Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Dear friends and family,

You probably would have never met Udi and Ruti Fogel, but let me introduce them to you.
They were simple people of the land, content in raising their 6 children in Itamar of the Shomron. Content with affecting small changes, reaching out to people whenever they could. And above all- constantly striving for harmony. Harmony in living life in accordance to our Torah, with our people, in our land.

But pure evil entered this holy house last Friday night. Amalek, evil searching out the most holy, the most high, the most pure. It was the spirit of Haman, not able to stand seeing beautiful Jewish souls standing in defiance. Not able to see simple pride, rooted, standing on our land. Standing home.

And so.. they sought to destroy.

5 souls. We lost Udi, Ruti, 11 year Yoav, 4 year old Elad and 3 month old Hadas .

My Husband and I stood with tens of thousands yesterday, stood in horror and unbelievable grief. Stood before their bodies. Saying farewell.

Just meters from us, coming off a bus with the remaining shards of her family, we saw Tamar Fogel... The eldest daughter, 12 years old, who was the one to find the bleeding ruins of her parents, her brothers and sister late Friday night. We saw her, this mere CHILD, keening.. keening.. not able to move from the foot of the vehicle, not able to go towards the 5 bodies.. of her Ema, Abba, Yoav, Elad and baby Hadas.
We saw.. And all who saw broke down.

How to bear the pain?! What do we DO? How do we help her, this little girl. This mere child.

But then.Then the answer came.
It came from Ruti's brother, in his eulogy over his sister's body.

He turned to us all.

And I implore you in his words.

Am Yisrael, my people

התנערי מעפר קומי

Stand up

Stand up my people

Stand up.

התנערי

Shake yourselves awake.

SHAKE

Shake off the ashes of Galut.
Shake off those lies that bind you to a foreign land.

לבשי בגדי תפרארתך עמי

Where are you, O People of Israel?
Have you forgotten?

We have but ONE, tiny land.
We have ONE HOME. THIS is our home.
This and no other

The blood of the Fogel family, butchered in their home for being proud Jews. THEIR BLOOD cries out from this land.
You are not safe, my brothers and sisters. They will find you there, they will find you anywhere.

But look at the faces of your children TODAY, and ask yourselves, is my life as I live it right now- is it worth fighting for, is it worth DYING for?

I looked around at ten thousand faces yesterday and I saw, amid the grief, I saw incredible beauty. I saw strength, I saw power..
For we KNOW. We KNOW what we are living for. And if we must, if we are called, we know what we die for.

We are going to build, to grow, to continue on with all that we have. With our tears and with our last breath.
We are going to LIVE. HERE.

To LIVE HERE.

EXACTLY WHERE WE BELONG. Because we KNOW.

Where are you?

DO YOU KNOW?

This is our history, being written- right HERE right NOW.
RIGHT NOW

RIGHT NOW.

you are MISSING it.

And why??

Enough!
התנערי !

Shake it off!

You have the freedom

You have the freedom

You have the freedom to say:
Enough!

we are leaving today

we are leaving today
Children, we are leaving today.

התנערי

Shake yourselves AWAKE.

My people.
Get out of Egypt- We our no longer slaves. Come home!
COME HOME.

OPEN YOUR EYES

Come home to us.
Come home, my people!

Come home.
Stand with us
Cry with us
Fight with us
LIVE with us.

Tell your children- it's time to go home.
Tell them!
Tell them- our hearts, our souls have been in a land far far away..
Tell them! Tell them how our Father Avraham left it all. He never looked back. He walked with Hashem onward- to a land he did not know.
Tell them- our story of Pesach.
OUR STORY
Our story- When we first became a PEOPLE. When we walked for 40 years through the desert- to come home.

Tell them-
We are leaving today.

Only a plane ride away.

We are leaving today,

Please, my people, don't throw the Fogel family's blood away.
Please. my brothers and sisters, come stand with Tamar. COME EMBRACE HER.

Come, show her - that she is not alone.
Come, show her- that her family did not die in vain!
Come, show her - that the eternal message of the Fogel home is heard.

Come home to us.
Answer this evil that took her family. Tell them -that they have NOT destroyed!!
Show them- fight them! Make your stand. Take your place with Mordechai. With Esther. With Bar-Kochva and Rabbi Akiva. With the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto. With every boy and girl in this county standing in a glorious olive-green uniform.
We will NOT
DIE
We will NOT
be silent

COME SHOW THEM.

HEED THE CALL
For all that glitters in galut is not gold..
COME HOME
After 2000 years, it's finally time-

Where are you?

We are here waiting for you.
It will not be easy, but who knows-

אם לשם כך הגעת למלכות?

This is your time. The hour of truth.

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