Learning from Israelis About Fear Management

The June 1 firebombing of a “Run for Their Lives” in Boulder, Colorado has exacerbated the already frayed nerves of American Jews.  First came the arson committed at the home of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, then came the killing in Washington D.C. of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, and now another hate crime against Jews. All this is taking place while Israel is still at war in Gaza, a time when antisemites are disguising their views as legitimate criticism of the state of Israel. And yet to Israelis, talk of a “shattering of our sense of security” (as per Halie Soifer, chief executive of the Jewish Democratic Council of America) and op-eds like “Jews are Afraid Right Now” (by Sheila Katz, chief executive of the National Council of Jewish Women, in The NY Times) strike us as exaggerated.  Though it has not received a lot of press coverage recently, the Houthis in Yemen are continuing their missile attacks against Israel. If you are extremely disturbed by a terrorist incident that took place hundreds or even thousands of miles from your home, can you imagine going to sleep after a missile siren has sounded?

Our recent experiences with the missile siren here in Ra’anana came on Monday night June 2 at around 9:00 p.m. and the next night at around 10:00 p.m. We had company during the first siren: our son Elie, his wife Hadar and their three small children were in the middle of packing up after spending the Shavuot holiday with us. The siren was greeted by Yehuda (6), Ayala (4), and Itamar (21 months) with much excitement, as Sarah ushered everyone into our home’s “safe room” (like our elderly neighbor with whom we share the bomb shelter, I tend to continue what I am doing when a siren sounds). 

After a few minutes, everyone came out of the shelter; sometimes you can hear the Iron Dome’s interception of the missile, but this time we did not. The kids were chattering about the experience but not alarmed in any way (they tend to take cues from the adults around them; of course, it’s quite a different story if there is a siren in the middle of the night: who likes to be woken up at 3:00 a.m.?). Then Elie and his family drove off to their home in Jerusalem. I’ll just remark in passing that the kids have gotten so used to sirens that over the holiday, Yehuda showed me how if you put your hands around your mouth in a certain way and blow through them, it makes a sound similar to a siren. 

Dear Reader: The Israeli attitude to fear management can be summarized by my friend Shlomo Dubinsky’s motto: “If the road is open, drive.”  Going back 25 years when we both lived in Givat Ze’ev, Shlomo came up with his motto during the terror attacks of the Second Intifada. A few miles of road separated our West Bank town from Jerusalem, with Arab villages on either side of the road, and people were very concerned about that drive. The basic principle is a reliance on the state’s security apparatus. 

If those who are paid to protect us (and these are people with much more information than us) deem it okay to travel on Highway 436 to Jerusalem, then it’s safe to make the trip. In terms of American life, this doesn’t mean that you should not be vigilant; i.e., if you see a suspicious person hanging around your children’s Jewish day school you should certainly report him. But it does mean that not only may you attend synagogue services in Seattle without fear but you may also do so in Boulder. There are security people charged with protecting you, and you can take your cues from them.   

So by all means: if there is a Jewish film festival near you, or a rally at an Israeli consulate, or a “Run for Their Lives” calling for the release of the hostages, or just a pick-up basketball game at your JCC, get out there and “drive.”

Teddy Weinberger made aliyah with his family in 1997 from Miami, where he was an assistant professor of religious studies. Teddy and his wife, Sarah Jane Ross, have five children.