(Today is the secular 73rd birthday of Israel. While I had written something for the occasion, after reading the following which was sent to alumni of Hebrew Union College, I felt Rabbi Guttman’s words said so much during this difficult time for the State of Israel)

~A few minutes ago (3:30 p.m. our time), my son in Israel told me that
from his balcony, he witnessed more than 40 Iron Dome rockets attempting to shoot down Hamas missiles from Gaza. Unfortunately, one got through, but he was not sure of the details. He thought that it landed somewhere in Petach Tikva.
   My granddaughter is fast asleep, not in her room, but in a room known as a maamad. The maamad is a concrete reinforced safe room with steel shutters. Usually, this room serves as an office/guest room.
   More from my son in Israel: "Abba - This is the fourth time that this has happened since I returned to live here. (He was born there.) I have never seen it like this. It is amazing how many weapons they have accumulated. There was 20 minutes solid of continual firing at the center of the country. One rocket hit Holon near Netta's (another daughter-in-law of mine) grandmother's house. She is thankfully OK."
   To date, Hamas has fired more than 1,600 rockets at Israel. (Highlight mine)
   If you have been following the news from Israel, you know that there has been tension in Jerusalem regarding the Temple Mount and a neighborhood called Sheich Jarrah. Many in Israel are concerned about right-wing settler agitation and police disproportionately targeting and injuring Palestinian civilian bystanders in the Old City.
   However, let there be no doubt that the firing of hundreds - and I
mean hundreds - of rockets at civilian centers in Israel cannot be
justified except as a terrorist act against the Jewish state.
   Now is not the time, from the safety of our homes, to castigate our friends in Israel about their government or their right to defend themselves.
   Now is the time for all of us to affirm the right of Israel (and the
Jewish people) to defend itself against terror in any form. (Highlight mine)

I recall the immortal words of the medieval Jewish poet, Yehuda HaLevi, who wrote, _“While I am in the West, my heart is in the East.” These words are never more powerful to me than when Israel is under attack...