I found it both horrific and ironic that the Boston Marathon Massacre happened on Yom HaZikaron. Horrific for the obvious emotions that sudden and senseless death, injury, and destruction invoke. Ironic because while I sat in the safety of my American home on Yom HaZikaron, remembering the courageous souls who braved danger each day in order to maintain a Jewish hold in the land of Israel , terror and carnage were happening right here in the United States.
It’s so easy for me to think that it’s safer for my family to live in America. I can honestly say that I have never felt afraid to be a Jew in America, but I have known that fear while getting lost in the Arab quarter in Jerusalem or taking a shortcut path with a tour guide beyond King David’s palace through an Arab village. I know what it’s like to be looked at with hatred because of my head scarf or the kippot on my sons’ heads. Not in Chicago, but in the Jewish homeland.
However, when events like 9/11 or the Boston Marathon Massacre happen, it jolts me back to reality. I am living with a false sense of security. Carnage can happen anywhere. Heck, I live in the murder capital of the U.S.! If anything, Hashem’s closer presence in the holy land of Israel will be of more protection than that which distance away from the land can provide.
I am truly grateful that I am an American citizen and allowed to practice Judaism freely. I am grateful for the opportunities and comforts provided by living in the United States. However, any argument made that living in America is safer than living in Israel is a fallacy. It’s days like today that remind me that Hashem really is the master planner and in charge of all of our fates – whether in galus or in Eretz Yisrael.
