It Is Not Easy Being a Zionist Today

Rabbi Paul Plotkin
5 min readMar 29, 2024

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It is not easy being a Zionist these days. Israeli soldiers are dying in the war in Gaza and Israeli citizens are dying in rocket attacks from Lebanon by Hezbollah. These deaths are almost never mentioned in the tv news.

Some released hostages are now beginning to share stories of the horrors they have endured at the hands of their Hamas captors, not the least of which were sexual attacks.

I remember in the early days of the war. as tales of gang rapes were reported by eyewitnesses who survived the massacre at the music festival, the Hamas apologists denied it saying it was impossible. They were religious warriors and acts of sexual violence were prohibited in Islam so that could not be true.

In our country progressives are in the forefront of the movements to advocate for women and one of their first assertions is to believe women who bring forth accusations of sexual abuse- unless it would appear if it is Jewish women for whom there is a separate standard. The new motto would appear to be “we stand behind all women as long as they are not Jewish”.

On campuses all over the United States, Jewish students are scared to be identified as Jews. Some incoming freshmen are changing their preferred elite schools’ acceptances for other universities where Jewish students feel more secure. Some Israeli Universities are recruiting North American students who notwithstanding the war, will feel safer in Tel Aviv then in Boston.

There is no event that is scheduled to have a lot of cameras around, that is not targeted for pro-Palestinian demonstrators who chant and re-chant with bullhorns the one line rhymes that are intellectually at the level of first graders. Their messages regarding genocide really do call for genocide only it’s for the end of a Jewish state and in some cases the Jewish people. “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free” means that my daughter her husband and her 3 children have 2 choices. Leave or be killed. Who is really calling for genocide?

There are mounting tensions between the Prime Minister of Israel and the United States administration over the conduct of the war that should have never reached the level it is at. I believe that Bibi is at fault for that. There are real operational and political differences between them but they should be handled in secret as friends do when they disagree. The back and forth we are seeing helps only Hamas.

I could go on and on about how bad it is but the purpose of this blog was not to add to the sad state of mind that many of us have right now. Instead, I wanted to give voice to another story. One of sacrifice and defiance but most of all of love of a country that is UNITED to defeat evil and to save the fulfillment of the Zionist dream, a safe Jewish state for the Jewish people. We may disagree and argue like most families do, but we are a family where we are all there for each other. Here are two stories that sum up all of what I am saying.

This story went all around Israel. I read it on Rabbi Daniel Gordis’s blog called, “Israel From the Inside.” I subscribe to it and read it regularly. I wasn’t sure if it was a copywrite protected document until I read the newest issue of Kashrus Magazine where it was published as well. Then I realized it was a public post by Uri Shechter. (it is advisable to have a tissue at your side before you read this.)

Zvika Gringlik hit a car. He exchanged details with the owner of the car and he said to the owner of the car: “No problem, I’m to blame, I wasn’t okay and we’ll fix what you need in the car.”

They arranged to meet together at the garage on Wednesday.

On Wednesday she arrives at the garage and Zvika Greenlick did not come. She tried to call him, but he did not answer his phone. He disappeared, as if the earth swallowed him up.

Thursday the woman sent him a message: “I’m really disappointed, your behavior is not nice, we arranged for Wednesday and you didn’t come.”

He saw the message and immediately sent her a message back: “I’m very sorry, on Tuesday my son Shaul was killed in Gaza, so I couldn’t come.”

The woman immediately apologized. She herself had been at the funeral but she did not make the connection that he was Shaul’s father.

That same day, she arrived at the shiva home and comforted the family. During the shiva visit, Zvika told her: ‘When the shiva is over, I will transfer the amount of the repair to you.”

She told him: “Don’t worry about it, I don’t want the money.”

At the first opportunity he had, Zvika transferred NIS 2,000 to her via Bit ( like Zelle)

She sent him a message that made him weep:

“There is no need. The owner of the garage heard that the person who hit the car was the father of a soldier who fell in Gaza, so he fixed the car without taking money.”

This is the true story of the people of Israel.

Purim has come and gone with its message of how Haman (sounds like Hamas) tried to annihilate the Jews, but we came through with a great victory.

A message of shared sacrifice to defeat vile antisemitism and save the Jewish people, was posted on a house before Purim.

Daniel Gordis shared the following story. (Keep the tissue)

Sgt. Maj. (res.) Aviad Gad Cohen, 41, a soldier in the Etzioni Brigade, from Shlomit, was killed in battle on October 7.What does one say in a home like that on Purim? His family posted clear instructions on the door.

Happy Purim!

We request that you

enter this house

with your head held high

and back straight up!

Then fill yourself with courage and joy

And only then,

knock on the door.

Here lives the family

of a hero

who in his life and death

spread life and hope!!

Proud of you!!

I feel for the many civilians in Gaza who have died and suffered but only because Hamas hides itself behind them. The suffering would end the minute the hostages are freed and Hamas gives up. All people are the creatures of God and created in His image but if I have to choose between others or my own, I will always choose mine. And mine have been in danger for almost 4000 years. I need to protect them first and that’s why I am a Zionist.

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Rabbi Paul Plotkin

I am a retired Conservative Rabbi. I was a pulpit Rabbi for 40 years. I supervise a chain of kosher Delis called Ben's .