Considering life in Israel, Americans need to get a grip

The West Coast Chapter of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) hosted its Winter Lunch & Learn Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Sarasota Yacht Club. The speaker was Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich, the director of AJC Jerusalem and former director of Interactive Media Branch of the Israel Defense Forces.

Leibovich spoke about Israel’s role as the only democracy in the region and the threats posed by its neighbors.

To hear her firsthand account of life in Israel, we Americans should be embarrassed. Especially after the week before and after the inauguration. 

Our social media feeds were filled with rants and raves and comment wars that too often fell on the side of awful meanness. The internet was full of fake news. And mainstream media were reporting stories that most respectable journalists wouldn’t consider news. Sensationalism everywhere. It was exhausting. 

We wanted to turn it all off. 

That made going to hear Leibovich all the more attractive — a  refreshing respite to have another country be the topic of conversation. But what Leibovich revealed was so eye-opening and shocking, she actually reinvigorated the audience’s patriotism for our great country. 

Let’s set the scene: You don’t hear much about it now, but Israel is still under daily attacks. And the threat of being bombed is constant. Hezbollah in Lebanon has 120,000 rockets pointing at Israel, Leibovich said. 

Since 1991, every new Israeli house is built with a bomb shelter. Israelis use an app called Red Alert. It provides real-time alerts every time rockets, mortars or missiles are fired into the state of Israel. The last time was Christmas Day. 

Leibovich said Hamas, which is recognized by the U.S., U.K and the E.U. as a terrorist group, launches nearly 4,000 rockets a year into Israel. And Hamas’ warheads now threaten the majority of Israel’s population. They can reach as far as Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv. Israelis hear Red Alert rocket sirens up to five times per day and must seek shelter during the threat. This is their way of life.

In the midst of even more protests, this time against President Trump’s executive order on refugees, Leibovich’s description of life in Israel created a stark contrast and perspective.

Think about us and Israel. We are not being bombed daily. Americans aren’t required to have bomb shelters. We don’t have sirens going off daily warning us to take shelter. Our enemies can’t hit us with 120,000 rockets with the push of a few buttons.

Sure, maybe half of our fellow Americans don’t like our new president. Half didn’t like the one before. And yes, all Americans have a right to voice their concerns. But get a grip. Think about how lucky we are.

Emily Walsh is publisher of the Longboat, Sarasota, Siesta Key and East County Observers.