronger we are spiritually, the stronger we will be physically. And please, please above all else, do not focus on differences with your fellow Jews. This is a time where it’s more critical than ever to stay together and unified. One of the most heartbreaking things of the war breaking out in Israel was to see Jews expressing negativity towards other Jews! What!?<br> I will say these two points and then I will go on with today’s show:<br> If anyone thinks that the antisemites discriminate between religious Jews, non-religious Jews, observant, non-observant, liberal, conservative, republican, democrat, you are wrong. It’s time to take your Judaism and wear it loud and proud because if there’s anything good the anti-semites can teach us is that a Jew is a Jew is a Jew. We are one. We are one soul. And you can’t sever your relationship with your people, Your G-d and the Torah. No matter how you try. So, embrace it!<br> I do know this message does not apply to my audience and I don’t mean to preach at you specifically, but rather say what’s on my heart and hopefully share some positivity and give some strength. G-d knows we need it and we need love and unity above all else. Guess what? Love unites. Hate obviously divides. So lets stay focused on the love. Dismiss the differences. Focus on the love. Period.<br> And finally, second point, to anyone who possibly could be confused and think there’s a difference, anti-Zionism, is antisemitism. Period. Again regardless of where you are in the political or religious spectrum, please bear in mind that there’s no such think as anti-Zionism – there’s only a desire to exterminate the Jews from the face of the earth. And you and I have the power to prevent that. We do have more power than we think. And that power is in our ability to spread love, to unite and not divide. Let’s use it wisely.<br> Ok Speaking of Zionism, a big shout out to my listeners in the Holy Land. You are our heroes, you are the mothers of kids in the army, you are the mothers of kids in bomb shelters, you are the pioneers making aliyah and you are in the safest place on earth, the Lubavitcher Rebbe said it many times, and I will shout it through the roof tops. The rest of us live in an illusion of safety. It’s all a farce. G-d protects the Jewish people and G-d protects Israel and so my friends, short of being in Israel with our people in our land, let’s make sure we’re connecting to G-d and strengthening our bond to again those three things that are inseparable, Jews, G-d’s Torah and G-d. One of the lessons of the Holiday of Shavuot, which at this point seems like ages ago was, you know it: Jewish pride. We should be modest as a small mountain, Mt. Sinai, but a mountain nonetheless. Not arrogant ever but with a very healthy sense of Jewish pride.<br> Ok today I have a great episode. I actually was meant to have Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Omer Omer Yankelevich on the show for weeks, but G-d has had other plans, both our schedules forced us to push off our Speaking of which, we’ve been planning for months and then tragedy in Meiron struck,
