A message to American Jewry: Aliyah is your battle in our war. COME HOME.

My name is Yehuda Potaznik. Up until a few months ago I lived on the Upper East Side, learned in Ramaz, and attended services in KJ. Today, I am writing to you from my new, true Home. Since the beginning of the year, I have been studying in a Hesder Yeshiva located in the middle of the Hebron Hills, the heart of Judea. In this particular area Avraham and the other patriarchs traveled from Be'er Sheva to Hevron and Har Ha'Moriah, Otniel ben Knaz ruled over the people of Israel, King David raised his sheep, and today many brave Jews live and study amongst an extremely hostile population.

As we all know, the past year and a half in Israel has been extremely difficult; especially in the West Bank and Gaza. The worst thing, however, is the psychological effect of this continuous terror war. When literally every day one hears about the settler that was killed here, the bomb that killed commuters in the city over there, the policeman killed at this checkpoint, the soldiers ambushed at that checkpoint, one develops this kind of apathy that is a mixture of general despair with an actual loss of concern. However, every once in a while an attack occurs which hits home and reminds us of the reality and pain of this war which we are fighting. For me, the attack last night on a Yeshiva in the Gaza strip was one of these. Some time before midnight a lone terrorist crossed the fence of the community of Atzmona. When reaching the caravans, sleeping quarters, of the Mechina, a pre-army yeshiva located there, the terrorist began firing at anyone in sight, picking out caravans which were lit or from which he heard music being played. He then proceeded on to the Beit Midrash, where a shiur was being given by one of the Rabbanim, and continued spraying bullets and hurling grenades. The event lasted a total of twenty minutes until the terrorist was shot down and had left behind some 30 injured students, including around a dozen very serious injuries. Five of the boys were soon reported dead. In one story I heard, one of the students was in his room when he heard the terrorist open fire. The student went outside to see what was happening and was then noticed by the terrorist who started chasing him back into his room. The boy managed to turn off the lights and find a hiding spot before the terrorist came in after him, spraying the room with gunfire. When I hear this description, I can't help but picture my own Yeshiva. Our caravans are similarly located next to the security fence and just beyond the caravans, on the top of the hill, sits the Beit Midrash. There have been times while laying down in bed or performing shmira (guard duty) in the middle of the night that I have contemplated such a scenario occurring in my own Yeshiva. It could. This sad event has reminded me that the war being fought here is all too real. These are not just statistics. Being that I am in an Israeli yeshiva, many of my friends know guys who learn in Atzmona. Today, over half of my class left Yeshiva to attend the funerals or visit their friends in the hospital. Earlier this week, one of my roommates went to the funeral of his former Bnei Akiva counselor who was killed in uniform during another attack in Gaza. My other roommate from Efrat knew the woman who was killed this week while driving in her car. My cousin works very close to the cafe in Jerusalem where a bomb was successfully averted towards the end of the week. This is all too real.

Now, why do I need to tell this to you? Though it may not feel like it, it was not so long ago that I too was sitting in my comfy apartment in New York. I know that when you're far away, living in a very different environment, getting all of your news from NBC or CNN (which don't report the dozens of non fatal attacks that occur daily), and when you simply have no relationship to the victims, it is very easy to let the situation turn into a bunch of sad data which you store somewhere in the back of your head if not throw it out. But you can not let that happen. You can not let the distance serve as an excuse, because the truth is that it's really not that far away. When Jews in Israel are being attacked, it is your family in your home that is being attacked. These might sound like nice words of propaganda, but these are the words of God, the words of our Torah. As religious Jews, in particular, it has to be as real as anything. When a Jew, a world, is destroyed, you should be able to feel the pain as real as if you would have a knife stabbed into your own right arm. I'm not saying that people should go around being depressed all day long, but you have to make an effort to make it part of your daily reality and consciousness.

There is more to it though. This is a war. It's a war that is being fought on more than just one type of battlefield, and it must be fought back on all of the appropriate battlefields. The enemy, in this case, wants us to live in fear in our own land. Better yet, it does not want us to live at all in our own land. As scary as it is, the people here are not surrendering. The settlers of the West Bank and Gaza, who have probably suffered the most, are stronger in their will than ever. The people of Jerusalem continue to take to the streets and go about their daily lives. They are fighting on the front lines. This is not the time for American Jews to take up seats in the bleachers. This is your war. It is our war. Thank God, people are coming to Israel. I have met many friends and parents of friends who came to visit this year. Last shabbat I was at a Bar- Mitzvah of a family from the community in New York. Communities, such as KJ, are sending solidarity missions. Many have even come to visit the settlement communities, such as the one where I am learning, and thousands of young people are here learning in Yeshivot. But more people have to be coming. People should be coming to Israel in the droves this Pesach and in the summer. Even that is not enough.

This might not be a popular statement to make, but NOW is the time for a reawakening amongst American Jews to Aliyah. With a terror war and many other difficulties taking place in Israel, NOW is the time for American Jews, with their special traits and skills, to be building their homes and contributing to the Jewish community IN Israel. As difficult as it may seem, aliyah is needed now, because their is too much to lose if we keep procrastinating. Let me ask you a question. If you had to leave home for a while for whatever reasons, and after some time you received news that some violent criminals had broken into your house and were attacking your kids or your siblings, what would your reaction be? Would you wait it out till the situation was safe? Would you come visit for a few days, drop off gifts and goodies, wish them luck, and leave? You'd probably take the first plane back, and without even thinking about your own life would roll up your sleeves and join the fight. It is hard to see the actual situation as such, but, once again, as religious Jews we must realize that it is. When the Jewish community in its homeland is under attack, it is halachikly defined as a milchemet mitzvah. That means that it is every Jew's religious obligation to take up arms. If one is not capable of actually joining the IDF, than there are other means of doing so in the current situation. While you are in America anyway, demonstrations and other forms of support are important, but the even greater importance of fighting the war from within Israel must be thought of and taken more seriously than ever. Keep in mind that it must be the religious- Zionist communities, in particular, that lead the way.

I say these words to you not as my own, but as the clear message of our Torah and national history during these hard times. I pray with you for better times and for the ultimate redemption, may it be soon.

B'ahavat Yisrael,
Yehuda Potaznik