FINAL UPDATE: Home from Israel

Hamas fired long range rockets on the Gaza Strip; Rabbi Jeffrey Lipschultz, a Herald columnist and spiritual leader of Beth Judah Temple in Wildwood sent emails from Israel:
July 14, 10:37 p.m. EST
I arrived home today safely early Monday morning, July 14. The final day in Israel was a very fascinating and wonderful experience but with many rockets. I went to the Dead Sea for my final day and gave my friend Beth and her daughter Ariella a ride to one of the fancy hotels nearby that she had reserved for two days as a present for her daughter who begins her induction to the IDF on Sunday. This was to be one last special day that she can have with her daughter before she begins her new life as one of the many young men and women who will be trained to defend all the people of Israel in times of war, hopefully with more times of peace.
There were sporadic rockets on the roads my final day. Most of the rocket firing is at night when the Hamas terrorists can fire under the protection of darkness. Travel in Israel right now has turned to a low budget horror movie as most try to get off the roads before the sun goes down. My flight was for 11:30 p.m. but I promised my wife I would arrive at the airport before sundown much like an old retro vampire movie, trying to find safety before the monsters come out. The reality of life in this country amazes me every time I return and see the people thrive.
The reality is that this complicated land and this complicated people have always struggled and probably always will. I celebrated my last Shabbat in Israel July 12 and I remember reading the Parshah on Pinchas from the Torah in which we are introduced to the broken letter ‘Vav’ in the Hebrew spelling of the word ‘shalom’, which means peace. In the Torah, this letter within this word is written specifically with a crack in it. The great rabbinic sages teach that the broken Vav in shalom means that our life is incomplete when we achieve peace only through violence. When Pinchas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw the great sinning of Israel, he left the assembly and, taking a spear in his hand, he followed the Israelite into the chamber and stabbed both of them, the Israelite and the woman, through the belly. (Numbers 25:7-8) Pinchas, in his zealotry was awarded a Brith Shalom, the covenant of the priesthood, the eternal covenant of peace. One of the most powerful commentaries on Pinchas’ act is written into the very fabric of Torah itself that shows the incompleteness of the act in our understanding of zealotry. The great rabbinic sages in the Talmud discussed this act in the 8th and 9th century and instructed that the word “Shalom” in the term “Brit Shalom” should be written with a broken letter Vav. As a result, every Torah scroll now bears this inner message: peace achieved through zealotry and violence is an incomplete peace, a “broken peace,” as it were.
The reality is that no matter the wonder I see in the rebirth of the Jewish nation there is still sadness in me because of the zealotry and hatred that comes with allowing the Jewish state to survive. I see the hate that has engulfed the Arab world around her and how it has infected the Palestinians and their struggle for self-actualization and that anger and hatred has now affected the Jews.
I arrived in Israel right after the three Israeli boys who were kidnapped on June 12 were found dead: Eyal Yifrah, 19, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Naftali Fraenkel, a 16-year-old with dual Israeli-American citizenship. Right after their sad and touching funerals, Israel saw three of their own murder a young Palestinian kid in Shuafat, Mohammed Abu Khdeir. Hatred of one lead to hatred of another and, as a result, four wonderful children have been taken from this world. Of those three Jewish children killed maybe one of them, if they had lived, could have befriended the young Palestinian boy and made a friendship that maybe could have rebuilt the world and finally closed that broken Vav of shalom we see in the Torah. But that did not happen.
Hatred took all four and as a result, every year when we open the Torah to Parshat Pinchas we see that broken Vav year after year praying for our strength to close it and bring a complete peace to our land and to our world. I am home, and now all of us must take to task, Jew and non-Jew to close the broken Vav in Shalom together.
July 10, 3:29 a.m. EST
Well, I made it through another night in Jerusalem. We are fine and actually getting used to the new normal here. Since yesterday, 382 rockets have been fired at Israel, from Sderot and Be’er Sheva, to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and as far north as Hadera.
Thanks to the Iron Dome missile defense system and MDA’s efforts to educate the public about emergency safety procedures, there have been no fatalities.I received my briefing yesterday and I know what to do if a missile is near.
I pray for a cease fire – that is the best we can do. I am very impressed how restrained Israel is and how resilient Israelis are amid this crisis. I was freaked out yesterday and now its the new normal. I will be safe and look forward to my return July 13 to Cape May County and I hope for a peaceful shabbat before I go.
July 9, 2:03 p.m. EST
I am safe so far, thank God, but I am worried about missiles aiming for the airport.
We are told to stay out of big groups tonight and yes the bombing will return. I can’t quite figure out why Hamas is sending missiles to Jerusalem, half the city is Arab and they are not that accurate. Iron Dome intercepted a few but it looks like another night in the bomb shelter. They cancelled bus service last night so my buddy Paul who lives in Gush Etzion crashed at my hotel. Pray for a quiet night.
July 9, 7:56 a.m. EST
Hello to all. I am in Israel right now and missiles are landing all over the country, two in Jerusalem last night. I am fine but they target us after 7:00 p.m. and it is 2:00 p.m. right now. Many emotions are going through my mind such as “Where are the bomb shelters?” But I also feel pride in my Jewish homeland that the people here stay strong and committed to normalcy and there is always a prayer for peace.
Last night I dovened Ma’ariv in a bomb shelter as the missiles were falling and the final prayer of Shalom Rav, a prayer for peace hit me extra hard. God increase peace to all your children in Israel and all the world, Amen.
July 12, 6:54 p.m.
Update, well two rockets came to Modi’in tonight, my friends kids are sleeping in the bomb shelter and hoping for a quiet night tonight. I leave tomorrow night so pray for quiet before I leave. I am leaving tomorrow but everyone else has to stay and I feel the need to point out the bravery of my fellow Jews in Israel.
I was in a mall when the second missile arrived and it was quite a scene. Everyone ran to a shelter and in good order, no pandemonium. They closed stores, and then when the all-clear came, everyone went back to shopping. I grab a slice a pizza with a friend as though nothing happened. This is the new normal in Israel. I return but my brothers and sisters remain. Pray for peace.
July 13, 1:20 a.m. EST
I am heading home tonight so its my last post. I am going to the Dead Sea today to take a friend whose daughter is going into the army next week and than am heading back to Jerusalem for dinner, then I’m off to BGA for my flight late at night.
We had another siren at 6:00 a.m. believe it or not. I slept through it with the kids in the bomb shelter. The parents decided not to wake me because I was in a safe room right next to the shelter and before they could decide, the bomb was intercepted by Iron dome.
I will be OK and safe and return home. I will be glad to be home but my heart will be with the people of Israel. As a Jew, this place means so much to me, especially now. I hope for a speedy end to the war, a cease fire and someday peace with Gaza but for now I hope the IDF protects my friends and the aim of the Arabs in Gaza is not that great.
Stay safe Israel, my heart and the heart of my community is with you.
– RABBI JEFFREY LIPSCHULTZ
Based on his study trip to Israel, Rabbi Lipschultz will lead a discussion on “Israel – the Struggles that Face Her” July 20 at noon. Call Beth Judah Temple, 609-522-7541, for details.