| What
is it that allows so many Israelis to display courage
and resilience in the face of tremendous challenge and
difficulty?
”Welcome Brave Tourists: Special
Discount For You,” the signs in Ben Yehudah
beseech passersby. Written in a home-made scrawl, signs
similar to this are posted in many of the windows of
Jerusalem’s souvenir, silver, Judaica and craft shops.
Yet who are the truly brave ones? While
Israelis have been experiencing overwhelming stress
in their daily lives due to the intifada of the last
two 1/2 years, they collectively remain strong and resourceful.
What is it that allows so many Israelis to display
courage and resilience in the face of tremendous challenge
and difficulty? What are the lessons that we in America
can learn from them in this post-9/11 era?
There are certain qualities which many Israelis
share which I believe helps them cope with even the
most traumatic of circumstances.
* Israelis Live For
The Present
Israelis do not spend great amounts
of time ruminating over issues or events that have occurred
years, months or even weeks ago. Israelis live each day
anew, understanding in the face of overwhelming daily
challenges that each day is a blessing and life must be
lived one day at a time.
* Israelis Anticipate
Challenges as a Normal Course of Events
Israelis do not expect a smooth
ride in life. They won their independence and
right to exist against great odds, and over the years
have never had an extended period of relaxation and complacency
where they did not have to be concerned about fighting
anew for their survival.
It is written that the Almighty gave the
people of Israel three precious and wonderful gifts,
but none were given without suffering. They are Torah
[this is hard to translate, perhaps "Sacred Jewish
Scripture and Traditions"], the Land of Israel
and the World to Come (Talmud).” Anticipating challenges
and sacrifice as a normal expected occurrence along
the way toward achieving a desired result will go a
long way toward alleviating frustration and successfully
managing these challenges.
Israelis understand the axiom, “No Pain,
No Gain.” What is meaningful in life is only
achieved with great effort, and the results are valuable
not in spite of the struggle but precisely because of
it.
* Israelis Are Genuine
Spend five minutes with an Israeli cabdriver,
shopkeeper or student, and you will probably know exactly
what they are thinking. Israelis lack pretentions and
will often readily share their opinions and feelings
about current issues. They say what they mean
and mean what they say. Israelis are not shy about expressing
themselves and often do so with an honesty that is poignant,
refreshing and adaptive.
* Israelis Have A
Cause
Most Israelis know what they are fighting
for. For some it is an understanding of the importance
of the land of Israel to the very existence and soul
of the Jewish people. For others it is a fierce
determination to safeguard the ideals of freedom and
democracy that they, like Americans, envisioned with
the creation of their homeland.
Israeli soldiers have the lowest incidence
of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) compared to
other nations’ military officers. Many have attributed
this to an unwritten rule among Israeli soldiers:
staying in touch with and taking care of the families
of their fallen comrades for life. Having this
purpose to live for helps the surviving soldiers find
meaning and cope with their traumatic experiences.
* Israelis Have Hope
For The Future
Despite the many challenges they are facing,
most Israelis have maintained the ability to say “Yihiyeh
Tov," In Hebrew, translated into "It
will be good."
Despair is a greater enemy to the Jewish
people than any external force could ever be. It is
important to remember that G-d Himself declared in an
eternal message to the Jewish people, “there is hope
for your future [Jeremiah 31:16].” It is hope that keeps
the Jewish people trusting in G-d, looking toward the
future and believing in the promise of redemption and
a better tomorrow.
May the optimism,
perseverance and courage of the people of Israel be
a model to all Americans in these troubling times and
help us maintain our faith, hope and belief in the promise
of a brighter tomorrow for ourselves and our children.
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