May We Be United, in the future, for Good Things

    I am assuming that my readers have heard the terrible news, that the bodies of three youths, undoubtedly those kidnapped 2 1/2 weeks ago, have been found. It is a sad day, and I feel literally ill.

    To lose a child is hard enough. To lose him as the result of a brutal atrocity like this must be absolutely heart wrenching . My condolences to the families.

    I rarely write political things on this blog, feeling that the chances of me changing anyone's mind is probably nil. I see that with on-line discussions people very rarely listen to each other; the modis operendi seems to be name calling. And I am not going to go into politics now…. Now is simply a time to be unified in our mourning. I am leaving the politics to those more knowledgeable in that area than I am.

    But I would like to note one fact. Sometimes the different streams of Orthodoxy here in Israel distrust each other. Some feel that others are not religious enough; some feel that different groups are shirking their duties. But in this, we ARE united. A few days ago my granddaughter had an end-of-the-year program at her school. When I went to take the bus home, I was pleasantly surprised to see next to the bus stop (in a chareidi –ultra Orthodox -  area), a table piled with Tehillim booklets (Psalms), so that people could pray for the boys' safe return while waiting for the bus.

    And just now, my oldest son (who does NOT vote in elections, and the like), who I knew had been praying for the kidnapped teens, phoned me. "I heard the terrible news. Please tell me details." He does not own a radio… but he heard… and simply had to know. Because he really, really cared.

   My prayer for the future is that our communities can be united to celebrate happy occasions, and not be united only in sorrow.